Serves: 5

Today, fruits that were once considered seasonal are now available throughout the year. However, you will find the best flavor, texture and price for fruits during their peak season.


Fruit/Peak Availability:

Apples:

September to May

Uses:

Snacks, salads, pies, cakes, tarts, breads, desserts

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. Toss with citrus to prevent discoloration of cut surfaces.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Apricots:

May to September

Uses:

Snacks, salads, compotes, cakes, pies

Storing and Handling:

Ripen at room temperature, then refrigerate. Bring out the flavor of bland fruit by baking or stewing.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Avocados:

April to June

Uses:

Salads, appetizers, dips

Storing and Handling:

Let ripen at room temperature until the skin becomes soft to the touch. Rub cut surfaces at once with lemon juice or another citrus to avoid discoloration.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Bananas:

Year-round

Uses:

Snacks, salads, quick breads, cakes

Storing and Handling:

Do not refrigerate. Bananas that are very ripe can be mashed for baked goods or peeled and frozen. The frozen bananas are good for snacking.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Blueberries:

June to July

Uses:

Snacks, salads, pies, quick breads, coffee cakes, desserts

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. Pick over berries before use and discard mushy ones pinch off any remaining stems. Toss with a little flour before mixing with cake or muffin batter to prevent all from sinking.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Cantaloupe:

June to December

Uses:

Snacks, salads, uncooked desserts

Storing and Handling:

Ripen at room temperature. Rinse before cutting. Do not cook. If melon is bland, spritz with fresh lime.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Cherries:

June to July

Uses:

Snacks, salads, pies, sauces

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. Choose red or golden cherries that are darkly colored and firm. For pie and chutney, choose sour cherries

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Cranberries:

September to February

Uses:

Relish, sauces, quick breads, cakes, desserts

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. Tart flavor adds bright contrast to many sweet recipes. Combines well with orange and nuts. Freeze extras for later use. Pick over berries and remove mushy ones pinch off any stems.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Grapefruit:

November to May

Uses:

Snacks, salads, fruit cups, sorbets

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. Can be sectioned or cut in half to serve.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Grapes:

August to October

Uses:

Snacks, salads, uncooked desserts

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. Pick off any moldy or shriveled grapes. Serve them fresh and uncooked.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Honeydew melon:

August to October

Uses:

Snacks, salads, fruit cups

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. Serve raw. Choose honeydew with a velvety surface and a sweet smell. Rinse and halve melon and scoop out seeds. Cut flesh into slices or chunks, or scoop out with a melon baller.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Kiwi fruit:

Year-round

Uses:

Snacks, salads, fruit garnish for cream pie, cheesecake or New Zealand pavlova (meringue and whipped cream dessert)

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate unless the fruit feels very hard. Best uncooked. The fuzzy brown skin is edible, but most people pare it away and cut the green fruit into slices or chunks. Or, simply cut the fruit in half across the "equator" and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Kiwi fruit cannot be used in gelatin salads or desserts because the papain enzyme prevents gelling.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Lemons:

Year-round

Uses:

Garnishes, condiments, dressings, desserts, cakes, pies

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. Both the juice and the peel, or "zest" are used for flavoring. Remove the thin colored part only, not the bitter white pith underneath, with a zester tool, a sharp paring knife or a vegetable peeler. Use a lemon juicer to remove juice.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Limes:

Year-round

Uses:

Garnishes, condiments, dressings, pies

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. Both the juice and the peel or "zest" are used for flavoring. Remove the thin colored part only, not the bitter white pith underneath, with a zester tool, a sharp paring knife or a vegetable peeler. Use a lemon juicer to remove juice.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Mangoes:

May to September

Uses:

Snacks, fresh-fruit desserts

Storing and Handling:

Let green, hard mangoes ripen at room temperature until the skin changes color and the flesh yields to gentle pressure. Serve ripe fruit chilled. To prepare, cut parallel to the large, flat stone that dominates the center of the fruit. Score the flesh in a diamond pattern, then push the skin inside out. The cubes will stand up like porcupine quills and the edible fruit can be sliced off.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Nectarines:

July to August

Uses:

Snacks, salads, pies, quick breads, cakes, desserts

Storing and Handling:

Ripen at room temperature, then refrigerate. Freestone varieties are best for cooking. Toss cut fruit with citrus to prevent the flesh from turning brown.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Oranges:

Year-round

Uses:

Snacks, salads, quick breads, cakes, muffins

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. Both the juice and the zest are used for flavoring. To remove the membrane, use a small, sharp knife to pare away the skin and expose the flesh. Make V-shaped cuts between the segment membranes to release juicy, membrane-less segments of fruit. Work over a bowl to catch the juice.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Papayas:

Year-round

Uses:

Snacks, salads, fruit cups, desserts

Storing and Handling:

Be patient and let the papaya ripen at room temper-ature until it is quite tender to the touch, or it will be mouth-puckering. Scoop out the mass of dark seeds in the center. (They are edible, but bitter.) Cut slices of the fruit or spoon away from the skin. Serve raw spritz with lime juice if desired. Papaya cannot be used in gelatin salads or desserts because the papain enzyme prevents gelling.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Peaches:

July to September

Uses:

Snacks, salads, cakes, pies, quick breads, desserts

Storing and Handling:

Let ripen at room temperature until tender, then refrigerate, especially if the weather is very hot. Choose freestone varieties for easiest preparation. Toss the cut fruit with citrus juice to prevent discoloration.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Pears:

Nearly year-round

Uses:

Salads, snacks, pies, desserts, snacks, fresh

Storing and Handling:

Let ripen at room temperature until they yield to gentle pressure, then refrigerate. (Bosc pears are still crisp when ripe.) Toss cut pears with citrus juice to prevent discoloration.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Pineapples:

March to July

Uses:

Fruit salads, upside-down cakes, sweet-and-sour main courses

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. A sweet aroma is the most reliable clue to sweet flavor. To prepare, cut off the spiky green top. Cut the fruit in half top to bottom. Cut each half into lengthwise wedges trim away the tough core from the top of each wedge. Run a knife between the flesh and the skin removing the black "eyes," then cut the flesh into pieces. Pineapple cannot be used in gelatin salads or desserts because the papain enzyme prevents gelling.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Plums:

July to August

Uses:

Snacks, salads, fruit cups, ice cream

Storing and Handling:

Let ripen at room temperature until the flesh yields to gentle pressure, then refrigerate. Red, green, yellow, black and purple varieties have varied flavor and texture. Most varieties are best for eating fresh.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Pomegranates:

January

Uses:

Snacks sprinkle the fresh seeds into fruit salads or atop rice or poultry dishes

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. Cut the fruit in half to reveal a multitude of jewel-like, edible seeds. Pick or pull the seeds from the surrounding white membrane.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Raspberries:

July to early August some varieties have a brief second crop in October.

Uses:

Fruit cups, pies, garnish for cream pies or cheesecakes, dessert sauces

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate, preferably in a single layer to avoid bruising. Handle gently and use as soon as possible. Strain sauces to remove the tiny seeds.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Rhubarb:

April to May

Uses:

Compotes, dessert sauces, pies (especially strawberry)

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. Discard the dark green leaves, which are poisonous. Trim and scrub stalks. Must be cooked.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Star fruit (carambola):

September to January

Uses:

Salads, desserts, garnishes, pies

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. Star fruit does not require peeling. Delicious eaten fresh.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Strawberries:

April to June

Uses:

Fruit cups, salads, shortcakes, pies, cake garnishes, quick breads

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. To prevent berries from getting waterlogged, rinse berries just before removing the green hulls. Strawberries are most often served raw but sometimes are used in baked desserts or quick breads.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Tangerines and clementines:

December to February

Uses:

Snacks, salads, fruit cups

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate. Clementines are generally smaller and sweeter than tangerines. They are best served raw and the skin can be easily peeled for sectioning.

Fruit/Peak Availability:

Watermelon:

June to August

Uses:

Snacks, fresh fruit salads

Storing and Handling:

Refrigerate and serve chilled. There are seedless varieties available but most have seeds that need to be removed before eating.

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