Episode 078 - Best Fruit to Buy in February

In episode 078 learn what fruit you should be looking out for in the grocery store during the month of February.

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You can listen to this podcast episode below or listen on any of these podcast players - Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts. If you would prefer to read the text, you will find a transcript below.

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Hey everyone,

We are moving on the 2nd month of the year now. So it's time to talk about what types of fruit you should be putting in your grocery cart this month.

Before we get started if you are loving these fruit pick episodes, please let us know by contacting us at eric at eatlikenoone.com or heading over to your favorite podcast player and leaving us a 5 star review. This helps support this podcast and I am grateful for your help. Alright let's get to the episode.

Citrus is still going strong right now, so we got to start with that. Last month I had the opportunity to tour the historic packinghouse of Noble Citrus in the heart of Winter Haven, Florida. Their president Quentin Roe gave me the grand tour and shared with me their Juicy Crunch Tangerines. And oh my goodness. The fruit is amazing. Juicy but not messy, super sweet with a bold tangerine flavor. If you find them, don't hesitate to give them a try. The season is short and this is the last call for them.

Sumo Citrus mandarins are still going strong. Have you tried any yet? Large as a Navel but easy to peel like a mandarin. Their rich flavor keeps me coming back for more.
If you haven't gotten any yet Blood oranges are rocking right now. I love to use them in recipes like homemade sherbet or sorbet, a blood orange-strawberry jam, in salads, and more. They are my favorite types of orange to work with due to their sweet, yet acidic flavor, and unique color.

🎧 Listen to Episode 071 - When to Find Blood Oranges

Let's talk about apples now. Recently I picked up a bag of Wild Twist apples at Publix. Wild Twist combines the flavors and crunch of the Honeycrisp and Pink Lady. They are grown in both Pennsylvania and Washington. Watch out for them all winter along with Cosmic Crisp apples and Sugar Bee apples. Both of these varieties are consistently crisp and good right now.

As far as berries I am loving strawberries this month. For Valentine's day you will be able to find long stem strawberries in stores. The longer stems makes them better for dipping in chocolate. For an unique strawberry experience look for the white Pineberry strawberries.

Also Driscoll's has their Sweetest Batch Strawberries which you got to try. All of their Sweetest Batch berries really are sweeter than the regular ones they sell. Look for the label on the packages.

I didn't expect to be talking about cherries this month, but last week I was at the Fresh Market and they had these New Zealand Red Envy cherries in a beautiful box. I decided to try them out and I was shocked at how good they were. A rich deep cherry flavor with the right amount of snap to them. As good as anything I get during the height of the domestic cherry season.

Lastly I wanted to share a fun fruit that isn't widely available but it's one I love - the Valentine Pomelo. A pomelo is a like a grapefruit. It actually pre-dates the grapefruit. It doesn't have the strong bitter taste a grapefruit does. This particular Pomelo is actually a cross between a Pomelo, blood orange, and a mandarin. Unlike other Pomelos or grapefruit you can actually peel and eat the segments without the need of a grapefruit spoon! The inside is red like a blood orange and it has some of that flavor while still tasting like a Pomelo. I hope someday they will be easier to find.

🛒 Before You Checkout

What you need to know before you checkout at the grocery store or market:

Your best prices on fruit in the stores is going to be on citrus and strawberries. That is where you will find the most sales. I would avoid grapes right now. Quality and price are not great but things will be better on that front come March. It's also when one of my favorite grape varieties of shows up. Make sure to listen to next month's episode to find out what it is! If you signed up for our email list you will be notified when the March episode comes out.