Apples

Apples are the most widely cultivated tree fruit. China is responsible for almost half of the world's apple production. Common varieties of red apple include; Red Delicious, McIntosh, Granny Smith, Empire, and Golden Delicious. The slightly more acidic green apple or cooking apple varieties include; Gravenstein, Grimes Golden, Jonathan, and Newtown.

Look for: Firm, crisp, well-coloured apples. Flavour varies in apples, depending on the stage of maturity at the time the fruit is picked. Apples must be mature when picked to have a good flavour, texture, and storing ability. Immature apples lack colour and are usually poor in flavour. They may have a shriveled appearance after being kept in storage.

Grapes

European types are firm-fleshed and generally have high sugar content. Common varieties are Thompsoncseedless (an early, green grape), Red seedless (anearly, red grape), Tokay and Cardinal (early, brightred, seeded grapes), and Emperor (late, deep-red,seeded grapes). These all have excellent flavour when well-matured.
American-type grapes have softer flesh and are juicier than European types. The best variety for flavour is the Concord, which is blue-black when fully matured. Delaware and Catawba are also popular.

Look for: Well-coloured, plump grapes that are firmly attached to the stem. White or green grapes are sweetest when the colour has a yellowish cast or straw color, with a tinge of amber. Red varieties are better when good red predominates on all or most of the berries. Bunches are more likely to hold together if the stems are predominantly green and pliable.

Oranges

Orange is a tropical to semitropical, evergreen, small flowering tree growing to about 5 to 8 m tall and bears seasonal fruits that measure about 3 inches in diameter and weighs about 100-150 g. Oranges are classified into two general categories, sweet and bitter, with the former being the type most commonly consumed. Popular varieties of the sweet orange include Valencia, Navel, Persian variety and Blood Orange.

Look for: Firm and heavy oranges with fresh, bright-looking skin which is reasonably smooth for the variety.

Grapefruit

Grapefruit often have skin defects such as scales, scars, thorn scratches, or discolouration. This usually does not affect how the fruit tastes.

Look for: Firm fruits, heavy for their size, are usually the best when eaten. Thin-skinned fruits have more juice than coarse-skinned ones. If a grapefruit is pointed at the stem end, it is likely to be thick-skinned. Rough, ridged, or wrinkled skin can also be an indication of thick skin, pulpiness, and lack of juice.

Pomegranate

The pomegranate tree is native from Iran to the Himalayas in Northern India and has been cultivated since ancient times throughout the Mediterranean region of Asia, Africa and Europe.

It is also good source of antioxidant vitamin-C, providing about 17% per 100 g of daily requirement. Consumption of fruits rich in vitamin C helps the human body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful free radicals. The juice of wild pomegranates yields citric acid and sodium citrate for pharmaceutical purposes. Pomegranate juice enters into preparations for treating dyspepsia and is considered beneficial in leprosy.

Pears

Pears are broadly classified based upon their place of origin as Asian pears and European pears. Asian varieties feature crispy texture and firm consistency that do not change after harvesting or storage, making them suitable for ready-to-eat. Whereas, European types generally becomes soft and juicy when allowed to ripen.

Look for: Firm pears of all varieties. The colour depends on the variety. For Bartletts, look for a pale yellow to rich yellow color; Anjou or Comice llight green to yellowish-green; Bosc — greenish yellow to brownish-yellow (the brown cast is caused by skin russeting, a characteristic of the Bosc pear); Winter Nellis — medium to light green.

Strawberries

Strawberries contain vitamin A, vitamin E and many health promoting flavonoid. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease process. It can come with some really good health implications, such as decreased blood pressure. Lower blood pressure has long been a substantial contributing factor to heart disease, and strawberries may be something that will decrease the chance of that happening, too

Plums

Plums are widely cultivated in the United States, Europe, Japan and China. Many cultivars of plums are grown all over the world which differ in their color, size, and growing characteristics based upon their country of origin. Generally, each variety of plum tree bears numerous, almost uniform sized fruits between May and September months. Fresh plums are an excellent source of vitamin C, which is also a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the human body develop resistance against infectious agents, counter inflammation and scavenge harmful free radicals.

Look for: Plums and prunes with a good color for the variety, in a fairly firm to slightly soft stage of ripeness.

Nectarine

Nectarine is a medium sized deciduous tree with arching branches. It requires very cold winter season followed by warm weather for the proper development of buds. White or pinkish-white flowers appear in early spring, which develop subsequently into attractive fruits by June. The fruit appears same as that of peach, however, main differences are that it is smaller and has smooth surface unlike fuzzy surface in peach. As in peach, it features vertical suture that extend from the stem end to tip.

Juicy, delicious nectarines are low in calories (100 g just provide 44 calories) and contain no saturated fats. They are indeed packed with numerous health promoting anti-oxidants, plant nutrients, minerals and vitamins.

Peaches

Peaches are native to China from where they spread to rest of the world via ancient silk route. Usually, the peach tree bears numerous, almost uniform sized fruits between May and September months. Its fruit is about the size of small apple, measuring about 7-10 cm in diameter and weigh about 130 g. It features fuzzy outer surface with longitudinal depressions extending from stem end to the tip. Depending up on the seed that is free or firmly attached to the pulp, they are classified in to free stone variety or clinging variety.

Fresh peaches are a very good source of antioxidant vitamin C. Vitamin-C has anti-oxidant effects and is required for connective tissue synthesis in the body. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and help scavenge harmful free radicals.

Mandarin

Mandarins are high in vitamin C making them a great immune boosting fruit as well as a fruit high in antioxidants.  They are also a great thirst quencher and cleanser. 

It is an excellent source of Vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help prevent chemical damage to cells and can promote vision health, keep the immune system healthy, support cardiovascular health and help prevent cancer. A good source of Vitamin A, supporting healthy vision. A source of folic acid, a B-complex vitamin that can help prevent birth defects

Kiwifruit

The kiwifruit is a relatively small, ellipsoid-shaped fruit with a bright green, slightly acid-tasting pulp surrounding many small, black, edible seeds, which in turn surround a pale heart. The exterior of the kiwifruits unappealing to some, being somewhat “furry” and light to medium brown in color. (While the furry skin is edible, some prefer to peel the fruit before eating.) Domestic kiwifruit is produced primarily in California.

Look for: Plump, unwrinkled fruit, either firm or slightly yielding. Kiwifruit is fully ripe when it is yielding to the touch but not soft. Firm kiwifruit canbe ripened at home in a few days by leaving it at room temperature. Use of a ripening bag or bowl will speed the process.

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