"Fruits" news and stories

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus but there is no such thing as a peach orchard on Fifth Avenue. Until now.

From October through January, the 75-year-old kings of the fruit basket, Harry & David, are bringing "pop-up orchards" as imagined by the king of restaurant design, David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group, to 16 cities across the country, from Fairfax, Virginia, to Manhattan's Fifth Avenue to the land of Georgia peaches, Atlanta (in the Lenox Square Mall). Channeling the company's Oregon roots, Harry & David re-creates the mood and pick-your-own experience of a country (albeit high-style country) farmstand, taking to the outdoors with the temporary markets featuring their Royal Riviera comice pears, Honeycrisp apples, and preserves made from sweet Oregold Peaches, and of course, the mile-high towers of fruit in gift baskets.

Americans may be polarized on a lot of issues these days, but it seems we can pretty much agree on one thing: we don't like broccoli. Or kale. Or, really, vegetables and fruit of any stripe.

Despite years of public-health campaigns aimed at getting us to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, a recent study by the Centers of Disease Control has found that most of us -- the vast majority, in fact -- are still treating spinach like a bunch of picky toddlers.

The state-by-state analysis found that, overall, only about a third of American adults consume two or more servings of fruit per day, while just over a quarter eat three or more servings of vegetables.

To say that this falls a little short of the CDC's goal would be like saying home prices in 2005 were just a tad inflated: the agency had hoped that by now, 75 percent of adults would be eating the right amount of fruit while 50 percent would be eating enough vegetables.

Genoa, the culinary capital of the region of Liguria in Italy, has one of the most colorful indoor food markets that I have ever been to - Mercato Orientale. Some of the narrow cobblestone streets surrounding the market are permeated by a smell of fresh focaccia bread. As you enter the market, you'll notice various cheese stalls, meat stalls, and bakeries that border the market. In the center, there are produce stalls with some of the brightest fruits and vegetables that I have ever seen.

The produce display is gorgeous and informative. Each item has a sign explaining where in Italy it's from. The vendors are more than willing to explain what makes their produce unique and the best way to eat it. If you speak even minimal Italian, I encourage you to interact with these friendly vendors. For me the highlight of the market was the produce.

If you live in a large city in the U.S., you can find nearly any kind of produce, but often it's in questionable condition. Either it's way too under ripe or the quality is just horrendous. At the Mercato Orientale, I was overwhelmed by the incredible quality of nearly every vegetable and fruit. If you're going to be in Genoa, I highly suggest you visit this market located at the corner of Via 20 Settembre and Via Galata.

A cucumber. A pickle. They're the same thing, but are they fruits or vegetables?

Think you know your stuff? Take my little quiz here on a piece of paper and see the answers after the jump.

QUESTIONS - FRUIT OR VEGETABLE?

1. Cucumber
2. Potato
3. Bell Pepper
4. Corn
5. Tomato
6. Radish
7. Peanut
8. Acorn Squash
9. Artichoke
10. Snow Peas

Source

We all know that we're supposed to wear sun screen to protect us from harmful radiation from the sun, right? Well did you know that fruit or vegetables grown in the sun need it too?

I know that thought has never occurred to me before, but I can see the reasoning. If human skin can get sunburned, why not apple skin? Apparently about 20 to 40 percent of some crops are destroyed every year from solar radiation, according to an article in the Mercury News. That's bad for farmers, who can only use the damaged fruit for juice, as well as the environment, as crops that are more susceptible to sun damage need more water.

The article features a company that makes sunscreen for produce, Purfresh which makes the veggie sunscreen Purshade among other things. I just thought that this perspective on sunburn was very interesting and worth sharing. How do you feel about sun screen for produce?