Fruits

Jan

02

Quick, Easy, Healthy Tips to Add More Fruits and Veggies to Your Diet

Farmers Markets / Fruits / Local Foods / The Produce Lady  Posted by

Happy New Year! As we move into 2013, we want to make you aware of our many resources that are designed to help you eat more fruits and vegetables, which are key contributors to good health.

We recently posted new videos to our website. You can now learn more about chestnuts, herbs and figs as well as find nearly 50 videos on fruits, vegetables and other farm products that pair well with produce. From apples and blueberries to turnips and zucchini, we have fresh ideas for you and your family. We also include videos on goat cheese, grass-fed beef and lamb as well as other farm products.  Each video shares information on how to select, prepare, store and preserve fresh-from-the-farm items.

We hope you’ll sign up for our monthly e-newsletter. Our January 2013 issue highlights some of the research being conducted by the N.C. State University Plants for Human Health Institute at the N.C. Research Campus.  Subscribe to the newsletter and read more about the benefits of greens, broccoli, strawberries and blueberries.  The e-newsletter includes a “What’s In Season?” list and a recipe or link to recipes along with other useful information.

We also provide regular updates on Facebook. Friend us to get updates on new resources.

One of the best things you and your family can do for better health is to eat more fruits and vegetables. The Produce Lady team hopes our quick, easy, healthy tips will help you in the coming year!

By Leah Chester-Davis, Coordinator, The Produce Lady Program

 

Nov

16

Gifts Your Friends and Family Will Be Thankful to Receive

CSA / Farmers Markets / Farms / Fruits / Local Foods / The Produce Lady  Posted by

Thanksgiving is such a lovely time of year.  I look forward to time with friends and family and, of course, the Thanksgiving feast.  We in North Carolina are blessed to have an abundance of local food sources nearby.  No doubt, you can find most of the fixings for your family celebration from local farms or markets.  More and more farmers markets are now open year-round, or at least every other week during winter.

I made it a personal policy several years ago to have all of my Christmas shopping done before the Thanksgiving holiday.  I absolutely abhor crowded streets, malls and shopping centers after Thanksgiving. They make me more Grinch-like than I like.  I’m now in the process of ordering North Carolina food items to give as hostess gifts or to include as an ensemble in gift baskets.  Last year, I purchased small jars of BusyBee Farms sourwood honey to give as hostess gifts. Everyone thought I was sweet.

Here are a few items on my list this year for gift-giving.  I wish I could list every food item available because there are so many good ones.  I hope this list will get you thinking about some alternative gifts this year.  Buying from our local farmers will benefit people right here in the state. Just think what a boost to local economies it would provide if we spent just a portion of our holiday giving on locally raised food. And who doesn’t love something delicious to savor or to share with friends and family?

  • One of the North Carolina-raised food products that I discovered this year was Sunburst Trout.  I love it.  I enjoyed some delicious dishes made with the trout at the Blackbird Restaurant (which recently moved from Black Mountain to Asheville) and the Morning Glory Café in Black Mountain.  Sunburst Trout Farms have been around since 1948.  They have a number of products, from exotic rainbow trout caviar and smoked trout dip to smoked trout fillets. Visit www.sunbursttrout.com/products.
  • North Carolina apples are delicious.  I particularly love the Pink Lady variety.  I know most of us are going to get our fill of sugar-laden sweets so I’m going to fill a beautiful basket of apples and tie it up with a pretty bow to share with the ministers and staff at my church.  I bought a big box of apples at Davis & Son Orchard last weekend.  They’ll be a pre-Thanksgiving gift!  Visit www.davisandsonorchard.com or for an orchard that may be closer to you visit the North Carolina Apple Growers Association website.
  • Sweet potatoes are king in North Carolina, perhaps because we’re the nation’s top producer of these nutrient-rich holiday staple. A perfect appetizer to add to any gift basket is Polka Dot Bake Shop and Millchap Bakery’s sweet potato crackers.  Pair them with some goat cheese from SleepyGoat Farm or one of the many other goat farms and you have a winner!  These crackers won the Gold Sofi – specialty outstanding food innovation – award at the Fancy Food Show in Washington.  Charlotte’s Polka Dot Bake Shop and Millchap Bakery also sell sweet potato granola with cranberry and almond.  These goodies are available at The Fresh Market, Earth Fare and Whole Foods as well as their bakery in Charlotte and the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market.  Learn more at www.millchap.com.
  • Herbs pair well with fresh produce and freshly baked bread.  Perfect little packages of bread dipping herbs are available from the Running Pine Herb Farm.  You can order them and many other local food items at www.piedmontlocalfood.com.
  • North Carolina pecans covered in dark chocolate is a match made in Heaven. Well, actually, Gibsonville.  High Rock Farms makes these delectable treats along with chestnut bars and other goodies.
  • A fun idea, any time of year, is to fill a gift basket with fresh finds from your local market and print out a few recipe ideas from www.theproducelady.org. Head to a friend’s house and prepare a meal together!

There are barbecue sauces, pasta sauces, muscadine salsas, peanuts, and many other items.  And don’t forget North Carolina wine!  Find a list of vineyards and wineries at the North Carolina Wine Growers Association. I’m also going to look for fruit-flavored vinegars.  The Produce Lady (Brenda Sutton) recently shared a bottle of blueberry vinegar with me from Running Pine Herb Farm and it was delicious in a light vinaigrette.  This list could go on and on.  These are just a few that I particularly enjoyed this year.

For more ideas from farmers and vendors across the state, visit the Got to Be NC Agriculture General Store. Other sites to explore for ideas are Piedmont Local Food and Foothills Fresh. Some farms are now making gift certificates available. If all the options make your head spin, purchase a gift certificate and let the recipient select their own goodies!

With my shopping almost done, I can truly enjoy the holidays!  Happy Thanksgiving!

By Leah Chester-Davis, Coordinator, The Produce Lady Program

Aug

20

An Apple for Teacher (and Students too!)

Farmers Markets / Fruits / Ideas for Children / Recipes / The Produce Lady  Posted by
apple_logo_rainbow_fruit

The start of a new school year is an exciting time for children and parents. It brings new teachers, old friends, fresh school supplies and an opportunity to adjust the family routine. If the lazy days of summer brought about a few lazy habits in the kitchen, now is a great opportunity to renew the commitment to offer healthy foods for a healthy family. Meals don’t have to be difficult. Visit The Produce Lady recipe page for quick, easy-to-prepare, healthy recipes the whole family will enjoy.

While we tend to focus on three meals a day, don’t overlook the after-school snack. Whether your kids will be enjoying some free play or buckling down for homework immediately after school, refueling their minds and bodies is essential. Remember to keep healthy snacks in a kid-friendly location, but discourage turning this snack into a supper spoiler. One way is to pre-portion the snack foods. Keep a designated water bottle in the fridge for each child to curb the reach for a sugary drink.

Fresh produce is a great snack by itself, since it’s often naturally available in a single-serve portion, like oranges, apples, bananas or peaches. Berries and grapes are easily doled out as well, just make sure all fresh produce is washed prior to eating. If you need to add a little kick to the fruits or veggies, try these kid-tested, Produce Lady-approved after-school snacks.

APPLE STACKS

  • 1 apple
  • 5 tbsp. peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp. raisins
  • 5 tbsp. granola
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon

Wash and core apple. Slice crosswise to make 10 thin apple disks. Spread 1 tbsp. of peanut butter on 5 of the apple disks. Sprinkle raisins, granola and cinnamon over peanut butter. Top each loaded apple disk with one of the 5 remaining apple disks. Serves 2.

PEACH FREEZE

  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup sliced peaches (they can be either fresh or canned; if using canned peaches, use peaches packed in their own juice instead of syrup)
  • 1 tsp. sugar

Pour the milk into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid. Pop the “milk cubes” out of the tray and put them into the blender. Add the peaches and sugar to the blender. With the lid in place, blend on high speed until everything is mixed together and smooth. Pour your peach freeze into 4-ounce serving dishes and serve right away. Serves 3.

MUMMY BONES

  • 1 8-inch whole wheat or flour tortilla
  • 1 tbsp. peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp. strawberry jam or apple sauce
  • 3 tbsp. raisins or cranberries
  • 1 large banana

Spread peanut butter on one side of tortilla, then add strawberry jam or apple sauce. Sprinkle with raisins or cranberries. Wrap the tortilla around peeled banana and cut in half.

VEGGIE BOWLS

  • 1 green, yellow or red pepper, washed
  • 1 bunch of celery, washed
  • 1 carrot, washed and peeled
  • 2 tbsp. favorite salad dressing

Cut the pepper in half and remove seeds. Set one half aside to use as your bowl. Cut the other half into narrow slices. Cut the carrot and celery into narrow sticks about four inches long. Put salad dressing in the bottom of your pepper bowl. Arrange celery sticks, carrot sticks and pepper slices in the pepper bowl. Serves 1.

FRUIT BLAST SMOOTHIE

  • 1/2 cup nonfat milk
  • 1/2 cup nonfat vanilla or plain yogurt
  • 1 cup frozen unsweetened fruit, such as blueberries, strawberries or peaches
  • 1 tsp. honey

Put all the ingredients into a blender. Process until smooth. Serves 2.

FROZEN FRUIT POPS

  • Assorted fruit (grapes, apples, pears, peaches, strawberries, melon, etc.)
  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice

Slice the fruit into small wedges and skewer them onto a Popsicle stick, like a shish kebab. To prevent discoloration, generously brush on a mixture of honey and orange juice. Freeze in an airtight container. Serves 4.

May

22

Fruits and Veggies on the Grill

CSA / Farmers Markets / Farms / Fruits / Local Foods / Recipes / The Produce Lady  Posted by

The Produce Lady (Brenda Sutton) grills peaches.

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. It’s time to get out of the kitchen and fire up the grill! While meat may get the most attention during grilling season, don’t forget how easy (and healthy and delicious) it is to grill fruits and veggies. You will be introduced to a new level of flavors. As the moisture evaporates from the fruits and vegetables as they are grilled, the flavor becomes more concentrated and the sugars become more condensed, which intensifies the sweetness and flavor.

You’ve probably heard of a one-pot-meal, consider the options for a one-grill-meal. Find recipes for grilled corn-on-the-cob and grilled peaches on The Produce Lady website. Don’t forget to watch the peach video as these summertime favorites begin to ripen. If you’re new to grilling produce, we’ve got some great tips to help you get started.

Grilled peaches are delicious on spring greens with shaved Parmesan cheese.

  • Wash all fruits and vegetables (including the rinds/skins) prior to preparing. Cut pieces large enough to not fall through the grill grate, or use skewers or a grilling basket for small fruit or small pieces. Leave the skin on for an extra boost of nutritional value and to help softer fruits maintain their shape.
  • Use indirect heat (the outer edges of the grate) for fruits and use medium heat for vegetables, cooking until fork tender. See the chart below for suggested cooking times.
  • Spray grill grate with a non-stick cooking spray prior to heating the grill and brush fruits and vegetables with olive oil to keep fresh produce from sticking to the grate.
  • Keep in mind that it will take longer to cook harder vegetables, like potatoes or winter squash, compared to softer vegetables, like peppers and onions.
  • Seasoning fruits and vegetables with coarse sea salt before grilling will draw out extra moisture intensifying its sweetness and flavor. Experiment with different herbs and spices on both fruits and vegetables to discover surprising new flavor combinations.
Fruits Suggested Grill Times
Apples Cook for 30 to 45 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.
Apricots Cook for 5 to 6 minutes.
Figs Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, turning once.
Melons (firm fleshed) Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until hot throughout, turning frequently.
Nectarines Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.
Peaches Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.
Pears Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until pears are tender, turning once.
Plums Cook for 2 or 3 minutes per side. Cook with cut side down first and then turn to skin side.
Vegetables Suggested Grill Times
Asparagus Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until crisp tender, turning once.
Bell Peppers Cook for 6 to 10 minutes, turning once.
Carrots Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until softened but still slightly firm. Turn occasionally.
Chili Peppers Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, turning once.
Sweet Corn (in husks) Cook for 20 to 30 minutes turning frequently.
Sweet Corn (no husks) Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, basting frequently.
Eggplants Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.
Fennel Cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
Garlic Cook for 30 to 35 minutes, turning several times. Do not char.
Leeks Cook for 6 to 10 minutes, turning once. Char on both sides.
Mushrooms Cook for 6 to 10 minutes, turning once.
Onions, Dry (yellow, white, red) Cook halves and quarters for 20 to 30 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Cook 1/2 inch thick slices for 6 to 10 minutes, turning once.
Onions, green Cook for 4 to 5 minutes turning frequently. Lightly char on all sides.
Potatoes (Whole with skins) Cook for 35 to 45 minutes, turning occasionally.
Potatoes (Halved and peeled) Cook for 15 to 20 minutes turning occasionally.
Squash – Summer(Crookneck, Pattypan, Zucchini) Cook halves for 15 to 20 minutes, turning often. Cook ½-inch slices for 4 to 5 minutes per side.
Squash – Winter(Acorn, Butternut, Hubbard) Cook for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.
Cook halves for 30 to 40 minutes.
Sweet Potatoes (Whole with skins) Cook for 40 to 45 minutes turning every 15 minutes.
Sweet Potatoes (Peeled slices) Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once.
Tomatoes(Whole) Cook for 15 to 20 minutes with the tomato right side up.
Tomatoes (Slices) Cook for 2 to 3 minutes over indirect heat and then move to direct heat and cook for 1 minute on each side. Overcooked tomatoes will fall apart.
Tomatoes (Cherry) Cook for 3 to 5 minutes over indirect heat and then move to direct heat and cook for 1 minute on each side.

Source: www.grillingtips.com

May

17

Join the Food Revolution

CSA / Events / Farmers Markets / Farms / Food Preservation / Fresh Produce Safety / Fruits / Ideas for Children / Local Foods  Posted by

May 19, 2012, is the inaugural Food Revolution Day. It’s a day for people who love food to come together in various ways to share information and highlight the world’s food issues. People can connect through events at schools, restaurants, local businesses, dinner parties and farmers markets. The mission is to promote better food and better food education that will inspire people, including children, to form healthy food habits. It’s a global event with more than 41 countries participating. There are many events scheduled in North Carolina. You can find one near you by visiting http://foodrevolutionday.com.

Food Revolution Day is not just about purchasing healthy foods, like fresh fruits and vegetables. Without food education, including how to prepare fresh foods and assemble tasty recipes, people tend to turn to processed foods or fast food convenience with little regard to nutritional value. Kitchen basics help children and adults gain familiarity with their food. How to wash greens, knowing whether or not a vegetable needs to be peeled, proper knife handling skills for chopping or mincing, and basic food safety measures are just a few of the culinary arts that can encourage fresh, from-scratch meals. The Produce Lady videos are a great resource that addresses these preparation techniques and demonstrates simple, nutritious recipes for each item of featured produce.

A trip to the farmers market is entertainment for some, certainly not a chore (though I suspect most folks consider a trip to the grocery store a “must do” rather than a “want to”). The bright colors of fresh produce are artful to even the worst cook. The farmers market atmosphere offers a unique opportunity for learning about where your food comes from. Talk with the farmer if you’re curious about an item. A few questions that might help you gain insight include: How long does it take to grow this? Does it grow underground? Does it grow on a vine? How long will it be in season? What’s your favorite way to prepare this? Bring the kids with you to the farmers market and encourage them to complete The Produce Lady’s Farmers Market Treasure Hunt (just download and print the activity sheet).

One of the suggestions for Food Revolution Day is to host a dinner party. Sounds like a fantastic Saturday to me! Plan a menu around what’s seasonally available from your local market (check The Produce Lady website for recipe ideas) and invite your friends over for a great meal. Invite them to come early and get in on the food preparation. It will be a great opportunity to start a discussion about the need for a food revolution in your community, in your child’s school or in your own kitchen.

Feb

22

Quickest Way to a Person’s Heart

Fruits / The Produce Lady  Posted by
Heart

February is American Heart Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in America, claiming more than half a million lives each year.

HeartObesity is a key contributor in developing heart disease, but fighting obesity by incorporating a healthy diet can seem daunting and downright impossible to some. So this month we want to share tips and cooking ideas to help you give your heart a hand!

An Apple A Day

The old adage is true, and fruits and vegetables can make for a healthier person. Fortunately for all of us, N.C. apples are still available. Low in calories and loaded with fiber and vitamin C, apples promote healthy teeth, bone and skin, plus they’re good for your vision. The skin is ripe with antioxidants, so try not to peel apples to gain the maximum health boost.

Apples make for a perfect on-the-go snack and are excellent when eaten “as is”: unpeeled and raw. All apples are not created equal (though they’re all pretty darn good). Some are better for eating fresh, some for cooking and others for sauce. Visit our apples page to see a chart advising which apple to use for what. The video shares information on selecting, storing and preparing apples. You have to start somewhere, and a good old-fashioned apple may be just the place.

Heartfelt Work

Researchers with N.C. State University’s Plants for Human Health Institute are hard at work investigating what makes a couple of super heart-healthy foods so good for us while discovering ways to enhance their health-protective properties. We’re talking about blueberries and broccoli.

Dr. Mary Ann Lila, institute director, and her team are looking at the phytochemicals (compounds in blueberries) that confer human health benefits when the berries are eaten. By identifying those compounds and how they work together, Dr. Lila hopes that medical doctors may one day prescribe doses of fruits to treat chronic conditions like Parkinson’s or diabetes. But why wait? She recommends adding at least one-half cup of blueberries to your diet daily! Learn more about blueberry research at the Plants for Human Health Institute by watching this video featuring Dr. Lila and The Produce Lady.

And we must not forget our vegetables. Dr. Allan Brown, a molecular geneticist with the institute, wants to improve broccoli and, in the long-term, human health. He is identifying the compounds in broccoli that are associated with certain health benefits, such as cancer preven­tion, and aims to produce a broccoli that contains even more of these nutritious compounds. Learn more about broccoli research at the Plants for Human Health Institute by watching this video featuring Dr. Brown and The Produce Lady.

Contributed by Justin Moore

Jan

09

Taking Control of Your Resolution to Eat Healthier in the New Year

Farmers Markets / Fruits / Recipes / The Produce Lady  Posted by
myplate

The new year offers us an opportunity to start fresh and take another step toward better health. For many folks, that step may be losing weight, eating healthier, exercising or a combination of all the above. A worthy cause to be sure, but as Time Magazine pointed out earlier this year, dieting is one of the most commonly broken New Year’s resolutions! We’re here to share some advice to help keep you on the healthy track in 2012.

Plan for Success

It’s been said before, but one of the best ways to improve your diet is to incorporate more fruits and vegetables every day. Without putting pressure on yourself, assess a typical weekly eating plan. How many fruits and vegetables do you eat for each meal? If fresh produce doesn’t make up half of your plate for every meal, then you’re skimping on your health. (USDA’s My Plate program and Super Tracker service are a great help!) It also could be helpful to develop a daily eating plan that gradually increases the amount of fruits and veggies in your diet (two extra servings/day for first week, three extra servings/day for the second week, etc.) until you’ve reached your goal.

Know Yourself

Part of the problem with maintaining a healthy diet resolution (in our opinion) is the amount of pressure people put on themselves to make as quick and dramatic a change as possible. It’s OK to allow yourself a treat from time to time (you’ll earn it!) so long as you develop and grow healthy habits and consistently include more fruits and vegetables in your diet. Just because you indulge in a soda or enjoy a piece of cake at work (it would be rude to refuse, right?) doesn’t mean your diet is shot and you should revert back to your 2011 ways. While discipline is certainly important, it’s more important to be mindful of what works for you or else this New Year’s resolution could be resolved by Groundhog Day.

(See our New Year’s 2011 post for five simple guidelines to maintain a resolution for a healthier diet. The Hoppin’ John recipe is a Southern favorite and could bring you good fortune!)

Another common issue we hear is that it’s too time consuming to shop for and prepare healthy, home-cooked meals. It doesn’t have to be this way! As with anything, careful planning goes a long way.

Take control, be strong and have a happy, healthy New Year! Be sure to check out the January 2012 newsletter to see our program’s “Year in Review.”

Oct

20

A is for Apple: Encouraging Acceptance of Fruits and Vegetables with the Help of Applesauce

Fruits / Recipes  Posted by

For new parents, the introduction of solid food is a major milestone — one that we marked several months ago. Starting with rice cereal, we methodically progressed toward fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins; from purees to chunky mashes to bite-sized finger foods. We’re working on a spoon and fork now, which has proven to be quite messy. My son, Luke’s, first foods included sweet potatoes, bananas and green beans. But it was applesauce that became a special favorite.

You see, sometimes new foods, whether for reasons of taste or texture, were met with trepidation. The first couple bites were usually easy, but then he would clamp shut, no matter what sort of spoon airplane antics we tried. Applesauce became our “reset” food. When the new food would be refused, we’d simply shift our attention to the applesauce. After a couple eager bites of applesauce it seemed his palette was “reset” and accepting of the new food again. If he continued refusing the new food, another method was to scoop half a spoonful of the new food and half a spoonful of applesauce together so that the applesauce masked the taste of the new food. Trickery? Perhaps. But it worked and Luke was exposed to a healthy variety of textures, flavors and nutrition.

A half-cup serving of unsweetened applesauce offers 20 percent of the daily recommended value of vitamin C and five percent of the daily recommended value of fiber. I was careful to select unsweetened applesauce since it has half the amount of sugar as the “original” applesauce recipes, which are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.

Making applesauce is pretty

easy as well. For a small batch, peel, core and slice four large, naturally sweet apples. Place in a crock pot with ¼ cup water and cook for six hours. Use a mash with a fork for a chunkier version, or blend in a food processor for a smoother texture. I found the single-serve cups available at the grocery store were convenient for travel and eating out. Applesauce is easy to swallow, but provides more texture than most baby food purees. (Remember: Whole fruit it best for maximum nutritional value, while juice should be avoided due to its high sugar content.)

We have progressed to table food now and Luke seems to like all the healthy foods he’s been exposed to from avocado to greens. And these days his favorite snack is a fresh apple. He only has seven teeth, but tiny bite by tiny bite, he can eat an entire apple to the core.

Oct

06

Go Crazy Over Crocking

Fruits / The Produce Lady  Posted by

About a month ago, there was a blip in the social media sphere. A trio of busy moms who practiced what they dubbed, Crock Pot Mondays, started a Facebook page to share crock pot recipes among friends. They expected the page to garner 40 or maybe 50 “likes.” As of today, the “Crock Pot Girls” page boasts 1.2 million “likes.” The phenomenal response was shocking. Who would have expected that so many Facebook friends were clamoring for crock pot recipes?

(Left to right) Leah Chester-Davis, coordinator of The Produce Lady program, and Brenda Sutton, "The Produce Lady," prepare a crock pot meal during a video shoot.

While roasts and chili may be the traditional crock pot fare, the slow cooking method is suitable for fruits and veggies as well. And I’m not just talking about the potatoes and carrots you throw in with the roast.

Apples are a crock pot favorite, from baked apples to apple sauce to apple butter. As the apples cook, they fill the house with the scent of fall. Or get a little more adventurous and try a side dish of cabbage and apples. The crock pot isn’t just for all day cooking culminating in supper. Warm spiced fruit including peaches, pears and cherries are the perfect complement to a granola and yogurt breakfast. These softer fruits only require two hours on high for crock pot perfection. Of course some crock pots now come with timers to set the start time (for example, to start 2 hours before you plan to wake up) and most shift to a “Warm” setting once the set time and temperature have elapsed.

The crock pot can also cook up a vegetable soup or side dish with ease. Glazed sweet potatoes, stuffed winter squash and even a fresh tomato marinara sauce can cook to perfection in a slow cooker. Creamed corn is a family favorite through the winter (using the sweet corn we froze at its peak in summer, of course), and any leftovers are perfect for vegetable soup. In fact, here’s a tip for a no-fuss vegetable soup:

As you cook those fresh vegetables through the summer and you have leftovers that never seem to get eaten, dump them into a large freezer container. When the container gets full, transfer to the crock pot, add some stock and enjoy a unique soup chock full of summer goodness.

Aug

12

Melons are Must-Eat Summer Fruits

Fruits / Recipes  Posted by

We are fortunate to have so many wonderful fruits and vegetables available at our farmers markets in North Carolina, even during these dog days of summer! Butter beans are in season, grapes are ripening on the vine, peaches wrap markets in their sweet aroma, and mouth-watering melons line market stalls across the state. There is a scrumptious selection of melons this time of year, including cantaloupe, watermelon and a relative newcomer, the sprite melon.

Each of these delicious melons is in season from roughly late-June through August, offering a cool respite from the summer heat. Before cutting into any watermelon or other melon, wash it under cold running water. As with any fruit or vegetable, make sure you refrigerate cantaloupes, sprite melons and watermelons after you cut them. We’ve developed a web page and video for each of these fantastic fruits, which provide tips for selecting, storing, preparing and preserving them.

Short on time? Try this sweet Sprite Melon Mousse:

  • 1 ½ cups sprite melon
  • 2 cups fat-free whipped topping
  • Salt, to taste

Mash sprite melon and sprinkle with a dash of salt. In a bowl, mix with whipped topping. Spoon the mixture into a container and freeze. To serve, spoon into a dessert dish and garnish with mint leaves. Sweet, refreshing and delicious!

Watermelon Research

Research is under way at N.C. State’s Plants for Human Health Institute, located at the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis, on multiple projects that utilize watermelon to address human health concerns.

Dr. Penelope Perkins-Veazie (left in photo), a postharvest physiologist (a scientist that studies fruits and veggies after they have been picked), takes a particular interest in watermelon. She is studying lycopene – the pigment that gives watermelons and other produce, like tomatoes, their red color – and its health benefits. Lycopene is found in only a few fruits and may be able to slow certain harmful effects of aging and chronic disease. Perkins-Veazie also is working with watermelon breeders to ensure that new varieties are more uniform in sweetness, color, lycopene content and firmness. Check out www.plantsforhumanhealth.ncsu.edu for the latest research and extension efforts, including news and resources from our program!

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