What is the most buzzworthy variety of fruit or vegetable that you have experienced/seen in the last year? What makes it special?
That was the question I posed to the 27,000-member strong LinkedIn Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group about a week ago. I loved hearing the diverse thoughts on this question, and you will too.
Here are a good number of the responses so far:
- Red Kiwi by https://www.zespri.com/en-US cant wait for it to hit the US.
- Rambutan. I was recently quite surprised to find some in Trader Joe’s that were just about the juiciest, tastiest I have had. Qualities are somewhat similar to lychee but far less perfumed and thus may have a wider appeal, particularly to kids.
- Orange, sweet, hydrating
- Kiwi Berries!!! If you like grapes you’ll love Kiwi Berries!
- Definitely pink pitaya - it’s just so beautiful so it feels special to eat. And it’s blown up on social media because it’s very ‘photogenic’ with it’s under-the-sea-like exterior. Its also a fast-growing update to acai in bowls and a staple in the clean eating community. It’s delish and full of antioxidants, too!
- Jack fruit. Although it has a terrible aroma it eats like candy.
- I had a great experience with Picasso melons. Also, Pazazz apples have been my go to this year.
- Chinese eggplant. Got an incredibly simple recipe for angel hair pasta with roasted eggplant and split cherry tomatoes. As they say in NYC, “it’s to die for.”
- Organic Golden Melons. Yellow on the outside red on the inside.
- I’ve seen many chefs being very innovative with carrots this year! Glazed, grilled, sweet, savory - I have even seen a chef use it in their crepe recipe and another used carrots to make a spiced carrot dip. They are pulling out all the stops to shine light on this humble vegetable. Also, seeing many different colors of carrots being used to draw more color into a dish!
- I really was thrilled with the Sumo mandarins this year. It might be a little embarrassing if I added up how much money I spent on them when they were in season! But I reason that fresh fruits and vegetables are the best use of my money on most occasions.
TK: Since it seems we won’t see much sampling of fresh produce at grocery produce departments because of persistent COVID worries, let these comments guide us to new taste experiences with fruits and vegetables.
I
