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Long ago I wondered why slot machines used cherries as the winning images for hitting the jackpot. It didn’t make sense to me. Maybe a dollar sign, or a star, but cherries? It seemed odd. Yet a gambling analogy is an apt one for the beginning of the cherry harvest and stone fruit season. Cherries tend to be the first
Scene: Pliny the Elder’s open atrium podcast studio in Misenum, Bay of Naples, August 24th, 79 CE Pliny E: Welcome listeners & toga wearers. This is again, Gaius Plinius Secundus coming to you direct from Misenum on this lovely August day for another edition of Semper Esurientem (“Always Hungry”). Today we’re going to explore a bit of natural history and
A fashion edict of the 20th century was “only wear white between Easter and Labor Day.” Wearing white flapper dresses, knickerbockers, and shoes in summer has its practical purposes, and eating white fruit in summer has delicious ones. Have you noticed peaches and nectarines with white flesh this season? They have wonderfully cooling names like Arctic Sweet, Snow Giant, Ice Princess,
Frecon Farms, in southeastern Pennsylvania, is as rich in history and community as it is in apples and stone fruits. Founded in 1944 by Richard S. Frecon and his wife, Martha, the orchard started as an apple and peach farm. As fruit production grew, so did the Frecon family. They raised six children on the land, all of whom worked
In June, we must eat stone fruit. Stone fruits are those fruits that consist of flesh surrounding a single hard pit. They include peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, cherries, and even mangoes. Stone fruit’s peak season is at hand, and biting into a sweet, juicy peach and feeling the juice run down your arm is one of the quintessential moments of
I have been given a copy of Robert Palter’s The Duchess of Malfi’s Apricots, and Other Literary Fruits. It’s a great reference book if you like those moments of clarity when writers unravel the human condition using simple observations of nature, like the blush of an apricot or the fragrant night-flowering of a plum tree. Fruit is part of our
This recipe is great to make in advance for an easy work lunch. Prep (and keep separate) your quinoa and dressing the night before, then assemble with fruit and nuts at home or the office for a tasty, healthy meal! INGREDIENTS 1 cup quinoa, rinsed 2 cups water 2 apricots, chopped 2–4 peaches and/or nectarines, sliced ⅔ cup chopped mint 1
Cherries are finicky trees. They don’t like it when it gets too hot, when there’s not enough rain, and when it doesn’t stay cold enough during the winter. For the last few winters, California’s cherries have had all three of these environmental stresses and responded by producing fewer cherries. “[In 2014], we had almost no cherries—only three trees harvested on
Q: How can I tell when my stone fruit is ripe (or ready to eat)? A: To protect stone fruit during delivery, such as peaches, plums, nectarines, and apricots, we send it to you on the slightly underripe side. Stone fruit continues to ripen after picking and should be stored at room temperature away from sunlight and heat until it gives softly to
Peaches have been on my mind lately. They are my favorite fruit, and they grow bountifully and beautifully in the Capay Valley. Many of our farms here cultivate more than one variety, and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to try so many different varieties of this sweet, juicy, and perfect fruit. To celebrate National Peach Month, here are
Olson Family Farms in California’s Central Valley is truly a family affair. Five generations have lived on the farmstead and worked the land since John and Anna Olson emigrated from Sweden in 1888. They bought a 22-acre parcel in Kingsburg (Fresno County) and planted peach trees. Back then, before trucking and refrigeration, peaches were hand-sliced and sun-dried. The whole family
Recipe by Rebecca Dienner for The FruitGuys INGREDIENTS 2 peaches, ripe (fragrant) but not too soft 2 cups sweet white or dessert wine 1/4 cup maple syrup, agave, or sugar (see Cook’s note) 2-inch length of vanilla bean pod, split (or 1–2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract) Lemon peel zest strip PREPARATION Bring a pot of water to boil (large enough
Pucker up! These cherries are traditionally reserved for pie bakers and jam makers, but we recommend giving their fresh tart-sweet burst of flavor a try before you cook ’em up. Nutrient-rich sour cherries have even more health-promoting benefits than their sweet cousins (like Bings and Rainiers), especially when consumed raw.
The Dapple Dandy Pluot is a sweet plum-apricot flavored pluot with beautifully dappled skin. These pluots contain fiber and complex sugars for sustained energy, and the taste is fantastic.
Recipe by Rebecca Dienner for The FruitGuys If you’re looking for a healthy salad as your main meal or a quick side dish, this cucumber peach salad recipe is for you! It stars crisp cucumbers, juicy peaches, and a light herb and balsamic dressing. Just one bite will have you feeling cool as a cuke all summer. This dish is
from Good Humus Produce, courtesy of Capay Valley Farm Shop A combination of Royal and Blenheim Apricots From the Luxemburg Gardens in Paris to England’s Blenheim Palace to the imperiled orchards of Brentwood and Gilroy, California’s finest apricot has had a long journey. Whether you call it the Blenheim, the Royal or, covering all bases, the Royal Blenheim, this petite
By Seth Wright, courtesy of Capay Valley Farm Shop This 2013 has been an unusually hot and dry spring here in the Capay Valley. The rain, which usually occurs from January until the end March, never really materialized. There have been many beautiful sunny, warm and cloudless days this spring. We valley dwellers have even endured a few
Benton is a registered trademark name for a dark red cherry that ripens the same time as the Bing – “rounda ’bouta bing” you might say. It is a large, sweet cherry.
Sweet-tart Brooks cherries are ideal for both snacking and baking. Here’s a quick look at their origin story, nutrition profile, and how to best enjoy them. What Is a Brooks Cherry? Brooks cherries have lit up our springs and summers since 1984, when they arrived on the fruit scene thanks to cherry experts at the University of California, Davis. UC
Fruit and fresh herbs add zing to the world’s best beverage For a healthy and lo-cal beverage idea, try infusing your drinking water (plain or bubbly) with any number of delicious fruity and herbal options! Here are some of our favorite things to add to water: Fresh citrus slices (lemon, orange, lime, and/or grapefruit) Fresh cucumber slices Fresh herb sprigs,
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