Best if Used By 02/15/10

Eat This Now for Tuesday February 9, 2010 features: Pink Lady Apples, Pummelos, Asparagus, Cara Cara Oranges, and Minneola Tangelos.

1.  Pink Lady Apples

Sappy romance movies should be mushy, NOT good apples.  Crisp, dense flesh with tart-sweet flavor, Pink Lady Apples are one of the best textured apples available in the late winter months.  This is a fantastic apple for snacking, and it’s also a good option for salads.  Look for promotions this week on Washington State Organic and Conventional Pink Lady Apples, a brand of the Cripps Pink variety.  The name does fit the theme for Valentine’s Day, but don’t kid yourself, guys – they are not a replacement for flowers and chocolate.

2.  Pummelos

Have you ever walked down the citrus aisle and seen a big honkin’ pale green to yellow thing that looks like a mega grapefruit?  That, my friend, is the Pummelo.  Pummelos, or Chinese Grapefruit, are the largest of all citrus fruits.  Their extra thick rind gives off a strong tropical aroma – intoxicating to me, overwhelming for others.  Inside, Pummelos are sections like grapefruit and have firm and juicy pink flesh that tastes similar to a grapefruit, only less acidic and quite sweet, more complex, almost floral.  The season on Organic and Conventional Pummelos is peaking in California.  Take one into work this week for a snack and create a stir.  You can just tell all the gawkers you’re getting ready for The Year of the Tiger (Chinese New Year begins 2/14).

3.  Asparagus

This should be your side dish for a special Valentines Day dinner at home or any meal this week – fresh Green Asparagus.  The new season of Organic and Conventional Asparagus has started in Mexico and imports from Peru continue to be available too.  The shorter length spears, called Asparagus Tips, can also be found for the first month of the new crop harvest.  Quality is excellent and there will be aggressive ad promotions to take advantage of.  Asparagus is packed with Folic Acid, Vitamins and Fiber.  It’s also really flavorful, so try it steamed, roasted, grilled, sauteed or blanched some night soon.

4.  Cara Cara Oranges

By the power vested in us by the Internet, we at ProduceGeek.com have named Cara Cara Navel Oranges the Unofficial Fresh Fruit of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.  Take that!, Canned Fruit in heavy syrup.

Here’s a summary of our decision:

• Sweet, Delicious, Low Acid
• Rich pink flesh, almost seedless
• Loaded with Vitamin C and tons of Antioxidants
• Definitely in Season this month
• Organic and Conventional from California
• Nicknamed “The Power Orange”

Cara Cara Navels may not improve your Freestyle Ski Jumping tricks or help you with your Curling technique, but they will give your immune system a boost and your taste buds a treat.  Go Team Fresh!

5.  Minneola Tangelos

OK, so you really enjoyed the Clementines in December and January, but this last box/bag you bought in February had a lot of soft ones that went bad and others that were dry inside.  There are still lots of good Clementines out there from Spain and Morocco, but quality is a little more hit and miss as the season winds down.  If you want an easy to peel, on-the-go fruit that is a bit more consistent than Clementines right now – try Minneola Tangelos.  They’re those dark orange skinned citrus fruits with the knob at the stem end.  Minneolas are tart-sweet and almost seedless.  Organic and Conventional ones from California are outstanding this month.  You may even be able to find Minneola Tangelos from Florida, called Honey Bells.

Forward this to a friend if you think they’ll like it – Here’s to fresh produce!

The Produce Geek,
Jonathan K. Steffy