# Seasonal fruit appreciation thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 31, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961 "2010-12-31T16:37:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/1 "2010-12-31T16:37:02Z")
There are those fruits that are available all year round. This thread isn’t about them. This thread is about those fruits that are only properly available during certain seasons. Sometimes, they’re simply not at the stores outside of a brief window; other times, they’re only really _good_ for a short time of the year, even though they’re available year-round I made my annual crop of calls to local grocery stores, and **blood oranges** are finally here! It feels like I’ve been waiting for years and years, even though it’s only been 10 months. I have a similar response to the first fragrant peaches of the year. So, what else does everyone wait for impatiently? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/2 "2010-12-31T16:44:39Z")
There is a short time at the height of summer when, if you live near us Puerto Ricans, you can have all the [quenepas](http://www.flickr.com/photos/ext212/852808623/) want. ---
**Author:** ![tpatsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tpatsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tpatsfan)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/3 "2010-12-31T18:47:09Z")
pomegranate. I can never remember when it is in season tho. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/4 "2010-12-31T22:06:06Z")
Apricots. They’re in season now, and I’m gorging on them. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/5 "2010-12-31T22:16:22Z")
Blackberries! When I was a little girl I loved to pick blackberries on my grandparents’ farm. I got to gorge myself on the berries, and my grandparents got several hours of child labor for free. Good times. ---
**Author:** ![Raskolnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Raskolnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raskolnikov)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/6 "2010-12-31T22:20:01Z")
Navel oranges, available in winter and throw in the related Clementines as well. So good, naturally sweet. I can sit down and eat 4 navel oranges in a row! ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/7 "2010-12-31T23:01:37Z")
Good cantaloupe is _delightful_. Unfortunately, it’s only really good about three weeks out of the year! In-season, local strawberries are excellent, too. Fortunately, they have a slightly longer season than cantaloupe. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/8 "2011-01-01T00:52:43Z")
[Ugli/Uniq Fruit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugli_fruit). I can usually find it starting early December and until March or so. It’s easy to peel, the fruit practically floats in the skin. But it’s kind of annoying getting to the actual fruit once it’s peeled. But, it’s so worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/9 "2011-01-01T01:11:32Z")
I used to have a patch of Black Raspberries in my backyard (sold house in 2003). Damn, I loved that. I could walk out in the morning, pick a handful and eat them before leaving for work, and then more when I got home, then more a couple of hours later. I loved the way they riped that way, so that there was always a constant supply available. ---
**Author:** ![tpatsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tpatsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tpatsfan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/10 "2011-01-01T02:43:12Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > Blackberries! When I was a little girl I loved to pick blackberries on my grandparents’ farm. I got to gorge myself on the berries, and my grandparents got several hours of child labor for free. Good times. My Grandparents didn’t have a farm but they did have blackberries are raspberries in their back yard when they lived locally so we loved to pick them when we were little. But they moved when I was about 7ish… ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/11 "2011-01-01T09:36:13Z")
Bah! I haven’t had a decent piece of fruit in years. In season or not. I even thought about starting a thread about it when my wife bought some peaches that were hard as stones. Nothing has any flavor anymore. Apples all taste the same. The only difference is color and texture. Pears? Fuggetaboutit! Break your teeth biting into one. Banannas? Taste like chemicals. Strawberries? Half green and spoil in 2 days! Lemons and Limes are okay I guess, but you just use them for the juice anyway. The last time I enjoyed any fruit was when I visited the Philippines and had Mangoes, Banannas, and Coconuts straight from the tree. You just can’t get anything good in Chicago no matter what the season. ---
**Author:** ![lshaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e36b37/32.png) [@lshaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lshaw)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/12 "2011-01-01T10:15:38Z")
> [@tpatsfan](#): > > pomegranate. I can never remember when it is in season tho. October to December, I believe. I love pomegranates as well. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/13 "2011-01-01T10:26:57Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > Bah! I haven’t had a decent piece of fruit in years. In season or not. I even thought about starting a thread about it when my wife bought some peaches that were hard as stones. Nothing has any flavor anymore. Apples all taste the same. The only difference is color and texture. Pears? Fuggetaboutit! Break your teeth biting into one. Banannas? Taste like chemicals. Strawberries? Half green and spoil in 2 days! Lemons and Limes are okay I guess, but you just use them for the juice anyway. The last time I enjoyed any fruit was when I visited the Philippines and had Mangoes, Banannas, and Coconuts straight from the tree. You just can’t get anything good in Chicago no matter what the season. I get organic produce boxes from Newleaf. Good stuff, and I had never realized how different apples of different varieties tasted until I started getting these. I never had a persimmon before, either (yum) (or a kumquat, or a kiwi berry). This store does as much local seasonal stuff as they can, but does supplement the box with stuff from all over, from Florida to California, to Mexico, to keep the variety rounded and especially in winter. Staples of apples, oranges, and bananas for sure, pears in winter which usually need a week on the table to get soft. But everything is delicious! There are several places to get organic produce in Chicago these days - without going to Whole Foods for it. Irv and Shelley’s Fresh Picks delivers to your doorstep, as does Newleaf but not in as many neighborhoods. I got blood oranges in last week’s, and this week’s box! ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/14 "2011-01-01T20:35:01Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > There is a short time at the height of summer when, if you live near us Puerto Ricans, you can have all the [quenepas](http://www.flickr.com/photos/ext212/852808623/) want. I had those once! It was seven years ago during a week long trip to Puerto Rico. I only had a couple but I’ve wanted to try them again since! I wish we could get them here…☹ ---
**Author:** ![tpatsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tpatsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tpatsfan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/15 "2011-01-01T21:52:04Z")
> [@lshaw](#): > > October to December, I believe. I love pomegranates as well. Well I guess I missed it but thank you. There is always next year!! I will check next time I go to the store. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/16 "2011-01-01T21:59:38Z")
> [@nikonikosuru](#): > > I had those once! It was seven years ago during a week long trip to Puerto Rico. I only had a couple but I’ve wanted to try them again since! I wish we could get them here…☹ New York City in June, July and August. They sell 'em on the street. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/17 "2011-01-01T22:54:11Z")
Mmmm, clementines. I won’t pay more than $5.99/box for them, which gives me a month or six weeks to enjoy them every year. Cherries, too, are tasty and affordable for a very short season. Strawberries are getting better and better; we had a good two months of tasty berries from the store last year (we’ve tried growing them, but the deer are a problem). Our rhubarb is good in the late spring, but it freezes so well, it hardly feels seasonal. Gooseberries too. And then peach season in mid to late summer, when we always order up a half-bushel from down south, and they arrive so juicy that we have maybe 48 hours to gorge on them and freeze the rest. Friends of ours have some interesting varieties of apple trees, and bring us big boxes of different kinds of apples in the fall, when they’re ready. I really enjoyed making “artisanal varietal” apple sauces this year. The apples from our own tree are the best and sweetest I’ve ever had, though, they make a sauce as soft and smooth as baby food. And yes, I think that’s a good thing. My husband likes to forage, and he takes advantage of the black raspberry, blackberry, elderberry, and sumac in the area. They come on in approximately that order… and the crabapples come along about the same time as the blackberries and elderberries, for jam making. The black raspberries are by far my favorite of that lot; much sweeter and less seedy than wild blackberries. I know of a row of really good mulberry trees that beat everything else, though. The fruits are so soft and juicy and sweet, and taste the way I always thought wine should taste. Bliss. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/18 "2011-01-02T04:03:53Z")
This season? I don’t know about other places, but here winter is the only time you get good clementines. I like the taste of oranges, I do, but I usually don’t eat them because they’re so messy. Clementines are really easy to peel (and snack-sized, too!), so they make up about 90% of my citrus consumption. Year round. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/19 "2011-01-02T05:00:26Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > Bah! I haven’t had a decent piece of fruit in years. In season or not. I even thought about starting a thread about it when my wife bought some peaches that were hard as stones. Nothing has any flavor anymore. Apples all taste the same. The only difference is color and texture. Pears? Fuggetaboutit! Break your teeth biting into one. Banannas? Taste like chemicals. Strawberries? Half green and spoil in 2 days! Lemons and Limes are okay I guess, but you just use them for the juice anyway. The last time I enjoyed any fruit was when I visited the Philippines and had Mangoes, Banannas, and Coconuts straight from the tree. You just can’t get anything good in Chicago no matter what the season. Until your last line I was guessing you were from Alaska! In my first few weeks down here, I went to one of those roadside stands, and just could NOT get over getting a delicious bag FULL of real fruit for $2.42. You’d pay that for an apple that traveled up the Alcan. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2011, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961/20 "2011-01-02T05:07:03Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > New York City in June, July and August. They sell 'em on the street. I live near Detroit. ☹ I’ll keep my eyes peeled at the local market during those months, hopefully they sell them! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seasonal-fruit-appreciation-thread/565961.md?page=2)