Tree Fruit
101
The fruit that we eat
grows on trees and vines. In a recent issue of
'Organics for You' (Issue # 20), we talked about organic
berries, grown on vines.
In contrast to fruits
grown on vines, most popular fruit is grown on trees and can
be classified in four major categories of tree fruit:
- tropical
fruit
- citrus fruit
- "pome" fruit (apples and pears)
- "stone" fruit
This week, as peaches,
nectarines, apricots, plums and cherries are entering
peak-flavor season, we'll introduce you to the fresh, tasty
and nutritious "stone" category of fruit. (We'll give
you more on the other categories when they are in prime
season).
Stone
Fruit
Peaches, their nectarine
cousins, apricots, plums and cherries are referred to as
stone fruits because of the stone (or pit) in the center of
these fruits.
Stone fruits are grown in
moderate climates and are available in the US from
mid-spring (from Texas, the Southwest and California) to
summer (mostly from the Midwest and Northwest). They
are grown for three "markets" - fresh eating, drying and
processing (including canning). This article addresses
the "fresh" market.
Stone fruit is naturally
flavorful, is high in fiber, has essentially no fat, and
contains a broad range of nutrients. Stone fruit is
great as a quick "pick-me-up" energy snack, because the
sugars in the fruit metabolize within 30 minutes, with no
toxic wastes .
Ripening (natural versus artificial)
There is an art and a
science to growing stone fruit and getting it to you and
your family while it is still fresh. The key word here
is "fresh".
As stone fruits ripen on
the tree, the sugar content inside the fruit changes and the
fruit softens, due to the natural production of a tiny
amount of ethylene gas in the fruit . This ripening process
continues after picking, so the challenge is to get the
fruit to you with the right sugar level (for sweetness of
flavor) and the right ripeness.
Stone fruit can be picked
"soft-ripe", where the fruit is naturally ripened on
the tree and is best if eaten within a day or two (after
that the fruit begins to discolor and eventually rots).
While picking "soft-ripe" is the ideal scenario for you
(best flavor, peak nutrition), this can only be achieved if
you pick the fruit in your back yard or at a u-pick orchard
or if you buy freshly picked fruit at a farmer's market.
Stone fruit can also be
picked "firm-ripe" (also called "hard ripe"). In this
scenario, the fruit is picked at a stage where it can be
stored for a short period of time, and then transported to
you before it gets too soft (or worse).
There is a delicate
balance in this scenario between flavor and ripeness.
Some suppliers of stone fruit pick the fruit at a very
immature stage, then use various treatments (gassing,
chemicals or irradiation) to control the ripening process.
While this artificial ripening process may meet their needs
for avoiding having to rush stone fruit to market, it does
not meet your (or our) needs for organic quality, high
nutrition and flavor.
(Note: Goodness Greeness
features a large variety of organic stone fruits that are
targeted for fresh eating. We only supply stone fruit
that has been picked "firm-ripe", that is naturally ripened
and that is handled strictly organically from the grower to
the shipper to the market where you buy it.)
Some
interesting facts
There are two types of
peaches - cling (or clingstone) and freestone. The
fruit of a freestone peach can be easily separated from the
pit and often has touches of red in the fruit around the
pit. Cling peaches are more difficult to separate from
the pit, retain their flavor and consistency longer and are
often used in canning.
Nectarines are
smooth-skinned peaches, often having more aroma and
sweetness than a peach.
Apricots are a great
source of Vitamin A.
Plums (and prune plums)
have the highest amount of fiber of the stone fruits.
Stone fruits, if they
have been picked "firm-ripe", can be refrigerated from two
to four weeks. However, they will not have the flavor
and sweetness of fruits picked "soft-ripe".
Contact
us
You can find these
organically grown stone fruits along with other organic produce
from Goodness Greeness at your local market. Email us
at
newsletter@goodnessgreeness.com if you can't find them and we'll help you
locate them. |
