FRUIT
APPLES Delicious and crunchy apple fruit is one of the most popular fruits, favorite of health conscious, fitness lovers who believe in the concept “health is wealth.” This wonderful fruit is packed with rich phyto-nutrients that in the true senses indispensable for optimal health. The antioxidants in apple have much health promoting and disease prevention properties; thus truly justifying the adage, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
A non-citrus fruit, apple ranks second in production and value within the United States. Grapes are the number one fruit produced. Within Indiana, 4000 acres of land has been dedicated to the production of apples, and each acre, in the year 2002, yielded approximately 10,000 pounds of apples. Prior to 2002, production levels were around 12,000 pounds per acre. The total amount of apple production in Indiana in the year 2002 was 40 millions pounds of apples. Now that is many apples!
Apple Nutrition Facts
20% 11%
7%
Po ta m
ssiu
er
Fib
rate
Carbohyd
ry
eta
Di
2%
min
A
Vitamin
C
Vita
Ca lci um
8%
2%
Serving Size: 1 large apple (242g/ 8oz) Calories: 130
Chunky Apple Sauce
Chopped peeled tart apples
Ground cinnamon
Vanilla Extract
Brown Sugar
Directions In a Dutch oven, combine apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes or until apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Mash apples slightly if desired. Serve warm or cold. Yield: about 3-1/2 cups.
United States Apple Production Chart
Michigan 8% Pennsylvania 4%
California 9%
New York 10%
Washington 50%
World Apple Production Chart
Poland 4% Iran 5%
India 3%
France 5%
Argentina 4%
German 5%
Italy 5% Turkey 6% USA 12%
China 51%
The Apple Category
Braeburn
Cameo
Cortland
Fireside
Fuji
Gala
Ginger Gold
Golden Delicious
Grannysmith
Haralson
Honeycrisp
Jonagold
Tart flavor with tender texture
Sweet, mild flavor with tender, juicy texture
M c I n Tart toshflavor with
Paula Red
Pink Lady
Spicy sweet flavor with crisp texture
Mild, sweet flavor with crisp texture
Sweet, mild tart flavor with tender texture
tender texture
Sweet-tart flavor with crisp texture
Sweet flavor with crisp texture
Spicy sweet flavor with crisp texture
Slightly tart flavor with crisp texture
Red Delicious Sweet, mild flavor with crisp texture
Sweet, mild tart flavor with crisp texture
Supper sweet flavor with crisp, juicy texture
Tart flavor with crisp texture
Sweet, tart flavor with crisp, juicy texture
Sweet, rich flavor with tender texture
All apples are not created equal—at least when it comes to cooking vs. eating them fresh. But regardless of variety, they’re all good for you. A medium apple (3-inch diameter) contains 4 grams of fiber; a large apple (3 1/4-inch diameter) has 5 grams of fiber. Apples also offer a bit of vitamin C and potassium.
The Variety Chart of Apples Type/Purpose
Snacking
Salad
Pies
Sauce
Braeburn Cameo Cortland Fireside Fuji Gala Ginger Gold Golden Delicious Grannysmith Haralson Honeycrisp Jonagold Mclntosh Paula Red Pink Lady Red Delicious
Excelent Fine Not Recomended
Baking
Freezing
BANANAS
Wonderfully sweet with firm and creamy flesh, bananas come prepackaged in their own yellow jackets and are available for harvest throughout the year. The banana plant grows 10 to 26 feet and belongs to the same family as the lily and the orchid. The cluster of fruits contain anywhere from 50 to 150 bananas with individual fruits grouped in bunches, known as “hands,” containing 10 to 25 bananas
Go for banana fruit, nature’s own energy-rich food that comes in a safety envelope! Fresh, delicious bananas are available year around and in fact, one of the cheapest fruits. Botanically, the fruit belongs to the family of Musaceae. Commercially, it is one of the widely cultivated crops in the tropical and subtropical zones.
Banana Nutrition Facts 39%
20%
9%
Fat
ted
ura
Sat
m
Fat
siu
tas Po
15%
Vitamin C Ca
rbo
rat
e
in
am
Vit B6
er
Dietary Fib
Serving Size: 1 Banana (118g) Calories: 240
hy d
12%
10% 15%
Top 5 Banana Production Countries (in metric tones)
India
11,000,000
Philipines 3,560,800
China
4,812,530
Ecuador
5,000,000
Brazil
6,339,350
Banana Smoothie
A Banana
White Sugar
Milk
Ground Cinnamon
Vanilla Extract Egg
Directions In a blender, combine banana, milk, egg, wheat germ, honey, vanilla and nutmeg. Blend until smooth. Pour into a chilled glass and serve.
The Most 5 Common Kinds of Bananas in US
Cooking Bananas Cooking bananas, like plantains, are better thought of as potatoes than as bananas.
Lady Finger Bananas
steamed, fried into chips,
Lady finger bananas are smaller
and otherwise used like any
and sweeter than the ubiquitous
starchy vegetable.
Cavendish.
eete Sw
Mil des t
They can be roasted,
st
Williams Bananas Williams bananas are the same as Giant Cavendish. They are large, mild, and sweet.
Cavendish Bananas Cavendish bananas are the
Pisang Raja
most common variety. They are the long yellow, slightly
Pisang Raja bananas (here labeled “ra-
sweet bananas at supermar-
jah�) are popular in Indonesia, where
kets around the country.
they are often used to make banana fritters. They are also known as Musa Belle bananas.
ORANGES Orange is a tropical to semitropical, evergreen, small flowering tree growing to about 5 to 8 m tall and bears seasonal fruits that measure about 3 inches in diameter and weigh about 100-150 g. Oranges are classified into two general categories, sweet and bitter, with the former being the type most commonly consumed. Popular sweet-varieties include Valencia, Navel, Persian variety, and blood orange.
Nutrients in oranges are plentiful and diverse. The fruit is low in calories, contains no saturated fats or cholesterol, but is rich in dietary fiber, pectin, which is very effective in persons with excess body weight. Pectin, by its action as a bulk laxative, helps to protect the mucous membrane of the colon by decreasing its exposure time to toxic substances as well as by binding to cancer-causing chemicals in the colon. Pectin has also been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels by decreasing its re-absorption in the colon by binding to bile acids in the colon.
Orange Nutrition Facts
15%
12%
10%
Folate
Di eta
7%
ry
in
er
Fib
Potas s
am hi
T
ium
5%
8%
rate Carbohyd
in A
Vitam
Vitam
in B6 8%
Serving Size: 1 Orange (158g) Calories: 240
Orange Juice Production in US
Tropicana Owned by Pepsi Co. 65% US Market
Florida’s Natural 7% US Market
Minute Maid Owned by Coca Cola Co. 25% US Market
The other brands 3% US Market
Orange Cream Slush
Orange Juice White Sugar
Milk Ice Cubes
Vanilla Extract
Directions Combine the orange juice, milk, sugar, and ice cubes in a blender; blend until smooth.
Top 10 Countries in Orange Production
Brazil USA Mexico China India Spain Italy Iran Egypt Pakistan
Fun Fact: Navel oranges are named that because of the belly-button formation opposite the stem end. The bigger the navel in an orange, the sweeter it will be.
WATERMELON
Watermelon has everything you need to beat the scorching summer heat. Wonderfully delicious, thirst-quenching melons are the great source of much-needed water and electrolytes to beat the tropical summer temperatures Watermelon was originated from southern African countries and from where it spread to all over the tropical and subtropical regions. The plant bears many yellow colored flowers that may require honeybees for pollination. Externally, the fruit features smooth, deep green or yellow color thick exterior rind with light-green or gray colored vertical stripes all over its outer surface. Internally, the flesh is juicy, pink, red, or yellow with numerous small black seeds embedded in the middle third of the flesh. Watermelon has a neutral flavor, and tastes somewhat plain-sweet like light sugar syrup. Varieties of watermelon-fruits are cultivated world over, featuring variation in their size, shape, and color of the flesh (red, orange, and yellow).
Watermelon Nutrition Facts
21%
Serving Size: 1 cup of Watermelon (158g) Calories: 46
17%
2%
yF ibe
in A
1%
r
am
Iro n
r eta
Di
Vit
Vitamin C
2%
ium
Calc e
at hydr
4%
o Carb
The world largest Watermelon
1
The largest watermelon in the nation is at The Kentucky State Fair. The ribbon watermelon weighed in at 273.30 lbs. That makes it one of the five largest watermelons ever grown and the largest on record in the United States in this current growing season. The farmer behind the watermelon is Frank Mudd who is from Meade County, KY.
Watermelon Popsicle
Seeded Diced Watermelon
Fresh Lemon Juice
Fresh Raspberries
Light Corn Syrup
White Sugar
Directions Combine all ingredients in blender; puree until smooth. Strain into 2-cup glass measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Pour puree into Popsicle molds, dividing equally. Freeze overnight. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Keep frozen.)
Watermelon Nutrition Ratio
Proteins
Fats Carbs
Water
Besides tasting great and being low in calories because watermelon is mostly water, it is an excellent source of Vitamin C, which a major antioxidant. It has a high beta carotene concentration, thus offering a fair amount of vitamin A as well. Both beta carotene with vitamin A help support good eyesight and prevent glaucoma.
GRAPES Widely popular, grapes are regarded in many cultures as “the queen of fruits,� since centuries. These tiny berries are the storehouse of numerous health promoting phyto-nutrients such as poly-phenolic antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. No wonder why many of us include them as an integral part of our diet, be it in the form of fresh table fruits, juice, or in salads!
With a unique combination of crunchy texture and sweet, tart flavor, grapes have gained extreme popularity throughout the world. Grape is the second most popular fruit after oranges. It can be eaten as a refreshing snack as well as used in vegetable and fruit salads. It can be consumed in fresh or preserved form. It can be canned in jellies, crushed to prepare juices or wines and dried to prepare raisins. Grapes were introduced to America by the Spanish explorers approximately 300 years ago. Grape growing is one of the largest food industries in the world. Let’s know some interesting facts about grapes.
Grape Nutrition Facts
3% 10% 1% 2%
hyd ra
te
Fat
Iro
Ca
rbo
n
in
2%
am Vit
C
Dietary Fiber
cium
Cal
Vit
am
in A
2%
2%
Serving Size: 1 bag of Grapes (57g) Calories: 37
Top 5 countries in Grape Production in 2009 and 2010
10,000,000
8,000,000
6,000,000
4,000,000 China
Italy
US
Spain
France
Approximately 71% of world grape production is used for wine, 27% as fresh fruit, and 2% as dried fruit. A portion of grape production goes to producing grape juice to be reconstituted for fruits canned “with no added sugar” and “100% natural”. The area dedicated to vineyards is increasing by about 2% per year.
Grape Wine
75-100
1 - 1.5
5-7
5 - 6.5
Snow Grapes
Sour Creme
Seedless Grapes
White Sugar
Vanilla Extract
Cream Cheese
Directions Remove grapes from stems, rinse, and set aside to dry. Mix together the sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Fold in grapes until evenly coated. Chill overnight before serving.
PINEAPPLES One of the most prized and popular fruits, pineapple or “ananas” has an interesting history to narrate. The ananas plant is actually native to Paraguay in South America. It spread by the local Indians up through South and Central America and to the West Indies. Later, it was brought to Spain when Columbus discovered Americas’ in 1493, from where; it spread to rest of the world by the sailors (just like tomatoes) who carried it for protection from scurvy wherever they went.
Pineapple is a tropical, perennial, drought-tolerant plant that grows up to 5-8 ft in height and spreads around about three to four ft. It is essentially a short, stout stem with a rosette of waxy long, needle-tipped leaves. The plant bears several long, oval to cylindrical fruits during each season from March until June.
Pineapple Nutrition Facts
20%
Serving Size: 2 slices 3� diameter, 3/4� thick Calories: 50
in
am
Vit C
2%
Carbohy
drate
4%
Calci
um
min
Vita
A
4%
Iron
Di et
ary
Fib
er
2%
2%
Top 5 countries in Pineapple Production
The rest of the world
China 9.68% Brazil 13.41% Thailand 12.14% Costa Rica 12.51%
Philipines 13.74%
Baked Pineapple
Crushed Pineapple
White Sugar
Tapioca Milk
Egg
Ground Cinnamon
Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Whisk egg in a bowl; mix pineapple, milk, sugar, and tapioca into egg. Pour mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven until sauce has reduced, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
6 Fun Facts about Pineapples
1. Each pineapple plant only produces just one pineapple per year. 2. If you want to speed up the ripening of a pineapple, so that you can eat it faster, then you can do it by standing it upside down (on the leafy end). 3. Traditionally pineapple juice was used as a diuretic and to induce labour. 4. When you cut up a pineapple at home, you normally chuck the skin, core and ends in the bin. The pineapple canning industry doesn’t though, these bits are used for making alcohol, vinegar and animal feed. 5. Traditionally pineapple juice was used as a diuretic and to induce labour. 6. Pineapples grow slowly, and can take up to two years to reach full size, so we pick and eat them when they are much smaller, but if they are left to their own devices they can reach up to 9kg (20lbs).