Adventure Produce

Delicacy:

An item highly revered by some, and highly disdained by others. (Angela Russell Dictionary)

For today’s final Adventures in Produce feature, I’ve decided to feature a delicacy of fruits: the durian.

The durian is a most unusual tropical fruit, native to Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. I spied it for the first time at my H Mart. These giant, spiky fruits were resting in a freezer in the produce department and I was oh-so-curious.

Turns out, the durian has a rather strong smell.

(Image from Tribe)

In fact, the odor can be so strong that some Asian establishments have banned its presence entirely. (If you think I’m bluffing, just you watch this National Geographic clip on YouTube!)

To be honest, I was more than a tad nervous to try this fruit for the first time. But I knew it would be perfect for this series! So what did I do? I threw a party. Yes, a durian tasting party.
Now I purchased this durian frozen, so I had to let it defrost a couple days prior to the Big Day. I decided to let it defrost in my garage, lest the smell permeate my fridge.

When it came time to hack into it, I decided to do so outdoors, just in case. I had to hurry, because it was starting to rain. Although spiky, it was surprisingly soft. It did take a little knife work to separate it though. Then of course, I went in for a whiff.

I won’t lie. It wasn’t pleasant. But it wasn’t bad as I’d expected.

Here is what it looks like inside:

I think this partly looks so odd because I did a not-so-hot job of slicing through it. You can see some properly cut durian images over at Wikipedia.

Extricating the fruit was disturbing as it seemed almost “fleshy” or like a brain. I can genuinely say I’ve never encountered anything in my produce department quite like the durian. Here is what the fruit looked like once removed.

Now who do you suppose took the first bite? If you guessed me, you guessed wrong. My lovely friend Cassandra had her small son with. We let him be the guinea pig.

Believe it or not, I do think he asked for seconds! At this point I figured, if the little guy can be brave, I can be brave too.

So ready for my tasting experience?

Well, I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the durian.

However, it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared. It definitely tasted like fruit. But it also tasted like onions. So fruit and onions. The texture was also quite interesting. I should also mention that I completely recognize that a fresh durian may have a different taste and texture. And should I ever get the chance to re-try this fruit fresh, I will.

Because I’d read that durian might be tasty as a smoothie, I made one on the spot using banana, milk, and cinnamon.

Only my friend Cassandra took a sip.

Honestly, I wasn’t feeling too hot at this point. In addition to durian, I’d decided to have a bit of a potluck. I made brownies and served canned rambutan, and my friend Misty made fondue. I think it was all a bit much at 10 in the morning. So I sat on the sidelines come smoothie time.

Misty decided that the durian shell looked like a hedgehog. Which then inspired an impromptu craft session. Meet Mr. and Mrs. Durian.

One final tidbit about the durian. It’s touted as an aphrodisiac. One site I stumbled uponsaid there is a saying in Singapore: “when the durians come down, the sarongs go up.” Now this is a little hard to believe, considering the strong smell and taste, but there you have it.

And there you have it, my friends. This month I’ve tried 31 interesting fruits and vegetables in my travels of several local produce departments. Tomorrow I would like to share with you a few things I learned during this adventure.

I hope I’ve entertained and inspired you this month! If so, I would love to hear from you! And I would love to hear if you’ve tried the durian too.

(A huge thank you to my lovely friend Cassandra for photographing this event. Please take a moment and stop by her blog - you’ll find Cassandra is a phenomenal photographer, but she also has a way with words, too.)

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Today’s Adventures in Produce feature is a fruit that has been long enjoyed in Asia, and has been getting increased attention here in the West. The goji berry.

Goji berries, sometimes called wolfberries, are hailed by some as one of the most nutritious foods you can eat.

One website I found had this to say:

Goji is said to contain more vitamin C than oranges, more beta-carotene than carrots, and more iron than steak.

Some studies also show that goji berries provide possible health benefits for those with cardiovascular and vision diseases, among others. Goji berries have been touted as an “anti-aging” food because of their amazing antioxidant properties. Some suggest goji berries are an excellent food in the prevention of cancer, and other studies indicate that goji has the ability to hault the spread of cancer.

Whether or not all these claims are true, the fact of the matter is goji berries are chalk full of essential vitamins, minerals, and even offer a bit of protein!

They are usually sold dried overseas. You can simply pop them in your mouth and eat them:

They kind of reminded me of green tea at first. I am not sure why, but they did. They also were quite chewy, not as soft as a raisin. But after a few bites, I was hooked on their unique flavor and texture. My four-year old son took quite readily to them, too!

As with many forms of dried fruit, you could serve them:

• In granola
• As a yogurt topper
• In a smoothie

When I added them to a smoothie this weekend, I couldn’t even detect their flavor. This morning I tried adding them to oatmeal. I decided to cook them with the oats to plump them back up.

This made the flavor a bit mellower, and sweet. It was very good! Of course, you could always add them after the oatmeal has cooked, too.

Another favorite preparation is steeping the goji berries in hot water to make a tea. Others will make a juice.

My conclusion? I think I’m sold on the nutritional value of this fruit! After discussing with my husband, we’ve decided to purchase at least one goji berry bush to add to our garden this year. I’ll be sharing more about the garden in the next few weeks.

I should also mention that goji berries can be expensive. I’ve seen a single bag at Whole Foods for about $10. You can also sometimes find them in bulk bins.

The best deal I’ve found so far? Amazon!

I found a 2-pack of organic goji berries for $11.69 after the 15% Save & Subscribe option. This works out to $5.85 a bag. Still, not the cheapest item you could buy. But a good value over what I was finding in the stores. (Let us know if you have a cheaper option still!)

Tomorrow will be my LAST installment of this series, and trust me, you don’t want to miss it. I hope you’ve enjoyed this as much as I have! For all the features, please visit my Adventures in Produce page.

Have you tried goji berries? How have you eaten them? I’m also curious if anyone is growing these?

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Today’s Adventures in Produce selection was something I’d been actually warned to leave well enough alone. I didn’t.

The Indian bitter melon.

Commonly referred to as the karela, the Indian bitter melon is technically a fruit. However, do not begin to think of canteloupe, watermelon, or any other kind of melon you’ve ever tried. True to its name, the bitter melon is, in fact, bitter. Wikipedia states that it is “among the most bitter of fruits.”

In spite of its bad reputation, the karela is actually an extremely nutritious fruit and has been used for many medicinal purposes. In addition to offering a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, some studies show that the karela may be helpful for those diagnosed with HIV and leukemia.* However, it is not recommended during pregnancy.

Now when I went about looking for how to prepare this fruit, I was perplexed. Many of the recipes I found were very complex and involved a litany of exotic sounding ingredients. So, I decided to make up my own. I decided on a stir fry, since that theme came up quite a bit. I also decided to incorporate Indian spices, since it is often eaten in India.

First I rinsed it, and then gently removed the knobbiest knobs with a peeler (for lack of a better description).

I removed the seeds and insides, and then boiled it for a few minutes in water and salt.

Then I started my stir fry. I used some frozen mix and a carrot. (It’s what I had.) I decided to spice it up a little with coriander, curry, garlic powder, ginger, and turmeric. It smelled very fragrant.

Now one thing I’d read is that karela can quickly flavor an entire dish bitter. So when I stumbled on this site and read this helpful tip:

PUT THE BITTER MELON IN AS THE LAST INGREDIENT, and MAKE SURE NOT TO STIR THE POT.

I decided to follow it.

As you can see from the photo above, I gave my bitter melon its own special “section” on my pan. When I went to plate this meal, I put the veggies on first, and then topped with the karela.

So…the moment of truth.

How was it?

Yup; it was bitter. And it’s a fair assessment to say it’s the most bitter fruit or vegetable I’ve ever tasted. However, it was not loathesome. While I can’t say I’d crave it on a daily, or even weekly basis, it’s nothing to be scared of. It reminded me of the most bitter green tea I could imagine. Having the sweet carrots with it certainly helped. I managed to eat about half of it.

As I was eating it, the thought did occur to me this would be an excellent item to threaten your child with. “Bobby, so help me, if you don’t clean your room by 5, you are eating an ENTIRE PLATE OF RAW KARELA.” Hmmmmm….

For more fruits and vegetables, please see my Adventures in Produce page.

Have you ever enjoyed the Indian Bitter Melon? Like it? Hate it? Tips for cooking it?

* I am not a medical person of any kind. This is what I read on the Internets. Please refer to your doctor before starting a regime of karela in place of any medical treament.

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Today’s Adventures in Produce feature would be a good choice if you’re just wanting to start experimenting with different produce. Starfruit.

Aptly named, this fruit reveals a fun star shape when cut. I found mine for $1.50 at Fred Meyer.

The true name of this fruit is carambola and it is native to the Philippines, Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka. It is also grown in other parts of the world including Florida and Hawaii.

As you might have guessed, this fruit is high in vitamin C, like many other citrus fruits. Another thing to note is that much like grapefruit, consuming starfruit may have certain interactions with medications, so please take care.

This fruit is extremely easy to prepare. Simply wash and slice. No peeling necessary. I did remove the seeds for my son.

My son ate a few pieces raw.

Mommy made a grown-up version layering Greek yogurt with honey, cinnamon, and orange cranberry granola with the starfruit.

How did the starfruit taste? Well, it sort of reminded me a little of a tart orange or tart grape. It is definitely not as sweet as other citrus fruit you might buy.

I think it would make a lovely addition to a fruit salad. I also think it would be a fun item to pack in your child’s lunch (along with a rambutan, of course).

For more fruit and vegetables in this series, please see my Adventures in Produce series.

Have you ever tried starfruit? How else have you enjoyed it?

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Today’s Adventures in Produce feature is one of those vegetables I’ve been hearing more and more about. Kohlrabi. Even the name sounds cool, like the sort of vegetable you want to know about.

Kohlrabi is a root vegetable that smells and tastes like a mild version of cabbage. Kohlrabi is also an extremely nutritious vegetable high in fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin C, among other things.

As I’d never tried it, I was uncertain of the various ways I could prepared it. I found this Kohlrabi Fitter recipe over at A Hungry Bear, and it reminded me of the potato pancakes my family sometimes made growing up.

Start by rinsing and peeling your kohlrabi.

Next, shred it. Use towels to sop up the added moisture.

Then you add an egg, minced onion, and a couple tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix well.

Heat some olive oil in a pan and then drop the fritters by spoonful.

When the bottoms get browned after 3-4 minutes, flip them. At this point, I realized mine weren’t “sticky” enough. I know you’ll do a better job!

Here are the better ones from my batch:

This was an interesting recipe. I can’t say I loved it, but I didn’t quit after a couple bites, either. I think it would be an interesting companion dish to an omelette. I’d also be curious to try mixing 1/2 kohlrabi with 1/2 potato in this recipe. I do plan to keep my eye out for tasty ways to cook up kohlrabi.

Incidentally, I had a very difficult time finding this vegetable at my store. I looked at Winco, Fred Meyer, Whole Foods, and Metropolitan Market before finally finding it at H Mart. When I spoke with a produce person at Whole Foods, I was told it comes in season late summer. You may watch for it then for the freshest, local crop.

For more fruits and veggies, please see my Adventures in Produce page.

How else have you enjoyed kohlrabi?

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