Grapefruit often gets a bad rap as a so-called “diet” food, unbearably bitter and a chore to eat. But you shouldn’t dismiss this citrus super food out of hand…apart from being supremely healthy, grapefruit adds a crisp, refreshing taste to many recipes. And if its reputed tartness has scared you off in the past, don’t let it – instead, get to know the sweet varieties you’ve been missing! What’s the sweetest grapefruit? Nothing against white grapefruit, but the fact remains: the redder the flesh, the sweeter the grapefruit. The first truly red grapefruit was found growing on a white grapefruit tree…

Mandarin, clementine, tangerine, oh my! If you’re looking for a healthy, kid-friendly treat your child will love seeing in his or her lunchbox, look no further than the clementine (or clementina, which means “clementine” in Spanish). There are quite a few types of orange citrus fruits to choose from, and you may notice that the mandarin tangerine and clementine look very similar. Both are hybrids of mandarin oranges, but the clementine is especially appealing to young snackers, and here are four great reasons for adding them to your child’s diet: Clementines are sweet. Does your child have a sweet tooth?…

Are Cara Cara Oranges Good For You? This Berry-Like Citrus is a Healthy, Tasty Treat! Ordinary oranges? Look again – cara cara navels may look like your garden-variety navel oranges, but inside they’re hiding a surprise! Just What is a Cara Cara Orange, Anyway? Nowadays you’re most likely to spot a cara cara orange tree in California, but the cara cara was first discovered in Venezuela during the 1970s. The cara cara navel is actually a cross between two navels, believed to have developed as a spontaneous bud mutation. On the outside it looks like most navel orange varieties: medium-sized, round…

How these related citrus fruits are alike – and how they’re not. Ever hear of a pomelo? If you love the taste of grapefruit, you owe a debt of gratitude to this lesser-known Southeast Asian citrus fruit, because it’s grapefruit’s director ancestor…grapefruit are actually a hybrid resulting from crossing pomelos with oranges. This relationship is probably at least part of the reason why grapefruit are sometimes erroneously referred to as pomelos, but while the two citrus fruits have many similarities, they’re also very different. Here’s how these two related fruits compare with one another: How Grapefruit and Pomelo are Different…

With so many different types of pears to use for baking, cooking and just plain snacking, pears are a naturally sweet, tasty and healthful treat. It’s no wonder that, on average, pears are growing in popularity as a wholesome, versatile pantry staple. It wasn’t that long ago that we’d have to wait patiently for harvest season to enjoy the bounty of pears that appear in markets (which is why orange and pear gifts in one’s Christmas stocking were once considered rare and luxurious treats). But thanks to improved transportation and storage methods, pears are available all year long—somewhere in the…

There more than a thousand varieties of pears available. Among the most common are the Anjou, Bosc, Comice, Barlett, Concord, Seckel, and Ferrel. Not all pears ripen at the same and some get soft as they ripen like the Comice and Bartlett, while other varieties like Concord and Bosc remain firm. A pear that is meant to be eaten soft will not have much flavor when it’s hard or unripe. Pears for Cooking You can eat a pear straight out of hand although some varieties are good to eat when cooked like Bosc and Bartlett pears. Difference between Bosc and…