Fall Week 1 - Fruit Share Newsletter

Welcome to the Fall Fruit Share with Ridge to Reef Farm! 

You'll find the week's harvestlisted in the column on the right, and occasional descriptions of the fruit and recipes here. 

This week the fruit share is quite diverse. You'll find two different kinds of bananas - both a smooth, sweet eating variety (bacubas, photo on the top), and an angular cooking variety (saba, photo on the bottom). They will ripen in roughly 7-10 days.

In the small paper bag you'll find some limes, and a small plastic bag of mini red berries called Miracle Fruits (pictured in the right mid-section of the photo above).

The Miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) is a perennial shrub or small tree native to West Africa.  It grows well without supplemental fertility or water on our farm.  The small, mildly sweet fruits have the remarkable ability to alter one’s palate, making sour things taste sweet!  

This change in flavor is due to a protein called miraculin, which binds to your taste buds and, under acidic conditions, activates sweet receptors. To experience the effects, pop the fresh fruit in your mouth and carefully chew and suck the pulp – there is a large seed in the middle. After about a minute, you can try a lime wedge (included in your box) or anything else that is generally sour. The change in your palate will last about an hour, so enjoy. Try a mixed drink with rum and a lime squeeze for a flavor you’ll never forget! 

The sugar apple (Annona squamosa) is the most widely grown of all the species of the Annonaceae family, which include cherimoya and soursop.  The popularity is well deserved, since these fruits are delicious when ripe. They are very sweet, with a pleasantly creamy and somewhat gritty texture reminiscent of ripe pears.  To eat it, wait until the flesh is very soft (3-5 days) and then tear or slice it in half.  The entire interior, except for the seeds, is edible.  Simply separate the flesh from the seed in your mouth.

Carambola, also called star fruit for its shape when sliced, is from the Averrhoa carambola tree. Native to Indonesia, the Phillipines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India, starfruit is now grown in many tropical and subtropical countires throughout the world. The starfruits are great for fresh eating (like an apple), but can also be juiced or sliced into salads.

The avocadoes are decadently creamy and buttery. They are excellent for guacamole and savory dishes, but can also be used to make smoothies and desserts. These avocadoes should ripen in 3-5 days - wait until the skin yields to gentle pressure.

Genips are tasty lychee-like fruits. To eat, just crack open the protective outer shell then suck the sweet pulp off of the large central seed. 

Enjoy the harvest,

Claudia & the crew at Ridge to Reef Farm


Photo above: (left to right) Sugar apple, lime, miracle fruit

This Week's Harvest

Carambola

Mangoes

Sweet Bananas

Cooking Bananas

Limes

Miracle Fruit

Sugar Apple

Avocado

Genips