Mangos, Pixies, and Wild Twist apples are just a few fruits I will be buying this month. In this episode I am going to help you pick out the best fruit in the month of April.
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I have said this in the past many times, April is my least favorite month for fruit. It's the tail end of the citrus season. Stone fruit is still a month. Apples are still the same varieties I have been talking about all winter and will continue to do so until the New Zealand varieties arrive. Domestic blueberry season is almost here but not quite yet in full swing.
April is a transition month with a lot of good fruits on the horizon. Let's see what it has to offer.
This is the best time of year to get mangos. The fruit is available year round but the quality and price is best in the month of April. The Yellow Ataulfo mangoes are the best for sweetness and texture. Whole Foods Market has carried Haitian mangoes in years past. They are larger than Ataulfo and are as sweet as candy.
As for grapes, what I am looking out for this month are Muscat Beauty grapes. They are light green grape with a rosy blush and a flavor that is unmatched. The best way I could describe it is fresh and floral. Don't pass these buy if you see them in your grocery store. They are imported from Chile.
Sadly citrus season is wrapping up. But the end has some pretty good offerings, starting with Ojai Pixie Tangerines. These naturally seedless tangerines tend to run smaller than other varieties but that doesn't mean they aren't sweet and full of flavor. They are grown north of Los Angeles, up in the mountain resort town of Ojai, California. I have visited there during the season and got to pick my own Pixie off a tree to try. Absolutely outstanding. The climate there produces amazing citrus. In fact, when they have grown the Pixie elsewhere it did not taste nearly as good.
More widely available are the Gold Nugget mandarins. They can range in size from average to gigantic. The quality isn't as consistent as the Pixies but they are worth checking out. You can find the at Kroger stores, often sold under their Private Selection label.
Speaking of Private Selection, last month I found a great sale on Wild Twist apples under that label. You should be able to find them all month at Kroger owned stores. They are a cross between a Honeycrisp and Pink Lady. I have been finding that the flavor hasn't been consistent from apple to apple, but the good ones I have had have been really good. And even the ones that didn't have as much flavor were still crisp.
The other two varieties of apples I think are still worth buying this month are EverCrisp and Cosmic Crisp. Both of them live up to their name. EverCrisp is better for those that like a sweet apple like a Fuji and Cosmic Crisp is better for those that prefer more tartness to their apples.
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