Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with fruit

Dried Apriocots = Gas Pains from Hell?

bearette — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 01:19:26 -0800

Why did eating a bunch of dried Apricots cause me to have the worst gas pains of my life? I did do some research and discovered that dried fruit often gives excess gas. But this seemed excessive even knowing that. I am just curious what may have cause the worst gas pains I have ever felt.

The details are that I overindulged in dried apricots (ate maybe 20 pieces, not sure if each was a whole apricot) and later that night...OUCH. I didn't feel particularly full after eating them, and didn't have dinner after. But several hours later that night I had horrible trapped gas which last at least an hour. I felt like my appendix was about to burst, and almost went to the hospital, when I realized that it was gas. I rubbed and patted my stomach for over an hour while in extreme pain, until finally most of the gas released and I felt ok.

I was just wondering if anyone has ideas about what caused such an extreme reaction? (never had anything like it happen before, nor do I want it to happen again!) I had taken antibiotics a few days earlier due to some bacteria/infection (I am in India currently). Could it be related to that?'

Obviously, I know I ate too many of them...but I've overeaten before and never had pain like this.

(I don't think the apricots had any added sugar)

And just a tip: don't eat a whole bunch of dried fruit in one sitting!

Apple tree rehab

shothotbot — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:55:14 -0800

We recently bought a house with neglected apple trees and I would like to learn how to care for them. We bought a house in Columbia County, New York which has eight or so very neglected apple trees. The previous owners left pictures of the house from the 1930s where it is called "The Orchard" so I feel a little responsibility to try and take care of the apple trees and to replace them if mine are too far gone.

My main question is how to care for these trees to get them bare fruit.

I would love to be the beneficiary of hard-won MeFi advice, but I am hoping for some outside resources too. I would love a class on fruit tree care, someplace between New York and Albany. Second best would be a book or comprehensive resource. Third best would be a YouTube link.

Choosing a dwarf fruit tree for a garden

bq — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 18:01:04 -0800

I have a large container in my back yard that I want to use for a dwarf tree. The container is at least 3 by 3 feet and gets full sun. It's very important that the tree stay short - four feet is best, five feet would be ok. I want to get tasty fruit from it. I want it to stay healthy and require minimal maintenance. Please give me species recommendations and tips. I like apples but I can get organic apples fairly cheaply so I don't really need an apple tree. I don't like apricots or plums. I do like pears and cherries. I live near Seattle. I will probably almost ignore this tree except for picking the fruit.

Would it be worth it for me to go to the local garden store and pay big bucks for a tree as opposed to ordering from territorial seed catalog?

Garden of Lost Fruit?

Yiggs — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 04:22:20 -0800

In The Fruit Hunters by Adam Gollner, he mentions "Bologna's Garden of Lost Fruit" as a fruit-focused tourist destination (p. 35). Googling for this name only brings up a Google Books snippet of the book, and trying to translate it to Italian doesn't seem to give anything useful either. What is this place called in Italian, and where can I find it?

What ideally would a "juicing" produce box contain?

mandymanwasregistered — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 12:31:11 -0800

You like to juice! Say you were to purchase a box of seasonal produce to juice for the week, what proportion of greens/fruit/veggies would you want this box to contain? Give me all of the adivice/opinions. I can find recipes on the internet for individual juices, but I'm not sure how to piece it together for, say, a box that would yield 12 oz juice per day for a week.

Decent garden center south of Pittsburgh?

Camofrog — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:13:40 -0800

I'm going to help my brother install a raised bed and some fruit trees/bushes in a couple of weeks. We're probably going to be putting in some raspberries/blackberries, blueberries, and maybe a few fruit trees. I do not want to purchase diseased/generic junk at a big box. Is there a decent garden center in the West Newton area? Bonus points for tipping me off to somebody who can deliver a yard or three of garden soil/compost. Many thanks!

Japanese fruit identification

Margalo Epps — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 11:01:56 -0800

What is this Japanese fruit: four brown seeds inside tennis ball size fruit? My mom remembers eating this fruit when she was an exchange student to Japan, in 1966. She can't remember the name, but does remember that it had four shiny brown seeds in the center, round and flat where they rested against each other, about 1/2 inch across. The fruit was the size of a tennis ball and it was sweet. It wasn't citrus, but may have been yellow or orange in color. We have a reasonable selection of fruit from Asia in Seattle, but she hasn't come across this fruit since she lived in Japan.

Will pomegranate seeds hurt my young daughter?

lynnie-the-pooh — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:48:03 -0800

Are pomegranate seeds safe for my 8 year old daughter to eat? I heard that pomegranate seeds were really healthy and I bought them for me, but my 8 year old daughter loves them. She eats spoonfuls of them. But now I'm reading that they have something in them like estrogen? I don't want to hurt her with high estrogen. Do any of you have a better understanding about this than me.

I just don't want to be giving her something that could harm her.

Thanks.

What is it?

bricoleur — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 18:26:02 -0800

What is this seed/fruit/nut, found at low elevation in northern California? The two pieces on the left are halves; they came out of the rind pieces at the top right. The smaller thing at lower right is a whole one, without rind. They are very firm, like an apple or more so, and the inside has no strong taste or smell.

Why isn't my candied orange peel turning translucent consistently, dammit?

kenko — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 20:41:39 -0800

Whenever I make candied orange (or other citrus) peel, it always takes longer than recipe-writers seem to expect for the peel to become translucent, and some never becomes translucent at all. (a) What gives? (b) Is the not-translucent peel cool to store and eat? I do the whole multiple-simmerings-in-water thing, but am not super diligent about timing for that, so perhaps that's a factor. I also leave all the pith on---perhaps that, too, makes a difference.

Recipe incorporating preserved cumquats?

Joe in Australia — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 04:54:30 -0800

I preserved a lot of cumquats in liquor. The liquor is nice, but the cumquats themselves too are sour and bitter to eat. Is there a recipe I could use them in? I'm thinking something like a fruitcake, but I don't know how to incorporate them.

Brooklyn fruits?

greta simone — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 10:37:09 -0800

What fruit tree is blooming behind my apartment in Brooklyn? There's two huge fruit trees in a garden about two doors down from me in my new apartment in Brooklyn. I don't have access to this garden so I can't get close enough to really see, and I don't know anything about what grows and when in this area.

The trees themselves are 3-4 stories high, with canopies that span at least 15-20 feet from what I can tell. The fruit is currently the size of a child's fist (about plum sized--though not plum-colored). The leaves are pretty droopy right now, but seem like they are probably kind of longish, thin-ish, oval-ly, about 3-4 inches long. The trees get full, all-day sun. I just moved in here, so I don't know what the trees look like in any other season or before bearing fruit.

At first I thought they were peaches because of the color which is, ya know, kinda peachy/pink with yellowish-green less ripened shades, but then I thought, "wait, this isn't Georgia, do peaches even grow here?". Then I thought maybe apples, but it seems maybe too early in the season for them to be that big/colorful? I have no idea.

I tried to get a photo, but the distance and the fact that it was taken through a window didn't allow for one of very good quality.

Any idea?

How to clean a book, soiled with fruit flesh (peach)?

fakelvis — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 03:56:11 -0800

How can I clean this soiled book? The mess was caused by a ripe peach being mushed against the book. This happened yesterday (~30hrs ago), and I didn't notice the mess until it had dried.

What you're looking at in the pictures is the dried juice/skin/flesh of a peach that got pressed/rubbed against my (new!) book.

No juice has spread 'into' the pages and the soiling is contained to the outer edge of the pages (the 'textblock'?). There is some very slight cockling/rippling of the pages on the affected area.

How can I clean this book to bring it back to its prior glory? Can I get rid of the cockling?

(I've looked at the Dartmouth Book Repair Manual, but am a total newbie and don't know which sections I should be looking at… or in what order.)

Strange Fruit

torisaur — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 16:02:24 -0800

What is this fruit-bearing bush in the yard of my new house, and can I eat the fruit on it (when it ripens)? Here is the bush. Here are the fruits on the bush, and here is a fruit cut open so you can see the inside. The outside is very smooth, and it doesn't have any particular smell other than sort of...green when it's cut open. I am in Guelph, Ontario (about an hour away from Toronto). Tell me this is something delicious and/or useful!

Homemade fruit rum safe to drink after 1.5 years?

rainbowbrite — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 09:22:56 -0800

Homemade fruit rum safe to drink after 1.5 years? A friend and I made some strawberry rum about a year and a half ago...basically combined some whole strawberries and rum in a jar. We were planning to let it sit for a couple of months and then strain out the strawberries and drink. Of course...we forgot about it. We unearthed it recently and wondered if it would be safe to taste. Obviously we would toss the berries (which are looking pretty gross), but I'd love to taste it and see if it's any good...perfectly willing to risk it tasting bad and tossing it for that reason, but of course I don't want to even taste if it might be dangerous. What are your thoughts?

What recipe is my mom trying to make?

french films about trains — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 18:51:26 -0800

Mountains of sugar and fruit in glass jars in the pantry: What the heck is my mother making? The recipe as far as I can decipher:

Ingredients:

1. Gallon-sized glass jar w/lid
2. Pounds of brown sugar
3. Assorted soft fruits

Stored in a dark pantry, checked and mixed daily.

What is this going to end up as? She said it isn't alcohol and as long as there's enough sugar it won't turn into vinegar... sooo... what on earth is she trying to make? Anyone have any idea? Is this being done correctly? I feel like there's going to be a giant messy explosion of diabetic proportions about to occur out of one of these jars. Anyone?

Adam's Needle bearing fruit: what now?

Capt. Renault — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 07:10:57 -0800

YuccaFilter: I have an Adam's Needle in my front yard (yucca filamentosa, I believe) which has flowered, and is now bearing fruit! My question: what to do with these little green gourds? It seems like Adam's Needle fruit is edible, but I've no idea how to prepare them, what they taste like. I've heard about the flowers being edible (with eggs?), which seems to be A Thing in Costa Rica. The flowers are long gone, but what to do about the fruit? Is it edible? How does one prepare it? What does it taste like?

In the alternative, forgetting about eating them, how could I use the fruit to propagate a new plant? Is that a worthwhile project? How would one go about that?

Thanks for any information you might have. I'm just so excited to have fruit on this thing for the first time, that I feel obliged to use them somehow.

Internet Fruit Detective Squad, Assemble

ominous_paws — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 07:05:55 -0800

What are these fruit, seen outside a 24 hour shop in North London? Are they (please god, let it be) tomatillos?

The Forbidden Fruit

MinusCelsius — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 09:33:30 -0800

Can I become allergic to (almost) all fruits over night? If so, what can I eat/drink as substitutes? In the last few weeks, I noticed that I seem to react to fruits the same way I react to milk - the exact symptoms of my lactosis intolerance. I'm healthy otherwise, and generally rarely get sick. Most of my family on my mother's side deals with insane amounts of allergies (including nearly every known fruit) and my lactosis intolerance came "over night" as well when I was in my mid-twenties. It still seems strange that every fruit I try makes me throw up/gives me extreme stomach pain from one day to another. In my family, it slowly developed, starting with strawberries and working it's way up to "all fruits".

Fruits I have tried: Passion fruit, cherries, banana, coconut, watermelon, raspberries, mango, orange, apricot. Banana and coconut give me less stomach pain and doesn't make me throw up, but it's still stomach pain and pretty uncomfortable in the end.
Some I ate, some I drank as juice (claiming to be "100 % natural", if it's any help). I don't feel like testing any other fruits.

Question 1: Is there anything these types of fruit have in common that could be cause the allergy? Or is it unlikely that this is a simple allergy and I should see a doctor? (If so, what kind of doc?)

Question 2, whatever stands between fruits and me, I like eating them and drinking juice. Unlike milk, I can't just take a counterpart to soy milk. What can I eat/drink instead to have at least the vitamine part covered (bonus points if it tastes good)?

What, if anything, can you tell me about these strawberries?

désoeuvrée — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:28:57 -0800

Can you tell whether these strawberries are organic? Also, are they stolen? I bought these strawberries from a guy on the corner, who is there fairly regularly. I tried to ask him if they had been sprayed with pesticides but he didn't (appear to) understand, so I asked if they were organic and he said, "Yes, organic, from Salinas." But aren't these too big to be organic? Or is size even relevant? I was under the impression, based on overheard snippets of conversation at the farmer's market, that organic strawberries are smaller... But I'm clueless about such things so I could easily be wrong. They were $12 if that tells you anything.

Also, when I got home my SO told me that the people selling fruit on street corners like that usually stole it from someone else's farm. Can anyone corroborate this?

Fruits and veggies for a cold, shadowy place

Skyanth — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 02:15:17 -0800

This year I'm trying container gardening for the first time. I've planted some indoors stuff (peppers, physalis, chervil) and am waiting for the shoots to come up. Tomato seeds are on the way (hopefully). I live in Amsterdam (think NYC climate) in an apartment, and I've got a teensie tiny (30cm by 2m / 1' by 7') french balcony facing southeast that I'm going to try to make the most of. At the back (southwest), I've got much more space (about 3m2/27 sq ft), but due to the surrounding buildings it's almost always shadowy and drafty there. I'd really like to make use of this space though, seems like a waste not to. Any ideas what plants I could try growing there? (Please don't say salad. I hate salad.)

Need short Australia-friendly tree that will earn its keep

lollusc — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:42:03 -0800

I need recommendations for small trees, or bushes or shrubs or something, that absolutely won't grow taller than two metres high, can handle dry conditions (Australian summers) and temperatures between -5 and +40 Celsius. Ideally they should either have pretty flowers or produce something edible (but not citrus, I have enough of those already). Needs to be available in Canberra. The electric company is making me rip out two trees in my garden because they are too close to powerlines. I want to replace them with something that won't be a problem. The overhead supply is pretty low, so I think I can only get away with 2m max.

Also, do I need to wait for spring to plant the replacements?

What is this weird pod thing?

supercrayon — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:27:40 -0800

What is this weird fruit thing growing in my backyard? I just found this today and I have no idea what it is. I live in Auckland, New Zealand, and this looks like some sort of zucchini type thing? It has bright white liquid inside that stains like white-out on the skin. Any ideas?

Pic 1

Pic 2

Healthy Food for 365 Days

kensch — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:41:33 -0800

Maryland: Help me find a nice year-round co-op or CSA in the Baltimore Metro Area? Hi all, I'm a recent transplant to Arbutus in Maryland. I'm looking for a good co-op or CSA in the area (driving distance is fine). I've looked on Local Harvest and other Ask threads, but most of the CSA selection seems to be limited to a specific season, around 8-10 weeks in summer or fall. That's fine, but I was hoping for a group that sources veggies/fruit all year. Does anyone know of a group that works along those lines?

I've been lucky -- I was formerly part of the excellent Purple Dragon Co-op in NJ, which had great selection all year. =)

What to shred, grind, smash and such

no bueno — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 07:50:38 -0800

Got a norwalk juicer. Not here yet but tell me your favorite things to make with it, juices and otherwise. Norwalk juicer is on the way and there doesn't seem to be much discussion about what to make besides juice. Obviously it'll primarily be a juicer but would love to get more functionality out of it. We have a baby on the way and would love recommendations for making baby food with it. Plan on making almond flour, fruit smoothies etc w/ it. What are you favorite things to make w/ it if you have one? If you don't have one but have thought about getting one what would you make if you did get one?