Baby Avocado Cocktail
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as Finger Avocados, Avocaditos, and Cukes. Cocktail avocados are actually the result of a flower on the avocado tree that did not pollinate properly. California is a major producer; some are imported from Mexico and Chile.
Taste & Appearance: Pickle-shaped cocktail avocado is entirely edible as it has a thin tender skin and no center seed. Weighing about one ounce. Only about two and one-half to three inches long and about one inch in diameter, its succulent flavor is much like that of the larger California avocado.
Available: April & May Very Sporadically
From: California
Usage: Must be fully ripe to be enjoyed. Delicious eaten out of hand, Sliced or halved, this small version of the avocado adds a dressy touch to a variety of salads. Serve with a favorite salsa. Partner with red onion, cilantro and tomatoes.
Pack Size: 10 lb
Baby Banana
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as Finger Banana, Ladyfinger Banana, Niño Banana, Murapo, and Orito.
Taste & Appearance: Has a very dense creamy texture and offers a deliciously sweet flavour. It only measures about 3-4 inches in length. When ripe it has a bright yellow color and has thin skin compared to the common banana. A typical bunch produces eight to ten bananas.
Available: Year Round
From: Equador
Usage: Enjoy the baby banana simply eaten out of hand. Or, slices make a delicious addition to fruit salads and are an especially tasty treat when gently sautéed in butter and sprinkled with brown sugar. You can use them to flavour custards, puddings and pies. Puree and add flavour and texture to fruit juices, smoothies, malts and shakes. Use overripe bananas for banana bread, muffins, cakes and cookies. Flambé sliced bananas and serve over ice cream. Because of the density of the baby banana it may take a few extra minutes to cook.
Pack Size: 15 lb
Baby Kiwi
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as hardy kiwifruit or Kiwi berry, this item is a mini relative of the conventional kiwifruit but without the fuzzy skin.
Taste & Appearance: Tasting like a blend of melon, citrus and strawberry, the juicy pulp delivers a delightful flavour all of its own with a refreshing lemony edge. Except for the tiny, edible black seeds the texture is soft and creamy and about the size of a grape or a large olive.
Available: February to mid-March from New Zealand September to October from Oregon
Usage: A perfect size for snacking, this little fruit makes a tasty edible garnish. Pair with vegetables, endive, avocado and radicchio. Toss with duck, chicken, light seafood or ham; drizzle with ginger-flavoured dressing. You can also blend it into fruit shakes. Or try serving it with tuna, chicken or turkey sandwiches. Perfect size for dressing up kabobs. It also contains an enzyme that tenderizes meat, so try pureeing and spreading on meat, pricking the meat with a fork and letting it stand for thirty minutes before grilling (puree only until just liquefied)—top with a dollop of whipped cream. Because of the meat-tenderizing enzyme contained in this fruit, you will need to (poach it lightly first before adding to mould.)
Pack Size: 12 x 4 oz
Baby Pepino Melon
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: The word "pepino" is Spanish for cucumber.
Taste & Appearance: Entirely edible, skin and all, its tender yellowish-gold pulp is fine-grained and sweetly aromatic, intensifying as it ripens. Some describe its flavour as a gentle mix of a banana and a pear while others say it tastes like a mild cantaloupe. It is wrapped in an ivory to light-green smooth skin that is streaked with purple or mauve markings. Turns gold and orange when ripe.
Available: Year Round
From: California, Chile, New Zealand & Peru
Usage: Blends with other fruits in fresh fruit salads. Use as a refreshing garnish for almost anything. Slice or spoon out flesh. Enhance flavour with lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper and fresh sweet basil. Chill to serve.
Pack Size: Tray
Baby Pineapple
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as Queen Victoria.
Taste & Appearance: Deliciously sweet and juicy with a pale yellow to yellow flesh, offering a sweet aromatic and pleasantly acidic flavour. These smaller versions weigh in at about one-and-one- half pounds. This extraordinary pineapple variety has no core, making it entirely edible.
Available: Year Round
From: South Africa
Usage: Fancy and classy, this unique pineapple makes scrumptious desserts and takes pineapple upside down cake to a new dimension. Add its sweetness to fruit salads. For a festive dessert or breakfast, serve slices on the quarter shell. Others love adding it to chilled beverages. You can enhance its flavour with fresh or ground ginger, cardamom, mint, cloves, orange liqueur, orange juice, rum, rum flavouring or a sprinkle of brown sugar. It pairs especially well with fish and meat entrées. For example, you might try baking it with pork or chicken. Pineapple also makes a tasty accompaniment for vinaigrette-dressed turkey or chicken salad. Thread pineapple chunks on skewers alternating with other fruits, seafood or meats and grill. Serve slices as edible garnish, adding a strawberry or pitted cherry on a toothpick.
Pack Size: 10 count
Apples Lady Gala
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Although apples are a very old fruit, the Lady Gala apple is a relatively new variety. USA grown, Washington State and California are major producers of this fine apple.
Taste & Appearance: mainly red in color with hints of greenish-yellow vertical stripes. These apples are fairly resistant to bruising making it a very appealing accent piece. Gala Apples are considered to be one of the sweetest varieties around, making this a perfect dessert apple. With its soft crunch and juicy interior, this apple is suitable for any occasion.
Available: February to September
From: USA
Usage: Not only great for eating out of hand, this attractive apple's exceptional good looks make it perfect for decorating table centerpieces. Add to a fresh fruit or Waldorf salad. Pair with sausage, meat and fowl dishes. Use them while baking muffins, quick breads, cookies, cakes, sauces, and tarts. Cubed, sliced or grated, an apple adds an instant delicious zip to a dish and never overwhelms other ingredients.
Pack Size: 10 lb
Banana Red
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: A comprehensive poll showed that American’s favourite fruits are, in order bananas, apples, seedless grapes and oranges.
Taste & Appearance: The flavour is sweeter than a regular banana and the flesh is firmer. When ripe, the soft flesh should have a purplish hue. To test for ripeness, the red banana should yield to gentle thumb pressure. It’s shorter and larger around than the average banana with red skin and pink flesh.
Available: Year Round
From: Equador
Usage: Enjoy out of hand or add this creamy texture to fresh fruit salads. Indulge in luscious banana desserts such as puddings, custards, muffins, pies, cakes and quick breads. For a unique snack or dessert you can make candied bananas. Place six peeled bananas and one-half cup flaked coconut in a large crock-pot. Sprinkle with one-half teaspoon cinnamon and one-fourth teaspoon salt. Mix together one-half cup dark corn syrup, one-fourth cup melted butter or margarine, two teaspoons grated lemon peel and one-fourth cup lemon juice. Pour over bananas. Cover crock-pot and cook on low one to two hours. Refrigerate to delay ripening. Note: To prevent bananas from turning brown in fruit salad, drop a banana in boiling water for two to three seconds until it turns dark brownish-black; carefully lift out from water; peel. The banana will actually stay fresh.
Pack Size: 20 lb
Blood Oranges
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Originally brought to the United States by Spanish and Italian immigrants, there are two varieties, the Ruby Red and the Moro, which are grown in California, Florida, the Gulf Coast and Texas.
Taste & Appearance: Has a raspberry overtone and is sweet and less acidic than regular oranges. The color of the blood orange is due to a pigment called anthocyanin which is not usually present in citrus but common in other red fruits and flowers. Some blood oranges are seedless.
Available: October to May
From: Australia, California & Sicily
Usage: The unexpected color of blood oranges makes them especially attractive as a garnish or in salads. Add to soufflés, sherbets, and ice cream or make a tasty marmalade. Colourful slices of this decorative orange make an attractive edible garnish for almost anything. Use chunks or slices instead of lemon or lime to accent chilled beverages. The red-colour juice of this special orange is absolutely delicious. You can even try freezing the juice in cubes to enjoy throughout the year. The peel may be used just the same as any other orange for adding flavour to relishes, salads and baked goods.
Pack Size: 10 lb & 20 lb
Budda Hand
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: In the Orient, this special fruit is considered to be a source of prosperity and is often placed near cash registers. In India, Kuvera, the god of wealth, is always represented holding a mongoose with jewels in one hand and a citron in the other. Indian cuisine pickles the raw flesh of the citron fruit, or cooks and preserves it in mustard seed oil. The Chinese especially love the orange Buddha's hand as a candied treat. A specialty of Bayonne, France, a jellied citron paste called "pate de cedrat" is a favourite there. Even though the citron is not a juicy fruit, juice can be squeezed from it.
Taste & Appearance: The flesh inside is rather dry and can be either sweet or sour and offers a very subtle lemon flavour. It’s no wondered how this odd-shaped fruit acquired its very appropriate alias of "finger citron" as the tentacles it produces have an uncanny resemblance to fingers. This item offers a pleasantly unique and rather resinous fragrance. Buddha's hand citron consists mostly of yellow-colour skin.
Available: October & November
From: San Diego
Usage: The pulp is not eaten. Instead, it is the peel from this very special citron that is used the same as lemon peel and is excellent candied. Add its delicious flavour to candy, sorbets, sherbets and desserts. You can also add it to sauces, relishes, quick breads, puddings, custards, cookies, cakes and other baked goods. This eyebrow-raising fruit makes an excellently unusual decoration and garnish. To store, wrap in plastic; refrigerate in crisper drawer.
Pack Size: Each
Cactus Pears Prickly
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also called Prickly Pear. Cactus pads, on which the cactus pears grow, are called "no pales." A true southwestern delight, this prized cactus fruit is a common delicacy in Mexico where it is sold in markets as "tuna."
Taste & Appearance: Its sweet taste and fresh aroma is reminiscent of watermelon. Pleasant and fruity, its reddish pulp gives a distinctive deep pink color to food and beverages. Starting off as green, the fruit ripens into a stunning red fruit. Wrapped in a very prickly casing, the rich juicy colour pulp has literally hundreds of tiny edible seeds.
Available: November to February & July to August
From: California, Colombia, & Mexico
Usage: Peeling is definitely required: Marketed fruits have been mechanically depricked but some stinging invisible hairs do remain. Always best chilled, it makes a delicate tasting marmalade. Serve on bagels, muffins, breakfast breads or toast. Use as a filling for tarts and cakes. Puree fruit; serve as a unique ice cream topping. Pureed fruit may be frozen for later use in pies, breads and chilled beverages. Make a hot sweet spread by blending fruit with jalapeno peppers, sugar and fruit pectin. Serve with crackers and cream cheese or use as a glaze for beef, chicken and pork roasts.
Pack Size: 10 lb
Cherimoya
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as Custard Apple or Sherbet Fruit. A new hybrid of this fruit is a cross between the cherimoya and the sugar apple also known as sweetsop. This fruit hails from a fast-growing evergreen tree native to the mountains of Ecuador and Peru. Grown today in California, this rather dense tree can reach thirty feet or more in height.
Taste & Appearance: Light green in color and available as egg-shaped, globe-shaped or heart- shaped, this fruit is encased in an unusual skin for a fruit. The white pulp offers a delicate flavour that some say is a blend of banana, vanilla, mango, papaya or pineapple with possibly just a hint of coconut. The texture is soft, smooth and melting. Almost custard-like, this fruit's alias is actually "custard apple." Large black inedible seeds inhabit the flesh. The thin rind breaks off like scales when ripe.
Available: September to May
From: California, Chile & China
Usage: Simply superb just by itself and well chilled. Add its sweet freshness to fruit salads. Blend with fruits with acidic flavours, such as oranges, kiwi or berries to complement its exotic flavour. Grapes, melons and pears love its sweet company. Add flavour and texture to salads, sauces, beverages, ice creams and desserts. To puree, push fruit through a sieve; mix with a little lemon or limejuice; mix puree with cream; sprinkle with nutmeg for a sweet treat. Picked under-ripe, they keep up to one week or more. To store, keep at room temperature until ripe. Ripe cherimoyas give slightly with gentle pressure.
Pack Size: 10 lb
Coconuts
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Researchers say the first mention of the coconut was in 545 A.D. An Egyptian monk called this fruit "the great nut of India" when he visited western India.
Taste & Appearance: Rusty brown and covered with bristly hairy brown fibres, the thick fibrous husk of the coconut encases an inner shell. A layer of white meat lines the interior shell and holds liquid called coconut water. Offering a distinct flavour all of its own, it has a nutty, almost candy- like, sweetness.
Available: Year Round
From: Mexico
Usage: For ease in opening, heat the coconut under hot running water or place in a 350-degree oven for fifteen minutes. Fault lines will appear on the warmed coconut. Hold the hot coconut in a cloth and hold over a large bowl. Hit the fault lines with a hammer or mallet. Save the liquid, remove the meat, and peel off brown outer pieces with a small knife. Pour one-half cup warm water over and squeeze liquid into the bowl. To prepare thin coconut milk, prepare the thick coconut milk as above. Add the saved original coconut water and grated coconut residue from the thick coconut milk. Use the milk and meat in fruit salads, puddings, cakes, cookies, custards, pies and other baked goods. Tint grated coconut with food coloring to make an attractive sweet topping. To store, whole coconuts will keep at room temperature for two weeks. For longer storage, refrigerate. Grated coconut will keep two weeks refrigerated in a glass jar.
Pack Size: 20 Count
Crab Apples
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: The verjuice of the crab apple was used by medieval cooks much like we use lemon juice today. This juice made from crab apples was somewhat like a fermented brew and was kept in a glass bottle; similar to wine.
Taste & Appearance: If a sour apple taste is preferred, this tart apple is definitely the perfect choice. A smaller version of a large round apple, the crab apple is striking yellow and has a vivid red to maroon characteristic blush. Very firm and hard, its sharp astringent taste is mainly used for cooking.
Available: September to February
From: BC & California
Usage: Complementing other foods, the tartness of crab apples is perfect paired with sausage, meat and poultry dishes. Cubed, grated or sliced, it adds an instant zip to savoury dishes and sautéed vegetables. Ideal for making jams and jellies, this apple makes a delicious and zesty applesauce to serve with roast lamb. You can also use it to flavour muffins, quick breads and cakes.
Pack Size: 10 lb
Currants Red
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Growing on rather vigorous ornamental bushes that can quickly reach five to six feet in height, a healthy mature currant bush is capable of producing ten to twelve pounds of berries in one season.
Taste & Appearance: This tiny and shiny scarlet red berry produces an instant sweet-tart taste.
Available: December & January - July & August
From: BC, CA, Chile & Oregon
Usage: Make delicious muffins, pies, flans, jellies, jams, wine, sauces, syrups and even soups and stews. The famous Cumberland sauce made with currants is a natural partner for roast lamb. Use as a colourful garnish for a variety of meats, salads or desserts. Just as lemon or lime juice adds zip to foods, toss a few currants in a salad for a tangy bite. For color and flavour, add to chilled beverages. Braise currants with red cabbage, yellow or red onion, cumin seeds, vinegar, salt, apple juice and dry red wine. Blend white and red currants for a visual contrast.
Pack Size: 12 x ½ pints
Dates Medjool
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: This fruit is considered the ultimate delicacy and the fruit of royalty. Pollinated and picked by hand, from start to finish, the medjool is cared for like no other fruit. Dates come from Date palms, which are native to the Middle East. These trees can grow 100 feet in height and yield 1,000 dates each year. The word "date" refers to its shape and comes from the Greek "daktulos," meaning finger.
Taste & Appearance: These are very sweet due to their high sugar content and have a caramel-like flavour. Their texture is soft but resilient like a raisin with a wrinkly skin and rich mahogany to amber color. They are one to two and a half inches in length and three-fourths of an inch in diameter.
Available: Year Round
From: California
Usage: These fruits are ideal for delicately eating out of hand, but bite slowly as they do have a large seed inside. You can also add them to a wide variety of desserts, muffins, cereals, and cakes.
Pack Size: 5 kg
Dragon Fruit
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as Pitaya, Pitahaya, Strawberry Pear, Thang Loy, and Hylocereus undatus. This unusual grapefruit-sized fruit actually grows on a climbing cactus.
Taste & Appearance: Oval to oblong and up to four inches long, it may be red, peach-colour or yellow. Its spongy pulp is usually white or sometimes pinkish red and always sweet and juicy with numerous tiny edible black seeds scattered throughout.
Available: Year round with unpredictable gaps
From: China & Vietnam
Usage: Eat out of hand fresh and chilled. Use pulp in jams or as a base for drinks. The color and shape of the fruit make them a most attractive garnish. Flavour a variety of pastries with its unique taste. Blend with ice cream, sherbets or pudding.
Pack Size: 2 Count 10 kg
Feijoas
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: What has proven to be very confusing, common usage has given this fruit the name of pineapple guava and what’s even more confusing is that in some markets it is simply called guava. Guavas are of the Psidium genus, while the Feijoa is of the Feijoa Sellowiana Species. This mislabeling is quite confusing for consumers not familiar with either genus.
Taste & Appearance: Lime green and egg-shaped with a pear-like texture, its unusual flavour is sweet-tart with a lemon overtone. Some say it combines the flavours of quince, pineapple, guava, and strawberry.
Available: Year Round
From: CA & Colombia
Usage: This fruit may be eaten fresh or cooked and the seeds are edible. Peel and slice and add into fresh fruit salads. Or, puree the flesh and use as a base for ice cream or mousse. Pair with oranges, banana, papaya, strawberries, ginger and lime. Cream desserts, soufflés, plain cakes and puddings benefit from its flavour. Gently poach in syrup; smother with fresh cream. Top pancakes, French toast and waffles.
Pack Size: Tray
Figs Black Mission
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Ranking number-two in worldwide fig production, California is number-one in quality assurance, including planting, harvesting, drying, inspection and packing. Fig-uratively speaking, hundreds of fig varieties exist but only a few are grown in California.
Taste & Appearance: Its rich sweet flavour is very delicate and light. Wrapped in a thin skin that may appear to be more of a deep purple than black, the soft juicy red pulp of the black fig is loaded with minute edible seeds.
Available: May to December
From: California
Usage: Best at room temperature, simply eat out of hand; skin and all. These are perfect for chopping and adding to fruit salads. Whole or halved, try topping them with cream, nuts and flavoured liqueurs. Cured meats especially love figs. Balsamic vinegar, cheese, rum, basil and thyme enhance figs nicely and make great companions, too. Place figs on a mixed green fresh salad and drizzle with aged balsamic. For a tried and true delicious Italian recipe, cut an "x" in the bottom; stuff figs with blue cheese; wrap with Italian pancetta; bake in the oven until the bacon is crisp. Spicy cream cheese makes a great stuffing, too. Wrap fresh figs in foil and bake in hot oven for fifteen minutes. Poach fresh figs gently in syrup. Brush figs with oil or butter, gently grill, drizzle with honey or baste with brandy or rum. Serve with poultry, pork or lamb entrées. Stewed or poached figs make a sweet ending to a meal.
Pack Size: Tray & 12 x 1 pint
Figs Brown Turkey
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: There are more than one hundred varieties of figs but only a few are commercially produced. The fig is said to have been the very favourite fruit of Cleopatra and ironically, the snake that ended her life was brought to her in a basket of figs.
Taste & Appearance: Wrapped in a pliable soft skin, the brown fig's delicious meaty soft flesh contains edible seeds and offers an incomparable sweet taste.
Available: June to February
From: California
Usage: A squeeze of lemon or orange juice enhances a fig's flavour. These are excellent for making homemade jam. You can also use them to flavour muffins, cookies, quick breads or fillings for cakes. Chop and blend them with cottage cheese. To sweeten cooked cereal, add them at the last minute for a delicious topping. Add its sweetness to plain yogurt, too. To ripen, keep at room temperature. To prepare, wash well. To store, lay on a paper towel, cover with plastic, and refrigerate up to three days. Use ripe figs immediately. Twelve to sixteen small or eight large figs equal about one pound.
Pack Size: Tray & 12 x 1 pint
Figs Green Sierra
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Kevin Herman, a fig farmer from Madera County who planted 240 acres of figs on the outskirts of Niland, in Imperial County, in the spring of 2005. Most of the trees are Brown Turkeys, though Black Mission figs and Kadota figs make up a small portion of the orchards. Herman owns and manages several thousand acres of fig groves in the San Joaquin Valley, where 90 percent of the state's fig crop is grown. The Sierra fig, for example, is a new hybrid that Herman believes is a contender for the eventual replacement of the famed Calimyrna fig,
Taste & Appearance: Fruity flavour. They have yellow-green skin and reddish-amber pulp
Available: June to August
From: California
Usage: Milder cheeses like ricotta, mascarpone, and farmer's cheese go well with figs. Make a deep cross cut in the fig, spoon some soft cheese into the center, drizzle with warm honey and serve with walnuts. Pungent, salty cheeses (feta, goat cheese, Manchego, and Dry Jack) are a delicious contrast to a fig's sweetness. Garnish with ground pepper, arugula, or mint leaves. Fresh figs are especially compatible with raspberries, pears, and white peaches. Make a deep cross cut in the fig, arrange sliced fruit around it, and tumble raspberries into the figs, letting them spill out onto the plate. Herbs balance a fig's intense sweetness. Bay, thyme, anise hyssop or aniseed, and lavender are all delicious with figs; both in sweet and savoury dishes. Cloves are especially good in fig tarts or preserves.
Pack Size: Tray & 12 x 1 pint
Grapes Blue
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: A fairly hardy variety ripening in late August and is available in the market earlier than other traditional varieties
Taste & Appearance: Has a distinctive musky taste, is virtually seedless with a thick protective skin
Available: September to October
From: BC (only available in Western Canada)
Usage: Used for jams, jellies, juice and in chutney—great to cook with and can be frozen for year round enjoyment. They also make excellent cheese and grape skewers. Divide and mound 6 to 8 cups of salad greens among dinner plates. Top each salad with 50 grams of sliced, smoked turkey, 8 halved, seedless grapes, 1/4 cup of crumbled blue cheese, and 8 to10 pecan halves. Drizzle the salad with your favourite vinaigrette and serve. You can also use them to decorate the top of the cheesecake with a mix of green and red seedless grapes arranged in spiral-like fashion. Melt 1/3 cup of orange marmalade in a pot with 1 tbsp. of water. Brush this mixture over the grapes. Chill the cheesecake until the marmalade glaze sets.
Pack Size: 4 x 3 liters
Grapes Champagne
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also called Zante currants, miniature currant grapes, black currants or Black Corinth and are especially prized in Greece.
Taste & Appearance: Sweet, sweeter and seedless. Deep purple to reddish-black, this very small grape offers a very sweet and mild flavour. Usually pea-size and may be even smaller with a slight crunch, their minute stems are edible.
Available: July & August
From: California
Usage: For shear elegance, drop one or two grapes in a glass of sparkling champagne for visual effect. For nibbling, chill a cluster or two and place them on top of a mixed fruit bowl for an edible centerpiece. Before or after a meal, grapes are a tasty complement to soft cheeses. Toss a handful in a vegetable or mixed green salad for an occasional sweet bite. Pair with sliced kiwi fruit and strawberries for an attractive color contrast. Blend a few in plain or vanilla yogurt or use them to top ice cream or sorbet. They’re also a classy and complementary edible garnish for roast pork or duck entrées. Decorate wedding cakes with sugared champagne grapes or drape over the side of a champagne glass.
Pack Size: 16 x 1 lb
Guava
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as pineapple guava.
Taste & Appearance: Some say the guava is reminiscent of a blend of banana, strawberry and pineapple. A ripe guavas release a characteristic floral fragrance. Usually pale yellow with a greenish cast, the guava may be round or pear-shaped
Available: June to March
From: Taiwan
Usage: Peel and enjoy simply out of hand. This is also an ideal dessert after a curry or spicy meal. Duck, chicken and pork pair very well with these. You can also add them to soups and stews. Strain, slightly sweeten and fold into custards, puddings and creams. They provide a delicious flavour base for mousse, ice cream or Bavarian cream. Poach in sugar syrup, chill and drizzle with fresh cream. Puree and sweeten with honey and serve with pound, angel food or plain white cake.
Pack Size: 12 lb
Haskap Berries
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as Sweet Berry Honeysuckle, Blue Honeysuckle, Edible Honeysuckle, Honeyberry and even The Canadian Honey Berry. This berries originates from Siberia and Japan now grown in Saskatchewan
Taste & Appearance: Taste like a cross between raspberry and a blueberry. They are produced in pairs and are about I cm in diameter. The skin dissolves completely.
Available: Year round FROZEN ONLY
From: Saskatchewan
Usage: Serve and eat them as a fresh berry. Use these delicious berries as a juice. in baking, make jam and preserves. Turns dairy products a bright purple-red color great in smoothie, ice cream and yogurt
Pack Size: 1 lb
Horned/Kiwano Melons
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as kiwano melon, African horned melon, African horned cucumber, hedged gourd, jelly melon, English tomato and melano. This curious melon has actually been the winner of aesthetic prizes gaining recognition for its unusual appearance for something so deliciously edible.
Taste & Appearance: Surprisingly, the flavour is sweetly tart and deliciously distinct. A very attractive bright golden yellow to orange color and matures to be about the size of an oversized pear. Inside of its ominous-appearing exterior there is a rich jellylike lime-green flesh that contains white seeds reminiscent of cucumber seeds.
Available: November to August
From: California, Equador & New Zealand
Usage: Pairs well with frozen yogurt or vanilla ice cream. Blend melon puree with other fruits and top with shredded coconut for a refreshing tropical ambrosia. Whole, this funny-looking fruit creates a conversation piece and makes an interesting addition when added to a fruit-bowl centerpiece. The flesh makes luscious sauces, dressings, drinks and excellent sorbets.
Pack Size: 10 lb
Key Limes
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as the Mexican lime in California and Texas, Key lime or West Indian lime on the east coast, limón verde or green lemon in Mexico and limón de pica or thorny lemon in South America.
Taste & Appearance: These are small and dainty and have a smooth leathery thin greenish-lemony- yellow rind. An especially aromatic variety, this well-known oval-shaped lime is prized for its strong acidic well-balanced tangy-tart flavour and abundance of flavourful juice.
Available: Year Round
From: Mexico
Usage: Add refreshing tart-sweet flavour to sherbet, freezer cakes, fruit punch, numerous beverages and cocktails, and of course there’s everyone's favourite the famous key lime pie. This is also the perfect lime for margaritas. To make mouth-watering fruit cups, blend these little tropical treasures with papaya and melon. Add citric zest to enhance salads, breads, soups, relishes and sauces. Give sophisticated flavour flair to vegetables with this lime's stimulating tang. Citrus coaxes the flavours out of delicious meats and complements delicate seafood and poultry entrees. Use as a fragrant garnish.
Pack Size: 10 lb
Kumquats
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Thought to have originated in China, researchers have tracked this centuries-old fruit to Japan and China where it has been cultivated for a very long time. Named for its appearance, "Chin chu" in Chinese and "kam kwat" in Cantonese mean "golden orange." The United States' marketplace tasted the first kumquat in about 1850 and liked its flavour and looks so much that California and Florida soon began kumquat cultivation.
Taste & Appearance: The thin skin of this brilliant orange-colour fruit is quite sweet, but the pulp is puckery sour and contains small edible seeds. The flavour is similar to an orange with a hint of tangerine. Resemble a tiny oval-shaped orange and are about two to two-and-a-half inches long.
Available: November to August - Peak season: June to August Sporadically: November to May
From: California, China & Florida
Usage: Enjoy out of hand, whole or sliced. Add to salads. Preserve in syrup or brandy. For bittersweet delicacies, make tangy pickles, relishes, jellies, jam, preserves and marmalade. Pair with fish, meat and poultry. You can also mince them and serve with ham salads and salad dressings. Add blanched, sliced and seeded kumquats to cakes, stuffing and muffins. Puree and use to flavour breads, frostings and sorbets. Use pureed fruit as a thickening and flavouring agent in sauces and dressings. Substitute for lemons and limes. These items are also ideal for slicing and using to garnish cocktails and desserts. Others love dipping them in chocolate. You can also use kumquats instead of oranges in orange-based recipes.
Pack Size: 10 lb
Lemons Meyer
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: The Meyer lemon tree was developed from a cross between a lemon and a mandarin; although some sources claim it was possibly an orange.
Taste & Appearance: Offering a complex lemony flavour like no other, the juicy orangish-yellow flesh is prized for its lower acidic content which allows the Meyer lemon to develop a sweeter taste. Dessert and pastry chefs especially love this unique lemon for its extra rich flavour and dark yellow juice. These are rounder, juicier and sweeter than common lemons. Medium-sized and thin- skinned.
Available: September to July - Sporadically June & July
From: California
Usage: Flavours ice cream, sorbet, pie, tarts, pudding or custard. Enjoy a hot lemon soufflé and drizzle with warm lemon sauce. For a rich marmalade, simmer whole fruit gently for one hour, cool, chop, remove seeds and thick membranes, add sugar to taste, and cook over medium heat about fifteen minutes, stirring frequently. You can also use them to flavour chilled cocktails and iced coolers. Slice chilled halves paper-thin and use them to enhance fruit cups and salads. Give a sophisticated sweet-tart accent to vegetables, relishes, soups and salads. Complement delicate seafood and fowl entrées. They also make a perfect companion for lamb dishes. If using in place of regular lemons, adjust sugar to compensate for this lemon's sweeter personality. Dessert and pastry chefs especially love this unique lemon for its extra rich flavour and dark yellow juice.
Pack Size: 10 lb
Lemons Sweet
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Chefs love this choice lemon; it is currently sought after for its special lemony virtues. In classical Rome, the lemon was only a curiosity and used for decoration.
Taste & Appearance: Sweetly tart but never bitter, the rich lemony flavour is said to exceed that of any other. Smooth-skinned and bright sunny yellow, this lemon is especially nice for cooking
Available: November to May
From: California
Usage: Lemon pie is a must made with this fine-flavoured fruit. Its sweet-tart juice makes a great tasting lemonade. Use in sauces and marinades. Enhance the flavours of rice, potatoes and vegetables. Seafood loves this lemon. Thinly slice to accompany poultry or meat entrees. Pair with Moroccan lamb and couscous. Use slices for garnish.
Pack Size: 10 lb
Longan
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: The Chinese call it "dragon's eye" because of its white eye-shaped mark on the pit. The longan is a close relative the lychee nut.
Taste & Appearance: Having a flesh reminiscent of a peeled grape, the flavour is sweet and often described as a blend of musk, spruce and gardenia. It ranges in size from an olive to a small plum with thin, rough-to-prickly brown skin. In the center of the juicy flesh is a large smooth jet-black seed.
Available: July to October
From: Thailand
Usage: Poach in light sugar syrup. Peel and pit and use the same as lychees or pitted cherries in dessert soups, smoothies, fruit salads and sweet-and-sour dishes. This fruit makes an attractive and unique garnish for cocktails and fancy beverages.
Pack Size: 12 kg
Lychee Nuts
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: This fruit is also known as Litchi, Leechee, Lichee and Lichi. A lychee tree in full fruit is an absolutely stunning site to see.
Taste & Appearance: Sweet and juicy, the flavor is similar to a grape but is much more fragrant. About the size of a small plum or a small ping-pong ball, and is usually about one to one-and-a-half inches in diameter. Round, heart-shaped or oval, the brittle reddish-brown shell is inedible.
Available: June & July & December
From: Australia, China & Thailand
Usage: A tasty snack right out of the shell. Add to fruit salads, sweet and sour sauces or dessert sauces. Pair with poultry and seafood dishes. Add their unique taste and texture to stir-fries. Serve over ice cream or on top of brandy-flavored whipped cream. Give its sweet flavor to salad dressings and gelatin molds. Add a gourmet touch to green salads, chicken, turkey or ham salad. Chill for best flavor.
Pack Size: Varies
Mangos Ataulfo
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as Honey Mangoes, Manila Mangoes and Champagne Mango,
Taste & Appearance: Prized for their creamy smooth texture and sweet flavor. A bright brilliant yellow color and is oval-shaped, with yellow soft stingless juicy flesh and a inedible tough skin.
Available: March to August
From: Equador & Mexico
Usage: Eat out of hand. Makes excellent tarts, jams, chutneys, preserves and pickles. Add to fruit salads for flavor and texture. Perfect accompaniment for poultry and roast meats. Sauté; serve with grilled chicken.
Pack Size: 4 kg
Mangos Green
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: The green mango is basically unripe mango.
Taste & Appearance: Green mango can be sour, nutty and sweet depending on the variety. The sour ones are used in the place of lime or in combination with lime in Thai dishes.
Available: Year Round
From: Thailand
Usage: Green mangos are used in salads, pickles and curries.
Pack Size: 10 lb
Mangosteen
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: There's mystique surrounding the mangosteen and it's hard to separate fact from fiction. Folklore holds that Queen Victoria offered knighthood (unclaimed) to anyone who could bring her back an unspoiled one to try from the Indies. It’s also held that it was her favorite fruit, a somewhat incompatible notion. Perhaps derived from this story is the unofficial designation of mangosteen as the "Queen of Fruits."
Taste & Appearance: Sweetly flavoured and creamily textured, the taste is a bit tart with a peach-flavoured overtone. Rather ominous in appearance, its rind becomes a deep reddish-purple when this fruit is ripe and ready to eat. It features a soft white edible center that is similar in construction to the sections of an orange; with possibly one seed in each of the larger segments. The smaller segments are seedless and seem to melt in your mouth, releasing a delicious juice that is a perfect balance of acids and sugars.
Available: Year Round with a 10-day lead
From: Thailand
Usage: A gourmet fruit to say the least, this is definitely a delicious dessert delicacy. Innovative chefs love this fruit's intense and intriguing culinary personality. Ripe fruit has a soft and easy-to- open rind.To prepare, score the shell with a knife and pry gently and carefully along the scores with thumbs until the rind breaks. Pull the halves apart along the crack and remove the fruit. NOTE: The purple ink-like juice acts as a serious dye on skin and fabric!
Pack Size: 2 kg
Melons Canary
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as Spanish melon, Juan Canary, Jaune des Canaries and San Juan Canary. Growing on annual climbing or trailing vines, this extended family is known for producing lovely yellow or white blossoms and fleshy large fruits with numerous seeds. Having seed-free flesh, all melons share the same characteristic of having a hollow cavity that holds the seeds. The one exception is the watermelon which has its seeds dispersed
Taste & Appearance: Similar to the casaba melon, a ripe canary melon releases a fruity fragrance and offers a succulent flavour that isn't as sweet as other melons, but refreshing just the same. Oval and smooth, similar to yellow honeydew, it’s very pale green to cream-colored juicy flesh has a light pinkish-orange seed cavity. When this colourful melon is ripe, its hard rind turns bright yellow and develops a corrugated look and a slightly waxy feel.
Available: June to October
From: California
Usage: Serve on festive fruit platters or add to fresh fruit salads. Slice, dice or make pretty melon balls. Drizzle with lime juice to enhance flavour. Frozen melon balls add dazzle to iced beverages. This scrumptious variety is a perfect dessert melon. Excellent substitute for cantaloupe.
Pack Size: Varies
Melons Casaba
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Melons, members of the species Cucumis melo, are grouped into the general categories of winter melons, muskmelons and true cantaloupes. Casaba, as well as crenshaw, Christmas, canary and honeydew melons are considered winter melons.
Taste & Appearance: A creamy-green juicy flesh is delicately sweet, reminiscent of a mild cucumber-like flavour. Golden yellow with a possible hint of green, this round melon is most often pumpkin-shaped with a slight point at the stem end.
Available: June to October
From: California
Usage: Serve slices topped with sorbet, gelato or ice cream. Add melon balls to perk up fruit salad. Use emptied shell to fill with all different types of melon balls for a festive dessert, drizzle with fruit-flavoured liqueur and serve with vanilla ice cream or yogurt. For an unusual appetizer, wrap melon in smoked ham or prosciutto. People also love making refreshing melon salsa with this type of fruit.
Pack Size: Varies
Melons Crenshaw
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also spelled Cranshaw, this is a hybrid cross between the Casaba melon and the Persian melon, although some sources say the second parent is the cantaloupe. Crenshaw Melons are a large melon and can grow to weigh up to 10 pounds each.
Taste & Appearance: Aromatic salmon-orange flesh has a unique flavour that is quite sweet and described as being spicy. Its immature dark green skin turns golden yellow at the peak of ripeness and will have slightly waxy feel. It has an oblong shape with a buttercup yellow rind that is very ridged and actually looks very wrinkled and crinkly.
Available: June to October
From: California
Usage: Perfect for breakfast snacking, making a chilled fruit soup and serving as an edible garnish for most anything. For an easy dessert, serve melon slices with vanilla ice cream or fresh or frozen yogurt. To enhance flavour, drizzle melon cubes with hazelnut or orange-flavour liqueur. A squeeze of lime perks up this melon's slightly spicy flavour. Add its flavour and texture to give sweet pizzazz to salsa and fresh fruit chutney.
Pack Size: Varies
Melons Galia
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Chefs especially prize the Galia as a scrumptious dessert melon. Not only popular in the gardens of ancient Rome and Egypt, melons occupied a special place in our own Thomas Jefferson's garden at Monticello.
Taste & Appearance: Light green smooth-textured flesh offers a delicious spicy-sweet flavour. This fruit is exceptionally juicy and tastes like a cross between cantaloupe and honeydew. A light yellow skin and a very strong sweet aroma are wrapped in a pale, thick bark-like golden skin that turns brownish-yellow when ripe.
Available: May to September
From: California
Usage: Unlike most melons, Galias are best when served chilled. Sliced, diced or scooped into balls, add its juicy sweetness to fresh fruit salads. You can also add this melon to iced beverages and party punches. For a delicious dessert to delight dinner guests, warm together two tablespoons honey and one-half cup port wine over low heat, stirring until thoroughly blended. In a bowl, pour the warm wine and honey mixture over chunks or slices of one large peeled melon. Just before serving, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.
Pack Size: Varies
Melons Honeydew Orange Flesh
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: A cross between a cantaloupe and honeydew. In the melon world, the big three, in favourite order, include cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon
Taste & Appearance: Mildly sweet, this succulent melon rates high with melon fans. Oval-to-round the very fleshy juicy orange-yellow pulp is encased in a hard very yellow matching rind. Its exterior looks like a honeydew, but inside, its colourful flesh looks and tastes similar to a cantaloupe.
Available: May to October
From: California
Usage: Pairs deliciously well with diced smoked chicken, celery, apple, shallots and just enough mayonnaise to moisten. For a festive flair, serve this easy and refreshing salad in the melon's attractive shell. Top with favourite chopped nuts and a sprinkle of chopped dill. You can easily add it to a variety of baked dishes and desserts. Serve at room temperature or chilled with sorbet, yogurt or ice cream. Add its sweetness to perk up seafood salad. Make a chilled soup for a hot summer day's treat. A splash of lime juice or lemon juice enhances its flavour.
Pack Size: Varies
Melons Santa Claus
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as December melon, Christmas melon and Piel de Spao, this melon was named on behalf of its long keeping qualities, keeping until Christmas. Maturing about 110 days after planting, this melon can grow to twelve inches in length and six inches in diameter.
Taste & Appearance: This delicious melon has pale green to white flesh that is very sweet, juicy and tender.
Available: June to October
From: California
Usage: Pair with cottage cheese for a healthy snack. Cut melon in half, scoop out seeds, and cut into serving-size wedges. Add to fresh fruit salads and chutneys. Serve as edible garnish for open- face sandwiches. An excellent keeper, this hardy melon can be kept up to six weeks longer than other varieties.
Pack Size: Varies
Papaya Green Cooking
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Not shipped ripe, the fruit must be picked while still green as the thin skin of the papaya does not protect it from bruising in transit.
Taste & Appearance: Mild-mannered in flavour with flesh similar to a melon. The center cavity holds numerous edible seeds. The soft seeds have been described as having a taste comparable to a blend of nasturtium, pepper and watercress.
Available: Year Round
From: Mexico
Usage: Cook this fruit before it gets mushy and add its unique flavour to kebabs. For a glossy sauce or puree, simmer papaya and serve with fish or meat. You can also sauté slices and sprinkle with sugar and lime as a great addition to poultry dishes or served as dessert. Tuck liqueur-enhanced sautéed slices in crepes. For a tasty dressing, add ginger, hot peppers or cayenne pepper to pureed papaya. Papaya is a perfect marinade to tenderize meats. Pair with banana, pineapple, orange, strawberry and coconut. Fill halves with frozen yogurt and top with granola. Seafood, smoked meat, chicken and turkey salads are sweetly complemented with gentle papaya. A sprinkle of lime juice enhances flavour. To soften and tenderize thick meats such as roast beef or t-bones, spread mashed papaya over the meat. Refrigerate about two hours before cooking.
Pack Size: 10 lb
Papaya Strawberry
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Papaya grows on a tree that is actually a big hollow un-branched herbaceous shrub. Clusters of papaya fruit grow along the plant stem under a crown-like group of leaves.
Taste & Appearance: Pink, firm and juicy, its flesh is similar to a melon with a hint of peach and berry flavour. Its shell becomes slightly soft as it ripens with numerous small, shiny, round black inedible seeds in the center of the fruit.
Available: Year Round
From: Hawaii
Usage: For a tasty treat, cut papaya in half, scoop out seeds, fill center with sour cream, ice cream or chilled yogurt and then sprinkle with brown sugar or granola. Peeled fruit cut into rings is an attractive edible garnish for salads and entrées. Add to sauces, smoothies, marinades, fruit salads and bread. Stuffed, boiled or baked, papaya may be served as a side vegetable. Spicy foods welcome its cooling effect. Serve with fish and meat entrées. To soften and tenderize thick meats such as roast beef or t-bones, spread mashed papaya over the meat. Refrigerate about two hours before cooking.
Pack Size: 10 lb
Passion Fruit Purple
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: A very wrinkled passion fruit means it is ripe and ready to eat.
Taste & Appearance: A distinct sweet-sour taste, some describe the flavour as a blend of lemon, jasmine and honey. Others say jasmine, banana and lime. The purple-brown passion fruit may be round or resemble an odd-shaped egg. A firm cardboard-like rind encases almost liquid teardrop- shaped bits of mustard-yellow, strange looking pulp. An edible tiny dark crisp seed inhabits each juicy capsule.
Available: Year Round
From: Colombia
Usage: The very best way to enjoy this fruit is to slice it in half while holding it over a bowl to catch its delicious juice. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon; seeds and all. Sieve the pulp to extract the juice if the seeds are not desired. One passion fruit provides about one tablespoon of intensely flavoured pulp. Adding a true taste of the tropics, passion fruit's exotic scent and succulent flavour make an excellent flavouring for vinaigrette, sauces, syrups, gelato, sherbet and sorbet. Fruit salads and preserves especially love its flavourful contribution. Spoon over mousse, Bavarian cream, rice pudding, custards, ice cream or soufflés. Blend with kiwi fruit, bananas and grapes.
Pack Size: Tray
Passion Fruit Yellow Maracuya
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Grows on vines and is the fruit of the passion flower. The Brazilian passion fruits are much bigger than those sold in Europe and North-America.
Taste & Appearance: Yellow color, round to oval in shape, with a soft to firm, juicy interior filled with numerous seeds. The pulp is juicy and tastes acidic and sweet. The flavour blends well with other exotic fruit, such as the pineapple, papaya and, mango.
Available: January to September Limited supply January, August & September
From: Colombia
Usage: The easiest way to enjoy passion fruit is to halve it and eat it directly in the rind, using a small spoon. Some people like to sprinkle the pulp with white sugar first. It can also be puréed and made into a jelly, sorbet, or a topping sauce for ice cream, fruit salad, and yogurt and dessert crepes. You should also try freezing the juice in an ice-cube tray as these cubes will give a burst of flavour to any punch, cocktail or beverage. The unique taste of the passion fruit nicely complements the stronger flavours of game birds, which can be marinated in passion fruit juice or served with a passion fruit jelly. The pulp of this fruit is so powerful in taste that only a very small amount is needed to greatly boost the flavour of other food.
Pack Size: 14 to 16 ct
Pears Bosc
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as Buerré Bosc, Buerré d'Appremont and Calabasse Bosc. There are hundreds of varieties of pears in the United States but four types predominate: Anjou, Bartlett, Bosc and Comice.
Taste & Appearance: This fruit's crunchy flesh is sweetly spicy. A rather large pear and really quite elegant, the Bosc, pronounced Bahsk, is unmistakable with its characteristic long tapering neck and lengthy stem. Shaped like no other pear and ranging from deep yellowish-brown to dark tan, its tender skin is brushed with bronze-russet markings.
Available: Year Round
From: California & New Zealand
Usage: Having a sturdy dense flesh, this pear is ideal for cooking, especially poaching, sautéing or baking. Top a tart, fill a flan or poach in syrup. Pears make a perfectly sweet and simple dessert. Drizzle with caramel or chocolate sauce.
Pack Size: 10 lb & 40 lb
Pears Comice
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: This is the variety most often found in holiday gift boxes and has been dubbed the "Christmas pear." This pear's name is short for "Doyenne du Comice" which means "top of the show."
Taste & Appearance: This pear is extra juicy and not even faintly gritty. Sweet and aromatic, its creamy-white flesh is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Pale yellow or dull green, its fragile skin is marked with russet flecks or a red blush on its cheek and is easily recognized by its characteristic squat shape
Available: August to March
From: California
Usage: This pear does not make a good candidate for cooking. It provides the perfect closure to a meal served with Brie, Camembert or Stilton cheese. Add to enhance watercress or spinach salads. Dip iced pear slices in raspberry, apricot or strawberry sauce.
Pack Size: 10 lb
Pears Forelle
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Their interesting name translates to "trout" in German and is sometimes called trout pear. A perfect holiday pear, it features a golden yellow skin with a bright red blush, adding a colourful and festive flair to gift baskets.
Taste & Appearance: Its unpredictable flavour may be sweet, bland or quite astringent. Petite, freckled and red-cheeked, the bell-shaped pear is a miniature variety and one of the smallest varieties of pears. Rather crisp-textured and fairly firm even when ripe, this is one of the very few pears that changes color as it ripens. When ready to eat, this pear's greenish skin turns a brilliant yellow and is characteristically marked with contrasting reddish freckles called lenticels; its distinctive feature.
Available: Mid June to March
From: Argentina, California & Oregon
Usage: A decorative bowl filled with the colourful charm of this pear creates a beautiful edible holiday centerpiece—add a sprig or two of holly and one or two ornaments. Serve this pear with a variety of cheeses on an appetizer tray. You can easily poach or roast these pears. Although this pear's flavour and texture are good for cooking, its small size may be difficult to work with.
Pack Size: 10 lb & 22 lb
Pears Red
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: This fruit is currently getting a lot of attention from chefs because of its aesthetic and delicious virtues.
Taste & Appearance: Its soft juicy creamy-white tender flesh offers a sweet succulent flavour with only a slight gritty texture common to pears. Identical in shape to its green counterpart, this variety is quite showy with its deep maroon-red, striking color. The color varies from pear to pear, but most are dark maroon-red.
Available: Year Round
From: California & Oregon Washington
Usage: Simply scrumptious eaten out of hand, this pear's exceptional good looks make an attractive addition to festive fruit bowl centerpieces. Use as an edible garnish to dress up sandwiches. Add its sweet taste and rich color to mixed green salads. Poach chunks or slices in a light syrup. This pear loves chocolate, too! Ripen pears at room temperate; preferably in a paper bag. Refrigerate ripe pears for just a day or two to protect their flavour. For optimum quality, ripe pears should be enjoyed promptly.
Pack Size: 10 lb & 22 lb
Pears Seckel
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as sugar pear and is thought to be a hybrid of Asian and European pears. Quite different from any European variety, this variety is the smallest of all commercially grown pears.
Taste & Appearance: Very sweet spicy flavour with a rather grainy texture. Brownish yellow and russet with a dark reddish blush, this small almost bite-size pear sometimes shows off a dull green cast.
Available: August to January
From: California & Oregon
Usage: Intensify flavour by marinating slices in pear brandy. Ginger, vanilla, nutmeg, lemon, cinnamon, cheese, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts love to be paired with this sweet little fruit. Halves make attractive garnish for salads and sandwiches.
Pack Size: 10 lb & 22 lb
Persimmons Fuyu
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as date plum, apple of the Orient, monkey guava, bush kaki, Chinese fig, keg-fig and swamp ebony. Unlike the Hachiya variety, which must be fully ripe, almost to a mush stage to be enjoyed, the Fuyu variety can be eaten in its firm stage right away; no need to wait until ripe.
Taste & Appearance: When ripe, this fruit offers a spicy, sweet flavour described as a blend of mango and papaya; some say it has an apricot overtone. Others say it tastes like an apple and orange mixed together. Somewhat resembles a tomato with thin reddish-orange skin and soft flesh.
Available: May to February Peak season October to December
From: California Chile & New Zealand
Usage: Delicious when made into sherbets, puddings, jams, purees, breads, ice creams, stewed fruits, cakes and other baked goods. Add to green salads and fruit salads. Hot dishes can be flavour-enhanced by adding slices of persimmon at the very end of the cooking process to maintain its delicate flavour and texture. Puree and spoon over puddings and cakes for an especially sweet offering. Spices that enhance the flavour of the persimmon are cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg.
Pack Size: Tray
Persimmons Hachiya
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also known as Chinese fig, bush kaki, monkey guava, keg-fig, date plum, apple of the Orient and swamp ebony. Unlike the Fuyu persimmon, which can be eaten in its hard, unripe stage, the Hachiya variety must be fully ripe, almost to a mush stage to be enjoyed.
Taste & Appearance: As the fruit ripens, the skin dulls and takes on the texture of a water balloon. The astringent tannin evaporates and the fruit becomes sweeter with an apricot-like flavour. This fruit averages the size of a medium peach with an acorn-shape, featuring shiny, bright orange skin and a pale green papery calyx or leafy cap.
Available: September to October
From: California
Usage: This fruit is almost always used as a purée in cookies, cakes, brownies, breads, puddings, flans, and sauces. Citrus juice will help prevent persimmons from darkening during baking. To make an easy persimmon sorbet, just freeze the whole fruit and allow it to defrost slightly in the refrigerator. Peel back the skin and spoon out the flesh. You can add a few drops of rum, bourbon or brandy, all of which go well in persimmon preparations, or use seasonings such as ginger, vanilla, nutmeg, ground coriander and cinnamon. Persimmons are a fall/winter fruit, so nuts such as hazelnuts, almonds, and walnuts go well with them, as do dried fruits such as raisins and prunes. Orange juice, orange liqueurs, and brown sugar also match up nicely with persimmons. Pack Size: Tray
Plantain
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Also called Platano, these are a member of the banana family.
Taste & Appearance: Starchy and dense, the flesh must be cooked to be edible. Developing a sticky texture, the ripe plantain offers a stronger flavour and becomes even more intense in taste as it ripens. Available at various stages of ripeness, the unusual flesh is consistently light pink or yellowish and creamy in texture. Whether yellow-brown or black, the plantain can be prepared either as a fruit or a vegetable. In super-ripe black plantains, the starch has turned to sugar, perfect for making scrumptious desserts. Slow to ripen, plantains may take up to three weeks to become fully ripe.
Available: Year round
From: Equador
Green Stage: Starchy with a taste comparable to a potato. Use in recipes that require a starchy vegetable taste. Pulp is ivory color and firm. Must be cooked before eating.
Yellow Stage: Use in recipes that call for a slightly sweet taste but firm texture. (Yellow skin may be freckled with black spots.)
Black Stage: Use in recipes requiring a sweet taste. Boil, bake, steam or fry with oils or syrups. (The black stage ranges from heavy black spotting to a fully black plantain.)
Pack Size: 10 lb
Pomegranates
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec.
General Information: The name comes from the two French words "pome" and "granate," literally meaning "apple with many seeds." This fruit is still wildly popular today in areas such as Persia (Iran), southern parts of the Soviet Union and across Afghanistan to the Himalayas.
Taste & Appearance: The size of an apple, only the seeds and juice are edible, offering a sweet- tart taste. It’s wrapped securely in a thin but tough and leathery, rich red to reddish purple skin.
Available: September to February Peak Season October & November
From: California & India
Usage: The juice is excellent for flavouring jelly, hot and cold sauces, sorbets, vinaigrettes and marinades. Sprinkle its crisp tasty seeds on salads and desserts or use as a colourful edible garnish for meat, poultry and seafood. You can also pair with shrimp, halibut, white fish, lamb, goose, Cornish hens and eggplant dishes. This fruit is also ideal for enhancing cakes and baked apples. Dress up your dessert by sprinkling its seeds on ice cream sundaes or marinating the seeds in liqueur and topping your ice cream with them. Many people also love adding their flavour and color to orange juice and dressing up fancy cocktails and iced beverages. They’re delicious on pancakes, waffles, French toast and crepes. As a bonus, this fruit's unique decorative shape and cheerful rich color add a special touch to holiday tables and centerpieces. Hollowed pomegranate shells make absolutely splendid and unusual candleholders to brighten blah winter days.
Pack Size: Varies
Pomegranate Seeds
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Frozen seeds are available year round. The Fresh seeds are only available from September to December
Taste & Appearance: The seeds of the pomegranate fruit are sweet, juicy and bursting with flavour.
Available: Year Round Can order Fresh & Frozen
From: California
Usage: The juice is excellent for flavouring jelly, hot and cold sauces, sorbets, vinaigrettes and marinades. Sprinkle the crisp, tasty seeds on salads and desserts or use as a colourful edible garnish for meat, poultry and seafood. Pair with shrimp, halibut, white fish, lamb, goose, Cornish hens and eggplant dishes. You can also use them to enhance cakes and baked apples. Try sprinkling these seeds on ice cream sundaes. Marinate seeds in liqueur and then use them to top ice cream. Many people also love adding their flavour and color to orange juice and dressing up fancy cocktails and iced beverages. They’re delicious on pancakes, waffles, French toast and crepes.
Pack Size: Varies
Quince
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: The Greek name "cydonia" became "cotogna" in Italian and "coing" in French. Chaucer wrote of "coines," a word that later became "quince." The British love its bold taste in tarts and pies. Of all its fans, however, Turkey favors quince the most, adding quince to meaty stews, the fruit is often a customary accompaniment to roasts. Referred to as "melimelum" by the Romans, this Greek name means "honey apple" because the fruit was preserved in honey for jam.
Taste & Appearance: This pleasantly tart fruit needs to be cooked before eating. Developing a delicious rich flavour when slowly cooked, quince turns a lovely pale apricot color. A fruit of many appearances, quince may resemble a Comice pear or a Delicious apple, and appear golden to yellow or sport reddish flecks. It most frequently looks like a large lumpy yellow pear. Its skin may be smooth or covered with a woolly down.
Available: August To December
From: California & Chile
Usage: Loaded with pectin, quince makes the very best jam, jelly, conserves, fruit leather and candy. Release its unusual flavour by poaching, braising, baking and stewing. Possessing a sturdy melting texture, quince can endure long cooking. Perk up apple pie with its unique flavour and charming pink color. Stew as an easy dessert. Drizzle with sweet cream.
Pack Size: Varies
Rambutan
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Traditional suppliers include Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia but today Honduras and Australia are entering this market. Closely related to Lychee and Longan.
Taste & Appearance: The flesh is translucent, whitish or very pale pink, with a sweet, mildly acidic flavour. The large seed has an almond-like taste. May be greenish yellow, orange or crimson in color with an oval or globe-shape. They are usually one to two inches long with a section of the stem attached.
Available: Rambutan trees fruit twice a year, yielding crops beginning late June to August & December to January.
From: Thailand
Usage: Excellent when added to a tropical fruit salad. Combine with papaya, mango, pineapple, kumquats, and banana, to name a few. Blend with an orange brandy and lemon juice dressing and chill. Spoon this luscious fruit salad into festive coconut shells or scooped-out pineapples and top with whipped cream and a stemmed-cherry for an impressive eye-catching dessert.
Pack Size: 6 lb (10 Day Lead)
Rhubarb
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Nickname is Pie-plant. Resembling a colourful celery stalk, this vegetable, in reality, is used as a fruit and grows in two main varieties, Field and Hothouse.
Taste & Appearance: Hothouse rhubarb - is milder in flavour and less stringy. Extremely tart, the smooth stalks of rhubarb require sweetening to be palatable. Field rhubarb - has a more pronounced flavour. Hothouse-grown rhubarb produces pink or light red stalks with yellow leaves while Field-grown rhubarb stalks are cherry red with green leaves.
Available: January to September
From: BC & Washington
Usage: The simplest way to prepare rhubarb is to cut the stalks in one-inch pieces and cook in just enough water to cover. Add sugar to taste. Serve as a sauce for meats and poultry. Stewed, pureed and sweetened, serve over poached chicken or veal cutlets. Less sugar is required when cooked with a sweeter fruit such as strawberries or raspberries. Serve stewed rhubarb sauce with angel food cake, low-fat desserts and gingerbread. Apples and pears make tasty stew-mates. Add raisins, ground ginger or cinnamon. Sweeten with honey or maple syrup. Rhubarb is excellent for making delicious pies and jams.
Pack Size: 20 lb
Sapote
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: The word ―sapote‖ is derived from the Mexican "zapote‖ which simply means "soft fruit." This fruit's proper name is "white sapote."
Taste & Appearance: The flesh offers a very sweet mild flavour with a hint of apricot, banana, lemon, mango, vanilla, coconut, peaches, or caramel, depending on the variety. The skin is edible, but is slightly tart. Resembling a green cooking apple with a slight point at the blossom end and is about the size of an orange or a grapefruit. Its very thin skin may be bright green to canary yellow and bruises easily. Two to six flat inedible seeds the size and shape of orange seeds may be randomly embedded in its custard-like flesh.
Available: October to December; Peak Season is in November.
From: California
Usage: Blends well with kiwifruit and fresh strawberries. Slice and serve with a squeeze of lime or lemon juice; top with whipped cream. For a tasty and unique beverage, puree and blend with orange juice. Pureed fruit may be served as a topping for other fruit. Refrigerate when ripe in a paper or plastic bag not more than one week. Most varieties can be frozen but a few become bitter. Freeze whole wrapped in plastic. Half-thaw in refrigerator and scoop out like sherbet. This thawed fruit is perfect for parfaits, drinks, sauces and purees.
Pack Size: 10 lb
Tamarillos
Red
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Originating in South America, Tamarillos are related to both the tomato and the potato. They are also known as "tree tomatoes."
Taste & Appearance: With an unusual, yet delightful, astringent flavour, its acidic edge benefits with the addition of a little sugar. The bitter, inedible skin can be golden-orange or purple-red. Inside, golden-pink flesh surrounds two purple seed pouches (the red seeds leave an indelible purple stain).
Available: Year Round
From: Colombia
Usage: Doubles as both fruit and vegetable due to its tart tomato taste. Raw or cooked, it must be peeled as the skin is quite bitter. Use a vegetable peeler or immerse fruit in boiling water for a minute or two. Plunge in ice water, pierce skin and slide it off. Add fresh slices or chunks to fruit salad. Cooked or raw, this item makes succulent relishes, jams, sweet and sour sauces and chutney. A spicy flavour develops when combined with fruits. It’s well suited for cooking, perking up savoury dishes with its spunky presence. Use as an accompaniment for roasted meats, poultry, or spicy curries. Dip slices in honey and serve on ice cream, pudding, or yogurt. You can also simmer in sugar syrup and add to fruit compote.
Pack Size: Tray
Watermelon Yellow
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
General Information: Yellow watermelon is yellow because of the absence of the antioxidant lycopene. It is assumed that yellow watermelon was developed from cross breeding over many generations to remove the lycopene content. Lycopene also makes tomato and grapefruit red.
Taste & Appearance: Its characteristic melting texture offers a refreshingly sweet flavor. Occasional black seeds inhabit its juicy flesh. It is usually oval or round and has bright yellow flesh.
Available: May to December
From: California & Mexico
Usage: Blend the colorful yellow watermelon with honeydew and cantaloupe. Many people love freezing this melon as little balls, packed in a sugar syrup or in orange juice, and adding them to chilled or frozen beverages and cocktails. Pair with frozen red or orange melon balls. Its best flavor is achieved when chilled before serving.
Pack Size: 5 count