6th Fruit Delivery, August 24th, 25th, and 27th

This week we have grapes, pluots, oranges, strawberries, pears, and apples.

Red Grapes are from Sogomonian Ranch, the same grower as the Champagne Grapes last delivery. Refrigerate them dry in a plastic bag. Never wash them until you’re ready to eat – moisture will make them deteriorate very quickly. Grapes will last up to a week properly stored in the refrigerator, but it’s best to eat them as soon as possible.

Flavor King Pluots are from Twin Girls Ranch in Reedly, CA. This is a taste test winner. It is a unique plum-apricot hybrid with a remarkable, spicy bouquet and flavor. The fruit has a reddish-purple skin and sweet red flesh. They are ripe when they give under gentle pressure; avoid keeping near ethylene-producing fruits and vegetables.

Gala Apples are from Viva Tierra, Sedro-Wolley, WA. Galas are a superb dessert apple, excellent for fresh eating and baking. Most Gala apples are yellow-gold with pink to red stripes, while some Gala strains may be nearly solid red. To store, keep apples as cold as possible in the refrigerator.

Valencia Oranges are from Sespe Creek Organics in California. Valencias are excellent juicers. Store oranges in a cool place outside the refrigerator and try to eat them within a few days. If you need to keep them longer, refrigerate in a plastic bag or in the vegetable crisper section of the refrigerator.

Strawberries are from JW Farms in CA. The  strawberry grower is very particular about not picking unripe berries.  As a result they have superior flavor, but should be eaten right away.  These are not storage berries! Strawberries have a taste that varies by cultivar, and ranges from quite sweet to rather tart. Strawberries are an important commercial fruit crop, widely grown in all temperate regions of the world. Don’t wash the berries until you’re ready to eat them, and store in a covered dish in the refrigerator.

Bartlett Pears this week are from Viva Tierra, Sedro-Wolley, WA, too. Bartletts are usually a medium to large fruit with a classic pear shape. Bartletts ripen to bright yellow and give off a lovely aroma. Sweet and juicy, the Bartlett is perfect for eating out of hand but is also an excellent canning pear.

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5th Fruit Delivery: August 10th, 11th, and 13th, 2011

Delicious peaches

This week we have peaches, apricots, pluots, mangoes, & grapes

Peaches this week are from California. The Suncrest peach brings you that old-fashioned taste of days gone by – gently tapered, with a rich yellow skin swirled with deep red and a firm but juicy yellow flesh. The large Yellow Sweet Dream, if you receive that variety, is also a wonderful eat-over-the-sink variety. Fresh peaches can be kept at room temperature for a few days, depending on how ripe they are when they arrive. Refrigeration will add a day or so to the life of the peach. Do not wash until you’re ready to use the peach.

Apricots are from Gilbert Orchards in Yakima, WA. Relatives to peaches, apricots are small, golden-orange fruits, with velvety skin and flesh, not too juicy but very smooth and sweet. Some describe their flavor as almost musky, with a faint tartness that lies somewhere between a peach and a plum. Store apricots at room temperature until ripe then in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for 3-5 days.

Pluots this week may be either Dapple Fire, or Flavor Grenade from Wild River farm in CA, or Sugar Jewel from Twin Girls farm in CA. Pluots are a cross between plum and apricot, and they exhibit more plum-like traits, with skin colors ranging from red to black to mottled, and flesh either red or golden yellow. Store in loosely closed plastic bag or paper bag in fridge.

Kent Mangos were grown on Del Cabo Organic, in Baja. Nestled in the pristine valleys between the Sea of Cortez and the rugged mountains of the Baja Peninsula, over 400 farming families of the Del Cabo cooperative nurture their organic crops in a vision that has nurtured positive social change in the area. Kent mangoes are known for their fiber-less flesh, and are often misjudged as being green because they don’t show as much color as other varieties when ripe. If not fully ripe, allow mangoes to ripen at room temperature in a paper bag. Once ripe, mangoes can be stored in your refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Champagne Grapes this week arrive from Soghomonian Ranch near Fresno, CA in the California Central Valley. Known for his Champagne Grapes, Joe Soghomonian has been growing several varieties of grapes since 1981. He has been a farmer all of his life and took over his parents farm when they retired. These grapes are likely really a variety called Black Corinth, which is often marketed as the champagne. It is a small purple grape with a delicious wine-like sweetness and a little less crunch than other table grapes. It is usually available at gourmet markets when fresh, but is more common in dried form as the Zante currant. They should keep for a week to 10 days in the refrigerator.