Apples are the third best fruit

[Sheik Yerbouti]

cara cara oranges are so damn good.

 

[CZroe]

I like most fruits but it seems like something is wrong with me and I also have issues with most. Apples, pears, grapes, and watermelon give me horrible gas and send me straight to the toilet. Bananas and cantaloupe give me horrible indigestion and make me feel nauseous. My heartburn is bad enough that I can rarely tolerate citrus except as a flavoring (squirt of lemon/lime), so no oranges, tangerines, or grapefruits.

*sigh*

It's probably IBS because so many other foods cause this. I still force myself to eat them and just deal with the consequences because I know I need the vitamins even if they send me to the bathroom.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I use the Alton Brown avocado trick for pears too - I store them in fast food drink quad containers

Then what? Do you keep them on the counter? In the fridge? In a dark bag? In a cool pantry?

More importantly, what types of pears to try, what to expect in taste and texture from the different varieties, and how to pick them in the store?

 

[malabo]

Mangos are 7th.

Pears peaches and nectarines rule if they are ripe.The problem is there are so many bad ones out there its hard to find good ones so they get a bad rap

 

[Carson Dyle]

cara cara oranges are so damn good.

They sure are. I try to buy just a couple at a time from different stores, as they have a variety of very subtle, spicy flavors in addition to their sweetness and low acidity.

 

[Kaido]

Then what? Do you keep them on the counter? In the fridge? In a dark bag? In a cool pantry?

More importantly, what types of pears to try, what to expect in taste and texture from the different varieties, and how to pick them in the store?

Here's the common ones:

http://www.thekitchn.com/httpwwwthekitch-158859

I only ever get like two or three kinds where I live tho. I think barletts are the most popular. Keep them out on the counter if you want them to ripen. They can take awhile. They are awesome when they soften up tho, a lot of the sugar gets released...super soft & sweet.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I saw some mangoes (billed as "red mangoes") in the store last night for just 88¢ a pound and was very tempted. But I don't have a clue what I'm looking for. Most were all green, but some had a bit of a red blush to them. Some were a little soft, like a peach, but it didn't correlate with the color. Definitely something I'd like to try.

 

[malabo]

Good cherries and raspberries are awesome too

 

[Jeeebus]

I saw some mangoes (billed as "red mangoes") in the store last night for just 88¢ a pound and was very tempted. But I don't have a clue what I'm looking for. Most were all green, but some had a bit of a red blush to them. Some were a little soft, like a peach, but it didn't correlate with the color. Definitely something I'd like to try.

You may as well try your luck at the roulette table. Chances are the mangoes were picked way under-ripe, irradiated/washed in a hot water bath, and will be flavorless/full of fiber strings. For $.88/lb you could always try your luck, but chances of getting a good one are slim.

 

[clamum]

Ugh, for me apples are way down the list. I'm a fruit lover but if I'm eating apples the best for me is Granny Smith. Tart and crispy... OM NOM NOM.

My epic fruit list:
1. Kiwi
2. Concord grapes
3. Pineapple
4. Raspberries
5. Apple (Asian) pear
6. Mandarin oranges
7. Granny smith apple
...
866: Other apples

 

[Crono]

Ugh, for me apples are way down the list. I'm a fruit lover but if I'm eating apples the best for me is Granny Smith. Tart and crispy... OM NOM NOM.

My epic fruit list:
1. Kiwi
2. Concord grapes
3. Pineapple
4. Raspberries
5. Apple (Asian) pear
6. Mandarin oranges
7. Granny smith apple
...
866: Other apples

Love Granny Smith. :thumbsup:

Granny Smith apples are also more vitamin/nutrient rich than other varieties. A lot of the newer, sweeter apple varieties may be more broadly appealing - and don't get me wrong, I love eating a variety of varieties - but they aren't as good for you and they don't keep as well in the fridge, either.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

You are all horrible at this.

The very best fruit is so obviously the tomato. Without it you can have no pizza, no decent pasta sauce, no ketchup, no salsa, no ad, no infinitum...

Come on guys, you are supposed to be smarter than this!

 

[CZroe]

You are all horrible at this.

The very best fruit is so obviously the tomato. Without it you can have no pizza, no decent pasta sauce, no ketchup, no salsa, no ad, no infinitum...

Come on guys, you are supposed to be smarter than this!

This man speaks the truth. All hail tomato! Too bad onion isn't a fruit *ducks*

 

[Carson Dyle]

This man speaks the truth. All hail tomato! Too bad onion isn't a fruit *ducks*

Someone mentioned changing taste buds earlier in the thread. I've hated tomatoes my whole life, but not things made with them. Only in recent years have I acquired a taste for (or a tolerance of) them. I like them fine on a sandwich now, and I've even been putting a few grape sized tomatoes in salads.

But I've had some fantastic sweet onions recently. I often eat thick slices of them by themselves.

A word of advice: If _anyone_ tells you that there is such a thing as a Colorado grown sweet onion, don't believe them. Many of the grocery stores around here have gotten into the bullshit locally grown trend. Colorado does NOT produce anything that could even remotely be called a "sweet" onion. We have one grocer who has been stocking the flat, ugly and SWEET onions that are the real deal and I can't get enough of them.

 

[CZroe]

Someone mentioned changing taste buds earlier in the thread. I've hated tomatoes my whole life, but not things made with them. Only in recent years have I acquired a taste for (or a tolerance of) them. I like them fine on a sandwich now, and I've even been putting a few grape sized tomatoes in salads.

But I've had some fantastic sweet onions recently. I often eat thick slices of them by themselves.

A word of advice: If _anyone_ tells you that there is such a thing as a Colorado grown sweet onion, don't believe them. Many of the grocery stores around here have gotten into the bullshit locally grown trend. Colorado does NOT produce anything that could even remotely be called a "sweet" onion. We have one grocer who has been stocking the flat, ugly and SWEET onions that are the real deal and I can't get enough of them.

Them's pro'ly Sweet Vidalia Georgia onions right der er at lease tha same species (caint cawl 'em 'at iffen dey ain't from Vidalia, GA).

 

[Carson Dyle]

The sweet onions I've had that have been branded Walla Walla are at least as good, maybe better than the Vidalias. The ones I've had recently had no brand or state of origin on the label, but have been extraordinary. From what I've read, I suspect they may be from Oregon.

 

[KMFJD]

I wish we could cheaply get mangosteens, they are amazing....the local banana in the Philippines was also much better than the normal Cavendish bananas that we get imported.

 

[malabo]

Ugh, for me apples are way down the list. I'm a fruit lover but if I'm eating apples the best for me is Granny Smith. Tart and crispy... OM NOM NOM.

My epic fruit list:
1. Kiwi
2. Concord grapes
3. Pineapple
4. Raspberries
5. Apple (Asian) pear
6. Mandarin oranges
7. Granny smith apple
...
866: Other apples

Good call on the concord grapes, they are hard to find where I live but I like them more than the green ones. I love those brown pears I think they are called bosc

 

[Jeeebus]

This time of year I'll put starfruit (carambola) on my list of top fruit. Not the best fruit in the world, but it's juicy, sweet, and my trees are producing hundreds of these things now. Nice treat to eat fresh, but also good juiced or frozen in a smoothie.

Now excuse me while I nom nom.

 

[rpanic]

Jackfruit grows great down here but it is a pain in the ass to clean. Too much sticky sap.

We're lucky to live in a favorable climate for growing a lot of fruit and having a big enough lot to grow what we want. We're planted out to have fresh fruit pretty much 12 months of the year. Shooting from the hip, we grow:

mangoes (15 - 18) varieties/trees
lychees (2 varieties)
carambola/starfruit (3 varieties)
Peach
pink lemon
Meyer lemon
miracle fruit
pineapple
Japanese plum
sapodilla
Barbados cherry
avocado
longan
passion fruit
mulberry
jaboticaba
blueberry
Dragon fruit
Malay Apple
grumichama
jujube
cherry of the Rio Grande

Probably more that I'm forgetting.

Jeeebus, you have a lot of the same tropical plants that I grow but some I have to cover or put them in a greenhouse for the winter. I also try to time it so I have fresh fruit year round, keeping everything under 6-8 feet and compact.

My favorite would be nectarines followed by pluots and berries

In my back yard I have.

White Nectarine Snow Queen
Yellow Nectarine Double Delight
Peach Santa Barbara
Santa Rosa and Burgundy Plum
Flavor King and Flavor Grenade Pluot
Sweet treat Pluerry
Navel, Cara Cara, and Moro Blood orange
Meyer lemon
Gold Nugget mandarin
Granny Smith, Red Fuji, and Braeburn apple
Makok sapodilla
Barbados cherry
Miracle Fruit
Passion Fruit
Violet Fig
Mulberry
Jaboticaba
Blueberry about a dozen defferent kinds
Rasberries, blackberries, boysenberries
Cherry of the Rio Grande
Flame and Summer Royal grapes
Almonds

 

[Jeeebus]

Jeeebus, you have a lot of the same tropical plants that I grow but some I have to cover or put them in a greenhouse for the winter. I also try to time it so I have fresh fruit year round, keeping everything under 6-8 feet and compact.

My favorite would be nectarines followed by pluots and berries

In my back yard I have.

White Nectarine Snow Queen
Yellow Nectarine Double Delight
Peach Santa Barbara
Santa Rosa and Burgundy Plum
Flavor King and Flavor Grenade Pluot
Sweet treat Pluerry
Navel, Cara Cara, and Moro Blood orange
Meyer lemon
Gold Nugget mandarin
Granny Smith, Red Fuji, and Braeburn apple
Makok sapodilla
Barbados cherry
Miracle Fruit
Passion Fruit
Violet Fig
Mulberry
Jaboticaba
Blueberry about a dozen defferent kinds
Rasberries, blackberries, boysenberries
Cherry of the Rio Grande
Flame and Summer Royal grapes
Almonds

Yummy. Where are you located? We can't grow the apples, plums, nectarines, etc. due to lack of chill hours here.

 

[rpanic]

Yummy. Where are you located? We can't grow the apples, plums, nectarines, etc. due to lack of chill hours here.

Los Angeles at 1300' so it doesn't get to cold but i still get about 300-500 chill hours.

 

[Jeeebus]

Los Angeles at 1300' so it doesn't get to cold but i still get about 300-500 chill hours.

Nice. We're lucky if we get 50 - 75 chill hours, so the tropical trees (like mangoes, bananas, etc.) do best here.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I had a Lady Alice apple for the first time today. Really wonderful. Crisp, with a slight tartness that balances the sweetness nicely. The real surprise, though, was the flavor. Or flavors. All kinds of subtle little notes to it. Delicious.

My understanding is that they harvest them in the fall and store them for a couple of months until their flavor peaks, best some time in March. I'm really looking forward to a couple more months of these.

 

[BoomerD]

IMO, apples are ok when they're cooked...pies, applesauce, etc...but I don't care much for eating them raw. Never have.

Peaches are one of my favorites...but only the freestone varieties. Blueberries and huckleberries are my favorite "bush fruits."