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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!