| Ever wonder what comes in that bowl of fresh | | | | |
| fruit restaurants offer as a potential | | | | Tuna Mango Spread |
| dessert choice or side dish? Well, summer | | | | |
| would be the time to find out! With warm | | | | Mango Fool |
| weather on its way, so too are the delicious | | | | |
| likes of succulent watermelon, bright red | | | | Mango Cheesecake |
| strawberries, juicy nectarines and all | | | | |
| different kinds of cherries (try to get your | | | | Strawberries - From rumors of being poisonous |
| hands on some white ones, they're like heaven | | | | as well as nourishing the skin, strawberries |
| in cherry form). And don't forget your plums, | | | | are not just chockfull of vitamin C but also |
| blueberries, pineapple, honeydew, cantaloupe, | | | | history! That's right, the Lady of Thermidor |
| raspberries, and blackberries. Yes, the list | | | | was said to take baths in strawberries to |
| goes on and here's where you can get the dish | | | | bring out the full radiance of her skin, |
| on these summer crops. Even grapes are in | | | | while the nineteenth century Argentineans |
| season! | | | | would not go near the red prong-shaped |
| | | | berries fearing their poisonous potential. |
| Why indulge? | | | | Regardless of which you believe, the fruit is |
| | | | surely sweet and now incorporated into many a |
| Summer seems to be the best bearer of fruits | | | | daily menu. |
| which means it can be the best time to pack | | | | |
| in those essential vitamins and nutrients | | | | Try a few of these strawberry recipes out |
| that come from a healthy dose of fruit | | | | (and even the bath!): |
| consumption. Besides being delicious, most | | | | |
| summer fruits are also jam-packed with | | | | Strawberry Pretzel Dessert |
| vitamin C, as you might already know. But | | | | |
| what you might not know is that peaches and | | | | Sweet and Tart Strawberry Salad |
| cherries are great sources of fiber and | | | | |
| watermelon offers the perfect supply of | | | | Strawberry Fruit Dip |
| vitamin A. For some more info on nutrition | | | | |
| facts, click here . | | | | Do-Ahead Strawberry Stuffed French Toast |
| | | | |
| How do these fruits fit into my menu? | | | | Fresh Strawberry Bath |
| | | | |
| While typically incorporated into desserts, | | | | Strawberry Drawing Mask |
| these fruits don't have to be served that | | | | |
| way! Berries are delicious as salad toppers. | | | | Chilled Strawberry Mint Soup |
| You can mix some strawberries with some | | | | |
| greens and throw a few candied nuts and | | | | Pineapple - These odd-shaped fruits get their |
| you've got a great start to any meal. You can | | | | name from their resemblance to pine cones. |
| even make your favorite vinaigrette (mine is | | | | Their bright and juicy yellow flesh is |
| raspberry vinaigrette) out of summer berries | | | | probably much tastier than the inside of a |
| to top it off. Mangoes make a great salsa | | | | pine cone though, plus it is great for the |
| (Mango Salsa ), as do pineapples (Pineapple | | | | digestion. This fruit comes from Southern and |
| Salsa ), and melons make a refreshing and | | | | Central America. |
| tantalizing soup (Cold Melon Soup ). And just | | | | |
| about any variety of summer fruits can be | | | | Pineapple recipes with a twist!: |
| blended with ice to make a refreshing | | | | |
| smoothie. Try this Kiwi Mango Smoothie on | | | | Pineapple Sweet Potato Boats |
| for size. Fruit smoothies can be great | | | | |
| snacks, or even a delicious and nutritious | | | | Pineapple Stuffing |
| breakfast. | | | | |
| | | | Pineapple Chiffon Pie |
| Some interesting facts about: | | | | |
| | | | Pineapple Crisp |
| Watermelon- Did you know that watermelon is | | | | |
| both a fruit and a vegetable? If you're in a | | | | Pork and Pineapple Casserole |
| crunch trying to pack in your recommended | | | | |
| daily servings of both, just eat a whole | | | | Pineapple Zucchini Loaf |
| bunch of juicy pink watermelon! Originating | | | | |
| in Southern Africa, explorers have found an | | | | Blackberries- Not to be confused with the |
| abundance of watermelon in the Kalahari | | | | popular brand of PDA, blackberries are |
| Desert. Oddly enough, the watermelons also | | | | actually a variety of the raspberry. This |
| serve as a symbol for the Mexican Day of the | | | | fruit is not actually a berry but an |
| Dead and are depicted in a great deal of | | | | aggregate fruit from the bramble raspberry |
| Mexican art. | | | | plant. Lately Mexico has been producing |
| | | | bounties of blackberries. And as myth (in the |
| Recipes to sink your teeth into: | | | | UK) would have it, blackberries should not be |
| | | | picked after September 15th because the devil |
| Spicy Cucumber Watermelon Relish | | | | has supposedly claimed them. Good thing they |
| | | | are considered a summer fruit! |
| Quick and Easy Watermelon Pie | | | | |
| | | | Not-so-average 'berry recipes: |
| Watermelon Banana Split | | | | |
| | | | Blackberry Barbeque Sauce |
| Watermelon Slush | | | | |
| | | | Blackberry Wine Cake |
| Watermelon Salad with Mint Leaves | | | | |
| | | | Blackberry Bread Pudding |
| Frozen Watermelon Virgin Margaritas | | | | |
| | | | Old Fashioned Blackberry Spice Cake |
| Watermelon-Honeydew Kabobs with Dressing | | | | |
| | | | Blackberry Cobbler |
| Mangoes - This bright yellow fleshed tropical | | | | |
| fruit is native to Southern Asia. Centuries | | | | The bagel peach: a unique fruit case study |
| ago, these tree fruits popped up all over | | | | |
| India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. A very | | | | Ever seen a peach that looks like a bagel? |
| sweet fruit, the mango is made up of 15% | | | | Well they probably haven't been mixed up in |
| sugar and hosts significant amounts of | | | | the bakery yet as they're new in the last |
| vitamins A, B, and C. | | | | couple of years, but these white-fleshed |
| | | | fruits are a whopping 3 inches in diameter |
| Some mango recipes to tango with: | | | | and take on a round, but flat shape. Also |
| | | | called the galaxy peach, you might confuse |
| Mango Chicken | | | | this rare delicacy for a miniature UFO. |
| | | | Introduced by the USDA in 2004, this peach |
| Savory Cold Mango Soup | | | | typically ripens in the third or fourth week |
| | | | of June. |
| Mango Ice Cream | | | | |