Fresh Fruit Finds in May
For those of you keeping track of food occasions in May, Cinco de Mayo and Boys Day in Japan are celebrated every fifth of May, and Mother’s Day in the United States is Sunday, May 11, and in Mexico, every May 10. Melissa’s fresh fruits for May are also very adaptable for these occasions, or just to enjoy as snacks or in prepared dishes and drinks. The globe is transitioning from South American stone fruit to United States, so if we have been behaving, Mother Nature will bless us with lots of yummy treats in late May. But in the meantime, please experience and enjoy some of the below items. Melissa’s Customer Service Mail Order Department is a live staff available to help you. Just give them a call or phone message: 1-800-588-0151.
Melissa’s Mother’s Day Pinkglow® Breakfast in Bed Kit is a gift any mother would love to receive. It is filled with lots of yummies to create breakfast in bed for Mom, including a nice bottle of bubbly, all of it not necessarily meant for sharing (tee hee). This kit is meant for someone or all the ‘kids’ to use their imagination and make Mom the classic breakfast in bed, incorporating sweet, easy-to-peel Ojai Pixies, a beautiful Pinkglow®Pineapple, Melissa’s Coffee Coco Snax™ to nosh or garnish, our ready-to-use crêpes and decadent raspberry dessert sauce. And no need to worry about a makeshift bed tray. Melissa’s Mother’s Day Pinkglow® Breakfast in Bed Kit includes a lovely wood tray for mom to use while in bed! Simply order NO LATER THAN MAY 1st to have it shipped to most US States, respecting FDA citrus restrictions.
Many fruits are named in honor of the pomologist who bred, developed, or discovered the fruit; others are named for their appearance or other characteristic. Native to Australia and now grown in California, Finger Limes are named for their appearance of 1.5-2.5-inch length ‘fingers’ with tapered ends. The peel sometimes reveals cells that may have a slight pink blush to them or, at other times, an opaque light lime green. Once washed and cut open, the bright lime citrus essential oils and cells contain fresh lime's heady aroma and flavor. Gently squeeze the fruit fingers to extract the little beaded cells while rolling between your fingers. The cells are a perfect pairing for briny fresh oysters, light fish, or even sashimi, but also pair well with cream sauces, caramel desserts, and various citrus recipes or root veggies dishes. Citrus or acid breaks up and balances the richness of dishes. Don’t waste the peel!!! As with other citrus, it has essential oils that can be used as garnish in cocktails or added to marinades. Speaking of drinks, Finger Lime citrus is fun to add to ice cubes or rim cocktail glasses with salt or fine sugar or tossed into vinaigrette dressings. Go rogue and add to a dish where a burst of lime makes the dish ‘pop’—pardon the pun. Bubbles and foods that pop are on the upswing. Join in!
Select Finger Limes that are whole and firm, with no brown spots. To store, refrigerate in their container or wrap in a paper towel until ready to use. Wash before use. Cells may be frozen in ice cube trays for future use. Available May to December. Product of USA.
The demure cousin of rambutan, lychees have a similar flavor with smaller pit and paper-thin peel. The flesh is similar with its grape shape and opaque white color, but the fruit is quite fragrant; something rosy-tropical. You’ve probably heard of lychee martinis and chilled lychee fruit as dessert. Still, pitted lychee is absolute heaven pulsed in a processor with a bit of minced habanero pepper and just enough Sweet Young Coconut water to make a sorbet. How about salsa with sweet bell peppers, onions, and some chili pepper or crystallized ginger for heat? In Asia, lychee is often added to curry, soups, and salads or served as a chilled dessert over almond gelatine for those hot and muggy days.
Select fruit that is firm with no splits, wrinkles, or oozing. Look for Melissa’s Lychee, which is often packed in a square clamshell and displayed with tropical sets or berries. Store them refrigerated in their original packaging or a plastic bag for up to one week if you can wait that long! Wash before preparing. To open this luscious piece of fruit, simply pierce the stem end with your fingernail to break open the peel, then tear off the peel and discard. Pop the lychee in your mouth and enjoy, discarding the inedible pit. You may also carefully score the fruit head-to-toe, peel, and discard the pit. Freezing peeled and pitted fruit will yield a very mushy product, but it makes a very tasty sorbet, puréed and strained or added to smoothies.
Who doesn’t love pineapple, but pineapple may not love us in return?? Nevermore! Melissa’s now offers a personal-sized, low-acid pineapple that is sweet, easy to cut, and contains all the benefits of yellow pineapple without the indigestion. Baby Elefante Green Gold® Pineapple is half the size of regular pineapples with full-sized flavor. Sweet in flavor and tender flesh with a pineapple-banana or cherimoya profile, you’ll also find the added benefit of an edible core.
Did you know pineapple, in general, is good for digestion as it contains bromelain, a digestive enzyme much like papain in papaya, often used as a meat tenderizer in food processing? Bromelain is also thought to be good for sinus issues, though no hard evidence supports this belief.
The method of pulling on a frond or waiting for a golden-hued skin to determine pineapple ripeness is futile with Elefante Green Gold® Pineapple. All are picked at peak ripeness and may be left at room temperature for 1-2 days to further sweeten. Refrigerate up to four days before washing and cutting. Because bromelain is a digestive enzyme, all fresh pineapple must be cooked before adding to gelatines or fruited pies, thus allowing the gel to set. Once cut, pineapple may be frozen in a single layer until firm, then transferred to a freezable storage container. Use them for smoothies, sorbets and ice creams. Frozen pineapple will not hold its texture. Available Year Round. Product of Ghana.
There are many varieties of papaya, but all originated from exotic tropical zones of the globe. It is nutrient-dense with vitamins and minerals but is also great for our tummy because it contains a digestive enzyme, papain, which breaks down protein. Therefore, papain is also used as a main ingredient for meat tenderizers, often added to spice mixes and used on tough cuts of animal protein. For this same reason, papaya is often a natural alternative to relieve constipation. Did you know the myriads of black seeds encased within the papaya are also edible? They taste like black pepper! Add a few to your dishes for a bit of zing!
Red Papaya is special because of its aroma and texture. Red Papaya doesn’t have the funky smell some other varieties emit when ripe, and its flesh is not mushy, making them easier to peel and cut. Red papaya has a rich berry flavor with a hint of sweetness, allowing it to pair well with just about any other ingredient, from chili peppers and apples to nuts, seafood, and proteins. Try fresh red papaya halves stuffed with seafood or grilled tofu salad in mixed fruit salads or purée and add to basic vinaigrette as a marinade or green salad dressing. Poach it in a mix of simple syrup and a hint of citrus, then garnish with fresh mint or cinnamon. Don’t forget the obvious— it’s delicious. Simply cut, cube, and eat as is!
Select red papaya with a nose (stem end) that has slight give; a little firmer than selecting an avocado. Avoid any cuts, soft spots, bruises, or mold. Red Papaya may be ripened, unwashed, at room temperature. Hasten the process by placing papaya in a loosely closed paper bag with a fresh apple, banana, or pear for a few days out of heat or sunlight. Once ripe, papaya may be refrigerated up to three days. Wash ripe papaya before preparing. Cut fruit in half from stem to blossom end, then scoop out the seeds. Seeds may be rinsed off and included in dressings or crushed in marinades. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Product of Mexico. Available year-round.
Once you’ve experienced a ripe, luscious Cherimoya, you’ll agree with Mark Twain’s definition, “deliciousness itself”! The exterior of this fruit may look like alligator hide with all its tiles, but is rather fragile, unlike alligator hide. Therefore, you’ll often see this pineapple-pear-banana-flavored custardy fruit enrobed in a foam sock to prevent abrading the peel. A member of the soursop and guanabana family, cherimoya is indigenous to the South American regions of Ecuador and Peru but is also commercially grown in California.
You’ll know it’s ripe when the skin has darkened and yields to gentle pressure. But the true test is when the stem can be removed with just a bit of resistance. Inside, you will find dark brown inedible seeds surrounded by tender flesh. Simply wash the fruit, cut in half and scoop out the flesh while removing the seeds and peel. Eat as is, or purée with a bit of citrus juice and freeze into sorbet or blend into a smoothie. Cherimoya pairs well with other ripe tropical fruits. You may want to have freshly cut lemon or lime handy to squeeze over the fruit to prevent the flesh from browning if you are preparing the fruit for later use.
Select Cherimoya that is heavy with no cuts or damage. Fruit in the store may still have a muted green color but will ripen, unwashed, at room temperature and darken; up to one week, then refrigerate up to two days. Available May to mid-June. Product of USA, California.
Some blackberries can be puckery tart while others are pleasingly sweet. Organic Sweet Karoline (pah, pah, pah as the chorus goes) Blackberries are plump and packed with antioxidant Quercetin and Vitamin C. Johns Hopkins Medicine says blackberries are one of the most nutrient-dense foods with less dietary sugar, though Sweet Karoline’s are sweeter than other berries, and are a good source of fiber and antioxidants. Science research tells us blackberries can positively affect memory, cognition, and motor function, reduce kidney stones, and are one of the best sources of calcium among all berries, thus they can even help combat osteoporosis. For being a smaller berry, Sweet Karoline’s pack quite a punch!
Try pairing blackberries with more than just other berries and yogurt. They taste great with arugula or spinach salads with a vinaigrette; fold a cupful that are patted dry into a quick bread mix or go plant-based and add a handful with Melissa’s Cooked Quinoa and coconut milk for breakfast. Make a sauce with them and serve with any animal meat or drizzle over scallops, or mash in a cocktail shrub for your weekend gathering.
Select blackberries that appear shiny and plump. Steer clear of berries that stick to each other when the container is tilted and contain white mold or juices. Keep refrigerated in its original container, and use within 3 days, rinsing over cool running water and patting dry before use. If you’d like to freeze this limited-season blackberry, rinse and pat dry berries, then lay on a rimmed cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to freezable storage containers for up to six months. All of Melissa’s Organic products meet USDA Certified Organic standards. Sweet Karoline Blackberries are available from mid-April through June. Product of Mexico.
Melissa’s procurement team really does follow the seasons and travel the globe for fresh, quality produce. But when U.S. grown specialty produce is in season, we like to feature the varieties and farmers when we can. Fleshy, full-flavored stone fruit season has begun in the U.S., starting with California-grown organic apricots from Frog Hollow Farms.
Frog Hollow Farms has been growing fresh fruit for over fifty years, follows regenerative farming practices, creates their own compost, and employs cover crops and wild grasses to protect the soil and to generate healthy microbes, all the while retaining soil moisture and soil health. Their farming practices and protocols offset 100% carbon emissions and provide quality fruit that also tastes great! All this hard work pays off when the farm waits until the perfect time to harvest and sugars have developed, color is appealing, and fruit is ripe!
Don’t miss out on the small crop of succulent honey-sweet apricots from Frog Hollow. They are absolutely meant to eat out of hand, but are also wonderful with fresh, peppery arugula and soft cheese drizzled with sweet vinaigrette with a garnish of pomegranate arils. They also make annual apricot jam, something special family and friends appreciate for their toast, glazing roasted duck or chicken, or as a surprise filling in breakfast breads, waffles, or grazing boards. Product of USA, California. Available May-June.
Melon season has begun with Melissa’s Charentais melon. Sweet melon flavor, firm flesh, and floral aroma describe this Tuscan-style melon with its green stripes and light-colored skin. Many produce items are named in honor of a person, place, or resemblance to something. Such is the case with Charentais melons, originating in the Charentais region of France. Personal sized, or about the size of a toddler’s play ball, it is just enough for two people or sliced and wrapped in prosciutto with a slice of parm for a friendly appetizer. Refreshing as aguas fresca or topped with yogurt and a drizzle of raspberry purée, Charentais also pairs well with sangria, cheese, turkey, light fish, or good old vanilla bean ice cream.
Select Charentais that are heavy for their size, fragrant, and firm with no bruises, cracks, or mold. They may be left on the kitchen counter to ripen further for 1-2 days, then refrigerated, washed and served within the week. Melon may be washed, peeled and seeded, then cut into chunks for freezing to make sorbets or frescas, but will not thaw well for fresh cut fruits or salads. Available from the Dominican Republic October-May, and from California in August.
Who doesn’t love watermelon? Sweet, refreshing, crisp, and a harbinger of warmer weather! But did you also know watermelon, whether yellow or red, is a nutrient-dense fruit loaded with Vitamins A and C? It also contains lycopene, which is beneficial for eyesight. Many people miss the little black seeds that so often added contrasting color and the kid fun of spitting contests, but seedless watermelons make the fruit more dense and less likely to split. Some seedless watermelons may have little pips or faux seeds, which are edible or may fulfill the need to still have that ‘contest.’ Kids and grown-ups often mistake yellow-fleshed watermelon for cut pineapple, then realize after tasting a piece.
Select a watermelon that is heavy for its size. Go ahead and thump all you want, or look for ‘honey marks’ left by bees, but these methods are less effective than simply weight-for-size. Once your bundle of joy is home, it may rest on the counter at room temperature for a few days, or chill, then wash off and wipe dry prior to cutting. Watermelon rinds, regardless of variety, may be peeled and pickled or candied, flesh sliced or cubed and served or puréed for aguas frescas. Watermelon pairs well with bucatini balls and basil on skewers and served with wine. Their sweetness complements bitter green salads with crumbled feta or cotija and drizzled with reduced balsamic or date syrup vinaigrettes and crushed Almond Clean Snax®. Make some simple syrup and lightly brush sliced melon on a hot grill just long enough to make grill marks and leave a hint of smoke. Transfer to a platter and brush again with simple syrup or a bit of rum for a different, ‘grown up’ dessert. Available May through September. Product of USA. Certified Organic, available the beginning of June.
