Eat This Now—Tuesday 12/29/09
2009
Best if Used By 1/5/10
Eat This Now for Tuesday December 29, 2009 features: Grape Tomatoes, Red Grapefruit, Organic Mangoes, Hass Avocados, and Cantaloupe.
1. Grape Tomatoes
What a great concept! Bite-sized tomatoes shaped like grapes that actually taste like – like real tomatoes. No cutting. No chopping. No preparation. Just rinse and enjoy: on salads or as a snack. Grape Tomatoes add color and juiciness to veg trays too.
There is a flush of high quality Conventional and Organic Grape Tomatoes coming from Florida right now following a month long spell of high prices and limited availability. Advertised at many stores this week and available as in-store specials, Grape Tomatoes are a good buy this week – just in time for your New Years and Bowl Game parties, not to mention your health-related New Year Resolutions. Flavor can vary based on growing conditions and seed variety even within the same brand, but overall eating quality is good to great on all lots I’ve tried lately. Remember, never store tomatoes in the refrigerator; room temperature is best to keep them firm and full of flavor.
2. Red Grapefruit
Feeling the need to detox from all the cookies, pies, buttered _______ (fill in the blank) and salty whatevers this week? Try Red Grapefruit for breakfast or a snack. The intensely sweet and tart juicy burst they provide will perk up you system and your taste buds. Organic and Conventional Red Grapefruit are readily available from Texas, Florida and California. Look for Rio Star, Rio Red, Ruby Red or Star Ruby varieties for a flesh color and flavor upgrades over standard pink/red grapefruit. Select fruit that feels heavy for it’s size, a sign of juice content.
3. Organic Mangoes
Ecuador and Brazil are exporting high volumes of Organic Kent and Tommy Atkins variety Mangoes to the US right now. Quality has been sharp, especially from Ecuador. Mangoes are so sweet, so smoothly delicious – no wonder they’re the #1 fruit in the world. If you can’t find Organically Grown (no pesticides or other synthetic compounds used), Conventional fruit is decent and very affordable this week as well. Red skin color typically indicates that piece of fruit was exposed to more sunlight than others in many varieties, not the level of ripeness. Softness is your key indicator of when the mango is ready to eat.
4. Hass Avocados
From New Years until Super Bowl is the prime time for guacamole, which means big-time usage of Hass Avocados. Holiday parties, College Bowl Games, NFL Playoffs and The Big Game are all great occasions to celebrate with family and friends with some creamy guacamole. But Hass Avocados aren’t simply a one-trick-pony. Add them to salads or sandwiches for a creamy texture and smooth nutty taste that is healthy too. Chile’s bumper crop of Hass Avocados continues to keep prices low at the stores on fruit from that country and Mexican product, so now is a fantastic time to grab some. Love ‘em at the restaurant, but need a crash course on selecting and preparing Hass Avocados for yourself? Check out www.avocadocentral.com for some cool how-to videos.
5. Cantaloupe
Summer is long gone. USA is not producing Cantaloupes right now. Central American grown melons travel a long way to get here and their skin often has a greenish cast to it. Soooo… why am I recommending Cantaloupes this week?
Glad you asked. In a word: Value. Large sized Cantaloupes from Guatemala are plentiful this week, affordable and actually taste like Cantaloupes. Now I’m not saying they’re as good as summertime local ‘lopes, so don’t bother comparing. Nevertheless, if you see a big Cantaloupe where you shop on sale at $2.99 or less, it’s worth buying one to enjoy for breakfast, dessert or for a healthy snack. I’m aware of one chain in the Northeast selling Large Cantaloupes this week at Buy One – Get One Free, another at $.99 each! Cantaloupes are packed with nutrition, and hey – that latte or fancy-schmancy sports/energy drink costs as much as a fresh Cantaloupe this week. Choose fresh.
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