Fruit Category

Includes berries, citrus fruit, melons, tropical fruit, and tomatoes
Fruits are the matured ovaries of plants, containing the seeds for the next generation of plants. Many plants cunningly make their fruits sweet, the better to attract animals like us to eat them and disperse the seeds. Fruits are often delicious enough to eat out of hand, but they can also be made into tarts, compotes, shakes, juices, preserves, liqueurs, and many other things.
Golden Delicious apple
This sweet apple is good for eating out of hand, baking, and for making pies. The yellower the better.
Learn moregolden nugget squash
This has a pleasant flavor, but it doesn't have as much flesh as other squashes and the heavy rind makes it hard to cut before cooking. Select specimens that are heavy for their size, and that have a dull finish. Those with shiny rinds were probably picked too young, and won't be as sweet.
Learn moregolden raspberry
This is a blonder, milder version of the red raspberry. Don't confuse it with the Golden Raspberries (Razzies), which are given out to honor each year's worst films and performers.
Learn moregooseberry
These large, tart berries are in season only in June and July, but canned gooseberries work well in pies and fools. American gooseberries are round and about 1/2 inch in diameter, while European gooseberries are oblong, and about twice the size of American gooseberries. They're very acidic, and so they're great with roasted meats, like goose. The freshest gooseberries are covered with fuzz.
Learn moreGranny Smith apple
This is a firm, tart apple that's good for baking, making pies, and eating out of hand. They tend to have thick skins, so you might want to peel them before serving.
Learn moregrape juice
This category includes red grape juice, white grape juice, and sparkling grape juice.
Learn moregrapefruit
A grapefruit is a large, slightly tart kind of citrus fruit. The rind is yellow, though often tinged with green or red. Grapefruits are categorized by the color of their pulp: red, pink, or "white" (actually honey-colored). The color of the pulp doesn't affect the flavor. When buying grapefruit, select specimens that are smaller, thin-skinned, and heavy for their size. Some varieties are seedless. They're best in the winter and spring.
Learn moregrapes
Many varieties of grapes are turned into wine, vinegar, jelly, and raisins, but table grapes are for eating out of hand. They're classified by their color--red, green, and blue--and by whether they have seeds or not. Seedless varieties are popular because they're easy to eat, but often the seeded varieties offer more flavor and better value.
Learn moregrated coconut
Bags of grated coconuts are usually stored among the baking supplies in larger markets. Varieties include dried or desiccated coconut, flaked, angel flake, moist, sweetened and unsweetened, toasted and untoasted, and macaroon coconut. To make your own: To grate, peel off the brown skin, then grate the white flesh with a grater, food processor, or vegetable peeler. To toast, spread unsweetened grated coconut on a baking sheet and bake in a 350°F oven until coconut is golden (about 5 minutes).
Learn moreGravenstein apple
This is a good, all-purpose apple, but it's best suited for making applesauce and pies.
Learn moreGreek black olives
A generic black Greek olive is large, dark purple and brine-cured. Popular varieties include Kalamata, Amphissa, and Royal.
Learn moreGreek green olives
Napfilion and Ionian olives are the most common types of green Greek olives.
Learn moregreen olives
Green olives are picked from the tree before they're completely ripened. The most common variety is the Manzanilla olive, which is often pitted and stuffed. Other green olives varieties include the Agrinion, Arauco, Arbequina, Atalanta, green Cerignola, cracked Provençal, Kura, Lucque, Nafplion, Picholine, Sevillano, and Sicilian.
Learn moreguajillo chili
One of the more popular Mexican chilies, the guajillo (or dried mirasol chili) has a fruity flavor and medium heat (Scoville heat scale of 2,500 to 5,000 SHU). It's smooth, shiny, and reddish-brown, and it has a tough skin, so it needs to be soaked longer than other chiles. These are commonly used for marinades and adobos.
Learn moreguava
These bruise easily, so markets usually sell them while they're still hard and green. Allow them to ripen at room temperature until they become yellow and very aromatic, then either eat or refrigerate them. The peel and seeds can be eaten along with the juicy pulp, but some people remove them.
Learn morehabanero - dried
Don't confuse dried habaneros with the fresh version, which goes by the same name. These extremely hot chiles are wrinkled and orange.
Learn morehabanero - fresh
These extremely hot orange chiles have a fruity flavor. They're best in the summertime.
Learn moreHass avocado
This is available year-round and has a rich flavor and creamy texture. The skin turns almost black when the avocado is ripe, which can camouflage bad bruises. This is the best variety by far for guacamole, but it turns a bit mushy in salads.
Learn moreHolland bell pepper
These are like bell peppers, only they're sweeter and have thicker walls. They come in different colors.
Learn morehoneyball melon
This is just like a honeydew melon, only it's smaller, rounder, and covered with netting.
Learn morehoneydew melon
These large, choice melons have either green or orange flesh. As honeydews ripen, they turn from green to creamy white to yellow. Avoid green ones, but a creamy white one will (unlike other melons) ripen on your counter in a few days. A perfectly ripe honeydew will yield just a bit to pressure at the blossom end and have a sticky, velvety rind.
Learn moreHubbard squash
This variety has tasty flesh, but it's too large for many families to handle and the rind is hard to cut though. Some grocers cut them into smaller pieces before putting them out.
Learn morehuckleberry
These are similar to blueberries, and they're great for making preserves and syrups. Some specialty markets carry them in the summer.
Learn moreIndian bitter melon
This is fairly bitter. Choose melons that are bright green. They turn tough and yellow as they age. You can eat the peels and seeds, or scrape out the seeds to reduce the bitterness.
Learn moreItalian eggplant
These are smaller than American eggplants, but they're otherwise very similar.
Learn morejaboticaba
These resemble large, dark purple grapes, and they're very popular in Brazil. You can eat them like grapes, though you'll have to contend with thick, tart skins. You can also make delicious jams, jellies, and wines from them.
Learn morejackfruit
This is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world--it weighs up to 100 pounds. It's hard to find fresh in the United States, but Asian markets sometimes stock canned jackfruit. The yellowish pulp tastes a bit like banana. The seeds can be boiled and eaten. Watch out for the sap--it can stain your clothes.
Learn morejalapeno pepper
These popular chilis have a good amount of heat and rich flavor. Green jalapenos are best in the late summer, while red jalapenos appear in the fall. Canned jalapenos aren't as fiery as fresh. When dried and smoked, this pepper is called a chipotle.
Learn moreJapanese chili
These small red chilis are hot, and similar to the chile de arbol. Before using them, soak them in warm water for a few minutes.
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