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AVAILABILITY — Exotic
fruits are seasonal, so the selection of exotic fruits will vary throughout
the year.
RIPENING — Fruits are
generally ripened at room temperature. Once ripe, except for bananas,
they may be refrigerated for three to five days before eating.
BLEMISHES — Remember,
all fruits are grown on trees, picked, sorted and transported. Many
fruits have natural blemishes and color variations, which distinguish
them from hybrid fruits that are often so homogeneous as to be lacking
in flavor and character. Other blemishes, due to mishandling, are not
desirable, and we make every effort to exclude them from our selection.
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Apple-sized pear that is almost perfectly round. There are several varieties with
skin ranging from speckled green, to yellow to golden brown. White flesh
is crunchy but less dense than an apple, and has a sweet flavor like a
pear. Extremely succulent. Eat like an apple or slice for garnish. Native
to China and Japan.
A miniature banana, ranging from 3 to 4 inches long. Unlike a standard banana, the finger banana achieves peak ripeness when its skin is brown to black. Flavor is more concentrated and sweeter than regular banana. Peel and eat raw. Native to Southeast Asia.
Reddish-purplish skin, and squatter than a regular banana. Ripe when color of skin brightens and banana becomes softer. Flesh is creamy white to pink. Strong banana flavor with a hint of strawberry. Usually eaten raw. Native to Southeast Asia.
"Blood" refers to the red pulp, which varies from light to deep red. Often the skin will also show red blush mixed with orange. The red pigments are anthocyanins, which develop naturally during the cold winter nights, and mild days. Flavor is more intense than a regular orange, with a complex finish. Peel and eat in sections, or juice. Closely identified with Sicily.
The berry of the desert cactus, it is oblong and may be purple, orange, garnet red or green. Small tufts of thorns dot the surface. Ripe when fruit gives to gentle pressure. Flesh is startling magenta, and pulpy with crunchy edible seeds. To eat, cut off each end, slit sides, then peel off skin. Native to Mexico.
Ribbed fruit is star-shaped when sliced cross wise. Thin, waxy skin is yellow-green to yellow-golden. Ripe when fruit turns golden and the ribs turn brown. Delicate and crisp texture. To eat, pare away top of ribs and slice. Flavor ranges from tart to slightly sweet. Use as appetizer or garnish. Native to Java and South East Asia.
Ribbed fruit is star-shaped when sliced cross wise. Thin, waxy skin is yellow-green to yellow-golden. Ripe when fruit turns golden and the ribs turn brown. Delicate and crisp texture. To eat, pare away top of ribs and slice. Flavor ranges from tart to slightly sweet. Use as appetizer or garnish. Native to Java and South East Asia.
Similar to a tangerine in appearance, although squatter. A loose skinned citrus, it is easy to peel. It is sweet, usually seedless and is eaten in sections. It is likely related to the mandarin, and is cultivated in North Africa and Spain.
Fresh dates are yellow to golden brown, and shaped like an elongated grape. The thin skin turns deep golden brown and slightly translucent when ripe. Eat whole with care for the inedible pit. Native to the Middle East, this desert oasis fruit was the first cultivated fruit.
Oval with deep green to gray green, bumpy skin. Ripe when slightly soft to touch. Flesh is creamy white to yellow, and slightly grainy like a pear, with tiny edible seeds. To eat, halve and scoop out flesh. Strongly scented with flavor of pineapple, strawberry and mint. Native to South America. Pronounced "fee-jo-ah".
Teardrop-shaped in shades of purple, green and red, there are over 600 varieties. Common varieties are black mission, brown turkey, calimyrna and kadota. A perfectly ripe fig has "the cloak of a beggar, and the eye of a widow," in that the skin may be tattered and the fig weeping juice. Eat out of hand. Flesh is soft, almost gooey, extremely sweet and slightly nutty.
A large oval grape that is green when less ripe and turns straw yellow to amber rust as it ripens. Prized as the best-flavored grape, it has a musky aromatic flavor. It is the oldest "white" grape cultivated, first mentioned in 1584. Once called the "Muscat of Alexandria," it is now most often imported from Italy, and called the Italia Muscat.
A bright, light green grape that is almost perfectly round and tightly bunched on the stem. They generally do not change appearance as they ripen, although they may become slightly more translucent. Even when ripe, they are tarter than other table grapes. The flesh is pleasingly crisp and they are seedless.
Green, ping-pong ball size, with a slight red flush near the stem. Ripe when soft to touch. The flesh is yellow-green, and extremely sweet and juicy. At over 500 years old, it is the oldest plum still cultivated today. Known as the "Reine Claude" in France, it was renamed when Sir Thomas Gage in England grew it in the 1700s.
Egg-sized fruit with fuzzy brown skin. Flesh is jade green with a center starburst of dark, edible seeds. Ripe when fruit gives to gentle pressure. To eat, peel and slice cross wise. Flesh is sweet and slightly tart. Native to China.
Grape-sized, it is the smallest citrus. In Cantonese, kumquat means "golden orange." Eaten whole, it is the only fruit whose edible skin is sweeter than its tart flesh. Native to China.
The size of a ping-pong ball, it is a winter dessert apple, not a crab apple. Ripe when yellow with a rosy blush. It has a sweet nutty flavor. The Lady Apple has been traced to an ancient Roman apple, the "Malum Appianum." It has been cultivated for over 300 years in France, and is called the "Pomme d' Api."
Egg-sized, orange to yellow-gold, with a stem. The thin skin is slightly downy, and the flesh is orange, yellow or creamy white. Ripe when tender to touch, like a peach. To eat, tear off the stem, peel back the skin with your fingers, and eat flesh from around large inedible seeds. Flavor is a blend of apricot, plum and cherry. Native to Southeastern China, where loquat means "reed orange."
The size of a large grape with a rough, slightly spiky, leathery shell that is pink to deep red or brown. The longan is a related fruit with a smoother brown shell. Ripe when color ranges from pink to deep red to brown. Peel the shell starting at stem and eat the white to slightly translucent meat from around the large inedible seed. Highly aromatic with a melon-like flavor. Native to China
Over 500 varieties of mango, from a red oval the size of two fists to a flat yellow paisley-shape. The most common varieties are Tommy Atkins, Haden, and Kent. When ripe, the thin smooth skin turns red, orange, or yellow, and the fruit is soft to the touch. To separate the flesh from seed, stand mango on end and draw knife through the fruit along the contour of the center seed.
Looks like a giant pale green banana with lizard-like hexagonal scales. The fruit ripens in stages as the scales begin to fall off. Where scales have fallen off, slice and remove flesh from cob-like core. Flesh is creamy and has a flavor of sweet bananas and acidic pineapple. Native to Mexico and Guatemala.
Pear-shaped fruit, varying greatly in size, though usually the size of two to three fists. Hard and green when unripe. Ripe when skin is yellow, orange, or gold, and when fruit yields to gentle pressure. Cut length wise to reveal firm, rose color fruit and small black seeds. Scoop out seeds, peel skin with knife, slice fruit. Serve with a dash of lime juice. Native to the tropical Americas.
Egg-sized and varying in color from purple, to red, to yellow. The tough skin is wrinkled when ripe. Named by early missionaries who saw all the elements of Christ's passion depicted in its flower. To eat, cut in half and use a spoon to eat the highly fragrant yellow pulp and edible black seeds. Flavor is both sweet and sour. Native to Brazil.
Oval with a pointed end, lemon yellow to golden exterior with vivid purple stripes. Ripe when skin color changes to pale lemon and purple stripes are pronounced. To eat, cut into wedges like a melon, remove inedible seeds, and cut flesh from skin. Yellow flesh is soft, dense, and very juicy. Flavor and aroma are melon-like. Native to Peru.
Peach-sized and shaped like an acorn, it has a smooth, glossy skin that is bright orange tending to red. Often there is a streak of purple or black on the skin. Ripe when very soft to touch (astringent taste when unripe). To eat, halve and scoop out with a spoon, or quarter and serve with lemon. Sweet and spicy flavor, with a pudding-like texture. Native to China and Japan.
Light orange with a flat bottom, in contrast to the darker and pointed hachiya persimmon. Also unlike the hachiya, the fuyu is eaten while it is still hard. Flavor is sweet and slightly spicy. Eat like an apple with skin on or quarter and peel.
Golden-yellow berries covered in a papery husk. Ripe when berry is slightly soft with no trace of green. To eat, remove the husk and eat the berry whole. Flavor is a savory combination of sweet and tart. Native to the Andes, and grown in New Zealand.
Pear-shaped citrus that is larger than a grapefruit, known as a "Chinese Grapefruit." With a very thick, coarse yellow to pink skin, it is less juicy and less tangy than a grapefruit. To eat, peel and section, removing the membrane encasing the flesh. Also use for juice or add to a stir-fry or salad. Native to Southeast Asia.
Large, yellow cherry with a pink blush. It is a cross between a Bing and Van cherry. More fragile than a Bing, the Rainier requires special handling from picking through sorting and delivery. Flavor is less intense than a dark cherry. This hybrid cherry was developed in the 1950's in Washington State.
The size of a ping pong ball, the name rambutan derives from the Malaysian word for hairy. The fearsome exterioris covered with reddish-brown spikes which are actually soft. Opening the fruit reveals a succulent white flesh. It is a relative of the lychee.
Lumpy-looking citrus with very thick greenish-orange skin that fits rather loosely over the fruit. The Ugli is a hybrid of the grapefruit, tangerine and sour orange. The fragrant, juicy orange-yellow flesh has a flavor between an orange and a grapefruit. Peel or quarter to eat. Native to Jamaica.
This thick skin fruit varies is color from pinkish-yellow to bright red. It contains a large number of traslucent seed sacs or arils. The arils are in clusters around bitter white pit which should be discarded. Pomegranated are a symbol of fertility in China and India. They orignate in India.
The size of a lime, the Mangosteen has a lovely purplish-brown exterior with four large sepals around the stem. The flesh is ivory and divided into segments. The flavor is minty-raspberry-apricot. Slice around the circumference and twist to open. It is native to northeast Asia.
