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. :)