Fruit Category

These are rich in flavor, nutrients, and calories. Medjool dates are richer and meatier than the other Deglet Noor dates. Other varieties include Khalas, sukkary, barhi, medjool, ajwa and kimia. If you plan to chop them, look for cooking dates, date pieces, or pressed dates--they're a lot cheaper than the exquisite dessert dates that are intended to be eaten whole. Don't confuse dates with fresh dates, which are hard to find in supermarkets. To learn about different varieties of dates, click here.

Fresh dates are sometimes available at farmer's markets in the late summer. They're crunchy, and not as sweet as dried dates.

These honey sweet translucent deglet noor dates are enjoyed in North Africa. They originated in Algeria.

This is one of the tastier winter squashes, with creamy pulp that tastes a bit like sweet potatoes. Choose squash that are heavy for their size.

These are similar to blackberries, only they're smaller.

These squat peaches have white flesh, and a very good flavor. Use them as you would ordinary peaches.

This comes from a cactus native to Central and South America, and has a mild flavor. To eat it, either peel it or cut it in half and scoop out the white, polka-dotted pulp with a spoon. Select dragon fruit by pressing it gently. It should give just a little.

These are popular additions to trail mixes. They're often treated with sulfur to improve their color and shelf life.

Turkish dried apricots are lighter in color and milder in flavor than other varieties. They're often treated with sulfur to improve their color and shelf life.

People in the Middle East usually make a drink out of this fruit leather by putting it into boiling water. During Ramadan, it's often served before and after the day-long fast. Look for it in Middle Eastern markets.

These usually come in two forms: long spears, which are very sweet and best for cooking, and chips, which are fried in oil, crunchy, and best suited for trail mixes.

These are very sweet and have an intense cantaloupe flavor.

These are used to make muffins and cakes.

These are large and sweet, and they can serve as a refreshing alternative to raisins in many recipes.

Begin with orange, lemon, tangerine, or grapefruit peels, scrape off and discard as much of the bitter white pith as possible, and dry what's left in the sun until hard

With their flashy color and tangy flavor, dried cranberries are a good alternative to raisins in many recipes. Craisins is a well-known brand.

Look for these in Middle Eastern markets.

These are a great source of fiber and calcium. Varieties include the Black Mission fig, which is a good choice for eating out of hand, and the Calimyrna = Turkish = Smyrna fig, which is best for cooking. If your figs become too dry, you can rehydrate them with water. Don't eat the stems.

Dried fruit is a terrific snack, but cooks also use it in everything from muffins to stews. Drying has the obvious advantage of letting us enjoy our favorite fruit when it's out of season, but it also serves to concentrate the fruit's flavor and sugar. Since high concentrations of sugar ward off bacteria, dried fruit can last up to a year without refrigeration. If you live in a hot, dry climate, you can dry fruit just by leaving it out in the sun for a few days. If not, you can use an oven or dehydrator. Sulfur dioxide is sometimes added to the fruit to improve its shelf life and color. If you're allergic to it, you can usually find unsulfured dried fruit at health food stores. In a pinch, you can remove some of the sulfur by boiling treated dried fruit for a minute or so, then draining off the liquid.

These are sometimes coated with sugar.

These are the size of large raisins, and they taste like very dry figs. Look for them in Middle Eastern markets.

These are similar to dried peaches, but often a bit more expensive. They're often treated with sulfur.

These are sometimes coated with sugar.

These are similar to dried apricots, only larger and milder. They're often treated with sulfur.

These don't have the cloying sweetness of some dried fruits. They're often gassed with sulfur dioxide in the drying process in order to improve their color and shelf life.

These often have a white, sugary residue, which is edible.

These are sometimes coated with sugar.

These are sweet and chewy, and they're great in trail mixes or granola.

Duku fruit are round, tan and 1 to 2 inches in diameter. The hard shell surrounds a soft fleshy sweet and tart thick flesh. They grow in clusters.

The weird and smelly durian has attracted a cult-like following. It's called the King of Fruits by aficionados in Southeast Asia, but Westerners usually don't care much for its mild oniony flavor. Once cut open, the durian eventually gives off such a strong and foul odor that it's banned on Singaporean subways. Look for it in Asian markets. The boiled seeds of the durian are called betons.

This is a spongy, mild-tasting vegetable that's meaty yet low in calories. It's never eaten raw, but it can be baked, grilled, or sautéed. The best eggplants are shiny, firm (but not too hard), and heavy for their size, with bright green stems and unbroken skin. Smaller eggplants tend to have fewer bitter seeds, as do "male" ones with round scars at their blossom (non-stem) end. (The scars on "female" eggplants look like dashes.) Freshness is important, so don't store eggplants for very long.

These are too tart for most people to eat out of hand, but they make terrific preserves and wine.

This firm apple is especially good for making applesauce.

These Spanish black olives are soaked in sherry.

This is a Red Delicious-McIntosh cross that's great for baking or eating out of hand.

This foot-long slicing cucumber is pricier and less flavorful than other varieties, but it has less conspicuous seeds, a thinner skin, and a plastic wrapper--instead of a wax coating--to improve shelf life. All of this saves preparation time, since there's no need to peel or seed the cucumber before slicing it. This is a good variety if you focused on looks--you can cut it into round, green trimmed slices.

To eat feijoas, just cut them in half and scoop out the pulp with a spoon. They also make terrific preserves and syrups. Look for them in large supermarkets. If they're hard when you buy them, allow them to ripen at room temperature until they give a bit when you squeeze them, then store them in the refrigerator.

Varieties include Calimyrna = Smyrna and Kadota, both with green skin and pinkish-white flesh, and the most popular variety, and the Mission fig = black Mission fig, with dark purple skin and pink flesh. Dried figs are not good substitutes for fresh.

These are common and popular red seedless grapes.

These small, wild strawberries are either white or red, and have a very intense flavor.

These are similar to jalapeno peppers, but with thinner walls. They're great in salsas. Green Fresnos are available in the summer. the hotter red ones come out in the fall.

This is in season from late fall through spring. It's not quite as buttery as the Hass avocado, but its flavor is excellent.

This variety is good for eating out of hand, or for making applesauce or pies.

This sweet and mild squash has a fuzzy feel to it.

These are small, purple Italian olives are either dry-cured (making them black and wrinkled) or brine-cured (making them dark purple and smooth-skinned).

This apple is outstanding for eating out of hand or for baking or making applesauce.