Gala Apples
A New Zealand hybrid, the cross of Kidd’s Orange Red and Golden Delicious, so it gets the best of all worlds in coloring. In flavor, Gala is crisp, sweet and reliable, good news since it’s available nearly year-round. One gala contains about a cup of sugars—naturally occurring complex carbohydrates that sustain your energy boost. Keep in the bottom of the crisper (galas like it well-chilled) and eat straight up or with slices of a good aged cheese.
Navel Oranges
Nearly everything came from something else, and it’s possible the orange was a cross between the pomelo and the mandarin. Oranges are renowned for their high vitamin C content, but it’s equally high in calcium. Thick-skinned navels are bred that way, to make for easier peeling. Oranges taste fantastic with a piece of dark chocolate. They’re delicious in salads, too—quarter them instead of peeling and push the segments out with your thumb, pith-free.
Clementine Oranges
Clementines are fairly new hit in the produce aisles, where they appear in cartons under the popular labels “Sweeties” and “Cuties.” In fact, they’re both—and more. Nearly always seedless, clementines are juicy, distinctly flavored and high in potassium, which makes it heart-healthy. Kids love clementines because they’re easy to hold and peel. Sometimes confused with tangerines because of their size and shape, clementines are a variety of mandarin orange.
Red Seedless Grapes
Table grapes are always growing somewhere, so they’re available year-round. Sugary sweet and easy to pop, seedless grapes are the most tempting of all fruits. If you can avoid eating them by the fistful, grapes highlight fruit salad and add zing to chicken salad. Try them with blue cheese, even on pizza. Or just eat a bunch (a cup and half is less than 100 calories).
Green Seedless Grapes
Also called white grapes, essentially to distinguish them from the more colorful sorts, green seedless are a popular summer snack. Try sticking them in the freezer for the ultimate summer refresher (they freeze like a popsicle, versus a rock). Serve them in a big bowl with clumps of red and black seedless, to delicious effect. Raisins might be “nature’s candy”—they have almost 10 times the calories as fresh grapes, per serving size.
Peaches
These peaches peak late, a joy for peach lovers who think summer ends too soon. Peaches are fat, sodium and cholesterol free. A medium peach is a mere 40 calories (a candy bar is 5 or 6 times that). To eat a peach: slice in a circle down to the pit, then gently twist the halves apart. Sliced fresh peaches make great additions to your breakfast cereal or yogurt (buy the plain variety and sweeten with your peaches).
Nectarines
As in nectar, a Greek term meaning “drink of the gods.” The juice of a nectarine, like that of a peach, is sweet, fortifying and full of vitamin goodness. In fact, a nectarine is a peach, minus the fuzz-producing gene. Nectarines are delicious in chopped salsas or stirred into vanilla ice cream. If you can wait that long: They’re best eaten straight up, especially with a side of blueberries, if you have them.
Pluots
A relatively new addition to the produce stand, pluots are a plum-apricot cross-breed. More plum-like than apricot, they have a sweet, soft pulp with only a trace of tartness. At work, spread their pulp on a bagel with low-fat cream cheese. At home, slice up a mix of pluots (they come in a rainbow of colors), toss them into one of those roll-up pie shells, and bake until the crust turns golden. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. By not adding sugar to the pie, you can afford to.
Bananas
Arguably one of the most well-known but less appreciated fruits, bananas are high on the list of super foods because they have such a vast collection of essential nutrients. Packing in large amounts of potassium, bananas can help control blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. Bananas are also a great source for many other nutrients like Vitamins C, A, B6, which helps support good nerve function and improves mood, as well as minerals like magnesium and calcium, and let’s not forget fiber. With all of these vital nutrients overflowing in this sweet and hearty snack, our premium bananas are the perfect fruit to keep you not only fit but also happy.
Nectarines
As in nectar, a Greek term meaning “drink of the gods.” The juice of a nectarine, like that of a peach, is sweet, fortifying and full of vitamin goodness. In fact, a nectarine is a peach, minus the fuzz-producing gene. Nectarines are delicious in chopped salsas or stirred into vanilla ice cream. If you can wait that long: They’re best eaten straight up, especially with a side of blueberries, if you have them.
Pears
Pears, who should dare compare? A delicious fruit in its own right – luscious, sweet, and sometimes even buttery – but as its name suggests, pears go well with a variety of foods like salads, desserts and even wine and cheese. Pears are packed with nutrients like Vitamin C and as much as 6 grams of fiber, making these tasty treats a perfect mid-morning snack to keep you full and happy until lunch. At around 100 calories per pear and with no sodium or fat, this fruit makes snacking a guilt-free pleasure.
Honeycrisp Apple
First brought to apple enthusiasts by the University of Minnesota, who developed the deliciously tart fruit from a Macoun and Honeygold cross, the Honeycrisp Apple has become one of American’s new favorites. This sweet, juicy and tart fruit also has a unique crispness and aromatic appeal that makes the Honeycrisp a great choice for a nutrition-packed afternoon snack or to liven up an apple pie or salad. And with its exceptional shelf life, you can enjoy Honeycrisps for quite some time.
Pink Lady® Apples
So famous that it was trademarked, the Pink Lady® Apple is a delectable cross between a Golden Delicious and Lady Williams. The actual variety name is Cripps Pink after Australian producer John Cripps, but to be sold under the Pink Lady trademark, this incredibly sweet, juicy, crisp and tart apple must meet strict quality requirements including careful monitoring and harvesting. The firm, crisp texture and exceptional taste of the Pink Lady® makes it great for cooking as well as on salads, desserts or with cheese. It’s been called exhilarating and glamorous, but you have to try this unique apple to know why it only can be named a Pink Lady®.
