5 Fruits to Eat This Fall
The fresh fruits of summer may have come and gone, but autumn has its own bounty of deliciously inspiring fruit to enjoy. Here are five of our favourites.
1. Apples
Cortland, Empire, Red Delicious, Spy, McIntosh and more! Take a trip to a local farmer's market to pick and sample the many wonderful varieties and flavours of apples. Golden Delicious apples are featured in this Glazed Apple Pudding recipe.
Nutrition information: An average medium-sized apple has almost 3 grams of fibre, and just over 70 calories (peel the skin, and you lose about 1/3 of the fibre). What's more, apples are fat-free, sodium-free, and a source of vitamin C.
Storage tip: Apples ripen 10 times faster at room temperature. Store in perforated bags in the fruit crisper and they'll keep their crispiness and flavour for two to three weeks.
Heart healthy eating tip: Choose apples over apple juice. You'd have to drink 13 cups of apple juice to get the same amount of fibre found in one medium-sized apple with the skin on!
2. Mardarin Oranges
Juicy and oh-so-easy to peel, tangerines and clementines are the two most common types of mandarin oranges. It's difficult to tell the difference between the two, but clementines tend to be seedless and slightly sweeter than tangerines.
Nutrition information: Both tangerines and clementines are a source of folate and high in vitamin C. Like most fruits, they're also fat-free and sodium-free.
Storage tip: Mandarin oranges will keep about one week in the kitchen fruit bowl, and one month in the refrigerator.
Heart healthy eating tip: Dress up a healthy, green salad by tossing in some fresh mandarin orange segments.
3. Pears
Pears are one of the most fibre-rich fruit you can find! Buy a different kind of pear each week. Will it be a soft Anjou, a crisp Bartlett or Packham, or a spicy Bosc pear this week?
Nutrition information: You'll get a whopping 5 grams of fibre in just one medium-size pear (with the skin on)! Plus, pears are a source of vitamin C and folate.
Storage tip: Ripen pears by placing them in a paper bag at room temperature. You'll know they're ripe when the flesh around the stem gives to gentle pressure. If a pear feels very soft, then it's over-ripe. Ripe, unwashed pears can keep in the fridge for up to three days.
Heart healthy eating tip: Team up the season's apples and pears in this Four Fruit Cobbler
4. Cranberries
Cranberries are a sure sign that fall is here. Look for these small, firm fruit in plastic bags at the grocery store.
Nutrition information: Half a cup of raw cranberries are a source of fibre, a source of vitamin C and low in calories.
Storage tip: Store cranberries in the fridge for two weeks. Frozen cranberries can be kept for one year.
Heart healthy eating tip: Healthy up your holiday menu by making this Holiday Cranberry, Pear and Apple Crisp for dessert. If you're making cranberry sauce, cook cranberries only until they pop. Otherwise, they will turn mushy and bitter.
5. Pomegranates
Cut open a pomegranate and inside you'll find hundreds of tiny, scarlet red seeds, all bundled up in a tough, white pith. You can simply cut the pomegranate in half, and eat the seeds with a spoon, but take note that the juice stains permanently. If you'd prefer to not get squirted, try the method below for de-seeding a pomegranate.
Nutrition information: Pomegranates are fat-free, sodium-free, and a source of vitamin C.
Picking and storage tip: Choose large, deeply coloured pomegranates. Press the crown end. If powdery clouds appear, then the fruit is past its prime. Pomegranates don't require any ripening, and are best kept in the fridge.
De-seeding a pomegranate: Cut off the crown, then score the pomegranate into four sections, but do not cut all the way through into the fruit. Soak the whole pomegranate upside down in a bowl of cool water for five minutes. With the fruit still underwater, pull apart the rind with your hands. The seeds will instantly sink while the rind and pith float to the top. Pat the seeds dry and they're ready to eat!
Heart healthy eating tip: Sprinkle these brilliantly coloured seeds over a winter fruit salad or compote. Or crush the seeds in a blender to make your own delicious pomegranate juice.