AUGHhhh that's tart!

Sorry, folks. It's been a while since I've updated--I went on a week long road trip through most (minus 2 states) of the Pacific West of the states AND Canada. Srsly. Also, I've been lazy and tired from the trip. It's exhausting but fun!! I recommend road trips! Don't worry, I didn't forget about this blog. You're in for a special treat!!

So, when we came back on Monday, my brother immediately said, "Lots of strawberries...lots of strawberries." I'm like, strawberries...? We have lots of onions (YES 14 lb bag! And maybe I'll blog about it, but it's not a fruit! Maybe I should add veggies for veggie haters out there!) but strawberries? After semi-unpacking, I opened the refrigerator and WOW! He was right, A LOT of strawberries!!! How much? You know those little green bins strawberries are found in at the market? There were 32 half full baskets of strawberries. Serious. No joke. My brother said they were FULL when he got them.

Sorry, I was too lazy to take a picture of them and by the time I felt like taking pictures, they were dying. Who wants to see dying fruit?! I don't. I hate to see fruit or food wasted. I wouldn't want to add that to my collection!

We had approximately 4 baskets of strawberries left. Geez, that's a lot of strawberries and if we don't finish them, it's such a waste! And I didn't want to eat them because we were having durian that night!! Yes, FRESH durian in California!!!! Who cares about measily strawberries?! We have tons of those in California. Although, many strawberry farm lands in SoCal have turned into WAREHOUSES. Epic fail. So, instead of devouring them all in one sitting, I decided to make Strawberry Sorbet! That's right. HOME-MADE-ICE-CREAM.

What inspired the idea??! Well, for one, the dying fruit. And two, I love ice cream. And three, I was browsing through a "How to Cook Thai Food" Cookbook. I looked at the recipe and saw they had sorbet; good thing I have a pretty good memory when it counts. I made a very strawberry sorbet! It lacks a lot of sugar, but, too much sugar is bad for you anyways! My sister didn't like it because it's more tart than store bought sorbet! But I like how very real it tastes. Good thing about homemade, you can always change/fix the recipe. Sorry, I made up the recipe. :)

Enjoy! I know I am! Nom nom nom nom



Fruit: California Strawberry
Color Before: A mixture of deep rich red, bright red, red and a few green/white
Color Now: See picture
Texture: A little bit icy, has seeds
Taste: Tart, mildly sweet
What does it taste like? Real fresh strawberries

Sapo--who?

Every once in a while, I am sad that I live in the US. Don't get me wrong, living here is cool; but sometimes, I wish I lived elsewhere. I think I would feel the same regardless of where I lived. The only reason why I'm sad about living in the States is mainly their strict agricultural laws. I mean, even Canada is allowed to have some fruits we can't have like fresh mangosteen, rambutan, lychee, longan and the list goes on.

But, I'm a good sport--or at least I hope to be--I'd try frozen or canned fruit. With that said, today is sapodilla day! I don't know how to pronounce it, so I'm going to guess SA-PO-DIL-LA or SA-PO-DE-YA (in spanish?!). If I'm wrong, can you please let me know? I don't want to be like my sister (one who knows a lot of words but can't pronounce them correctly!).

Anyhow, I took my mom to Shun Fat (Asian market) and ended up browsing around. I was in the frozen food section while my mom went to buy pork ribs. I came across three frozen fruit choices: durian, jackfruit and sapodilla. I've had fresh Durian and Jackfruit, but never Sapodilla. (Actually, while at the market, I couldn't remember if I've ever had sapodilla; but, when I got home, I realized I've had the frozen kind before. And I think my reaction in the past was the same! Epic fail.) While dangling the bag in the air, I asked my mom if she ever ate this and she said, "It's good; but, that's frozen, so it's not good at all." So, like a good daughter I am, I ignored her comment and bought the frozen sapodilla anyways. Well, it was only $2.00. The jackfruit and durian were over $5.00 and only had a couple of pieces (didn't look tasty either!).

Stupid LA traffic, it took a little over 1 hour to get home. By that time, the sapodilla already thawed. Oh wells, it went into the fridge, awaiting its fate as an after dinner delight.

Sorry, I only have a couple of pictures. I felt it wasn't worth the time and effort to take more. And it was really messy.

^- Sapodilla tree, thanks wiki-p -^


^- Fresh sapodilla according to wiki-p -^

^- Frozen Sapodilla packaging label -^


^- 4 halves on a foam plate -^

Cost: $2.00 for 4 halves
Scientific Name: Manilkara zapota
Origin: Southern Mexico and Central America
Color: Brownish orange with white center
Texture: Frozen-soft, squishy, stringy, easy to peel
Description: Unfortunately, this fruit was thawed; so, it was pretty soft, squishy and slimey. For only four halves, it had a lot of water waste. It escaped the container and covered a good portion of the dining room table. Thank goodness, I didn't try to eat at my desk!

The water was saturated with Sapodilla sugar. It was slightly sticky and the color was light yellow--almost looked like diluted honey. As for the fruit itself, you could easily separate it into strips (stringy? veiny? old??). As for the sweetness, it is mildly sweet. This may be due to the saturation of water since the ingredients listed were water and sapodilla.

What is it like? Anything remotely close? I'm not quite sure. It may be its own taste; but, it tasted like a sweeter and milder version of a very ripe persimmons with a hint of honey. Its texture and seed resembled a cross between a loquat and persimmons. If a loquat and persimmon ever got married, it would definitely make sapodilla babies.

Overall Taste: Frozen sapodilla--half thumbs up, only because its unique flavor. I am pretty sure it would taste a whole lot better fresh since freezing can change flavors.

Please don't freeze sapodillas anymore! Oh, the fruitanity! Maybe if I had eaten it when it was still semi-frozen it would've been better. I guess I'll never know since I'm not going to buy it again. Maybe you should give it a shot and tell me about it--thanks!!

NEW CHEETOS GIANT meatballs

Sorry, but today's entry is not a fruit; although, I bet a few people wished they were. However,*reads label*, it does contain corn, soybean and sunflower...do they count if they're cousins to the fruit?

I tried to find them online; so, my friend, Spicy, can see them. But, I couldn't find any pictures of them AT ALL! I guess, they're crazy new. The only reference I found was a post about Hyori Lee. She's hot, but not the kind of hot I'm looking for.

So, after 5 minutes of futility, "HERE, SPICY. Enjoy the new non-Hyori Lee hot craze!!!!" My sis and I like the Flaming Hot Cheetos GIANT a lot more.

Oh, and I call them meatballs because they're almost the size of the meatballs that come in Italian spaghetti. At the end of the bag, there's these flakey flakes....I'd show them to you, but it's gone in the trash. Giant Fail.

^- Flaming Hot Cheetos Giant Ball Packaging -^


^- Flaming Hot GIANT in my hand -^


^- Cheetos CHEESE GIANT bag -^


^- Cheetos GIANT meatball in reference to Maruchan! One with flash, one without -^



^- Flakey crumbs at bottom of bag -^

Cost: $1.77 @ Walmart

Scientific Name: Cheetos flamingoso / cheesiotos
Origin: Frito-Lay factory at Plano, TX
Color: Red or orange flakes with yellowy center
Texture: Large, round, dry, flakey
Description: It's like eating the regular brand but in giant ball form. It tastes better than the asteroids. Unfortunately, due to its large size, the dryness of the snack is quite more noticeable than the regular or asteroids. How many can you stuff in your mouth and still be able to say CHUBBY BUNNY!?!? If you have dentures, I advise to not eat them. They may hurt your gums and the roof of your mouth because of its size and texture.

What is it like? Anything remotely close? Yes, a mixture of the original and asteroids! But more dry and HUGE.

Overall Taste: Regular Cheetos Giant isn't as good as the PUFFS, but it can hold up its own; especially, since the PUFFS are just puffs now. Have you noticed?! (Try it! And look at the lettering on the packages! You will be as sad as me!) If you're looking to replace your childhood cheez ball favorite, think again. It's too hard and dry to be a Planter's Cheez Ball replacement. Cheetos Giant, 1 thumbs up. Flaming Hot Giant, two thumbs up--a lot tastier than his brother, the Cheese Giant; because it is tastier, it's a lot more fun to eat!

Yellow Nectarine

Stater Bros. on sale. SAY WHAT!? Okay, they may not really be on sale, but it was cheap enough for my sis and I to buy some! Some what? Yellow Nectarines! We also bought a variety of fruits! So, you fruiters, fruitians, fruit freak, fruit nuts, fruit nuts and milk...mmmm Cadbury..oh wait, we're getting off topic! But, yes! Be prepared for a variety of fruit(s) to come! I even bought something *I've* never tried before! Who knew I'd find something at an American market! What a treat!! The fruit alone costed-ed-ed me 1.49$!! Yes, that's just one fruit; so, this better be good!!!!!!!!!

Now back to Yellow Nectarines...oh wait, I've got to eat some Noodle Worm Soup, brb...

Mmm that was good.

So, these nectarines are from Chile, fruit #4378. I have no idea who distributed them, but we got them at Stater Bros, our brother's store!

^- Nectarine tree, thanks wiki-p -^

^- Top view, please ignore the holes, had trouble with the sticker -^


^- Side view -^


^- Bottom view -^


^- Inside view -^


^- View of skin, from the inside -^


^- Horizontal cut, inside view -^


^- Vertical cut, inside view -^

Scientific Name: Prunus persica

Origin: Unknown, possibly central and eastern Asia
Color: The skin has a red or yellow blush or some spotting or a mixture of all. The nectar is yellow to creamy yellow.
Texture: Less ripe-firm; More ripe-firm but you can feel the softness settling
Description: When smelling this fruit, the aroma of 'peach' fills your nose. Mmm, taking the first bite is always an adventure. Will it be sweet? Or is it tangy? Lucky for me (and you), I was able to find one sweet and slightly tangy and one sweet nectarine. Which one was which?? You guessed it, the less riped one was sweet/tangy and crispy! It's like a subwoofer at a party. Krraaunnchh unch unch uunch unchhh! That was some party! The sweet nectarine was much more sweeter and less crispy. This one is good enough to put in your plain cereal, yogurt or hot oatmeal. I guess there's no party for this one, guys. *insert sad face*

As for the skin (for both nectarines), it doesn't really taste much like anything except crispy. I mean, it has a very very subtle mixture of sweet and bitter. The skin tastes a lot better with the fruit.

What is it like? Anything remotely close? According to wiki-p, nectarines are peaches. As we all know, peaches are fuzzy and soft. However, nectarines are firm and smooth because they are the recessive version of the peach; whereas, peaches are dominant. Either way, dominant or recessive, it's still a peach! Who said being recessive is bad?!

Overall Taste: The right mixture of sweet and tangy. The more ripe it becomes, the sweeter it tastes. Don't let it ripen too much or else you'll have a rotten fruit!

Gala Apple

The one bad thing about eating fruit every day is the cost. Sometimes, if you don't eat it fast enough, they'll spoil right away (i.e. berries). Good thing apples exist. Apples can last a lot longer than berries. Just pop them in the refrigerator (not the freezer!) and they should last more than a few weeks. I can't really say how long they would live because I usually devour them before they die.

Apples are also a good source of fiber. :) And there is such a large variety of apples that this fruit can accommodate to almost every taste (sweet, sour, bitter, moderately sweet, sweet and tangy, etc)!

If you prefer your fruit to be mildly sweet, you should get yourself some Gala apples. Gala apples are a cross breed between Kidd's Orange Red and Golden Delicious. If you're looking for an in-between, you've got it! What better way to satisfy your middle of the curve tastes than with a cross breed!

^- Gala apples with its leaves, thanks wiki-p -^


^- Top view, notice variation in coloration -^


^- Side view, notice vertical stripes and blush coloring -^


^- Bottom view -^


^- Skin of fruit, notice the stripes -^


^- Cut vertically, notice yellow/creamy color -^


^- Cut horizontal reveals a cute star formed by the seed house -^


^- 1) Full seed 2) Naturally flat seed 3-5) Seed coverings 6/7) Raw seed -^

^- Wax scratched from half an apple -^

Scientific Name: Malus domestica
Origin: New Zealand by J. H. Kidd; cross breed of Golden Delicious & Kidd's Orange Red
Color: The skin is usually about 50% red, 50% yellow with reddish vertical stripes or small blushes and tiny yellow spots with a black center. The internal nectar varies from yellow to cream.
Texture: Firm, rarely any bruising
Description: This is a moderately sweet apple (in taste and smell) with no trace of bitter, tang, or sourness; and also moderately juicy compared to, per se, Fuji apples. In fact, if you're not a big fan of 'too sweet' fruits, you will probably enjoy this apple. However, I won't suggest using these apples as your only source when juicing for apple juice. It may be better to use Gala apples as a supplement to sweeten any juiced fruits or vegetables (i.e. carrot juice with apple juice).

This isn't a particularly grainy fruit. In fact, compared to other apples, this would also rate as 'moderately' grainy--because you can't 'feel' the grainyness, but with each bite, it 'feels' hollow. This 'hollowness' may be the reason why this fruit isn't as juicy as other apples.

When the skin is eaten alone, it doesn't bear much flavor. It may be slightly sweet from the fruit itself and my contain traces of bitterness; but other than that, it's not very flavorful and I don't advise eating the skin alone. It is sooo not yummy. (The taste may be affected by the wax, too.)

Surprisingly, the raw apple seed is very fragrant and sweet--completely different from the fruit itself. You can say it almost tastes like a sweet, fragrant flower. Unfortunately, the brown coating lingers around once the seed is gone and has a slight trace of bitterness.

How long did it take to discolour? The apple was cut in half at 2:01pm. A very, very slight discolouration was noted at 2:46pm. At 3:15pm, no noticeable changes can be seen. It appears that this apple can be exposed to air for longer than an hour without drastic discolouration.

What is it like? Anything remotely close? Well, it tastes like a hybrid fruit. Maybe because it is. Although, I think it is more closely related to Kidd's Orange Red than a Golden Delicious because it has a slightly different sweet taste similar to Kidd's. Although the texture may be closely related to a Golden Delicious. However, I may be wrong since I haven't had an Orange Red or Golden Delicious in a while.

Overall Taste: Sweet, semi-crispy (not the crispiest apple I've had) and slightly grainy (giving a hollow effect).

This fruit is from Stemilt Growers.

For more nutritional information and other fun facts, visit produceoasis. They bring the O in produce.

Blackberry

So, I wasn't sure which fruit would be next; then, I looked into the refrigerator. Lo and behold, blackberries. For those who don't know, blackberries are not really 'black.' No, I'm not being fruitcist. In fact, their color is sooo rich with purple, that to the naked eye, it looks black. When you look at its stain, it's actually purple (see below)!

Side note: For Blackberry users, the new touch screen blackberry from Verizon is cool! You should totally get it, but please refrain from eating it! I'm warning you, I don't think it tastes any good!

How pricey are blackberries? Well, in the world of fruit, it is comparable to the Blackberry phone family. When they're not in season, they're as pricey as red currants, blueberries or raspberries. Lucky for me, *I* didn't purchase it. Actually, I'm not sure who bought it, but let's just say I'm happy to be eating it. It's a bonus bonus since it's technically free. ;)

Apparently, via wiki-p, the blackberry I'm devouring is called "black butte blackberry." To whomever named it, it's kind of redundant. ;)

^- A blackberry bush via wiki-p -^

^- Notice the different color spots -^


^- Same 3 berries with top, side and bottom views -^


^- Top close-up -^


^- Bottom close-up, but can you even tell?! -^


^- Inside view of the berry (vertical cut), notice the cool purply center -^


^- Inside view at a different angle (horizontal cut) -^


^- Blackberry center without the individual bulbs (if you click the picture, hopefully, u can see where the bulbs attach--dark yellow color) -^


^- Nectar of fruit with seed, it looks like I have a bleeding wart -^

^- Side view of nectar, very jelly-like -^


^- Skin of one bulb -^


^- Individual bulbs, seeds and stain (see purple vs black!) -^

Scientific Name: Rubus fruticosus (common name)
Origin: Northern Hemisphere (north of Earth's equator)
Color: Dark rich purple (some may have purple/red spots)
Texture: With the "center" - firm; Without the "center" - soft, squishy and fragile
Description: In each bulb of the blackberry, it houses a single seed. As a result, blackberries have a lot of seeds. If you eat blackberry jam, you now know why the jam has so many seeds.

Since the blackberry as a whole is very soft, biting into it immediately tears apart the fruit to non-existence. The first taste of the blackberry is mildly sweet--sweet enough to enjoy; but then, if the center is bitter (like mine), there is a noticeable bitter chase.

Surprisingly, the first bite into the seeds (no pulp!) are also sweet. Who knew seeds could be sweet? As for the "center," it is slightly bitter. Not bitter enough to not eat the center, but bitter enough for it to be noticeable. I guess that's why the seeds are sweet and not bitter.

What is it like? Anything remotely close? As of right now, to me, blackberries have their own taste. It can be comparable to a mixture of blueberries and something. If I can remember the 'something', I'll edit the post. ;)

Overall Taste: Mildly sweet with a bitter chase. The numerous seeds can either be fun to crack or annoying. For me, it was fun and I'm a lazy eater (I don't like to chew).

For more nutritional information about blackberries, visit wiki-p.

Red Currant

Have you ever tried Red Currant? Well, technically, I have. I've had black currant candy, but I guess that doesn't really count. Now, I'm proud to say I have. Real, fresh, juicy red currant.

I came across this little morsel while browsing the local Trader Joe's after a day of sledding at Mt. Baldy.

Side Note: If you haven't gone sledding and would like to go, this is THE perfect time to go. East of San Gabriel Valley, you can go to Mt. Baldy. It's just north of Upland/Claremont/Montclair/Chino on Mt Baldy Road. If you're either in the west of San Gabriel Valley, you can go to Mt. Wilson or Mt Waterman, found north of La Canada. You just travel 2 North and you're there. Please be careful, you may need chains. Always check road conditions before leaving. You can buy chains at your local AutoZone for under $30, depending on wheel-size.

So, back to red currant.

In the produce section, I saw the label Red Currant. "Oh, what the," I thought to myself. I exclaimed to my sister, "LOOK, red currant!" I looked at the price, $4.99 per pack. Ouch, steep price for such a small container. In case you're wondering, the size of the box was equivalent to small packages of berries (blueberry, raspberry, black berries) found at your local high-end grocery store (i.e. Pavillons) when they're not in season. With a deep inhale, I walked blindly to the cash register and bought the little devils. Red currant, red currant, how will you warrant...

So, below are some pictures and facts about the fruit; as well as description. Please don't be mad if the qualities of the photographs are bad. I just bought this camera (Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1) and am still learning how to use it. Unfortunately, I've found that their macro (flower power!) feature does not work as well as other cameras.

^- Red currant shrub found on wiki-p -^


^- Side view with stem still attached -^

^- Different angle, slight top, side view -^


^- You can see a few seeds in one red currant. -^

^- Skin of fruit, the seeds and nectar found inside -^


^- Texture of nectar -^


^- Texture at a different angle, notice its natural shape -^

^- Seeds and color of stain -^

Scientific Name: Ribes rubrum
Origin: Western Europe (Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Northern Italy & Spain)
Color: Red
Texture: Skin - firm; Inside - soft and jelly-like
Description: Red currant is a tangy fruit. Surprisingly, it is firm and pretty juicy for a little fruit. I've noticed that when it is overly ripe, the fruit tastes slightly sweeter; but not by much. For such a tiny fruit, it contains a LOT of seeds (see above). The color of the seeds are somewhat mustard brown and it tastes slightly bitter. So, if you want it to be tangy and slightly sweet, discard the seed by sucking on it. Once in a while, the seeds won't taste bitter....or maybe I've grown accustomed to them. The bright red nectar (see above) is slimier and chunkier than blueberry insides. In fact, it almost looks like jelly that you eat with your peanut butter sandwiches.

What is it like? Anything remotely close? I'm not sure how to eat the fruit, but when you ingest the entire morsel, it really reminds me of pomegranate (not overly ripe)--down to the color, taste and seed.

Overall Taste: Tangy with a hint of sweetness (w/out seeds); Tangy, sweet and tangy-bitter (with seeds)

First Post

Since this is my first post, I'll make it a quick introductory.

Like most first generations, I didn't have much when I grew up, but I was lucky enough to have tried various types of fruit. You'd be surprised how many types of fruit is available in a cold, materialistic city (Los Angeles).

This is just a personal blog of all the fruits I've tried, will try and going to try. I hope you enjoy the read, if not, sorry, I'm not a writer. :)