Grocery shopping and finding fresh foods have proven to be slightly more challenging during the global pandemic and lockdown. I usually look forward to summer, specifically for the local outdoor farmers market. I love being out in the sunshine and picking fresh produce. There seems to be a trend for me these last few weeks having a longing for exotic fruits that take me back to my childhood summer (see Key Lime Pie from my last post). One of my favorite snacks and food groups are fruits, and I grew up with access to so many local and exotic options. Shopping grocery stores online severely limits my ability to experiment with different foods because I cannot see what is available, or find more specialty tropical fruits. Random tangent, does anyone else really dislike the Whole Foods app shopping experience? I cannot clearly tell if I am shopping prime, fresh or whole foods and struggle to find the exact item I want. In addition to grocery struggles, we of course have no travel. Growing up, over the summer, we would often travel on cruises to Caribbean islands where I could try a variety of local fruits that were unique to the US’s availability. Also, my family is Cuban, so we often sought out more exotic options that my parents grew up eating. You could regularly find a local farm or street vendor in Miami with some of my parent’s favorites, including fruta bomba, mamey, and coconuts. Lockdown and lack of travel have increased my desire to feel like I am traveling with the food I am consuming at home.
While reading an article in the Strategist Magazine, I came across MiamiFruits, very serendipitously. They harvest and ship the fruits from their farms after you order. They had a wide variety of fruits, some I remember from my past, some I did not know existed. Although the fruits are (very) expensive, arguably overpriced, the options available were too good to pass up. So I placed an order for the variety box and could not wait to see what arrived.
The fruit arrived about two days after replacing the order. You must reference the ripening guide on their website to identify the fruit that was shipped. What you receive depends on what fruits are available at the time of order.
First up, we have the dragonfruit. This fruit was, arguably, what I was most excited to eat. I first had dragonfruit on a special trip with my mom to Mexico. I accompanied her on a work trip to the Grand Velas Hotel, located in Riviera Maya. The all-inclusive hotel had a wide selection of fruit and local dishes, including dragonfruit. Every morning, I would enjoy a plate of fresh fruit and coffee while sitting on the outdoor terrace (photo below). Dragonfruit tastes like a sweeter, less tart, kiwi. They sent two varieties, one with a yellow exterior and another with a red skin, which had white and red flesh, respectively. They were perfectly ripe and delicious to eat right out of the skin. I ate them Friday night after dinner, the same day I received my box.
Next up, the banana. It arrived very green, so I checked, and the ripening guide recommended waiting a few days. I decided to make the banana bread on Saturday night. So after about 24 hours, it was slightly riper, but not quite ready. To further ripen it, I went ahead and put it in the oven at 300 degrees for about 15 minutes. I did sample the banana, and it tasted completely different from the banana species we have in the US. It was more savory, more akin to a plantain. I prefer my banana bread slightly less sweet, more of a savory loaf, so that was a perfect combination. I wish I had more than just one because it was delicious.
Sunday morning, I decided to make POG juice. POG juice is passion fruit, orange, and guava, which is commonly available in Hawaii. I thought this would be the best use for the guava. While I am sure you can eat the guava, I do not love the flavor or texture. I have always preferred it processed into a jam, pastry (hello pastelitos!), or as a juice! This process was slightly more involved than I first thought, but wound up being worth the effort. All the fruit was so sweet it did not need any sugar, and in fact, some lime juice would possibly have made it tastier.
- I combined guava and passion fruit into a saucepan with one tablespoon of honey and water to macerate the fruits. I wanted to soften them and release any juice. I let that simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.
- Juice one orange.
- Combine skin and all leftover fruit pieces in a small pot of water and boil for 25 minutes.
- Strain out POG juice into a bowl.
- Place juice and guava/passion fruit concentrate into the freezer for about 30 minutes.
- Combine orange juice, POG juice, and macerated fruit into the blender. If you want more of any flavor, you can add from concentrate or can add coconut water.
- Serve and enjoy!
The cacao fruit is something very different and interesting. The fruit holds the seeds of cacao, the start of chocolate. I am looking into the process of making chocolate, but that is a whole other story. The outside of the seed is a sort of membranous sac, with a surprisingly delicious taste. It tastes like a starburst! So sweet and tart. There was nothing really to chew, you just let the fruit sort of dissolve and then spit out the seed. Very interesting and fun.
The sapodilla, a type of mamey, and the tomarillo were both delicious. I made a smoothie out of one and just enjoyed the other. Ordering a variety box from MiamiFruit was a fun experience and kept me busy all weekend. I enjoyed making many different drinks and foods with the fruits that came in. I am not sure how often I would order just because of the price, but definitely worthwhile to try some new fruits. Now that I am familiar with some of these fruits, I will keep my eyes peeled at the store. This post also has me excited for a post lockdown travel adventure, where we can all enjoy some sun and new fruits!
Have you all tried any of these fruit varieties? Any delivery services you recommend? Thanks for stopping by. See you soon.
