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.
White Corn
White corn is a sweet corn variety. Its ears are wrapped in tightly layered pale lime green to white husks. One ear of corn can contain up to 400 kernels growing in rows lengthwise.
Seasons/Availability
Yali Pears are available from California from the middle of September until the middle of October. Imported Yali pears from China become available after and are harvested for two months.
Current Facts
Seldom tree-ripened, pears are picked when they are mature but still firm and green. If left to ripen on the tree, the flesh becomes mealy. As the pear ripens, starch converts to sugar, making their flesh softer, juicier and sweeter.
Description/Taste
Wrapped in a yellow-green skin and quite susceptible to bruising, Yali pears have a rather distorted pear-shaped body. Quite large for an Asian variety and aromatic, its flesh is crisp and moist.
Nutritional Value
Low in sodium, fat and calories, fresh pears have no cholesterol and provide a source of dietary fiber, vitamin C and folate.
Applications
Stir a chopped ripe pear into hot cereal or yogurt. Add thinly cut pear slices to enhance chicken sandwiches. Fill pear hollows with a tablespoon of low-fat cream cheese blended with chopped figs. Yali pears are delicious cooked and pair well with warm spices like cloves, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Arrange sautéed pear slices on thick slices of whole-wheat toast; sprinkle with grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese; broil just until golden. To store, keep at room temperature. Ripe pears may be refrigerated, but only for a day or two to prevent flavor loss.
Geography/History
Grown since ancient China and still a favorite in China, the Yali is an early blooming Asian variety requiring cross-pollination by other early flowering Asian varieties. Growing on trees that are carefully thinned and pollinated, these pears mature to ten or twelve ounces in weight. Most varieties require six hundred chill hours, but the Yali, a low-chill variety, requires only two to five hundred and fifty chill hours to produce quality pears.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Yali Pears. One
is easiest, three is harder.
Yali Pears are available from California from the middle of September until the middle of October. Imported Yali pears from China become available after and are harvested for two months.
Current Facts
Seldom tree-ripened, pears are picked when they are mature but still firm and green. If left to ripen on the tree, the flesh becomes mealy. As the pear ripens, starch converts to sugar, making their flesh softer, juicier and sweeter.
Description/Taste
Wrapped in a yellow-green skin and quite susceptible to bruising, Yali pears have a rather distorted pear-shaped body. Quite large for an Asian variety and aromatic, its flesh is crisp and moist.
Nutritional Value
Low in sodium, fat and calories, fresh pears have no cholesterol and provide a source of dietary fiber, vitamin C and folate.
Applications
Stir a chopped ripe pear into hot cereal or yogurt. Add thinly cut pear slices to enhance chicken sandwiches. Fill pear hollows with a tablespoon of low-fat cream cheese blended with chopped figs. Yali pears are delicious cooked and pair well with warm spices like cloves, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Arrange sautéed pear slices on thick slices of whole-wheat toast; sprinkle with grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese; broil just until golden. To store, keep at room temperature. Ripe pears may be refrigerated, but only for a day or two to prevent flavor loss.
Geography/History
Grown since ancient China and still a favorite in China, the Yali is an early blooming Asian variety requiring cross-pollination by other early flowering Asian varieties. Growing on trees that are carefully thinned and pollinated, these pears mature to ten or twelve ounces in weight. Most varieties require six hundred chill hours, but the Yali, a low-chill variety, requires only two to five hundred and fifty chill hours to produce quality pears.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Yali Pears. One
is easiest, three is harder.| Quasi Serendipita |
|
Ya Li Pear Chocolate Crumble |
| NYAMfood |
|
Fig and Asian Pear Salad |
| Chinese Soup Pot |
|
Double Steamed Asian Pear Almond Dessert Soup |
