Last week’s Your Produce Man’s Produce Puzzzzle dealt with the Bible and fruit: What is the most talked about fruit in the Bible? Probably the most talked about vegetable in the Bible is the onion. In fact, the Hebrew nation wanted to go back to Egypt for the "leeks and onions." The most talked about fruit appears in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis. Adam and Eve clothed themselves with the large leaves of a…Fig tree. Figs, the most talked about fruit in the Bible. This week's Your Produce Man’s Produce Puzzzzle deals with a fall fruit: If it is not ripe, it will drive a man’s mouth awry with much torment, but when it is ripe, it is as delicious as an apricot. What is it? See next week’s Fresh Tips for the answer.

Grapes: Labor Free

Whole peeled mini-carrots: Labor Free

GRAPES, MINI CARROTS (Monday, September 5): Today is Labor Day. Many people have the day off. I thought it would be fun to look at one fruit and one vegetable that are virtually labor free. Many fruits and vegetables, there is some type of preparation involved. Washing, peeling, de-stemming, slicing, dicing, trimming, coring, cooking… Well, you get the idea. Some fruits and vegetables just take too much labor. We can’t have labor on labor day. One of the few fruits that comes in its own package that needs no peeling, no coring…is the Grape. In fact, they have their own little carrying device…the stem. There is nothing like sitting by the pool, popping some grapes in my mouth. I don’t need a knife. I don’t need a fork or a spoon. Just pluck and enjoy. On the vegetable, side, this particular vegetable changed the face of the produce department. Since this vegetable was introduced, it spawned an entire multi-billion dollar industry. Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables and salads…it all began…with the whole peeled mini carrot. Labor free. Well, OK, you do have to open the plastic bag. But then, it’s labor free.

New crop Russet Potatoes

The first of the Russets are being harvested. We call them “Fresh Dug” potatoes.

RUSSET POTATOES (Tuesday, September 6): Growers from Maine to Washington are killing potato vines, which starts the maturing process of the spud. From Maine to Washington, potato farmers are beginning to dig up some of the first Russets, the Norkotah variety. The famous Burbank usually begins harvest by mid-to-late September. We call the first of the potato crop “fresh dug.” These potatoes are dug, washed, packed and sent to the market. There is no storage time on the potato, which would allow the spud to dry. That’s why you may find some wet potatoes in your bag of spuds. Don’t worry. Just open the bag and allow the spuds to dry out. If you keep them wet, that would cause quick decay and spoilage. During the final month of growth, a potato gains most of its bulk and weight. Hot and dry weather conditions during the final month of growth, can cause much smaller sizing and less yields. Irrigation management and "moisture" management become very critical. We are watching these first dug spuds. It will tell us how the rest of the crop will be for size. Growers this year have released final numbers on acreage, which is over 7% less than last year. In fact, acreage this year around the country is at its lowest level since 1866. That was the first year acreage records were kept. Growers are expecting a “good dig” this year, with good quality and yields. Canada is sending more spuds to the United States with the easing of trade restrictions. Those levels have increased steadily over the past few years. If imports continue to increase, even with a 7% reduction in acreage, growers may not see the price boost they were hoping for. Growers will know more in September and October with the final fields are dug.

Pineapple prices will go up

A severe shortage from Hawaii will keep prices high into late October

PINEAPPLE (Wednesday, September 7): Almost overnight, prices will jump. In July and August, we saw some of the best quality, supplies and pricing for almost a decade. Then, bam, it hit. Shortages. Overnight, prices skyrocketed. And it looks like these shortages may be with us into late October. Here’s what happened. The Pineapple plant is a tropical plant. It loves nice, steady, warm temperatures. A two-year drought, combined with a colder winter, and then late this past Spring, in Hawaii, the temperature variance between night and day was greater than 20 degrees. This year, much greater. These conditions caused the Pineapple plant to think it’s going to die. In order to reproduce itself, the plants quickly pushes the fruit to mature earlier than normal. In the produce industry, this fruit is called “Naturally Differerentiated Fruit.” In July and August, growers in Oahu had a choice: Pick the matured fruit or let it rot in the fields. Growers picked the fruit, leading to those great supplies. But those were fields that should have been harvested this month and into October. Some Hawaiian growers are calling this shortage “severe, some of the worst in recent years.” Magnifying the shortage is heavy rainfall in Costa Rica, another major supplier of Pineapple to the United States. During the next 6 – 8 weeks, this is generally the time of year for a natural decline in production from Costa Rica and Honduras anyway. Whenever you have unusually high prices on a produce item, that is also when you tend to find the least quality. Rains and winds will bang the fruit around, causing some internal bruising that won’t be seen until the fruit is fully ripened. Why does it seem to be worse this year? Because the newer “gold” varieities have lower acid, higher sugar, and are much more susceptible to adverse weather.

Move over Mango and Papaya… here comes Dragonfruit.

The beautiful blossom blooms only at night, and it has only one day to be pollinated…by hand.

This is Dragonfruit sold along the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.

Tropical Dragonfruit is the fruit of a climbing vine Cactus.

DRAGONFRUIT (Thursday, September 8): On this date in 1966, “Star Trek” began it’s voyage on television. In honor of that, we have a new fruit that looks like it could have been on a “Star Trek” episode. Avocado country…is now also Tropical Dragonfruit country. From the hills surrounding Fallbrook and Temecula on the San Diego/Riverside County line in Southern California, a new crop is popping up where Hass Avocados ruled supreme. It’s a cactus. A climbing Cactus that produces a strange fruit called Tropical Dragonfruit. It’s also known as Pitaya or Strawberry Pear. Some have called it “Luck Fruit” or “Treasure Fruit,” and some even have dubbed it the “Fruit of the 21st Century.” Move over mango or papaya. Here comes the Dragon. This is not your everyday desert cactus. This is a tropical climbing cactus. And it loves water! Yes, lots of water makes this cactus quite happy. Tropical cactus doesn’t like winter cold and summer desert heat. The plant dies; shrivels into a jelly mess at 32 degrees cold, and burns like toast above 100 degrees! Yes, the plant does well in the tropics, as do fruit flies and other maggot forming pests. So, fresh Dragonfruit are banned for import. Fortunately, Southern California and Florida do have a few locations that accommodate the unique temperature sensitive Dragonfruit. Oops, did I say Dragonfruit? Well, Tropical Dragonfruit differs from non-tropical Dragonfruit. "Tropical" have rich flesh colors ranging from deep iridescent magenta to sparkling blush pink. “Tropical” are sweet and flavorful--something akin to a pear/kiwi/watermelon hybrid! The more common Dragonfruit has a white flesh, although they are almost indistinguishable from “Tropical” Dragonfruit on the outside! Tropical Dragonfruit is not only unique in its appearance, but also in the way it flowers. You see, it flowers only at night and usually only ready to pollinated one night. Most varieties emit a delicate jasmine-like perfumy fragrance. Since they flower at night, they are more difficult to pollinate. Bees and birds aren’t out at night. So these Tropical Dragonfruit require hand pollination. In their native habitat, they are pollinated by either fruit bats or moths, which are out at night. Unfortunately, Southern California does not have fruit bats or the type of moths. So, people have to pollinate each blossom…one at a time. Prepare your taste buds for an exotic, new sample of paradise. Tropical Dragonfruit, tenderly guarded by a protective coat of palm green and flamingo pink scales willingly surrenders to an interior eye-popping magenta bed of black-seeded flesh that melts in your mouth and makes its way into your heart. There is no other like it. It has a higher sugar content than even Watermelon. Some growers call it a “Watermelon on trees.” The exact origin is unknown, but some consider the origin to be somewhere in Southeast Asia, perhaps Vietnam or Thailand. Perhaps John Kerry saw Dragonfruit on his trip up the Mekong Delta on one of his patrols. It is native to this area of Vietnam. Others say that because it is related to another cactus fruit that blossoms at night, that its origin may be Mexico, Central or South America. It is cultivated around the world in tropical regions. Dragonfruit is generally ripe and ready to eat. Make sure fruit is firm with a shiny bright finish. Dragon fruit can be stored uncut at room temperature for a couple of days, or place in the refrigerator for up to five days. Cut the fruit in half and spoon out the flesh. Or, slice it in half lengthwise, then cut into quarters and peel. The fruit is generally enjoyed straight out of its peel, but can also be used in drinks or served as a dessert with tropical sorbets. Serve it chilled. Serve it often.

These new Keitt Mangoes are grown right in California, so now we can actually enjoy a truly tree-ripened Mango.

KEITT MANGOES (Friday, September 9): Today, California celebrates it’s statehood, becoming the 31st state in 1850. Most pioneers flocked to California to find their fortunes in the gold mines and gold fields. The vast majority of these gold seekers found no fortunes in the ground, but many found their fortunes by putting things into the ground. The people who really made it rich during the Gold Rush were those people who planted apples, grapes, pears, figs and vegetable row crops. Supplying the gold mines became big business. Today, California is the world’s largest supplier of many fruits and vegetables. And growers in California continue to try growing new fruits and vegetables. Like the Keitt Mango. Mangoes are generally considered a “tropical” fruit, needing a “tropical” climate. However, a few pioneer growers are trying their hand at a Mango variety that just may do well in California. It’s the sweet green Keitt Mango. Keitt is a Florida selection which has become one of the world’s most outstanding mangos. Excellent eating quality, disease resistance, productivity, and ripening time are some of the features of this variety. This virtually fiberless fruit has a sweet firm flesh that is abundant and delicious. The fruit ripens from August to October. This variety tends to be a large size, similar to the Haden variety. However, this Mango is fully green when ripe. These Mangoes turn from an orange-green to a very bright green as they soften up and ripen. These California Keitt Mangoes are different from Mexican varieties because of their extended growth process. They are left on the tree longer, which allows for a sweeter, more mature Mango. Because these Mangoes are grown domestically, they do not have to be treated for fruit flies. Mangoes imported from other tropical areas have to be treated, usually by a hot water treatment, which means the grower has to pick the fruit when they are not fully ripe on the tree. The Mango is perhaps the sweetest fruit grown on earth. And now, because they are grown domestically, now you’ll be able to actually taste a “tree ripened” Mango. These Mangoes can be added to salads, or used in vegetable or poultry dishes. However, peeled, a squeeze of lime juice on the fruit with a dash of cayenne pepper, and I’m in heaven.

Top of page