Donut Peach

Sometimes also called a "saucer peach", donut peaches are so named simply for their donut-like shape. These flat and round fruits are in the category of white peaches, meaning their flesh is white. Unlike the more commonly eaten (in the U.S. anyway) yellow peaches, white peaches are said to be sweeter and milder, lacking much of the tanginess of yellow peaches. Unable to ascertain the ripeness of the donut peaches we saw, we selected one that gave slightly to pressure. In hindsight, it was a bit shy of optimum ripeness for us, but still enjoyable. We cut the flesh open and, as expected, it was white and similar in appearance to that of an apple. The taste was indeed mild and sweet, and did not posses any of the sharp tanginess characteristic of "typical" peaches. In fact, the flavor tasted not completely unlike that of an apple. Overall, it was quite good though, as mentioned, it was a bit shy of optimum ripeness. Either that, or the texture of the donut peach was different from that of yellow peaches. In any case, it was a tiny bit dry and brittle like an unripe yellow peach. Next time we will try to better assess the ripeness before we purchase one.

-Anthony

Pluot

Not content with trying merely one plum-apricot hybrid (the plumcot), today we purchased a pluot. Although sharing the same ancestors, the pluot was markedly different in appearance and flavor from the plumcot. With color tones ranging from crimson to orange, this fruit was larger and firmer than its cousin. It had smooth, leathery skin like a plum. Upon cutting, much juice erupted from the flesh, which was a deep maroon color. Placing the fruit upon my tongue revealed its intense, tart flavor, not unlike a grapefruit. Biting the flesh divulged its pleasant texture. Whereas the plumcot possessed a stringy flesh that clung to the skin, the flesh of the pluot was more plum like and firm. Yet still, each bite was very juicy, sweet, and tart. Some bites (possibly those that were bruised) had a mild, non-tart taste. We quickly finished the fruit, eating as much as we could, which was easier than with the plumcot, as it was much more plentiful. Though many different cultivars of pluots exist (such as the one depicted in the picture), we highly recommend trying them on the contingency that they bear any resemblance to the one we tried.

-Anthony

The Plumcot

A curious portmanteau of plum and apricot, this novelty hybrid was next on our list. It is a small, dark purple mushy fruit with a leathery skin, much like a plum. It contains, as expected, a small hard pit. The flesh is deep red to orange and very stringy. The stringiness, as well as the sheer lack of a substantial amount of it, did not make it an ideal palm fruit. However, the taste was sweet and pleasant like a plum. I'm not experienced enough with plums and apricots to compare this to either of them in detail, but it did seem as though they retain the gustatory qualities of their parents. Perhaps if they were larger, and their flesh was of a more pleasant texture, they would provide an enjoyable snack. However, due to their properties, they are probably best utilized in pies, jams, and other recipes. 


-Anthony

Papaya

Today we decided to purchase a prepared papaya half with limes laid on top at Whole Foods. The flesh was orange and rather mushy to the touch, and emanated very little odor. The fruit was easily spooned out and had a stringy, but very soft texture. The taste is quite subtle, we found. My first bite did not afford me any opinion, though my second bite revealed an unpleasant vegetable-y flavor somewhat reminiscent of a very bland watermelon with hints of carrot. Subsequent bites continued to establish the flavor as both elusive and illusive, so it was clear that some mutual mastication was needed. Others that tried it spoke of coffee-like undertones and one remarked that it tasted like a tanning salon (the meaning of this will not be explored here). I also definitely detected a coffee-like undertone to certain bites. I suspect that the tenuous taste varied among different locations of the flesh.  However hard to detect the exact taste it was, it was clear that we did not enjoy this fruit and would not attempt to eat it plain and raw again. The function of the limes is still not understood, as only flesh very near to the limes acquired their flavor.


-Anthony

Edamame

On an extremely humid day trip to Cambridge, we decided to check out The Ginger Exchange in Inman Square. One of the many items I ate for lunch included steamed edamame. Edamame is basically a baby soybean and is served on a plate while they are still in their pods. The first time I tried edamame was in Seattle at a sushi restaurant. I made the embarrassing mistake of putting the whole thing in my mouth (pod and all) and trying to eat it that way. I learned right away after I got looks from others sitting with me at the table that I was supposed to eat only the actual beans that are inside the pod.

Aware of how to eat edamame from that day in Seattle on, I was excited to try some more edamame at lunch today. Once popped open, there are usually two or three beans inside of each pod. Then you simply pop each bean in your mouth and enjoy. They taste very fresh and similar to any other soy bean I have ever eaten. They aren't soft like kidney or garbanzo beans, but are firm and somewhat crunchy.  Edamame is a little bland so I am thinking up a way to create an edamame salad. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

-Bri

Raspberries

On a journey up to The Big Apple in Wrentham, Massachusetts, we decided that we would pick raspberries for the first time. The raspberries were strewn very sparsely amongst the short bushes so we spent a while trying to fill our container. Once we brought them home and thoroughly washed them, we left them out so we could eat them as we pleased. The raspberries supplied us with a sweet aroma similar to other berries I have tried. They are very sweet but at the same time very tart depending on their ripeness. They are very seedy so they are not as easy to chew as other berries but nonetheless, I enjoyed them.

Worried that the raspberries would go bad before we finished them all, we decided to try making some homemade jam. After looking at some recipes online, we got a general idea of ingredients to use and put together our own recipe. We decided to only use a small portion of our remaining raspberries because we were unsure as to how the jam would come out.

Raspberry Jam

1 Cup of Raspberries

2/3 Cup of Sugar

2/3 Tbs of Lemon Juice

Dump the raspberries in a medium sauce pot and mush them until they are evenly flattened and mashed against the bottom of the pot. Next, boil the raspberries with the sugar. Once the mixture starts to boil, add the lemon juice. Keep boiling until it gets to the consistency you like. Then pour it into a container and refrigerate until it is cool enough to eat.

Enjoy!

-Bri

Peaches

Peaches are perhaps the most fickle fruit I've yet tried. Maybe I'm just being picky, but the ones I had prior to tonight have been either too ripe, or not ripe enough. With the inconsistency of supermarket peaches, I suspect this is an easy mistake to make. Peaches that are not ripe enough are bland and have a difficult texture somewhat akin to a dry apple. Peaches that are too ripe have an overly slimy texture. I've learned to determine ripeness by smell and by firmness. Ripe peaches have an unmistakable, readily evident aroma, and give a bit when squeezed but aren't too mushy. The peach I bought tonight possessed such qualities and because I did not have to worry about the texture, I was able to focus on the taste. The best way to eat a peach, in my humble opinion, is just to grab it and take a bite of it. The skin adds a slightly annoying texture, but it is certainly tolerable. If not, it is easily peeled off with a knife. The taste of a peach is one of those which is too unique to easily describe in terms of familiar tastes. It is sweet, juicy (extremely so; have a napkin handy), and tangy and is truly one of the best hand-held fruits out there. The name of the variety I tried escapes me, but it was a standard shape and had a yellowish interior. There are various other cultivars out there too, such as donut peaches and eastern peaches, that I may well write about in the future.


-Anthony