Produce Briefs...
Maui Onions
Two characteristics set the Maui onion apart from other yellow onions: the high sugar and high moisture content of its flesh.
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Rainbow chard, also known a 5-color silverbeet, is a tender chard variety with multi-colored stalks of yellow, white, orange pink and red.
Seasons/Availability
Pepino melons make sporadic appearances in the marketplace from February into May. Check for availability.
Current Facts
The word "pepino" is Spanish for cucumber and appears to be universal with slight variations of spelling or added epithets, such as "pepino dulce" or sweet cucumber. Other names include tree melon and melon pear. This name "pepino" is also used in parts of South America for the cassabanana. It is the fruit of a small evergreen shrub. In fact, it is mis-labeled as a melon, when it acually is classified as a berry within the nightshade family, ie: tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants.
Description/Taste
The Pepino melon has a light-yellow to light-green skin, streaked with purple variegations. The flesh, when ripe is golden yellow with a narrow seed cavity. The pepino melon is entirely edible: skin, flesh, pulp and seeds. The yellow interior is fine-grained and sweetly aromatic, intensifying as it ripens. Its flavor can be described as a mix of banana and pear, with a slightly bitter bite. Its size is inconsistent and can be as small as a plum or as large as a papaya.
Applications
The skin of the pepino melon is edible but if tough and unpalatable it can easily be peeled away. Ripen at room temperature. Pair with lemons or limes, sweet basil, honey, chiles, chayote and coconut. Serve in fresh salads and sauces. Store ripe Pepino melons in a plastic bag in the refrigerator up to three days.
Geography/History
Native to temperate Andean areas of Chile and Peru, pepino melons are also cultivated in other regions of South and Central America, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Pepino Melon. One
is easiest, three is harder.
Pepino melons make sporadic appearances in the marketplace from February into May. Check for availability.
Current Facts
The word "pepino" is Spanish for cucumber and appears to be universal with slight variations of spelling or added epithets, such as "pepino dulce" or sweet cucumber. Other names include tree melon and melon pear. This name "pepino" is also used in parts of South America for the cassabanana. It is the fruit of a small evergreen shrub. In fact, it is mis-labeled as a melon, when it acually is classified as a berry within the nightshade family, ie: tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants.
Description/Taste
The Pepino melon has a light-yellow to light-green skin, streaked with purple variegations. The flesh, when ripe is golden yellow with a narrow seed cavity. The pepino melon is entirely edible: skin, flesh, pulp and seeds. The yellow interior is fine-grained and sweetly aromatic, intensifying as it ripens. Its flavor can be described as a mix of banana and pear, with a slightly bitter bite. Its size is inconsistent and can be as small as a plum or as large as a papaya.
Applications
The skin of the pepino melon is edible but if tough and unpalatable it can easily be peeled away. Ripen at room temperature. Pair with lemons or limes, sweet basil, honey, chiles, chayote and coconut. Serve in fresh salads and sauces. Store ripe Pepino melons in a plastic bag in the refrigerator up to three days.
Geography/History
Native to temperate Andean areas of Chile and Peru, pepino melons are also cultivated in other regions of South and Central America, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Pepino Melon. One
is easiest, three is harder.| Nuts About Fruit |
|
Pepinos A L'Orange |
| Exquisite Corner |
|
Pepino Melon Dal Curry |
