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AVOCADOS
Storing and Handling
Temperature/humidity recommendatin for
short-term storage of 7 days or less:
Unripe:
45-50 degrees F/7-10 degrees C
85-95% relative humidity
Ripe: 32-36 degrees F/0-2 degrees C
90-98% relative humidity
Retail display tips:
Water sprinkle: no
Top ice: no
Ethylene production/sensitivities
Produces ethylene:
Unripe: Yes-low
Ripe: Yes; keep ripe avocados away
from fruits and vegetables that are
sensitive to ethylene and may be damaged
by it.
Sensitive to ethylene exposure:
Unripe: Yes; unripe fruit is extremely
sensitive to ethylene. Exposure may
increase symptoms of chill damage.
Ripe: Yes; ethylene promotes
continuation of the ripening (softening)
process.
Handling Tips: Handle
ripe avocados with care to avoid
bruising. Do not dump avocados into
displays. Check ripeness daily,
displaying or using ripest fruit first.
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BANANAS
Storing and Handling
Temperature/humidity recommendatin for
short-term storage of 7 days or less:
Mature
green & ripe: 60-65 degrees F/16-18
degrees C
85-95% relative humidity
Retail display tips:
Water sprinkle: no
Top ice: no
Ethylene
production/sensitivities
Produces ethylene: Yes; ethylene
production rate increases with ripening.
Sensitive to ethylene exposure:
Mature green: Yes, ethylene is
required to initiate ripening
Ripe: No
Storing Tips: To
ripen bananas in shipping containers,
keep containers covered. To slow
ripening, remove container lid and
plastic cover. Treating mature green
bananas with ethylene will help ensure
uniform ripening.
Handling Tips: Bananas
bruise easily; handle with care.
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MANGO
Storing and Handling
Temperature/humidity recommendatin for
short-term storage of 7 days or less:
60-65
degrees F/16-18 degreess C
85-95% relative humidity
Retail display tips:
Water sprinkle: no
Top ice: no
Ethylene
production/sensitivities
Produces ethylene: Yes, medium.
Sensitive to ethylene exposure: Yes.
Handling Tips: Handle
mangoes with care to avoid bruising or
damaging the fruit; do not drop shipping
containers on the floor.
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PAPAYA
Storing and Handling
Temperature/humidity recommendatin for
short-term storage of 7 days or less:
60-65
degrees F/16-18 degreess C
85-95% relative humidity
Retail display tips:
Water sprinkle: no
Top ice: no
Ethylene
production/sensitivities
Produces ethylene: Yes, medium.
Sensitive to ethylene exposure: Yes,
ethylene promotes softening.
Handling Tips: A
papaya is ripe and ready to eat when it
yields to a gentle palm pressure and the
peel is approximately 3/4 yellow to
yellow-orange in color. Handle papayas
with care to avoid damage.
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PINEAPPLE
Storing and Handling
Temperature/humidity recommendatin for
short-term storage of 7 days or less:
45-50
degrees F/7-10 degreess C
85-95% relative humidity
Retail display tips:
Water sprinkle: no
Top ice: no
Ethylene production/sensitivities
Produces ethylene: Yes, very low.
Sensitive to ethylene exposure: No.
Handling Tips: Although
pineapples have a tough-looking
exterior, they can bruise easily. Handle
fruit with care.
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CARAMBOLA
clone B10 - Star fruit
Varieties
Seventeen clones have been registered
but only clone B10 is cultivated
commercially. The fruits are sweet and
juicy with a pleasant tangy flavour.
Propagation
Readily propagated by bud grafting.
Budded plants begin to flower and fruit
as early as 14 months after field
planting.
Cultivation
Carambola grows well in a wide range of
soils. It requires adequate moisture
throughout the year but does not
tolerate waterlogging. Regular
fertilizer application is necessary for
fruit production. The trees are
regularly pruned and trained. Branches
and watershoots are bent and held
parallel to the ground so as to maintain
a canopy that is "flattened" to enable
fruit bagging.
Pests and Diseases
Fruits are attacked by several insects
including two species of fruit flies,
Bactrocera carambolae and B. papayae,
and two species of lepidopteran borers
-- Homona sp. and Cryptophlebia sp. The
flowers are commonly infested by the
flower moth Diacrotricha fasciola
Zeller. (Pterophoridae). Mites
(Tetranychus sp.) are occassionally a
problem in prolonged hot dry weather.
Carambola is relatively free of any
serious diseases. Occassionally however,
during prolonged wet weather in
conjunction with dense canopy
conditions, the young stems and shoots
succumb to thread blight while
Cercospora leaf spot causes defiliation
as well as spotting on young fruits.
Harvesting, Handling and Storage
Carambola is non-seasonal and yields 3-5
crops per year. The fruits are harvested
between 40-50 days after fruit set, when
they are just beginning to turn from
dark green to a light yellow-green.
The fruits are hand picked together with
the surrounding paper bags, and and
transported to the packing shed in
baskets.
Fruits are then unwrapped, sorted and
graded by workers using rubber gloves to
minimize damage to the fruits.
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COCONUT
Equivalents:
1 whole = 3-4 cups grated;
1 tablespoon grated dry = 1 ½
tablespoons fresh grated;
6 cups grated = 1 pound.
Notes: The
most common form of coconut in markets
is the dry coconut, with a hard brown
shell surrounding firm coconut meat with
liquid in the center.
Green coconuts = water coconuts are
young coconuts with very soft meat
inside. They’re more often found in the
tropics. Select coconuts that are free
of cracks or mold, that are heavy for
their size, and that have lots of water
in them when you shake them. To crack
one, hit it along its equator with a
blunt instrument, pouring off the water
when the first crack appears.
Substitutes: Brazil
nuts OR macadamia nuts.
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DATES (fresh)
Notes: Fresh
dates are sometimes available at
farmer’s markets in the late summer.
They’re crunchy, and not as sweet as
dried dates.
Substitutes: dried
dates.
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GREEN PAPAYA
cooking papaya
Notes: Southeast
Asian cooks like to shred these into
salads.
Substitutes:chayoute
squash.
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PAPAYA
fruta bomba = lechosa = tree melon = (in
Australia) pawpaw = papaw
Notes: With
their subtle tropical flavor, papayas
are wonderful in fruit salads, puréed
fruit drinks, or even shish kabobs.
They’re also good for you and easy to
peel and seed. Papayas from Hawaii are
more common and more flavorful than
those from Mexico. Yellow ones that
yield to gentle pressure are ready to
eat, and should be refrigerated. Green
ones will ripen at room temperature in
just a few days.
Substitutes: mango
OR peaches (use twice as many).
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PERSIMMON
Notes: There
are two varieties: the dark orange,
acorn-shaped Hachiya and
the light orange, tomato-shaped Fuyu.
Many people have sworn off persimmons
for life after biting into an underripe,
astringent Hachiya. But if you wait
until it’s ripened to a soft, shriveled
mess, you can spoon out its exquisitely
sweet and delicate pulp. Fuyus aren’t as
flavorful, but they’re more idiot-proof
in that you can eat them while they’re
still firm and not get your mouth in a
pucker.
Substitutes: plums
OR pumpkin (Mashed pumpkin is a good
substitute for persimmons in many baked
good recipes.)
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POMEGRANATE = Chinese apple
Notes: TCut
through the pomegranate’s leathery skin,
and you’ll find hundreds of pretty
kernels, each with a tiny seed
surrounded by ruby red pulp. You can eat
the kernels, seeds and all, and they’re
great as garnishes or sprinkled in
salads. You can also press the kernels
for juice and strain out the seeds. Wear
an apron when working with pomegranates;
the juice can stain your clothes. They
arrive in markets in the late summer and
early fall.
Substitutes:grenadine
(for the juice).
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AÇAI
Açaí
(pronounced Aah-sigh-eee) is a berry
that grows on palm trees in the Amazon
Basin. It’s purple in color and has
become the SENSATION in Brazil! Açaí can
be prepared several ways, however the
most popular is called "Açaí na Tigela".
The direct translation in English is
"Açaí in a bowl". The contents include
Açaí, Guarana syrup and a little water.
This wonderful dish is served in a bowl
and topped with granola cereal! At
Amazon Energy, we refer to this dish as
"AÇAÍ ENERGY BOWL"!!!
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ACEROLA
Acerola
cherries are native to Central America,
but they grow well in tropical climates.
They are known as the "Cherry of the
Antilles" and have a phenomenal amount
of Vitamin C. 100 grams of Acerola pulp
contains almost 3000% your daily
requirement of Vitamin C!!
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CUPUAÇU
(pronounced
koo-poo-ahh-sue), has a white, fleshy
pulp inside it’s hard brown cover. It’s
exotic taste is widespread in the Amazon
region and is often utilized in Ice
Creams and liquor drinks!!
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CASHEW
Believe it
or not, the Cashew is not just a nut!!!
The cashew fruit is one of the most
refreshing and exotic flavors you will
ever experience. Very popular in Brazil,
but almost unheard of in the rest of the
world.
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PASSION FRUIT
Passion
Fruit is popular throughout Latin
America and the Hispanic culture in
North America. Our pulp product is ALL
natural without all the sugars and
preservatives that you normally find.
Passion Fruit provides you with an ample
supply of vitamins, minerals and fiber!
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GUAVA
Guava is
already a popular fruit in North
America. It’s dark pinkish color and
refreshing taste makes Guava one of the
more popular selections. Our product, of
course, is all natural without all the
sugars and preservatives added!
