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Apple

Description FAMILY: Rosaceae SCIENTIFIC NAME: Malus pumila, Malus sylvestris COMMON NAME: Apple

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Apple is a Pome fruit.A Pome is a fleshy fruit with thin skin, not formed from the ovary but from another part.The seeds are contained in chamber in the center of fruit. Thousands of varieties of apples are grown world wide.The skin color of apples can range from red to yellow to green. Apple is crispy and juicy fruit.It size can vary from 2 to 4 inches. Apple Nutritional Value Top of Page

Apples are good source of dietary fiber pectin. It is a good source of Vitamin C Apple Health Benefits Top of Page

Soluble fiber pectin which is rich in apples helps to reduce blood cholestrol.

Quercetin, a flavonoid found in apple fight against cancer. Apple Varieties Top of Page

Thousands of varieties of apples are available world wide.Red delicious,Golden delicious,Gala,Fuji,McIntosh and Rome beauty are some popular varieties in U.S Apple Botanical Facts Top of Page

Apples need a certain amount of chilling hour (dormant period-some hours below 45 degree F) to trigger the development of leaf and flower buds. Apple trees take four or five years to produce their first fruit.Dwarf and semidwarf trees require as few as 2 years to fruit. Standard trees reach a height and spread of 25 feet while dwarf trees 10-12 feet and semidwarf trees 15-18 feet. Apple blossoms are pink when they open but gradually fade to white. Apple Select and Store Top of Page

An apple skin should be shiny.Also with firm flesh and free of bruises and punctures and soft spots.To ripen apples store them at room temperature.Apples store well for long periods,refrigerated or in a cool,dry place. Apple Uses Top of Page

A whole apple is more nutrious than drinking juice and also eat it fresh.Apples are used in salads, deserts, juices, pies, breads, cakes and also in alcoholic beverages. Sliced apples turn brown on exposure to air.

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Apricot

Description FAMILY: Rosaceae SCIENTIFIC NAME: Prunus armeniaca COMMON NAME: Apricot

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Apricot is a drupe fruit. Apricots are members of rose family and closely related to peach, plum and cherry. Apricot is a orange - yellow, round fleshy fruit. It skin is smooth and velvetty. Apricot has orange sweet flesh. Avocado Nutritional Value Top of Page

Apricots are rich in Betacarotene(Vitamin A). Apricots are good source of Vitamin C. Apricots are excellent source of pottasium and dietary fiber. Apricot Health Benefits Top of Page

Fiber in apricot can help to regulate bowel movement.

Apricot can help to regulate blood pressure. Apricot Varieties Top of Page

Patterson,Tilton,Blenheim and Castlebrite are some popular varieties. Apricot Botanical Facts Top of Page

Apricot trees grow to about 20 to 25 and spread to a width of 30 feet. Apricot flowers are pinkish white with five regular sepals and petals. Turkey, Russia, Spain, Italy are the leading producing nations. Apricot Select and Store Top of Page

Tree ripened apricots taste better. So always look for mature, rich orange - yellow and slightly soft fruit. Avoid too firm pale or greenish apricots. Hold the apricots at room temperature until yields to slight pressure.After ripening use it immediately or refrigerate. Apricot Uses Top of Page

Tree ripened apricot taste good to eat it raw. You can use apricots in salads and to prepare juices and jam. Dried apricots are very popular, convenient and nutrious too. Apricot Nutrition chart

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Avocado

Description FAMILY: Lauraceae SCIENTIFIC NAME: Persea americana COMMON NAME: Avocado, Alligator pear

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Avocado fruit is botanicaly one seeded berry. Avocado is a ovoid or pear shaped fruit with thin or thick skin. Its skin is glossy green or dark black green, and smooth or bumpy. The flesh of avocado is deep green near the skin and pale yellow nearer the single large seed. Avocado Nutritional Value Top of Page

Avocados are high in monosaturated fat. They are low in saturated fat . Avocado has no cholestrol and sodium. Avocado is a good source of dietary fiber and potassium.

Avocados are excellent source of vitamin E Avocado Health Benefits Top of Page

Beta-sitosterol a phytosterol found in avocado helps lower blood cholesterol levels. Glutathione which is rich in avocado functions as an antioxidant,like vitamin E, to neutralize peroxide and free radicals. Avocado is also used in cosmetics and skin cream Avocado Varieties Top of Page

Lot of varieties of avocados are available world wide. Hass, Fuerte, Bacon, Lula are some popular varieties Avocado Botanical Facts Top of Page

Avocado is a dense evergreen tree.Avocado trees reach a height of 20 to 80 feet depends on the variety. A large heavily flowering tree may have over one million flowers.Even though each panicle will produce one to three fruits,it has nearly 300 small yellow green blooms per panicle. Avocado can be grown from seed,but the plants are usually propagated by grafting.Grafted plants produce fruit within two to three years, but seven to twelve years for seedlings. Avocado Select and Store Top of Page

Avocados are available unripe in most of the markets. So look for hard and unblemished avocados. Ripe avocados yield slightly to gentle pressure. Avocados can be ripened at room temperature. So to ripen avocados keep the fruit in paper bag and leave it in room temperature, until it ripe. Ripe avocados can be stored in refrigerator for 2 to 4 days. Avocado Uses Top of Page

Avocados are usually eaten raw, because cooking destroys it flavor and get slight bitter flavor. Guacamole is a very famous avocado dip. Avocados are used in salads, juices, cold soups, and desserts. After cutting or peeling avocados, flesh discolors quickly when exposed to air. Sprinkle lemon or lemon juice on the fruit to slow the darkening process to air.

Banana

Description FAMILY: Musaceae SCIENTIFIC NAME: Musa paradisiaca COMMON NAME: Banana

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Banana is an elongated fruit. Banana is a berry fruit. Flesh of the banana is yellowish-white, creamy, and sweet. When it is ripe its skin peels off easily. Its skin color varies from green,yellow or red depends on the variety. Banana Nutritional Value Top of Page

Bananas are good source of potassium,Vitamin C and dietary fiber. Bananas are excellent source of vitamin B6 Banana Health Benefits Top of Page

Potassium is very important to regulate blood pressure. As potassium reduces the blood pressure bananas are good to control hypertension. Fibers in bananas are helpful to regulate bowel movement. Banana Varieties Top of Page

Hundreds of varieties of Bananas are available world wide. Cavendish is the popular yellow banana, which is the chief export banana. Silk, Manzana, Gros Michel are some popular

varieties. Ney Poovan, Robusta, Mysore are some of the popular varieties in India. Banana Botanical Facts Top of Page

Banana plant is not a tree,it is the largest herb in the world. It can grow upto 20 to 25 feet high. The functional trunk formed by upright concentric sheathing base of long broad leafs. It is a perennial herb. Bananas propagate through rootstalk rhizome. Banana flower is large, long, oval, tapering and purple color.It looks like a large bud. Flower has a purple clad arranged like an onion bulb. In between each clad it has a clustered row of yellowish-white, slender, tubular flowers. Banana Select and Store Top of Page

Bananas can be easily ripened by leaving them at room temperature. Avoid fruits that is bruised or split. Bananas are good to store at room temperature.Ripe fruits can be stored in refrigerator where they keep at least couple of days longer than room temperature. Banana Uses Top of Page

Bananas are very popular and convenient for eating out of hand. Bananas are used to make banana cake,icecream, salads and muffins.

Blackberry

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FAMILY: Rosaceae SCIENTIFIC NAME: Rubus spp. COMMON NAME: Blackberry, Bramble fruit Blackberry is an aggregate fruit. An aggregate fruit develops from the single flower with multiple pistils. Each fruit within the aggregate is botannically drupe. The size of the fruit vary from one to two inch. It is a juicy fruit with shiny thin skin. Blackberry Nutritional Value Top of Page

Blackberry is one of the mineral rich fruit. It is a good source of magnesium and pottasium. Blackberry is a good source of dietary fiber. It is a good source of Vitamin C Blackberries are excellent antioxidants. Blackberry Health Benefits Top of Page

Antioxidants in blackberries helps to prevent cancer and heart diseases. Every single cell in our body needs magnesium to produce energy which is rich in blackberries. Blackberry Varieties Top of Page

Lot of varieties of blackberries are available world wide. Boysen, Marion, Logan are some popular hybrids. Hull, Cherokee, Chester are some commercial blackberry varieties. Blackberry Botanical Facts Top of Page

The blackberry is a perennial plant. It belongs to a group of small fruits crops called brambles. Blackberry canes have small to large thrones. Now thornless cultivars are also available. Blackberry Select and Store Top of Page

Look for bright black color, fresh and clean blackberries. They should be plump and fresh in appearance. Over ripe berries will have very dull color. Blackberries should be stored in cool places. Blackberries will keep in the refrigerator for two days. Wash the berries just before using them. Blackberry Uses Top of Page

Fresh blackberries taste good to eat raw. Blackberries are used to make jam, pie, juices and wines.

Cherry

Description

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FAMILY:

Rosaceae

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Prunus avium COMMON NAME: Cherry

Cherries are small slightly heart shaped fruit. It has a smooth waxy thin skin. Color of the skin and flesh can vary from dark red to yellow depending on the variety. The flesh is very juicy. Each fruit has a hard seed at center. Cherry Nutritional Value Top of Page

Cherries are very good source of vitamin A and vitamin C . Cherries are rich source of antioxidants.

Cherry

Health Benefits

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Antioxidant in cherries helps to prevent cancer and heart diseases. Cherry Varieties Top of Page

Bing and Lambert are popular large dark red sweet cherries. Tartarian, Chapman, Black Republican are other popular sweet cherries. Early Richmond, Montmorency and Morellos are tart cherries. Cherry Botanical Facts Top of Page

Cherry trees grow to about 40 feet.But in cultivation they are maintained at 12 to 15 feet by pruning. Cherry flowers apperar in early spring as a clusters with white petals. Cherry Select and Store Top of Page

Look for bright, shiny and fairly firm fresh cherries.Over mature fruits are soft and dull in appearance. Store them in the refrigerator. Fresh cherries will keep well for up to one week Cherry Uses Top of Page

Fresh sweet cherries are usually eaten out of hand. Cherries are used for making jams, for pie filling and as ice cream toping. Cherry