Cooking
These are Honeydew Nectarines. They are brought to you by the folks at the Ito Packing Company and according to the sign at Whole Foods, they are a cross between a nectarine and a Honeydew melon. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any more details on the Ito Packing website. I did find this really strange brochure, though.
I tasted one of the nectarines this evening. One was yellower than the other and, I assumed, riper, so that’s the one I cut into. It was awful. To be fair, I’m pretty sure the quality had nothing to do with its parentage. It was mealy and bland with only the slightest tartness near the skin – typical of peaches and nectarines purchased in the grocery store. It probably had been refrigerated before it had ripened.
I’m curious how much of a market there really is for these kinds of fruits. I’m sure there are suckers like me that buy one or two just to try, but I can’t believe people go back to buy more.
A recent article in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin talks about some of the stone fruit hybrids that are currently available. The Mango Nectarine, a cross between two different nectarines, is one of the fruits featured in the article. The Mango Nectarine is so named because of the color and flavor of the nectarine, rather than its lineage, which makes me question the accuracy of that sign in Whole Foods.
The Star-Bulletin article went on to explain how these fruits are developed. One fruit tree is hand pollinated with pollen from another fruit tree, the resulting seeds are planted, and after several years fruit are born on these new trees. The end result of one cross pollination may be hundreds of fruits – each different from the other. These fruits are “evaluated” and for each one that makes it to market, there are hundreds of others that don’t. Wonder what they tasted like?
- The Perfect Fruit: Book Review
Have you ever noticed how the perfect fruit demands your attention? A run of the mill apple or banana is fine, benign even. But really spectacular fruit grabs you and doesn't let go. I hope everyone has the amazing experience of fresh, intensely...
- All About Pears
Summer is fruit season. But one special fruit is in all it's glory in the wintertime--pears. Pears are one of the world's oldest cultivated fruits. They probably originated in Asia but they have been cultivated in Europe since at least 2000...
- Mondays With Maida - Fruitcake Icebox Cookies
Page 136 in the old book / page 172 in the new book A little tamer than last week's cookie, this one is quite attractive and has a wonderful sandy texture. Even though they're called "Fruitcake" Icebox Cookies, the candied fruits are limited...
- Mondays With Maida - Whole-wheat And Honey Hermits
Page 36 in the old book / page 70 in the new book And now for something new and different…ladies and gentlemen I present the un-chocolate cookie! I actually made these two weeks ago, so I’m a little fuzzy on the details now, but these are quite...
- Fizzy Fruit Responds
You may remember my concerns about a product called Fizzy Fruit, where fruits are juiced up with carbon dioxide to make them fizzier and—according to the article—somewhat sweeter. Adam Lindemann, an investor and strategist/executive for the...
Cooking
Who thinks up this stuff?
These are Honeydew Nectarines. They are brought to you by the folks at the Ito Packing Company and according to the sign at Whole Foods, they are a cross between a nectarine and a Honeydew melon. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any more details on the Ito Packing website. I did find this really strange brochure, though.
I tasted one of the nectarines this evening. One was yellower than the other and, I assumed, riper, so that’s the one I cut into. It was awful. To be fair, I’m pretty sure the quality had nothing to do with its parentage. It was mealy and bland with only the slightest tartness near the skin – typical of peaches and nectarines purchased in the grocery store. It probably had been refrigerated before it had ripened.
I’m curious how much of a market there really is for these kinds of fruits. I’m sure there are suckers like me that buy one or two just to try, but I can’t believe people go back to buy more.
A recent article in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin talks about some of the stone fruit hybrids that are currently available. The Mango Nectarine, a cross between two different nectarines, is one of the fruits featured in the article. The Mango Nectarine is so named because of the color and flavor of the nectarine, rather than its lineage, which makes me question the accuracy of that sign in Whole Foods.
The Star-Bulletin article went on to explain how these fruits are developed. One fruit tree is hand pollinated with pollen from another fruit tree, the resulting seeds are planted, and after several years fruit are born on these new trees. The end result of one cross pollination may be hundreds of fruits – each different from the other. These fruits are “evaluated” and for each one that makes it to market, there are hundreds of others that don’t. Wonder what they tasted like?
- The Perfect Fruit: Book Review
Have you ever noticed how the perfect fruit demands your attention? A run of the mill apple or banana is fine, benign even. But really spectacular fruit grabs you and doesn't let go. I hope everyone has the amazing experience of fresh, intensely...
- All About Pears
Summer is fruit season. But one special fruit is in all it's glory in the wintertime--pears. Pears are one of the world's oldest cultivated fruits. They probably originated in Asia but they have been cultivated in Europe since at least 2000...
- Mondays With Maida - Fruitcake Icebox Cookies
Page 136 in the old book / page 172 in the new book A little tamer than last week's cookie, this one is quite attractive and has a wonderful sandy texture. Even though they're called "Fruitcake" Icebox Cookies, the candied fruits are limited...
- Mondays With Maida - Whole-wheat And Honey Hermits
Page 36 in the old book / page 70 in the new book And now for something new and different…ladies and gentlemen I present the un-chocolate cookie! I actually made these two weeks ago, so I’m a little fuzzy on the details now, but these are quite...
- Fizzy Fruit Responds
You may remember my concerns about a product called Fizzy Fruit, where fruits are juiced up with carbon dioxide to make them fizzier and—according to the article—somewhat sweeter. Adam Lindemann, an investor and strategist/executive for the...