Selection

Select limes that are glossy and light to deep green in color. Limes should have a thin, smooth skin and be heavy for their size. Small brown areas on the skin should not affect flavor, but large blemishes or soft spots indicate a damaged lime. Ripe limes are firm, but not hard. Avoid limes that have a yellowish skin or are too small. A hard shriveled skin is a sign of dryness, as is a coarse thick skin. Limes are available year round in most supermarkets.

Storage

Limes may be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Limes store better in a plastic bag if placed in the refrigerator and those stored at room temperature will yield more juice. Take care to keep limes out of direct sunlight as they will shrivel and become discolored.

Varieties

The majority of limes are part of the Tahitian strain, believed to have originated in Tahiti. There are two common varieties of that strain: Persian and Bearss. The Persion is egg-shaped and contains seeds. The Bearss is smaller and seedless. Key limes are smaller and rounder than the Tahitian strain and have a higher acid content. These limes are mostly used in baking.

Preparation

Wash well before using, even if you are only using the juice. Limes are usually eaten raw, but may be included in baked or grilled dishes. Many recipes call for fresh lime juice. To juice by hand, roll the lime on a firm surface before squeezing out the juice.

Limes are also often used as garnish. Simply slice the lime in half and slice into several sections. Limes or lime juice are a great salt substitute and add a tangy flavor. Because of their high ascorbic acid content, lime juice is also used to delay oxidation or "browning" of other fruits and vegetables. Try it on your sliced bananas or apples!

• Add blueberries to your favorite muffin recipe try 1 cup for each batch of 12 muffins. Gently stir in the blueberries at the end (unthawed, if frozen).
• Dot pancake batter with blueberries as soon as batter has been poured on the griddle.
• Make a breakfast parfait by layering blueberries with flavored yogurt and granola cereal in a tall glass.
• Sprinkle blueberries and chopped walnuts over dressed mixed greens.
• Serve blueberries with sour cream or yogurt or with a scoop of cottage cheese.

• Only 80 fat-free calories per cup, blueberries are a good source of dietary fiber and vitamin C.
• Blueberries rank high in antioxidants that help protect against cancer, heart disease and other age-related
• diseases.
• Researchers have found compounds in blueberries that help prevent urinary tract infection.
• Just one-half cup of blueberries helps meet the recommended 5 to 9 servings a day of colorful fruits and veggies.

Broccoli is one of the most nutrient-dense foods known; it offers an incredibly high level of nutrition with very low calories. Of the top ten most commonly vegetables eaten in the United States, broccoli is at the top in terms of total polyphenol content.

Need to boost your vitamin C intake? Choose broccoli. A little low on potassium? Choose broccoli. Decided to increase your dietary fiber intake? Choose broccoli. Iron low? What do you do, choose broccoli.

Nutritional Benefits

Broccoli is rich in vitamin A. With one half-cup of cooked broccoli providing 1083 IU of vitamin A.

Broccoli's dark green color as an indicator of its hearty carotene content. The darker colors of the florets, such as blue green, or purplish green contain more beta carotene and vitamin C than those with lighter greens.

Folic acid is also abundant in broccoli with one-half cup cooked broccoli registering 39 mcg.

A cup of cooked broccoli also offers as much calcium as found in a 4 oz. of milk.

One cup of cooked broccoli has as much vitamin C as an orange. A cup of broccoli actually fulfills your daily vitamin C requirement. One third of a pound has more vitamin C than two and one-half pounds of oranges.

Counting calories? Broccoli contains only 22 calories for one-half cup chopped and boiled and 12 calories for one-half cup raw chopped.

Origins

Broccoli has been around for more than 2000 years; The name "broccoli" comes for the Latin word brachium, which means "branch," or "arm." Americans have grown it in their gardens for only about 200 years! The first commercially grown broccoli was grown and harvested in New York, then planted in the 1920's in California. A few crates were sent back East and by 1925 the broccoli market was off the ground.

Selection

Choose bunches that are dark green. Good color indicates high nutrient value. Florets that are dark green, purplish, or bluish green contain more beta-carotene and vitamin C than paler or yellowing ones. Choose bunches with stalks that are very firm. Stalks that bend or seem rubbery are of poor quality. Avoid broccoli with open, flowering, discolored, or water-soaked bud clusters and tough, woody stems.

Purchasing

Though broccoli is available year round, its peak season is from October to April. Prices may be higher in July and August when broccoli is less productive but don't  overlook the frozen. Frozen broccoli may contain 35% more beta carotene than the fresh as most of the beta carotene is stored in the florets.

Look for compact crowns that have dark green, blue-green, or the purplish-green, tightly closed buds with dark green leaves that are strong and upright. Intense colors are a good indicator of hearty nutritional content. Yellow or yellowish-green broccoli heads and leaves indicate the vegetable is not fresh and has lost nutrients. Pass on the limp stalks and choose only sturdy, crisp, bright green stems.

Look carefully at the cut ends of the broccoli stalks and choose those that are completely closed. The stalks that have open cores on the bottom tend to be older, woodier, and tougher.

Storage

Store broccoli unwashed, in an open plastic bag and place in the crisper drawer of refrigerator. It is best if used within a day or two after purchasing to avoid high nutritional loss.

Preparation and Cooking

The best way to cook broccoli is to steam it. Cooking in a microwave or stir-frying with a little broth or water help preserve the flavor and avoid the foul smells often associated with broccoli. Cooked broccoli should be tender enough so that it can be pierced with a sharp knife, and still remain crisp and bright green in color. These methods are also better than boiling as they reduce the vitamin and mineral content lost from boiling.

Read more:

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoli

Vegetarians in Paradise - http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch44.html

University of Illinois Extension - http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies/broccoli1.html

Selection and Storage

Pomegranates are available in the United States from September through December. Select fruit that is heavy for its size with bright, fresh color and blemish-free skin. You can refrigerate whole pomegranates for up to 2 months or store them in a cool, dark place for up to a month. Pomegranate seeds packed in an airtight container and stored in the freezer will keep for up to 3 months.

Uses & Preparation

Pomegranates are a versatile fruit and can be used as a garnish on sweet and savory dishes or pressed to extract the juice. To use a pomegranate, cut it in half and pry out the pulp-encased seeds, removing any of the light-colored membrane that adheres. The juice can stain your clothes so be sure to wear an apron or clothing that you don't mind getting stained.

Pomegranates are high in vitamin C and potassium, a good source of fiber and low in calories.

Pomegranate juice is high in three different types of polyphenols, a potent form of antioxidants. The three types - tannins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid - are present in many fruits, but pomegranate juice contains particularly high amounts of all three. As antioxidants, they are credited with helping in the prevention of cancer and heart disease.

Read more:

Tomatillos [tohm-ah-TEE-ohs] are small fruits (used as a vegetable) enclosed in a husk. The fruit resembles a small unripe tomato and is usually green or yellow. The yellow color indicates ripeness, but tomatillos are most often used when they are still green. Green tomatillos are firmer and easier to slice. The husk that holds the fruit is paper-like and is light brown.

The flesh is slightly acidic with hints of lemon, apple and herbs. Even though tomatillos are sometimes called "green tomatoes", they should not be confused with green, unripe tomatoes. Tomatillos belong to the same family as tomatoes.

The Aztecs first grew tomatillos as far back as 800 B.C. and they have been popular in Mexico and other Latin American countries for many years. In the US, they are mainly grown in Texas.

Selection
The condition of the husk is often a good indicator when selecting tomatillos. If the husk is dry or shriveled then the fruit is probably not in good condition. Select tomatillos that have an intact, tight-fitting, light brown husk. If you peel back a small part of the husk, the fruit should be firm and free of blemishes.

Canned tomatillos are available at specialty markets and are often used when making sauces. Tomatillos are available year round in supermarkets and specialty markets. Domestically grown tomatillos are available from May through November.

Storage
Fresh tomatillos with the husk still intact may be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. They are best stored in a paper bag. Tomatillos last a week longer in the refrigerator if the husks are removed and the fruit is placed in sealed plastic bags. Tomatillos may also be frozen after removing the husks.

Preparation
The husks must be removed before preparing, but tomatillos in the husk are often used as decoration. Wash the fruit with soap and water to remove the film left by the husk. Tomatillos may be used raw in salsas or salads or cooked for sauces. Cooking enhances the flavor and softens its skin, but the result is a soupy consistency since the fruit collapses after a few minutes.

Read more:
Floridata
Wikipedia

Selection
When selecting fresh peaches, look for ones that are soft to the touch, blemish free, and have a fragrant smell. Peaches that are mildly fragrant ripen into sweet and delicious flavors. Choose fruit that has a background color of yellow or cream and has a fresh looking appearance. Peaches may have some red "blush" depending on the variety, but this isn't a sign of how the fruit will taste after it's ripened. At home peaches can be ripened at room temperature in a brown paper bag in 2 to 3 days. Peaches are highly perishable, so don't buy more than you plan to use. When selecting can peaches, choose those labeled "packed in it's own juice" and "no added sugar"; these are the healthier choices.

Storage
The best way to ripen stone fruit is to place the fruit in a paper bag, fold the top of the bag over loosely, and place the bag on the counter for one to three days. Never store hard fruit in the refrigerator, in plastic bags, or in direct sunlight.

Check the fruit daily. When it is ripe, it will be aromatic and will give slightly to gentle pressure. Once ripened, it can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week or prepared and frozen. For more details on freezing visit The National Center for Home Preservation

Care and Use
Wash peaches carefully in cool soapy water, then rinse well before eating or using. Unless a recipe calls for it, you do not need to peel the peaches; in fact, many of the nutrients found in stone fruits are contained in the peel, and it’s highly recommended that the peel be consumed along with the flesh. If used in cooking they peel really fast if blanched in boiling water for a minute then plunged into ice water to cool. In fruit salads or platters, sprinkle cut peaches with lemon juice to help them keep their great color.

It is a beautiful large-leaf vegetable with wide flat stems resembling celery. Chard has shiny green ribbed leaves, with stems that range from white to yellow and red depending on the cultivar. The ruby variety is especially attractive with its' vivid red stem with broad dark green leaves. If you like spinach, you will enjoy chard. The flavor in young chard is mild and sweet while more mature chard has a more earthy taste with slightly bitter undertones.

Chard can be harvested while the leaves are young and tender or after maturity when larger have slightly tougher stems. Chard is extremely perishable, so keep refrigerator storage time to a minimum. The leaves are generally treated in the same way as spinach and the stems like asparagus. Fresh young chard can also be used raw in salads. Store unwashed leaves in plastic bags in the crisper for 2 to 3 days. The stalks can be stored longer if separated from the leaves.

For years garlic has been the topic of much folklore. In ancient times, its pungent odor was believed to supply strength and courage to those who ate it. Garlic has been used for numerous things including embalming, warding off evil spirits, and curing everything from the common cold to tuberculosis and broken bones.

Even in modern times, garlic is still being promoted as a health food with medicinal properties. Though garlic is a nutritious food, many of the claims surrounding it are not backed up by research.

Allium sativum L., commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. The garlic bulb is covered with a loose, white, crackly outer skin and comprised of individual sections called cloves. Each clove is covered in a white sheath.

Garlic is very popular in the Middle East and Mediterranean countries, India and China. In America, 250 million pounds of garlic are consumed per year and its use is growing.

Garlic is characterized by it's strong flavor and smell, stemming from its sulfur compounds. It makes a great flavoring agent for a variety of dishes.

Varieties
There are approximately 300 varieties of garlic grown throughout the world. In the United States about 90% of the garlic is grown in California and most comes in two types, early and late.

Early garlic is white or off-white in color and harvested in mid-summer. Late garlic is off-white on the outside

American: white-skinned with a strong flavor.

Chileno: a reddish-colored, sharp tasting garlic grown in Mexico

Elephant: Not a true garlic, but a relative of the leek; its flavor is very mild and it is characterized by larger heads.

Green Garlic: Young garlic before it starts forming cloves. Green garlic looks like a baby leek with a long green top and small white bulb. Its flavor is much more mild than that of mature garlic.

Italian: Mauve in color with a somewhat milder flavor.

Availability, Selection, and Storage
Garlic is available year-round frozen or fresh. When buying fresh garlic, choose from plump, dry heads that feel firm. Avoid soft, mushy or shriveled cloves. American garlic should be white to off-white. Garlic should be stored in a cool, dark place (though not a refrigerator) and can be kept for several weeks. Many people use small clay garlic holders to keep their garlic as fresh as possible. Cloves that have sprouted can still be used but they will not be as strong in flavor as fresher cloves. The sprouts themselves can be cut up like scallions and chives and used in dishes.

Preparation
To remove individual garlic cloves, peel outer layers from the bulb and snap out each clove from the base. Cloves can than be peeled very easily. For a more mild flavor, whole cloves can be added (un-peeled for an even more subtle taste) to food while it cooks or marinates and than discarded before serving the meal. Another trick for imparting a mild garlic flavor in your dish is to spear a garlic clove with a fork and stir your dish with it then discard the garlic when stirring is complete.

For a stronger flavor, used chopped, crushed, pressed or pureed garlic in dishes. The more finely garlic is chopped, the stronger its flavor will be. To chop garlic, cut in half lengthwise (remove the green core if there is one - it is bitter). Make several lengthwise cuts and than cut crosswise. A garlic press can be used also though these can be a bit tricky to clean.

To remove garlic odor from hands, use salt or lemon juice and than wash your hands with soap.

Cooking Garlic
Cooking garlic decreases the strength of its flavor making it much milder. The longer it is cooked, the more mild it tastes. Be careful not to saute garlic too long at too high a temperature, it will brown very quickly and can become bitter.

To bake garlic, place whole, un-peeled bulbs rounded side down in a shallow baking dish, drizzle with oil, cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 325 F.

My shortcut for the oven-roasted flavor: Purchase peeled garlic cloves from the supermarket. Place a few in a microwave safe bowl and cook for 2 to 3 min. Let them sit for a minute or so, drizzle olive oil over them and dump them onto a cookie sheet. Broil them until light brown (about 5 min.) on a couple of sides. Remove from oven, let them cool for a couple of minutes and mash with a fork. A dash or two of salt, a loaf of artisan bread and your set.

Read more: Wikipedia

An American favorite for meals and snacks. People can't seem to get enough of the sweet treat, and nutritionists have long appreciated the health benefits watermelon provides. Watermelon, the fruit that is really a vegetable, can be traced back to Africa and is part of the cucumber and squash family. Early watermelons were mainly rind and seeds. Today's varieties are larger, the flesh sweeter, the seeds smaller and the rind thinner.

Recently research has shed new light on its potential health benefits. Watermelon contains high concentrations of lycopene, an antioxidant that may help reduce the risks of cancer and other diseases. Watermelon contains higher concentrations of lycopene than any other fresh fruit or vegetable. In fact, fresh watermelon contains higher levels of lycopene than fresh tomatoes. A 2-cup serving of watermelon contains and average of 18.16 mg and one medium-sized tomato contains 4 mg.

Watermelon consists of 92% water and 8% sugar, so it is aptly named. A one-cup serving of watermelon will provide around 48 Calories. Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A, with one serving containing 14.59 mg of vitamin C and 556.32 IU of vitamin A. Watermelon also provides significant amounts of vitamin B6 and vitamin B1, as well as the minerals potassium and magnesium.

Fresh watermelon may be eaten in a variety of ways and is also often used to flavor summer drinks and smoothies.

Americans eat over 17 lbs of watermelon each year. The largest one on world record weighed 262 pounds.

When to look for them in your grocery store:

Watermelons are available all year. The natural sweetness of watermelon makes it a favorite anytime of the year. It is a perfect addition to a salad, salsa, or cool drink. Top chunks of sweet watermelon with fruit flavored sherbets or sorbets.

Selecting

Choose firm, symmetrical, fruit free of cracks, bruises, soft spots or mold. Ripe watermelon will have a healthy sheen, a dull rind, dried stem, and a buttery yellow underside where it touched the ground. There should be a melon like smell or fragrance. Thump if you must, sound should be dull and hollow. Lift them, weight should be heavy for size.

Avoid watermelons that are very hard, white or very pale green in color on the underside, indicating immaturity. An immature watermelon will be slightly acidic.

Storing

Once picked, watermelon will not ripen easily. If unripe, try putting the whole melon in paper bag un-refrigerated. This sometimes works to ripen them. Watermelons can be kept for short periods of time, up to 2 weeks, uncut at room temperature. Wash watermelon with soap and water before cutting. Once cut, package what is not eaten in closed plastic containers or bags and put back in the refrigerator.

Varieties

There are more than 50 varieties of watermelon. Most have red flesh, but there are orange and yellow-fleshed varieties. Of the 50 varieties of watermelon throughout the United States, there are four general categories: Allsweet, Ice-Box, Seedless and Yellow Flesh.

Read more: Watermelon Serves Up Medically Important Amino Acid
National Watermelon Promotion Board - Quick Tips for Watermelon Cubes and Wedges

Green onions sometimes are known as scallions or spring onions in the United States and Canada. The term green onion can also be used for immature specimens of the ordinary onion.

Green onions are harvested while their tops are still green and before the bulb takes its full shape. Green onions can be eaten raw or cooked and have a milder flavor than their onion relative. The entire plant can be eaten from the white base to the tip of the green shafts. The flavor is milder in the green tips.

Selection
Purchase only green crisp tops and white bottoms. In general, the more slender bottoms will have a sweeter taste.

Storage
Green onions wilt within a couple days, so it's best to use them immediately. However, if you must store them, refrigerate them in a tightly closed plastic bag up to 5 days.

Preparation
Rinse the green onions thoroughly as dirt may be lodged between the leaves. Trim any wilted parts and the tip of the white root. The entire scallion can be chopped or sliced and added to any of your recipes for added flavor.

Uses
If cooked too long green onions will loose their green color and flavor. Use them in a stir-fry, scrambled eggs, tossed into hot pasta dishes or added to salads.

Take a look at our Versatile Green Onion Dip recipe

Hot peppers (chilies) are often used to spice up dishes, and they are especially popular in ethnic cuisine including Mexican, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Arab and Spanish cooking. Chilies are an excellent source of vitamin C if you can withstand their powerful bite.

Contrary to popular belief, the hottest part of the chili pepper is not the seeds but where the seed attaches to the white membrane inside the pepper. This area has the highest concentration of capsaicinoids. Capsaicinoids are flavorless, odorless substances that act on pain receptors in the mouth and throat. Capsaicin is the primary capsaicinoid. Capsaicinoids can be found throughout the flesh of chili peppers though their concentration varies in different areas so that one part of a pepper may be hot and another part of the same pepper quite mild.

The seeds are often hot because they are in such close contact with the white membrane.

There are several varieties of chili peppers and each differs in flavor and heat intensity. Even within each variety, there may differences in how 'hot' each particular chili is. Typically, larger chilies are more mild because they contain less seeds and white membrane in proportion to their size. Most varieties can be found dried, canned, or fresh.

Varieties

Anaheim (California Green Chile or Long Green Chile): One of the most commonly used varieties in the United States, especially in stuffed chilies. This chili is long, slender and lobed, green or red in color and mildly hot. They can be eaten when green or when they are their mature red color.

Ancho: Dried or fresh poblano pepper. Dried anchos are flat, wrinkled, and heart shaped. They range in color from very dark red to almost black. Anchos are mild to moderately hot and often soaked and ground for use in sauces.

Cascabel: Green or red, small and round, moderately hot and typically available dried. When dried, their skin turns a translucent red-brown color and their seeds rattle inside.

Cayenne (Long Hots): Red when fully mature, long (6 to 10 inches), thin and straight or curled at the tips. Very hot. Cayenne can be found dried and ground into a powder that is seen as generic "red pepper" in the spice aisle.

Cherry: Round and red like a cherry. Sold fresh or pickled in jars, these peppers range from mild to moderately hot.

Habanero (Scotch Bonnet): Typically yellow-orange but they can be green, red, or orange. These peppers are lantern shaped and typically about 2 inches long. The hottest pepper grown commercially; intense fiery flavor; a unique floral flavor and an extremely intense heat that affects the nasal passages.

Hungarian: These peppers start out yellow and ripen to orange or red; they are moderately hot.

Jalapeno: Most often green when mature but sometimes red, these peppers are about 2 inches in length with cracks around their stems. They are very hot, with an immediate bite. Jalapenos are sold canned, sliced, and pickled and are added to many products during processing including sausage, cheese, and jelly.

Poblano: Ancho peppers that are green. Poblano peppers look like small bell peppers and are mild to hot in taste. They are often roasted and peeled prior to being used in soups, sauces, casseroles or even stuffed with meat and cheese for a dish called chilies rellenos.

Serrano: Sold red or mature green and about 1 to 4 inches in length. Moderate to very hot with an intense bite. Serrano chilis are often used in Thai cooking and they are also quite popular in Mexico and the southwestern United States.

Availability, Selection, and Storage

Chili peppers are available year round and in the United States they are grown in California, New Mexico and Texas. When selecting chilies, look for firm, glossy chilies with taut, unwrinkled skin and fresh green stems. Dried hot peppers should be glossy yet unbroken.

Chilies should be stored unwashed and wrapped in paper towels in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. Dried chilies should be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for a maximum of four months. To keep dried chilies for more than four months, store them in the refrigerator.

Preparation

It is very important not to touch your nose, eyes or mouth after handling or eating hot peppers. If you do, flush with water immediately. The capsaicin in the peppers can be extremely painful to your eyes and can even burn or irritate your skin (especially if you have cuts on your hands).

If possible, wear thin rubber gloves while preparing chili peppers. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water when done working with chilies. If the bite is too strong when you eat a chili, chew on bread or another starchy food; water only makes the bite worse as it spreads it.

To decrease the heat intensity of chilies, wash them, cut them open and remove the seeds and veins. Also, soaking cut up chilies in salt water for at least an hour will help cool them off.

To add a mild pepper flavor to your dish, poke holes in the chili of your choice with a toothpick (or cut slits in it) and add it to a food that is already cooking. When cooking is complete, remove the chili from the dish.

Chilies can also be roasted whole over a gas stove, broiler, or on a grill. Use a cooking fork to hold each pepper over flame. Turn frequently until the chili’s skin is blackened. After cooking is complete, place chilies in a paper or plastic bag for 15 minutes. Scrape off skin, cut off stem and pull out core. Scrape any remaining seeds.

Preparing Dried Hot Peppers

Use a damp cloth to wipe peppers. Grind chilies in a food processor for use as chili powder. To soften their texture and make their flavor more mild, soak chili peppers in water prior to using.

The Aztecs first grew tomatillos as far back as 800 B.C. and they have been popular in Mexico and other Latin American countries for many years. In the US, they are mainly grown in Texas.

Selection
The condition of the husk is often a good indicator when selecting tomatillos. If the husk is dry or shriveled then the fruit is probably not in good condition. Select tomatillos that have an intact, tight-fitting, light brown husk. If you peel back a small part of the husk, the fruit should be firm and free of blemishes.

Canned tomatillos are available at specialty markets and are often used when making sauces. Tomatillos are available year round in supermarkets and specialty markets. Domestically grown tomatillos are available from May through November.

Storage
Fresh tomatillos with the husk still intact may be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. They are best stored in a paper bag. Tomatillos last a week longer in the refrigerator if the husks are removed and the fruit is placed in sealed plastic bags. Tomatillos may also be frozen after removing the husks.

Preparation
The husks must be removed before preparing, but tomatillos in the husk are often used as decoration. Wash the fruit with soap and water to remove the film left by the husk. Tomatillos may be used raw in salsas or salads or cooked for sauces. Cooking enhances the flavor and softens its skin, but the result is a soupy consistency since the fruit collapses after a few minutes.

Read more:
Floridata
Wikipedia

Nectarines, like peaches, most likely originated in China more than 2,000 years ago and were cultivated in ancient Persia, Greece and Rome. They were grown in Great Britain in the late 16th or early 17th centuries, and were introduced to America by the Spanish. Today, California grows over 95% of the nectarines produced in the United States.

Nectarines are smaller and smooth skinned golden yellow with large blushes of red. Their yellow flesh has a noticeable pink tinge, with a distinct aroma and a more pronounced flavor. There are more than 100 varieties of nectarine, in freestone and clingstone varieties. In freestone types the flesh separates from the "pit" easily, while clingstone types cling to the "pit." Nectarines are more delicate than peaches and bruise very easily.

Nectarines are low in calories with no sodium or cholesterol.

Selection
Ripe fruit are fragrant and give, slightly, to the touch. If they are a under-ripe, leave them at room temperature for 2-3 days to ripen. Look for fruit with smooth unblemished skin. Avoid extremely hard or dull colored fruits and soft fruit with soft, wrinkled, punctured skin.

Storage
Nectarines keep for 5 days if stored in a plastic bag in the coldest part of your refrigerator.

Preparation
Nectarines can be used and prepared in the same ways as peaches, with no need to peel because they have no fuzz. Leave the skins on when making pies, cobblers and fresh fruit salads, etc.

Availability
California nectarines are available from late April and to late August. Almost all of the nectarines available are in California. Chiliean Nectarines are available from late December through early March.

Asparagus is one of the most nutritionally well-balanced vegetables in existence. It leads nearly all produce items in the wide array of nutrients it supplies in significant amounts for a healthy diet.

This vegetable is sometimes referred to as the aristocrat of vegetables. Many Greeks and Romans not only appreciate asparagus for its taste but also believe it possesses medicinal properties from alleviating toothaches to preventing bee stings. Such things are mythical, but asparagus does contain a good supply of vitamins and minerals. Asparagus appears in markets as early as February, but the peak of this crop's season is in April and May.

Varieties
Asparagus can be found in green and white varieties. Green asparagus is the most common in the United States, while the white is more popular in Europe. White asparagus is grown under the soil. This does not allow the sun's rays to penetrate the plant, and therefore it does not produce the chlorophyll necessary to produce the green color. When eaten raw, white asparagus has a sweet, nutty taste.

Selection
Choose firm yet tender stalks. For the green variety, choose stalks with deep green or purplish tips that are closed and compact. Avoid excessively sandy spears. Stalks with a narrow diameter are more tender than thick ones.

Storage
Store stalks, with bottoms wrapped in a damp paper towel, in the crisper section of the refrigerator; if you don't have a crisper, put them in plastic bags and place them in the coldest part of the refrigerator. It is best to eat asparagus the day it is purchased, because the flavor lessens with each passing day.

Preparation and Cooking
Wash asparagus in cool running water. Snap off tough ends at their natural breaking point. Before cooking white asparagus, it first must be peeled so that no skin remains. This can be done using a potato peeler. White asparagus needs to be cooked until completely tender, while the green variety can be stir-fried, lightly steamed or cooked in the microwave.

Asparagus is the leading supplier among vegetables of folic acid. A 5.3 ounce serving provides 60% of the recommended daily allowance for folacin which is necessary for blood cell formation, growth, and prevention of liver disease. Folacin has been shown to play a significant role in the prevention of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, that cause paralysis and death in 2,500 babies each year.

Its wealth of nutrients, fiber and very low sodium and calorie content make asparagus a nutritionally wise choice for today's health-conscious consumer.

Asparagus is:
* Low in calories, only 20 per 5.3 oz. serving, less than 4 calories per spear
* Contains no fat or cholesterol
* Very low in sodium
* A good source of potassium
* A source of fiber (3 grams per 5.3 oz. serving)
* An excellent source of folacin
* A significant source of thiamin
* A significant source of vitamin B6
* One of the richest sources of rutin, a drug which strengthens capillary walls
* Contains glutathione (GSH)

Read more:
Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board
Asparagus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Photo credit: Anna H-G of Chicago, IL