This Season
by Lauren LaBelle
We asked Ralph and Denene Luccheti, owners of the Fruit Bowl, a favorite local Stockton fruit stand and bakery, about what we can expect to find in our own fruit bowls this season. Lucky for us, these summer months are the peak agriculture harvesting time here in San Joaquin County. Here are a few locally-grown favorites to look out for…
 Peaches-
The right time to pick these sweet beauties is when they are round, reddish blush in color on a yellow or green background, smell like peaches, with medium-soft flesh. The fruit on the outside of a peach tree will often ripen five to ten days earlier than fruit toward the middle of the tree.
Nectarines-
These fruits are very similar looking to peaches. They have the same coloring, and also share the signature pit in the middle of the flesh. However, nectarines are differentiated by the fact that they have no “fuzz” on the skin, and also may have a spicier taste than their fuzzy cousin.
Tomatoes-
These fruits—often considered a vegetable—are loaded with healthy reasons to make them part of your daily dishes. Loaded with vitamins C, A, and B, tomatoes also fight cancer with the anti-oxidant Beta-carotene, and lycopene which is linked to reducing prostate cancer in men. Surprisingly, one medium sized tomato carries as much fiber as one slice of whole wheat bread.
Corn-
Just the mention of this golden vegetable makes our mouths water while reaching for a toothpick, simultaneously. With the many ways to use this sacred vegetable, like as ethanol or in corn oil, we still like eating it slathered with butter and salt the best (preferably while pretending to be a type-writer). Did you know that each ear of corn has five hundred to twelve hundred kernels?
Apricots-
While California produces 95 percent of all apricots in the U.S., San Joaquin County has the most acres (17,000) dedicated to apricot orchards in the state. When picking out the perfect apricot, choose a fruit that is plump, firm, yellow-orange to orange in color. Avoid the green ones that won’t ripen.
Watermelons- (Use as big Big one on right side)
When ripe, these large juicy fruits make the perfect summer snack. Their peek harvesting season is in August, and California is the third largest watermelon producer in the United States behind Florida and Texas, respectively. This fruit, which is 92 percent water, is a good source of vitamins A, B6, and C, and also contains fiber and potassium. When selecting a good melon, choose one that is heavy, symmetrical, firm, and free of dents, cuts, and bruises.
Strawberries-
According to the California Strawberry Commission, if all the strawberries produced in California this year were laid berry to berry, they'd wrap around the world fifteen times. These red fruits are a great way to get fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and folic acid which is reccomended to expecting mothers to help develop brain fuction in their babies.
Recipe:
(Courtesy of National Watermelon Promotion Board)
Kung Pao Watermelon Shrimp
2 tablespoons peanut oil
6 garlic cloves, sliced
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 cup dry roasted and salted peanuts
1 cup prepared Kung Pao sauce
2 cups chopped watermelon
Heat the oil in a large heavy sauté pan or wok over high heat . Sauté the garlic for 30 seconds and then add the shrimp. Stir-fry until the shrimp begin to cook and plump up. Add the peanuts and sauté another 30 seconds. Reduce heat to low and add the sauce. Simmer just until shrimp are cooked. Remove from heat. Stir in watermelon and serve immediately. Serves 6.
Sources: Michigan Peach Sponsors, http://www.michiganpeach.org/facts/facts.htm
Florida Tomato commitee: http://www.floridatomatoes.org/
Iowa Corn Growers Association www.iowacorn.org/cornuse/cornuse_20.html#uses
Apricots producers of California http://www.apricotproducers.com/html/consumrecpe.htm
www.watermelon.org
www.calstrawberry.com
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