Your New Year’s Resolution Goals related to Health and Weight Loss will be EASIER to achieve when you incorporate more fresh fruit and vegetables into your diet. Worried it will be too expensive to eat more fresh produce? Here are some tips to keep you eatin’ fresh and saving money. Check Out Produce Geek’s 10 Ways to EAT MORE Fresh Produce WITHOUT Going Broke.

Best if Used By 01/11/10

Eat This Now for Tuesday January 5, 2010 features: Pink Lady Apples, Gala Apples, Minneola Tangelos, Packaged Salad, and Organic Broccoli.

1. Pink Lady Apples

Ever heard of ‘em?  Ever tried ‘em?  If not, now is an ideal time to buy and taste this refreshing apple as you tackle your diet, weight loss, nutrition and health related New Years Resolutions.  One of the most dense apple varieties I’ve ever eaten, Pink Lady’s consistently deliver crunch when you bite in and a firm texture as you chew.  The bright flavor is exciting, rather tangy with sweetness underneath and a fresh aftertaste.  This apple is definitely worth a try for good ol’ snackin’ or for cooking with savory ingredients.

Pink Lady is actually a brand of the Cripps Pink variety in which participating growers must meet particular standards to call it “Pink Lady.”  The Cripps Pink variety is a cross between Golden Delicious and Lady Williams apples and originated in Australia in the mid-1980s.  If you find Cripps Pink Apples at your store, go ahead and buy them as they are essentially Pink Lady’s.  Both Organic and Conventional Pink Lady Apples are available from Washington State right now and will be promoted more prominently by discriminating retailers for the next three months as they replace regional varieties that are running out for the season.  As other varieties start to get mushy in storage this time of year, Pink Lady/Cripps Pink stay rock solid.  Now, once you’ve tried one – you’ll be a Pink Lady Insider!

2. Gala Apples

Ahhh, the Gala is the Sweetheart of Apple Eaters because it’s not simply a wonderful balance of sweet with a little tartness – it’s crisp too!  Kids love the ‘em for the sweetness, adults prefer them for their combination of flavor and texture.  Sorry Red Delicious, you’re really sweet ‘n all, but you just can’t be relied on for good texture. America is saying “No” to mealy, mushy eating apples.  That’s why Gala is taking a run at King of the apple display.  The fresh crop of Gala’s is already sold out, and what is in stores now is coming out of Controlled Atmosphere storage rooms where the best of the harvest apples were put into virtual hibernation so that apples can still be fresh long after they were picked.  But alas, even the best storage science can’t keep Gala’s perfectly crisp and tasty forever.  To make sure it’s likely to be a good apple, lightly run your thumb across the skin to see if it wrinkles (if it does it’s going to be a disappointment).  So, go buy some Washington, Pennsylvania or New York Gala Apples the next few weeks while they are still at their best, and heck, they might even be on sale too.

3. Minneola Tangelos

You may have seen this variety of tangerine before and thought it was a weird looking orange.  The knob-like growth at the stem end of this dark orange citrus fruit is it’s giveaway characteristic.  I think they look funny, but their taste is serious.  Minneola Tangelos are fairly easy to peel, full of fresh flavor and really juicy.  The flavor is sweeter than a grapefruit but more tart than a clementine or mandarin, honey-sweet with a floral acidity at the end.  Still, those are just a bunch of words.  Go try some for yourself – you might discover that Minneolas are a fantastic snack.  Approaching peak harvest, California Minneola Tangelos will be plentiful and high quality through early spring.

4. Packaged Salad

What better way to start eating better than with salads made with fresh cut lettuces or salad greens!  Stores are advertising packaged salads at deep discounts this week and quality is better.  After a really rough stretch of raw product quality issues and availability in November and December due to weather conditions, fresh cut salad producers are finally hitting on all cylinders just in time for Resolution Season as new planting in the deserts of Yuma, AZ are harvested.  Don’t get stuck in a rut buying the same old blend each shopping trip.  Take a few moments to look at the varieties available at your store and try some new blends.  You may fall in love with a different combination of flavor and texture based on the green and lettuce used.  Variety is the spice of life!

5. Organic Broccoli

Resolving to eat less pesticide and chemical residues this year?  Organically grown bunched Broccoli has been steady in supply the last few weeks and handful of growers are running into small flushes of product this week following the holidays.  Keep an eye out for in-store specials on this healthy and versatile vegetable.

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

Here’s to a Healthy New Year!

The Produce Geek,
Jonathan K. Steffy