What You Should be Eating Right Now.

Due to an ever expanding global market it's often hard to tell what fruits and vegetables are actually "in season." These days most fruits and vegetables are available virtually year round. But does that mean that they are always at their best any time of the year? The simple answer is no. Despite the increasing availability of items such as apples, strawberries, artichokes, etc. there still remains specific times of the year when these fruits and veggies are at their best.
So what should you be eating right now? Let's begin by looking at a few different fruits that you may want to pick up during your next trip to the produce department or farmers market. Up first, figs! The summer is ending and with it the height of fig season. Because figs taste best at the end of the season, now is the time to get your hands on some before it's too late. Make sure to feel the figs. You're looking for figs that are soft and yield to gentle pressure but not so soft that they feel mushy. What do you do with figs you ask? Plenty. Check out some of these recipes you're sure to love: www.californiafigs.com/recipes. Homemade fig filled cookies, count me in!
Next up, Bartlett pears. Another end of summer fruit, the Bartlett has a greenish skin that often turns yellow during the ripening process. Buy Bartlett's that are firm and allow them to ripen on your counter top. If you want to eat them now make sure they are free from blemish (i.e. bruising, soft spots, and stem punctures) and give to gentle pressure.
Finally there's melons. The end of the summer also means a peak to melon season. If you haven't already bought a melon or two it's time to do so now while they are at their sweetest and the variety available is still large. My tip is to try a melon that you haven't tried in the past such as a Crenshaw (my personal favorite) or a Casaba with its sweet, crisp taste. Right now there is a large variety to choose from and if you're lucky enough to have them available to you try as many as you can before they are gone. You'll probably find you have a new favorite melon when you're done.
That's what you should be eating now. Remember to visit www.ProducePicker.com to see examples of all the fruit mentioned. Thanks for reading!

-Ray a.k.a. The Produce Picker @ProducePicker.com

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