The FruitGuys Almanac
July 2012
FIT
NESS
Walking on the Job
Workplace Walking Clubs Can Improve Health & Productivity
By Rebecca Taggart
Aristotle and Steve Jobs both did it. Did what exactly? Walking at work.
Walking is a great form of exercise, and a surprisingly good fit at work. Healthy employees save an organization both time and money. Inspiration and tips to get started with a walking program at work here.
NUTRITION
Berry Nice
Berries are Summer’s Antioxidant Powerhouses
By Rebecca Taggart
Summer is here, and with it the most delicious of all fruit: fresh berries. Be they strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries, berries evolved to be literally irresistible in order to spread their seeds. Taste alone is reason to indulge, but with berries you get to have your cake and eat it too—berries are packed with nutrients, and few foods can compare to their benefits to human health. See why berries are nutritive powerhouses.
FOOD
Berries of Summer
Babies on Board
By Heidi Lewis
Heavenly creatures, berries were flowers before they incarnated into sweet gems that dance on our tongues. Berries absorb water, so give a very quick spray rinse right before eating and dry gently on toweling (wet berries in the fridge will mold). Sweet and good for you, berries are a fruit made in heaven. More on summer berries here.
KITCHENLIFE
Our Top 5 Kitchen Gadgets
Kitchen tools we can’t do without
By Gretchen Bay
When it comes to cooking, whether you’re a daily devotee, a weekend warrior, or a part-time putterer, good kitchen tools can and will make your life easier. We recently polled The FruitGuys contributing recipe writers and cook-happy staff members to find out which kitchen implements they can’t live without—items that not only save time but add to the fun of preparing food and enhance the finished product. Here are our top 5 kitchen gadgets along with a few honorable mentions.
FARMS
Lifelong Romance
By Paul Muller of Fully Belly Farm, courtesy of Capay Valley Farm Shop
There are folks who dismiss the potentials of healthy agrarian economies as ‘romantic’ and say that romance isn’t possible in our serious world. We invite a little more imagination. The impending challenge of a planet of 9 billion people by 2050 will require that we tenure land with affection. We will need to make fair returns for the many rural producers/small farmers so that they might not only feed themselves but the many around them. It will require that we consider supporting and promulgating the place-based stewardship and potentials of making small farms places of productivity, beauty and affection. Read more on how we can imagine another possibility than the present system where the few feed the many who are located in urban areas.
ASK THE FRUITGUYS
Q: How do I know if a peach is ready to eat? Should I keep my banana in the refrigerator?
A: These questions and more you will find the answer to in our handy Fruit Ripening and Storage Tips resource page in The FruitGuys Almanac. We will be adding more fruits and even vegetables to this list as time goes on. If there is a specific one that you have a question about that you don't see there, please email us and we will get back to you.
Contact us at with any questions at 877-FRUIT-ME (877-378-4863) or info@fruitguys.com.
More Frequently Asked Questions here.
WHAT'S IN SEASON?
A quick look at what’s in season for the rest of July and early August from each of The FruitGuys four regional hubs. We have a network of family farms in each area so we can source locally whenever seasonally possible for our office fruit crates and home fruit and veggie cases. See exactly what's in your region this week at fruitguys.com/mix.
WEST: We are working with a new farmer who grows CandyCots, the sweetest apricot you’ll ever taste! Central Valley cherries and apricots will be finishing by the end of July, but strawberries will still be coming in. Stone fruit is going strong with loads of peaches, nectarines, plums, and pluots. Keep an eye out for Ed Magee’s famous white peaches and white nectarines, Jelich Ranch’s heirloom Blenheim Apricots, and peaches out of the Portola Valley. Seedless flame grapes from B&L Farms in Kingsburg will start up at the end of July. Killer tomatoes from Golden Bear Ranches in Lodi: Brandywine Pink, Brandywine Purple, Black from Tula, Big Orange, Cherokee Green, Pineapple and Azoychka, and cherry tomatoes too! Cucumbers, eggplant, and chard from First Light Farm in Sonoma county, lemon cucumbers, leeks, torpedo onions, and radishes are all coming in. 
Delicious Paradai (red oak) and Astrale (mini romaine) lettuces, as well as fresh crop potatoes from Freewheelin’ Farm in Santa Cruz. August preview: Sonoma County’s famous Gravenstein apples will be coming off the first couple weeks of August, so get your pie pans and applesauce jars ready. These apples are in the Slow Food Ark of Taste and are endangered! We teamed up with Slow Food Russian River to support the remaining farmers so order a special Gravenstein Apple box, shipping in August. Speaking of canning, San Marzano tomatoes will be harvested in August, along with plenty of basil, oregano, and parsley too, plus Asian pears and yellow snap beans from Yellow Wall Farm, as well as early jalapeno peppers. Watch for more grapes and early season Gala and Fuji apples.
CENTRAL/MIDWEST: We're enjoying a bounty of great summer veggies such as basil, beans, bell peppers, beets, carrots, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, and lettuces. August will bring some early apples, melons, okra, rhubarb, tomatoes, artichokes, and onions.
EAST: We will be seeing lots of yummy plums, peaches, and nectarines from Kauffman's Fruit Farm, Beechwood Orchards, and Three Springs Fruit Farm. Berries will continue through July, but harvest is wanin
g and will wind up in the next couple of weeks, just in time for early season apples! Summer Rambo and Smokehouse are just a couple of the varieties that will be in our cases. Tomatoes, corn, and zucchini are everywhere. And the New Jersey tomatoes are almost as good as the New Jersey blueberries! Record heat has kept greens and herbs from doing well so far, but peppers, both sweet and hot, and cucumbers, from lemon, white, kirby, and slicing cukes to green apple and divas, will make a strong appearance later this month.
SOUTHWEST: Southwest is still baking under scorching temps. Local melons are winding down, and we're hoping to get some eggplant and okra in the next few weeks, as well as organic hydroponic tomatoes.
Order your Takehome case today to receive organic and regional fruits and vegetables with two free recipes each week! See exactly what's in your region this week at fruitguys.com/mix. Get 25% off your first order, use promo code: ORGANIC.
FruitGuys CEO & Founder Chris Mittelstaedt's innovation column on Inc.com
This week: Is This Your Employees' Idea of Service?
When an employee flipped off an irate customer, Chris realized not all his employees had the same concept of customer service. Here's how he fixed it.
Free Recipe of the Week: Grilled or Roasted Corn
Free Recipe: Grilled or Roasted Corn
Get The FruitGuys TakeHome case and you’ll receive organic fruits and veggies delivered to you at work to take home, or directly to your home. The easy-to-carry case includes two free recipes each week. Choose all fruit, fruits and veggies, or all veggies.
Support your local farmers. We buy organic and regional produce sourced from local farms to the extent possible. Our TakeHome case provides food that is good for your family, good for the farmers, and good for the planet. Get fruits and vegetables delivered right to you! 25% off your first order, use promo code: ORGANIC.
FIELD TRIPS
EAST
Jam Making & Tasting
July 15th, 11am
Rhinebeck, NY
CENTRAL
National Cherry Festival
Traverse City, MI
Thru July 14th
SOUTHWEST
Garden Flashlight Tour
Thursdays and Saturdays, through August
Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ
WEST
Non-GMO Potluck Picnic Dolores Park
July 14, 12:30pm
San Francisco, CA
More fun things to do here.
Enjoy and be fruitful!
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