MORE WACKY FRUITS

SAPODILLA This fruit grows in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. The fruit is egg shaped with a brown skin. The pulp inside ranges from yellow to reddish brown.

BILIMBI: This fruit is commonly found all over Southeast Asia. It looks like a small cucumber. The skin is thin, smooth and green. The pulp tends to be acid tasting. Sweet ones are often candied.

CARAMBOLA: You know it better as Star fruit (or as they call it on Staten Island- Christmas Fruit). This fruit is also native to Southeast Asia. The flesh tends to be yellowish. The fruit is crisp and sweet.

KUMQUATS: Other than being the subject of a great monologue by W C Fields, you already know this fruit as being somewhat unusual. Coming from China, this fruit has a sweet rind and a sour pulp inside.

MANGOSTEEN: We thought this one was a Jewish fruit, but it is about as Jewish as Springsteen (ie, not at all). The rind is a deep reddish purple. The fruit is sweet, creamy and tangy. It also seems to have a slight touch of peach flavor, too. Some folks say that the fruit is a cross between plum, lychee and coconut. In addition, this fruit is like a tangerine- it comes in easy to separate sections.

So- what are you doing this summer? Why not try some new fruits?