January Fruit of The Month- Dried Fruits
Shop Local for January’s Fruit of the Month: Dried Fruit
Dried Fruit is fruit where the majority of the original water content has been removed either naturally, thru sun drying, or through the use of specialized dehydrators.
It has a long traditon of use dating back to the fourth millennium B.C. and is prized becuase of its sweet taste, wrinkly texture, nutritive value and long shelf life. Some of the most popular dried fruits include; raisens, figs, dates, prunes, apricots, peaches, apples, and pears. These are refered to as “traditional dried fruits.”
Many other dried fruits such as cherries, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, and mangoes are infused with sweetner before drying. Some products sold as dried fruit like pineapple and papaya are actually “candied fruit”.
Dried fruits contain most of nutritional value as fresh fruit. In general, all dried fruits provide essential nutrients and are valuable tools in both increasing diet quality and reducing chronic disease.
Shop Blue Island’s Healthy Hot Spot locations, La Unica and Hidalgo Meats for the ingredients for this healthy snack receipe.
Raw trail mix- combine your choice of raw nuts with sunflower or pumpkin seeds and dried fruit of your choice. Add a few raw cacoa nibs for a chocolate version.
Try out the December Fruits of the Month: Exotic Fruits
Exotic Fruits include things like Kumquats, Sapote, Ugli fruits, and Pepino Melons.
Kumquats can be tossed into any green or fruit salad, they are great with spinach, or you can just eat them as they are…the peel and seeds are edible.
Pepino Melon is usually eaten fresh. It is related to the tomato, but has a taste similiar to melons.
Ugli Fruit-A cross between tangerine and grape fruit. It gets its name from its apperance. Its yellow and green skin is not its best feature. Ugli fruit make a great seedless snacks.
If your local market has an exotic fruit section, check back often, as many of the exotic fruits are available all year long.
