Specific foods often make us think of specific seasons – apples, pumpkins, cinnamon or corn may evoke images of colored leaves and crisp fall weather, while blueberries, strawberries and cherries might turn our thoughts to 4th of July celebrations and hot summer days. But what season does citrus make you think of? With their bright colors, fresh scent and invigorating tangy-to-tangy-sweet flavors, Citrus fruits like Navel Oranges, Ruby Red Grapefruit and Honey-Sweet Tangerines might bring to your mind thoughts of sandy beaches, swaying palm trees, bright blue skies and brilliant sunshine. Sinking your teeth into the flesh of a juicy…
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Continue ReadingYou may have been seeing plums in stores for a month or so, now, but our plums – Empress Plums from Hale Groves – reach their peak in September. Before we focus on just how special Empress Plums are, we’ll answer a few questions about plums in general: What is a Plum? Like peaches, cherries, nectarines and apricots, plums are drupes, or stone fruits. Drupes grow on trees. A drupe is a fleshy fruit containing a single hard pit or “stone” that holds the fruit tree’s seed. Drupes don’t section like citrus fruits, but they usually have a vertical seam…
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Continue ReadingSeptember will soon be here…and so will Empress Plums from Hale Groves! Empress Plums are pure, plummy perfection, but plum season is (alas) quite short, so you will want to make sure you don’t miss it. Also known as Italian Prune Plums, Empress Plums are less round than other plums (more egg-shaped, in fact), with thin, purple-blue skins that turn purple-red when cooked and dense yellow flesh that’s juicy and sweet with just the right amount of tanginess. Empress Plums are also known as prune plums because – you guessed it – this is the variety most often used to…
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Continue ReadingWhat Goes Well with Plums? Have you been indulging your taste buds this summer with fresh, tangy-sweet plums? Plum season takes on new meaning in September, when Empress Plums are ready to eat! Empress Plums are the best plums when it comes to cooking (and eating fresh, too, but we may be biased). If you’ve never tried cooking with plums, we recommend you start – it’s easy to incorporate plums in a wide variety of dishes from sweet to savory, and you’re sure to love them! Not sure how to get started? Read on for some great plum tips for…
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Continue ReadingCherry season is here! Some fruits are available year-round in one form or another, but sweet cherries, alas, are only available during late spring to mid-summer, with their peak happening in early summer. This is a shame, because sweet cherries (like the famous Bing Cherry) are so darn delicious – grown in the Pacific Northwest, Bing Cherries are huge, glossy little stone fruits with juicy flesh so dark red in color it’s almost black. Perfect for snacking, these plump, jewel-like beauties are delightfully sweet, but not too sweet, with bright, tangy undertones that make them perfect for eating fresh. That’s…
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Continue ReadingFor the first time, Hale Groves is bringing you Farm-Fresh Nectarines, a stone fruit that’s a close cousin of the summer peach. Fresh nectarines look almost identical to fresh peaches, only their red-and-gold skins are smooth instead of downy, and their flesh is a little bit firmer and has a slightly citrusy flavor that peaches lack. Nectarine uses include standing in as a substitute for peaches in any recipe that calls for peaches – in fact, nectarines are a little easier to use in cooking because, unlike peaches, you generally don’t have to peel them first. Nectarines are available during…
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Continue ReadingInsomnia: it’s a name for a common sleep disorder that can include such symptoms as having trouble falling asleep, having trouble staying asleep, and/or an inability to get restful sleep. Just about everyone experiences insomnia from time to time, and it’s always unpleasant. Insomnia can make it hard to get up in the morning, leave you feeling sleepy during the day, decrease your efficiency at work, interfere with your daily activities, and even impact your mood, leaving you feeling irritable, depressed, and anxious. Serious cases of insomnia should be addressed with a sleep specialist, but if you experience only occasional…
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Continue ReadingThere’s nothing like that sweet-yet-tangy flavor of a Navel Orange. If sunshine had a taste, orange might be it! A fresh, navel orange is delicious on its own, but its unique taste can add a bright flavor to salads, soups and entrees, while orange candy, orange cookies, and cakes flavored with orange are perfect if you’re looking for a lighter, melt-in-your-mouth dessert after a heavy meal or when serving tea. Navel oranges are sweet, seedless and have excellent health benefits. These health benefits can be attributed to their high concentration of antioxidants and other health-promoting nutrients including vitamin C…
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Continue ReadingWe at Hale Groves are very excited to bring a new summer fruit to our lineup: Farm-Fresh Nectarines! Nectarines (like peaches, cherries, plums and apricots) are what’s known as a “drupe” or “stone” fruit. Stone fruits, which are fleshy, are so-called because they have a “stone” or pit at their center which houses the fruit’s seed. Here are some other facts about nectarines: Exactly what is a Nectarine? At first glance, nectarines may look identical to peaches, only with smooth skins instead of downy ones. In truth, peaches and nectarines are almost exactly the same in terms of genetics. Fresh…
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Continue ReadingThere’s been a growing trend in cold-pressed juicing in recent years. Most people view it as an easy way to get in their daily allotment of fruits and vegetables, which can be very helpful in our busy culture. While nothing beats the benefits of eating whole fruits (fewer calories, less sugar, more fiber), juicing is a great alternative for loading up on essential vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fibers that your body needs. Plus, it’s a good way to use up the excess fruit in your citrus gift basket! Most fruits are appropriate for juicing, but some are better than others…