Slightly Off KIlter

A friend sent me this, from an article called "Ripe Now," by Jeffrey Steingarten (reprinted in
"Cookwise," by Shirley Corriher).

• Fruits that NEVER ripen after they are picked: soft berries, cacao,
  cherries, grapes, citrus fruits, lychees, olives, pineapples, and
  watermelons.

• Fruits that ripen ONLY after picking: avocados.

• Fruits that ripen in color, texture, and juiciness but NOT in flavor or
  sweetness after picking: apricots, blueberries, figs, melons (except watermelons),
  passionfruit, peaches, and persimmons.

• Fruits that get sweeter after they are picked: apples, cherimoyas, kiwi,
  mangoes, papayas, pears, sapotes, and soursops.

• Fruits that ripen in EVERY way after picking: bananas.

So those incredible baseball-sized peaches we get at our local grocery this time of year, that go from hard to juicy in 3 days, were that sweet and nice to begin with?! Interesting.

I wonder if plums and nectarines fit in with peaches…

Aug 2, 2003

Also from my friend:

Shirley Corriher's book Cookwise is filled with this great stuff. Also,
Alton Brown's I'm Only Here for the Food makes the info a bit more fun. Both great books.

I don't doubt it. There are some wonderful food books. We love Calvin Trillin's writings, as well as Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. If you can find it, Food (out of print), by Waverly Root is a joy to flip through. We got lucky once and found a stack at a used bookstore – great for presents. Also, for a slightly more "technical" approach, look for On Food and Cooking and The Curious Cook by Harold McGee.