Rainier Fruit Company | Seasonal Featured Item

Pear Tips

To ripen your pears:

Leave firm, unripe pears at room temperature so that they can ripen.
Check ripeness by applying gentle pressure to the stem end (neck) of the pear with your thumb. If it yields to pressure, then it's ripe and ready to eat!
Once the pear is ripe, it can be refrigerated to slow the ripening process and saved for up to five days.

Refrigerating Pears

Don't refrigerate an unripe pear! Ripened pears can be used at once or put under refrigeration (35o to 45o F) until you want to use them. Refrigeration will delay further ripening but will not stop it altogether so you should plan to use the pears within 5 days Pears need to ripen at room temperature, so don't refrigerate an unripe pear!

Speed the Ripening Process

Place un-ripe pears in a fruit bowl at room temperature near other ripening fruit like bananas, which naturally give off ethylene and will help speed up the ripening process.

Lady Alice Apple

The Lady Alice variety is available during the month of March only due to the limited volume currently produced in Washington. The Lady Alice apple variety was discovered as a chance seedling near Gleed, WA. While cultivating the neglected orchard in 1979, a plow disc hit the base of a Red Delicious tree injuring its trunk. The damage tree sent out a new shoot. The new shoot had a decidedly different appearance from the rest of the tree so the chance seedling shoot was allowed to grow and bear fruit. Since the new tree was discovered in an orchard with many different varieties of apple trees scattered throughout, its parentage is unknown.

Over the next 25 years steps were taken to preserve and propagate the new variety. Today, young trees are beginning to reach maturity and producing just enough fruit to give us limited distribution throughout the U.S. Over the next several years production will increase allowing us to expand into new markets, retailers and a longer availability season.

Lady Alice is the ideal all-purposes apple. It is especially good for cutting into salads or fruit platters because the white flesh is extremely slow to brown. This crunchy, flavorful apple is quickly becoming a new favorite among apple lovers. Try one today and let us know what you think.

Apple Cranberry Wonton Cups

Pam cooking spray

1 Pkg. Wonton Wrappers (refrigerated)

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Filling:

4 medium Lady Alice Apples 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice (optional)

3/4 cup Sugar 2 Tbsp. Flour

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon 1/8 tsp. Nutmeg

1/2 cup Dried Cranberries Powdered Sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°, lightly spray a mini muffin pan with Pam or other cooking spray. Melt butter and brush on one side of the wonton wrappers fitting them into the muffin cup, butter side up. Place in 350° oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Take out of muffin pan and cool on cooling rack, once cool place wontons back in pan for filling.

Peel and core apples, cut into quarters and dice into 1/2 inch cubes, place in sturdy cooking pan on stove top, mix in lemon juice to retain color, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling add cranberries, boil about 5 minutes, then stir in flour. Stir constantly until mixture has thickened. Carefully pour boiling mixture evenly into wonton cups. Return to oven for another 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, cool slightly. Serve. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Makes 30

For more Lady Alice or other recipes, click here.

↑ Return to Top