Cranberry Beans are known for their creamy texture with a flavor similar to chestnuts. Cranberry beans are rounded with red specks, which disappear on cooking. These beans are a favorite in northern Italy and Spain. You can find them fresh in their pods in Autumn.

According to the USDA, the American 'cranberry bean' is the same bean as the Italian 'borlotti' and, as a matter of fact, a large percentage of the 'borlotti' beans sold in Italy are actually 'cranberry beans' imported from the U.S.

Another name for this bean in the U.S. is 'French horticultural bean'.

These beans are related to the Tongues of Fire Beans. Very popular for Spanish, Italian and Portuguese dishes.

Also known as a Japanese squash, Orange Hokkaido or Uchiki Kuri squash, this fruit is commonly known as the Kuri squash. Medium sized and round with a tapered end, this is a thick-skinned, orange colored squash that looks like a pumpkin with a topknot and without the ridges. Its deep orange-colored shell reveals a mild flavored flesh with a somewhat dry texture. The firm flesh provides a very delicate and mellow flavor similar to the taste of chestnuts. Under its deep orange shell is mild flavored flesh with a somewhat dry texture and a delicate, subtle flavor similar to chestnuts.

All Squash are members of the Cucurbitaceae family and are relatives of both melons and cucumbers.

The champagne grape, also known as Black Cornith or Zante Currant, is a variety of grape that is grown in clusters that produce very small diameter grapes. It is a seedless grape that provides a very sweet flavor for salads, appetizers or as a snack with cheese. The stem, which is also very tiny and tender, is often consumed with the grape rather than attempting to detatch the small connector from the main stem. This grape is very small, sweet and crisp. Wonderful as a garnish on cheese trays and a nice touch for fruit baskets. Champagne grapes that are dried are referred to as currants, a named derived from this variety also being called the Zante Currant grape. Although it may be confused with common black, red or white currants that grow on bushes, it is similar only in shape and size, but is not the same type of fruit. The dried grape that becomes a currant is often used like raisins as an ingredient when baking cookies and sweets.

The Fuyu persimmon is round with a flat top and bottom and should be eaten when hard, like an apple. The outer skin is edible and there are a few internal seeds that should not be eaten. The Fuyu (or flat) persimmon contains none of the bitter tannins that are found in the Hachiya persimmon, this allows the persimmon to be eaten at any point after harvest.

Fuyu persimmons can be prepared like pears or fresh apples; sauteed with either sweet or savory ingredients. Persimmons are packed with vitamins and low calories and is an ideal ingredient in a variety of salads, fruit salads, mousse, jam. Persimmons contain twice as much fiber as apples, they are rich in other elements such as calcium, iron and magnesium.

Classically a fall fruit in the Northern hemisphere, persimmons can be sourced from South America in April and May.

Passion fruit that's identified by a purple - brown outer rind is available year around with a peak in season from January through June. Purple passion fruit is classically an egg - shaped fruit, approximately two to three inches in diameter at maturity. The fruit's skin is brittle and smooth, yet dimpled and at peak maturity should be heavily wrinkled. The skin's color varies with hues of dark purple and red. Passion fruit, also known as Granadilla, is of the family Passifloraceae. Granadilla is the fruit of the plant Passiflora ligularis.

Below the outer skin is a cottony white peel. The interior cavity is filled with edible yellow to green pulp and flesh covered seeds like those of a pomegranate (granadilla means 'little pomegranate' in Spanish). The fruit's pulp is highly aromatic and has a tropical sweet tart juice with nuances of pineapple, papaya, mango, citrus and guava.

When choosing ripe fruit, look for wrinkled skin and a deep purple color – this is the fruit that has ripened the most and will be the sweetest. The softer the shell, the more ripe the fruit will be; The outer shell becomes pliable and wrinkled when fully ripe and if there is any mold evident, it can be wiped off–it does not impact the inside product or flavor. Remember–this fruit is wrinkled and ugly when ripe!

Growing increasingly popular, the Temptation Melon (also known as Orange Flesh Honeydew) is like a cantaloupe with the size and shape of a honeydew. The melons are large, round, and should be heavy for their size. They have an exceptionally smooth white skin and succulent orange flesh that is very similar to cantaloupe, with a bit more delicate honeydew-like flavor. The best way to tell when orange-flesh honeydew melons are perfectly ripe is to look at the skin. Ripe orange-flesh melons turn a pale orange shade when ripe.

The fig might have been the true "forbidden fruit" in the Garden of Eden, but it remains undisputed that the first article of clothing worn by mankind was made of fig leaves. In fact, the fabulous fig has existed since almost the beginning of time. From Attica to Assyria and from Babylonia to Sumer, the fig has survived the fall of some of the greatest empires of the world.

The Mission figs are most popular and commonly found in the peak of the summer growing season. They can appear in varied shades, but a deep violet to black color is most prominent. These black beauties are prized for their fresh, juicy pulp and surgary-sweet, intense flavor.

Pluot® and Aprium® interspecific hybrids are complex crosses of plum and apricot. Unlike plumcots, which are simple plum x apricot crosses, Pluot® and Aprium® interspecifics were developed by the Zaigers through intricate hybridizing, requiring several generations of crosses to create these new fruits.

Pluot® interspecifics have predominantly plum parentage and smooth skins like plums. The complex, intense flavor of Pluot® and Aprium® is unique to interspecifics, much like a blend of fruit juices where the mixture is an improvement over any of the separate ingredients. Additionally, the sugar content of our interspecifics is much higher than in any standard plum or apricot--yielding fruit of incomparable sweetness.

* Pluot® and Aprium® are registered trademarks of Zaiger Genetics, Modesto, California

Usually referred to as Red Velvet Apricot, this fruit is actually a plumcot with a fuzzy red skin and orange flesh. This is an early ripening apricot. The skin is a dull red like a plum but it is fuzzy like an apricot. The texture is golden and meaty like an apricot. The flesh is juicier than most apricots but not as much as many plums.

The Meyer lemon is thought to be a botanical cross between a true lemon and a mandarin orange. This variety originates in China where it is commonly potted as an ornamental plant. Introduced to the United States in 1908 by Frank Meyer, it is slightly sweeter than the classic commercial varieties of Lemons (Eureka and Lisbon). The fruit is yellow and matures in a more round than ovate shape when compared to the other lemon varieties. Meyer lemons have a slight orange tint when ripe. The Meyer Lemon is a favorite of chefs and gourmets because of it's low acidity. The rind lacks the typical lemon peel citrus aroma and the pulp is a dark yellow. The complex flavor and aroma hints of a combination of sweet lime, lemon and mandarin. The Meyer Lemon has a soft skin that develops an orange hue when fruit is fully ripe, and its distinctive, mystical flavor combines lemon with a hint of tangerine.

All watermelons consist of 80 to 90% water, they are low in calories, and contain an airy flesh that is very juicy and sweet to the taste.

Watermelon is most often eaten on its own. It is sliced, quartered, cubed, or scooped to form balls. It is added to fruit salad and used to make jam, sorbet, juice, salsa, and sometimes wine. Watermelon that has not yet ripened is used in the same way as summer squash. The watermelon rind can be candied or marinated.

Because it contains vitamin C and potassium, watermelon is thought to be a great detoxifier, diuretic, and cleansing agent.