From Orchard to Table: Top Fresh Fruit Gift Ideas for Fall

Does someone you know have a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion coming up this fall? Or maybe you want to let a business associate or distant loved one know how much you appreciate them this Thanksgiving. You may even be wishing to gift a special child with an alternative to traditional Halloween candy that’s just as delicious, but much better for their teeth.

No matter what the occasion, boxes and baskets of fall fruits make great fall gifts. A gift basket from Hale Groves containing premium, farm-to-table fall fruit symbolizes the abundance of the harvest season. At a time of year when folks far and wide are celebrating fall traditions, in-season fruit is a memorable gift that fits every occasion.

Here’s a rundown of some of the fabulous fruit gifts available from Hale Groves this fall:

1. Plums.

If you want to send an order of our plump and juicy Empress Plums to a friend or loved one, you have to act quickly – available only during the month of September, our Empress Plums are a late summer, early fall gift. Such a brief season means you won’t see them in any of our fall gift baskets, but they’re great on their own and well worth planning for. Great for cooking as well as snacking on fresh, Empress Plums are a superfood, high in dietary fiber, potassium, and a variety of vitamins and antioxidants that will keep your digestive system running smoothly, your skin youthful, and your immune system functioning.

2. Apples.

A fall fruit gift basket wouldn’t be complete without apples, which vie with pumpkins as the quintessential fall fruit. Our Orchard Fresh Apples are sweet, crispy, fragrant and oh-so-satisfying. Apples from Hale Groves are not only wonderful to snack on fresh out of hand…these lovely fall fruits are also delightful in salads and baked goods (what would fall be without apple pie?). Our apples also make eye-catching centerpieces! Plus, they’re super healthy: apples contain powerful antioxidants, plenty of vitamins and minerals and are associated with lowering cholesterol and reducing skin diseases.

3. Pears.

While you’re planning fall recipes for crisps, pies and soups, don’t forget about our many varieties of pear! Attractive and delicious, pears are one of our most popular fall gifts, whether you plan to use them in fall arrangements, send them to loved ones as gifts, or lay in a supply for themselves. Pears are a healthful gift idea because they are a great source of vitamin C and fiber, are nutrient dense and can even help you feel fuller longer. Pear gift baskets are a good source of antioxidants, important in preventing cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. Pear gift baskets are also useful in holiday decorating to use in centerpieces, wreaths and even as place card holders.

Hale Groves is delighted to offer you a variety of fall pears. Here are our most popular:

• Bartlett Pears. Like our Empress Plums, our Bartlett Pears are an early fall fruit, available in September and October only. Named after the Massachusetts merchant who introduced them in the US, Bartlett Pears are fragrant and juicy with a smooth, buttery texture and sweet taste. They are popular for canning and cooking as they hold their shape well when heated.
• Starkrimson Pears. Available in October and throughout the holiday season, our Starkrimson Pears’ crimson color is a festive addition to a fruit basket, cheese board, salad or bowl of cereal. Inside the bright red skins, their sweet, juicy flesh is tender with a floral essence.
• Comice Pears. Available beginning in October, our Comice Pears are prized for their sweetness and juiciness. The creamy, silky texture of their flesh is so decadent you can actually eat it with a spoon! The tender, delicate flesh of the Comice Pear means it’s not a good cooking pear, but it’s a hit on charcuterie boards or in recipes that call for pureed pears.
• D’Anjou Pears. Named after the Anjou region in France, our D’Anjou Pears are exceedingly juicy and have a mild, sweet flavor with just a hint of tanginess. Their dense, firm texture makes them ideal for cooking, baking and poaching as they hold their shape well. They’re also great for snacking and sliced into salads. D’Anjou Pears are usually available beginning in November.

May we suggest: Perfect Pear Assortment, starting at $39.99. Not sure which type of pear would be the perfect fall gift? Surprise them with an assortment of our most popular pears!

4. Citrus.

Citrus fruits may not be the first thing people think of when they picture fall season fruit, many of the most popular citrus varieties come into season in November. And lucky for us that they do…with cold, wet weather comes winter flus, colds and viruses, and delicious, nutrient-packed citrus fruit is a great way to combat those nasties.

Our farm-to-table citrus fruits are far superior to what you’ll find in your local chain grocery store, because we make it our mission to offer our customers only the best fruits available. We pick our citrus fruits at the peak of the season, allow it to ripen fully on the tree, and bypass the cold storage facilities so it arrives at its destination perfect and ready to enjoy. That’s why a fruit basket or fruit gift box containing Hale Groves citrus is always a welcome gift. Baskets and decorative boxes full of bright navel oranges, grapefruit, and fall leaves are beautiful centerpieces for wedding receptions, baby showers, or other events. Sending fruit gifts containing Hale Groves citrus in the fall is a lovely way to celebrate the season and let your friends and family know how much you care about them.

• Grapefruit. Eating grapefruit every day is a great way to stay healthy as the cold weather sets in and cold and flu season starts. Low in calories and packed with vitamin C and other nutrients, a beautiful fall gift box of grapefruit is a great way to help your loved ones stay healthy. Whether they prefer Ruby Red Grapefruit, Sweet White Grapefruit or Dazzling Deep Red Grapefruit, your recipients will be astounded by the size, quality, and flavor of ours, which is so sweet that it blasts grapefruits’ bitter reputation to smithereens.
• Navel Oranges. Navel oranges are in season beginning in November. Tangy and sweet, these seedless beauties are one of the world’s most popular fruits, and when you taste one of our Grove Navel Oranges you’ll see why. Hand-packed and shipped to arrive at their peak of freshness, these brightly colored beauties always elicit a smile when they arrive on your recipients’ doorsteps. Our Grove Navel Oranges may seem like they’d be more at home in a holiday gift basket, but they’re perfect for a Thanksgiving basket, too, where their orange skins blend perfectly with other autumnal specialties.
• Tangerines. Smaller than other citrus fruits, tangerines have deep, red-orange skins that are thin and separate easily from the fruit. Our Honey-Sweet Tangerines are a special treat during the late fall, because the fruit’s flesh is lower in acid than most citrus fruits, making it sweeter and less tangy. Talk about a great, healthy alternative to sugary candy…kids especially love our tangerines because they have few seeds, are easy to peel, and are sized just for them!

Ready to surprise your loved ones with a fresh fruit gift this fall? Ordering our fall fruit gifts is easy on our website, which is available 24/7. When you choose to order through Hale Groves, you get the best seasonal fruit offerings from independent growers that put freshness, flavor and quality over ease and speed. We have fall gifts to fit any budget, so shop now for fruit gifts that everyone on your gift list will love!

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