12th Fruit Delivery Nov 19 – 23, 2013

Enjoy this mixed cranberry, apple and pear box over the Thanksgiving Holiday.  We are so thankful to share this beautiful gift of nature with you.  Many thoughtful hands make it possible to savor the seasons.

I wish you and yours a peaceful and restful time with those closest to you.

Please note if you are looking for the perfect gift this holiday, we will pack and deliver delicious organic fruit to your friends and family. We ship year-round to the lower 48 states!

We have added a Labels2learn.com postcard. FruitShare™ is giving .25 per box to your favorite school. We are strong supporters of kids and education and we believe this is a great vehicle to partner with our customers to give to their favorite schools.

Thanks for your support of organic orchards.

Everett Myers, Founder and President of FruitShare™

In your box

Honeycrisp apples

Asian pears

Concorde pears

Bosc pears

Granny Smith apples

Cranberries

Rio Star grapefruit

Storage and Ripening

Take all of your pears out of the box right away. Store them on the counter at room temperature. Test ripeness by checking the neck, or pressing gently on the pear near the stem. When the pear gives to gentle thumb pressure, the pear will be juicy and soft. This is the best way to check pears because they ripen from the inside out, and pressing near the stem gets you closer to the center of the fruit. Remember that pears are an ethylene-producing fruit; that means that they naturally produce a gas that will make them ripen faster. If you want to ripen up your pears quickly, put a few in a paper bag to trap the gas.  Once they give to thumb pressure you can refrigerate them, which lets you enjoy them over a longer period of time.  Keep the apples and Asian pears in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator to keep them fresh for several weeks. Grapefruit should also be kept in the refrigerator to keep the skin from drying out.

What It Takes

We are so excited to bring you some of the first Rio Star grapefruit of the season! The incredibly sweet and juicy Rio Star Grapefruits are some of the most popular citrus we have all season. Kids and adults alike will love them for breakfast or at any time of day! Dennis and Linda grew these Rio Stars on their citrus grove in Texas. Dennis purchased his father’s farm in 1984 and immediately transferred to organic production. He was instrumental in helping the USDA develop organic standards for citrus fruit. In 2002, Dennis was appointed to the National Organic Standards Board. Besides his vast amount of knowledge, Dennis simply has the best grapefruit we’ve ever tasted. My kids call them “greatfruit” and don’t understand why their friends put sugar on their grapefruit. You sure don’t need sugar to make these grapefruits taste sweet and delicious!

The fresh cranberries in your box are grown and packed by Dan near Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Dan is one of the premiere growers of organic cranberries, and it shows in the high quality of each berry. Like some of our favorite growers, Dan used to farm conventionally, using chemicals like pesticides and herbicides. One day while spraying his crops, Dan’s protective suit tore, exposing him to chemicals. When he returned to his house, his young daughter was waiting to give him a hug, but he had to tell her to stay away, because he didn’t want to transfer the chemicals to her. After that, Dan knew it was time to switch to organic farming. He did not want to worry about exposing his family to the dangers of pesticides. Since converting the farm to organic practices, he says they have seen the marsh transform into an ecosystem. Now, they hear insects at night and see frogs and animals all day long.  The cranberries make a wonderful tangy cranberry sauce, as well as adding zing to pancakes, muffins and sweet breads. They also freeze well, if you would like to enjoy them out of season. Cranberries grow on long vines in wet areas. The vines have a very long life, and can produce fruit for 100 years or more!

The Stewart brothers provided the Yoinashi variety of Asian pears this week. Asian pears are crispier and even juicier than other varieties of pears. My kids like to call them “juice boxes!” The Stewarts orchard is situated near Hood River, Oregon and is one of the most beautiful orchards you’ll ever see, with Mount Hood as a backdrop and the Columbia River flowing just below the orchard. Ronny and Jimmy really know what it means to protect the environment. The brothers have been working on the family farm near Hood River since they were children.  They have found that one of the best things to do is create a natural loop in the production process. They do this by composting cast-off fruit and peels, then using the composted material to keep the soil rich and fertile. It’s a sustainable way to reduce waste and keep the farm running properly so they can continue growing outstanding fruit.

The Bosc and Concorde pears, and the Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples are from the Stennes family.  Concordes are known for their sweetness and juiciness, as well as their tall, beautiful shape. The yellow-green skin, and can be eaten while crisp, making them a unique variety because you don’t need to wait for them to soften! I prefer then when they give to slight pressure.  They are at their juiciest and sweetest at this time.  Concorde pears are perfectly suited for slicing on a cheese plate or into a fresh salad because they don’t turn brown when sliced like most pears. Bosc pears are a distinctive variety with a crunchy-yet-tender flesh and sweet, spiced flavor. Don’t be deterred by their brown skin: the flesh is firm and spicier than other varieties. Bosc pears are more flavorful earlier in the ripening process. Enjoy their complex, sweet flavor before they have fully softened. When you test your Bosc pears to check their ripeness, keep in mind that their flesh is denser than other varieties. This means that when you “check the neck,” it will not give as much to pressure. Don’t wait around for these pears to get super soft; they’re ready to enjoy while they’re still nice and firm. Because of this firm flesh, Bosc pears are great for baking, broiling and poaching. Their strong flavor is also less likely to be overwhelmed by spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg. The Honeycrisp apples continue to be outstanding this year, with crisp texture and that characteristic sweet-tart flavor that makes them so popular. And the green Granny Smith apples are another popular variety that add a great pop of color – and a nice tart flavor – to this week’s box.  Granny Smith are perfect for baking and of course caramel apples.

Health and Wellness

Did you know that cranberries are a super food? They are chock-full of antioxidants, vitamin C and fiber and they only have about 45 calories in a cup. According to WebMD, “cranberries outrank nearly every fruit and vegetable–including strawberries, spinach, broccoli, red grapes, apples, raspberries, and cherries.” In fact, cranberries outrank all other fruits and veggies except for blueberries in terms of antioxidant content! It’s just another great reason (other than the delicious flavor, of course!) to enjoy plenty of cranberries this fall. They’ll help you stay healthy all through the holidays!

Recipe

Sugarless Cranberry Sauce

1 clamshell of fresh cranberries

1/4 cup pineapple juice or orange juice (I recommend pineapple!)

1/4 cup of applesauce (no sugar added)

1/4 cup of water

juice and zest of 1/2 orange

1-2 Tablespoons of honey or to taste (optional)

Put cranberries, pineapple juice, applesauce and water in a sauce pan and and bring to a boil. Keep on medium heat, stirring constantly until the cranberries start to explode (about 10-15 minutes). Reduce to a simmer and pour the juice and zest over the cranberry mixture. Simmer 10-15 minutes and remove from heat. Cool completely and store in fridge at least 4 hours but preferably overnight before serving.

NOTE: This is not as sweet as store versions! Taste at the end of cooking. It is naturally sweet from the fruit juice and applesauce but you can add more honey or stevia to taste if needed.

Courtesy of wellnessmama.com

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11th Fruit Delivery Nov 5 – 9, 2013

It looks like November is setting up for a beautiful variety of apples, pears, citrus and even cranberries again this year.  The weather has been better this year for our apple and pear growers as well as the cranberry bogs.  So enjoy this mixed apple and pear box and look forward to some cranberries mixed in before Thanksgiving and soon there after you’ll see the first of the Rio Star grapefruit, stem and leaf clementines and other delicious citrus that happens throughout the winter season.

Please note in your boxes today.  We have added a Labels2learn.com postcard.  FruitShare is giving .25 per box to your favorite school.  We are strong supports of our kids’ future and we think this is a great vehicle to partner with our customers to give to their favorite schools. 

Also if you are looking for the perfect gift we can pack up the perfect organic fruit box and deliver it for you.

Thanks for your support of organic orchards.,
Everett Myers, Founder and President of FruitShare™

In Your Box

Yoinashi asian pears

Honeycrisp, Pinova, Sweet Orin, Granny, Fuji apples

Bosc, D’Anjou, and Concorde pears

Storage and Ripening

Yoinashi asian pears are ready to eat right out of the box or you can leave them in the refrigerator like an apple and enjoy over a couple weeks.  Your pears will need between 4-7 days on the counter/fruit bowl to give to thumb pressure by the stem.  To speed up their ripening process you can place some in a paper bag with a banana, but remember to “check the neck” every day. The banana gives off ethylene gas that ripens fruit faster. You can always place your pears in the refrigerator to slow down the ripening process and enjoy over a longer period of time.  Keep your apples in the coldest part of your refrigerator. They are ready to eat right away. They will stay crispiest when stored as cold as 34 degrees F.

What It Takes
This week’s Bosc, D’Anjou and Concorde pears, as well as, the Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples are from the Stennes family. Like many of our organic growers, the Stennes family farm in Washington’s Cascade Mountains is a family affair. The farm began in 1894, when the Stennes family emmigrated from Norway and planted apple trees on their homestead. Now, Keith is joined by his twin sons, Mark and Kevin to make up the third and fourth generations of Stennes farmers. They have grown the orchard to include not just apples, but also cherries, pluots, plums, and of course, pears. This week they’ve provided some great pears. Concordes are known for their sweetness and juiciness, as well as their tall, beautiful shape. It has green skin and sometimes a hint of yellow, and can be eaten while crisp – it will still be sweet and delicious!  Concorde pears are perfectly suited for slicing on a cheese plate or into a fresh salad because they don’t turn brown when sliced like most pears. I still prefer them most when they are soft at the neck.  D’Anjou pears are a popular variety that are easily recognized by their egg-shaped appearance. These pears skin will not change color as they ripen, so don’t wait around for them to change – remember to “check the neck” to gauge their ripeness; when they give to soft pressure, they are ready to eat. D’Anjou pears are great for most recipes, because they are juicy and fresh tasting. They can be used for baking, grilling or poaching, and they are great sliced in salads. Bosc pears are a distinctive variety with a crunchy-yet-tender flesh and sweet, spiced flavor. Don’t be deterred by their brown skin: the flesh is firm and spicier than other varieties. Bosc pears are more flavorful earlier in the ripening process. Enjoy their complex, sweet flavor before they have fully softened. When you test your Bosc pears to check their ripeness, keep in mind that their flesh is denser than other varieties. This means that when you “check the neck,” it will not give as much to pressure. Don’t wait around for these pears to get super soft; they’re ready to enjoy while they’re still a little firm! Sometime I notice they will shrivel right by the stem and can be very sweet at this time.  Because of this firm flesh, Bosc pears are great for baking, broiling and poaching. Their strong flavor is also less likely to be overwhelmed by spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg.

Yoinashi asian pears in my opinion are what an asian pear is supposed to be.  My daughter when she first tried one several years ago said, “it tastes like a juice box”.  You get the crisp of an apple and the sweet juice, of well, a juice box. In some parts of Asia they are greatly appreciated as a symbol of beauty, longevity and wisdom.  We got as much of this limited crop for you as we could and hope you will appreciate this gift.  Your Yoinashi, Sweet Orin (a yellow apple variety developed in Japan where it is considered a special delicacy.  It is customary in Japan to slice and share these apples with family and friends following meals on special occasions). Pinova (an extremely complex red blushed apple) and Fuji (we are excited about these because of their very high 17 Brix) apples are from Hood River, Oregon, grown by Ronny and Jimmy, two brothers who have been working on the family farm since they were kids. Their parents, Ron and Cheryl, decided to sell their dry-cleaning business and buy a farm. Ron quickly became one of the most respected organic farmers in the Pacific Northwest. He even served as the only organic farmer on National Commission for Small Farms for many years. Ronny and Jimmy took over the farm in 2003 and have begun growing new varieties of apples, pears and more. They truly do their best to farm not only organically but very sustainably. They have created a loop in the production cycle, composting cast-off fruit and peels to keep the soil rich and fertile with minimal waste.

Note: We use a refractometer to measure the Brix level in our fruit.  In short it measures the sugar level in the juice of fruit.  To measure the Brix we simply squeeze some of the fruit juice onto the refractometer and look into the light.  The refractometer gives us the number, which we use for comparing against other fruit of the same type.

Health and Wellness

Several recent studies are proving what we should already know.  Exercising is good for the brain not just your body.  Recent research presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress show the brain-boosting effects of just four months of exercise. “It’s reassuring to know that you can at least partially prevent that [cognitive] decline by exercising and losing weight,” study researcher Dr. Martin Juneau, director of prevention of the Montreal Heart Institute, said in a statement. The study included overweight and sedentary adults with an average age of 49. They underwent twice-weekly sessions of intense interval training for four weeks, which included circuit weights and exercise bikes, before and after which they underwent tests of their cognitive functioning, cardiac output, body composition and exercise tolerance and capacity.  By the end of the study, the researchers found that not only were the participants’ body measurements all improved.  They also did better on the tests of cognitive functioning.  “At least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week can make a huge difference to manage risk factors for heart disease and stroke,” Dr. Beth Abramson, spokesperson for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, said in a statement.  There are many benefits of exercise.  We know it can make us feel better. These studies suggest it can make us think better as well.  Courtesy of huffingtonpost.com

Recipe

Jen’s Kale Slaw with Pears and Avocado (My wife’s friend Jennifer Holloway developed this recipe and it is a winner!)

2 bunches of kale stripped off the stem—roughly chopped and lightly steamed (then chopped finer)

2 carrots grated

1 cup shredded cabbage (red or nappa)

½ red onion chopped (soaked to take away strong flavor)

1 pear sliced/chopped

1 avocado diced

Dressing—mix separately first

1 T Dijon Mustard, 3 T Olive Oil, 2-3 T Apple Cider Vinegar (white, or champagne will also work).

Combine above ingredients and enjoy.  You can also prep a larger batch of the kale/carrot/cabbage/onion and keep it in the fridge.  Adding pear, avocado, and dressing upon serving.