Market Pick: Mango Nectarines

(Melissa's Produce)

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Wednesday, July 4, 2007

The mango nectarine has a delicious case of multiple personalities. It has the taste of a mango, the color and shape of a golden plum.

Luckily for fruit lovers, this California-grown treat -- no relation to the mango, despite its name -- is a wonderful combination of flavor and texture. Sweet, juicy and slightly fibrous, it's great eaten out of hand, diced in a fruit salsa or salad, or grilled. More ambitious cooks might want to sample its unique taste in a homemade cobbler or ice cream.

Sadly, it has a short season. The fruit just started heading to markets late last week, according to Robert Schueller, spokesman for Melissa's World Variety Produce in California, which distributes the fruit nationwide. He says mango nectarine season should last until the beginning of August.

Look for the fruit first in Wegmans, where produce managers expect to have it in stock this week. Schueller says the nectarines will make their way into more markets as the season goes on. Magruder's will carry it as well. For recipe ideas, go to http://www.melissas.com.

-- Stephanie Witt Sedgwick