June’s Market Must-Haves
The beginning of summer is just a few weeks away, and everyone is thinking about grillin’ and chillin’ with friends in the backyard, by a pool or at the beach. Children are soon to be home for a few weeks of summer and in need of road trip snacks and easy meals, so take a gander at what Melissa’s has to offer for the first few months of summer, and do not forget to stay well hydrated and wear sunscreen!
NEW!!! ORGANIC SNAX™
Melissa’s, after several months of seeking quality, certified organic dried fruits, nuts, and chocolate-covered nuts, now has a full line of Organic Snax™!
WATERMELONS
Regardless of origin or type, hydration is vital in the hot summer months. Many not only help hydrate but also provide other health benefits as a bonus to tasty, refreshing bites. Select a watermelon that is heavy for its size, since the majority of its weight is water. Avoid gashes or splits, which can harbor bacteria. Store at room temperature up to 4 days, then cut and refrigerate. Serve within 2-3 days or freeze in chunks up to three months. Watermelon may be served chilled, pickled, grilled, smoked, puréed, pressed, or frozen, and pairs well with all fruits, feta, cotija, or shaved Parm cheese, sweet or tart vinegars, salad greens, spicy or sweet peppers and onions. Oh, and spirits from vodka and gin to something a bit stronger if you need it!
ORGANIC MINI SEEDLESS RED OR YELLOW WATERMELONS
About the size of basketballs or smaller, mini seedless watermelons are much easier to store and much less of a commitment, like a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey. Seedless watermelon, whether organic or conventionally grown, is non-GMO and a cross of watermelon varieties. The little white ‘tracer’ seeds are considered sterile since they have an extra chromosome or mutation.
Red watermelon is a Classic Summer go-to; sweet, juicy, and refreshing whether chilled and sliced, then diced, or puréed for aguas frescas or grilled and drizzled with reduced balsamic. But have fun and fool your friends, guests, and kids by cutting and serving yellow flesh watermelon in the same manner. They will think you’re offering pineapple until they take a bite and realize they are eating watermelon. Both varieties contain eye health nutrients: lycopene in red flesh, and beta carotene in higher amounts in yellow flesh. Also, Vitamin C for immunity and healthy skin, and Vitamin A for antioxidants. Red varieties are available through October. Yellow varieties are available May-July. Both are products of the USA or Mexico.
MIDNIGHT WATERMELON
Named for its dark, almost black rind and red flesh with ‘seedless’ tracer seeds. Often a bit sweeter than traditional red or yellow watermelon, pair with more savory ingredients such as pork, curry, mustard greens, etc. Do not forget to pickle the rind! Available now through September. Product of USA, California grown.
FROG HOLLOW STONE FRUIT
Farmer Al in Central California has been practicing regenerative farming for decades. This means that no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides are used. Eco-systems, including soil and healthy insects, regenerate and support the overall health of everything grown on the farm, resulting in some great-tasting fruit. All of the produce Melissa’s sells from Frog Hollow is USDA Certified Organic.
ORGANIC APRICOTS
Farmer Al grows the most luscious organic apricots, flavorful, fleshy, and tasty, simply out of hand or served raw, cooked, or dehydrated. Add them to fresh fruit or green salads or salsas, pit and grill with other seasonal fruits for dessert with a drizzle of Melissa’s Hot Jalapeño or Habanero Honey and a dollop of yogurt, lightly roast and serve with pork or chicken, halve and stuff with soft cheese for something luscious, can/preserve them with a bit of heat or pickling, add to cobblers and tarts. Of course, yellow/orange flesh indicates apricots are a source of Vitamins A and C as well as contribute to iron, calcium, and fiber intake.
Apricots are sold slightly firm, but not green or hard. Ripen fruit in a paper bag, 2-3 days, then refrigerate or consume. Ripe fruit will have a slight fragrance and slight give, but not be mushy (time for jam or juicing). Apricots can easily bruise, which will hasten spoilage, so handle with care. If freezing, washed and pitted fruit halves tossed in a bit of lemon or citrus juice to prevent browning may be frozen in single layer until solid, then transferred to a freezable storage bag or container. Use in smoothies or cooked/baked dishes within 3 months. Available June to mid-July. Product of USA California.
ORGANIC PLUMS
Melissa’s has been supporting Farmer Al and his team for many years, starting with their variety plums and apricots. You will find fruits from this farm are tasty, toothsome, and refreshing. Select plums that are slightly firm, not soft or have wrinkled skin. Leave at room temperature to ripen with a slight give. Some plum varieties darken as they ripen. Refrigerate, unwashed, or wash and pit, then lay on a sheet pan in a single layer to freeze, then transfer to a freezable container and use within 3 months. They may be used the same as apricots, but their skins will have a slight tartness to balance the flesh’s sweetness. Frozen, pitted plums are best included in juices and smoothies, baked, or canned. Available June and July. Product of USA, California Grown.
MASUMOTO ORGANIC STONE FRUIT
For many years, Melissa’s has supported this multi-generational farm, originally founded by a Japanese-American grape farmer in Central California. Peaches and nectarines grown on this ranch are nurtured from inception, resulting in juicy, flavorful, certified organically grown fruit sought after by nationally known chefs and written about by major media publications. Once you have the opportunity to experience a Masumoto peach or nectarine, you’ll find your benchmark has been elevated. Available June thru August. California grown.
GO COO-COO FOR COCONUTS!
A plant-based ingredient once considered elusive in the U.S. is now omnipresent in every aspect of food, purporting its health benefits and versatility, unless you have an allergy to coconut. Coconut is not a tree nut like cashews, almonds, and hazelnuts, but is botanically a drupe with a single seed (the inner brown skin between the shell and the white flesh). All coconut varieties are typically available year-round, but Mother Nature has her way now and then, especially during hurricane season and extreme heat in growing regions.
All coconuts should be selected by weight, whether fresh drinking varieties or mature coconuts for consuming only their flesh. Simply select a coconut and compare its weight with another. Shake young coconuts to hear the sloshing of water inside. Avoid any coconuts with leaks, pink liquid leakage from drinking coconuts, or clear or discolored liquid from other varieties, and cracks that have broken through to the flesh, off odors or mold in the eyes.
ORGANIC SLICED COCONUT
This is a fabulous product when one is looking for fresh, moist coconut without the hassle of breaking down a whole coconut. Simply open the package, rinse off the large chunks, then pat dry. The flesh of this variety is more moist than brown coconut, and is great to snack, make coconut milk, or add to grazing boards. Try grilling it with no oil for added smokiness and a different BBQ party snack, or to serve with grilled peaches or pineapples. The slices are thick and substantial, making them a fun dipper in hummus, Melissa’s new Gourmet Pistachio Dessert Sauce or cherry sauce at a fruit station, or simply a healthy ‘good’ plant fat snack! Select Sliced Coconut with no discoloration or change in texture. Keep refrigerated and consume by the "Best By" date stamp or freeze for up to two months and thaw under refrigeration. Available year-round. Product of Mexico.
ORGANIC EZ OPEN
All the benefits of Melissa’s Sweet Young coconut with USDA Organic certification and an added EZ Open plunger to access the water. No more hacking with a knife or looking for a straw: just remove the safety collar, push down the plunger with the flesh of your palm, and insert the straw—it’s so EZ!!! Select EZ Open Coconuts that are heavy for their size with no leakage, pink color, or off smell. Keep refrigerated and use within three days. Contents may be emptied and frozen for later use. Each coconut contains, on average, eight ounces. Available year-round with the exception of growing region storms or heat waves. Please refer to our product web page for instructions to safely remove coconut flesh. Available year-round. Product of Thailand.
COCONUT WATER-SWEET YOUNG OR EZ OPEN
Coconut water is the clear liquid of the coconut and contains several nutrients including electrolytes to keep one hydrated. It should not be confused with coconut milk, which is created via heating then pressing the coconut flesh and liquid. Many fans have incorporated fresh coconut water into their daily exercise or snack regimen, but the liquid may also be included in cooking to make rice with bits of the young coconut’s creamy, white flesh, frozen as granita or sorbet with a pinch of freshly chopped jalapeño or red Fresno peppers. Add the water to alcohol free cocktails, smoothies, juicing, or any other application needing fresh, chilled coconut water. Both Sweet Young and EZ open Coconuts are available Conventional or USDA Certified Organic. Products of Thailand. Available year-round.
FRESH ORGANIC BROWN COCONUT
Brown coconuts are the most mature and the classic coconut seen in media. Brown Coconuts are primarily used for their thick, white flesh, not their water. To crack open the coconut, first pierce two of the three ‘eyes’, then drain and discard the liquid. Next, cover your floor area with a large towel. Over the towel, carefully hold coconut and rasp all around coconut hemisphere with a heavy hammer until cracked, then carefully split open. Bake shell halves about an hour until flesh can be scored and pried off with a butter or dull-bladed knife. The dark ‘skin’ attached to the flesh is the skin of the coconut seed. It is edible, but many prefer to remove it with a veggie peeler. From this point, the flesh may be heated in water, pressed, and sieved for coconut milk, grated, and toasted in the oven, or dried. Available year-round. Product of Mexico.
QUICK CRACK, OR WHITE COCONUT
Cracking a coconut can be a challenge for many, so Melissa’s offers a little help with our scored coconut we like to call Quick Crack Brown Coconut. The scoring enables the coconut shell to crack a bit easier but is not scored so deeply that the coconut splits with average handling. Melissa’s White Coconut is less mature than brown, yielding a softer coconut flesh. White Coconut flesh is not gelatinous, but more tender than Brown Coconut. Available year-round. Products of Mexico.
DRIED COCONUT CHIPS
As expected, Melissa’s makes life easier and more fun to cook savory or sweet and bake with our Dried Coconut Chips. However, the best quality of our coconut chips is that they contain no added sugar or sweeteners. Simply open the package and add to your quick breads and cakes, stuffings, cooked rice, mixed fruit salads, scratch snack/trail mix, toasted as a garnish for desserts or added to seasoned breadcrumbs for coconut shrimp. Of course, they are fun to toast and include in smoothies and candies, too! Shelf stable. Available year-round. Processed product of USA.
DATES
Many of us have been told, ‘Sugar is Sugar.’ Well, yes, but some sugars are slower to metabolize, resulting in less of a spike to our bodies. Because Dates contain natural, unrefined sugars that slow the metabolism of sugar, they are becoming popular as a healthy snack. Rich in caramel flavor, dates, once pitted, may be pulsed in a processor to chop, or add liquid to purée, then add to baked goods, shakes, sauces, and dips. They are a reliable source of clean energy during travel and activities, with little (just the pit) or no waste. Try Melissa’s Medjool Dates with their caramel profile, Pitted Deglet Noor with their honey profile. Our Almond Roll Dates made of chopped dates and nuts formed into bite-sized roll are a nutty snack as well as our Coconut Roll Dates, a luxurious treat made of chopped dates rolled in Coconut! All of Melissa’s Dates are USDA Organic Certified, shelf stable and available year-round. Product of USA, California Grown.
MUSCATOS™ GRAPES
Melissa’s signature grapes, Muscatos™ are varieties of grapes that are the best tasting of the season, highest in sugar or Brix. Their texture profiles may be crisp and crunchy, or slightly tender, but all will have high sugar and great flavor. North American grape season kicks off with green and red grapes-look for them in a bi-color two-pound pack or separate variety two-pound packs, and later, our Tri-Color pack of green, red, and black grapes in a three-pound pack. Grapes are a fun, travel snack, and fun for camping as they taste great when slightly roasted over the campfire. Grapes are a universal food pairing with game, or any animal proteins, other fruits, leafy veggies, and hot peppers, as well as dairy. There is certainly a grape color and flavor for everyone! Most varieties are available June-July. Product of Mexico. Some varieties are also available USDA Certified Organic.
CHAMPAGNE GRAPES
Named for their tiny, pea-sized berries resembling bubbles, Champagne grapes are the Nantes variety. They are sweet little beads of joy for many June bride weddings, refreshing rewards for rescued birds learning to be self-sufficient, and just darn fun snackin’ for kids of all ages and haute cuisine diners alike. Fun to snack on because you do not pluck them off the vine, but rather, place a small bunch in your mouth and pull the vine out between your teeth!
Champagne grapes are also a pop of sweet when served in a cream sauce over poached fish or baked chicken, added to rice or pasta and toasted nuts, folded into quick breads or mixed fruits, added to fruited ice cubes, or simply roasted or broiled. Grapes, in general, are incredibly good with chili peppers because their sweetness cuts the heat of peppers. Product of USA, California grown. Available now through September.
