march 2014 fruit club selections: compliments of mother nature

Delivered Fresh To You This Month Compliments of Mother Nature & Our Fruit Club!

Pink Lady® Brand Apples

PINK LADY® APPLES — The Pink Lady® is an exciting apple originated in Western Australia. It is a natural cross between the Golden Delicious and Lady Williams varieties. It displays a beautiful pink blush over a yellow background, with a flavor that is both tangy and sweet. When bitten into, it presents a very refreshing and effervescent crisp crunch.
Storage: Store in a cool, dry place or refrigerate. Apples may seem crisper when they are chilled.

TIP: Do NOT store any member of the apple family near carrots! The ethylene gas that apples release can turn even nice carrots bitter!

Kale & Pink Lady® Brand Salad

FOR THE SALAD:
Approximately 4 cups curly green kale (4 to 5 large leaves, with
center ribs removed and sliced into ribbons)
1 Pink Lady® apple, diced (approximately 2 cups)
1/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts Kale & Pink Lady® Brand Salad

FOR THE ORANGE-COCONUT YOGURT DRESSING:
2 T. plain Greek yogurt
1 t. light coconut milk
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. honey
1/3 t. fresh orange zest
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:
In a small bowl, combine yogurt, coconut milk, apple cider vinegar, honey and orange zest. Whisk olive oil into mixture until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
Place ribbons of kale in a large bowl and add dressing. Add diced apple, pomegranate seeds and nuts to bowl, and lightly toss. Divide the salad equally onto 2 salad plates. Garnish with additional slices of Pink Lady® apple at the edge of each plate.
Red D’Anjou Pears

RED D’ANJOU PEARS — These pears originated as naturally occurring bud sports found on common Green D’Anjou trees. “Bud sports” are spontaneous, naturally occurring transformations that crop up on various fruit trees, and they mostly go unnoticed. The Red D’Anjou Pear, however, is one exciting, colorful exception.
Actually, it’s an exception that occurred not once, but twice! The first red sport of D’Anjou was discovered in the early 1950’s near Medford, Oregon. A second red sport was discovered in the late 1970’s in Parkdale, Oregon.
Because the red color is only skin deep, you will notice no difference in cooking with Red D’Anjous than when you use green pears (if the recipe calls for the pears to be peeled). However, in a recipe calling for fresh pears with the skin intact, the red color can add striking contrast and eye appeal. Consider a garden green salad tossed with slices of Red D’Anjou pears for extra vibrancy.
Storage: Ripen at room temperature. Red D’Anjous show only slight change in color as they ripen. The best indication of ripeness is the thumb test: Gentle thumb pressure near the stem will yield slightly when the pear is ripe. Store ripe pears in the refrigerator.

Baked D’Anjou Pears

4 D’Anjou pears, washed well under cold water (peel if you wish)
1/4 c. water
1/3 c. pure maple syrup
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1-1/2 t. grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS: Slice off the bottom of each pear and stand each upright in a pie pan or small baking dish, leaving some space between each pear so that they will cook evenly.
In a small saucepan, combine water, brown sugar and maple syrup and heat just enough to dissolve into a syrup. Mix in the spices and pour the mixture over the top of the pears.
Bake for approximately 60 to 90 minutes (in a 350° preheated oven), or until the pears are tender all the way through, basting with the syrup every fifteen minutes or so.
Serve warm on their own, or garnish with vanilla ice cream.