We saw the photo and recipe on Evolution Fresh’s Pinterest page, where it was featured as a summer recipe. But all of the ingredients are just as available in the winter.

Because there are no leafy greens to wilt, you can make a large batch and eat it over several days. You can vary it with olives, crumbled cheese, crunchy seeds or other favorite salad additions.

RECIPE: BURST OF SUNSHINE SALAD

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the ingredients, toss toss to coat with dressing, and serve.

 
THE HISTORY OF SALAD

Man and his ancestors have been eating salad greens since they crossed from homonids (great apes) to hunter-gatherers.

More recently in our history, ancient Romans and ancient Greeks ate mixed greens with dressing. They brought the custom with them in their imperial expansions, and green salads became a European convention/ [Source]
 
IS IT SALAD IF THERE’S NO LETTUCE?

Yes, indeed. A salad is a dish consisting of small pieces of food, typically served cold and usually mixed with a sauce (called salad dressing).

Beyond vegetable salads of all types, raw or cooked, there are bean salads, grain salads, pasta and noodle salads and meat/poultry/protein salads such as chicken, egg, tuna and seafood.

The leafy green salads most of us think of as “salad” is technically “garden salad” or “green salad.”

The word “salad” comes from the Latin salata, salty. During Roman times, the vegetables were seasoned with brine or salty oil-and-vinegar dressings. In English, the word first appears as “salad” or “sallet” in the 14th century.
 
  

Grapefruit is a winter fruit, and we’re glad to have it.

America is the world’s largest consumer of grapefruit, with large commercial groves in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas. But the grapefruit’s ancestor, the pummelo (also pomelo, pomello and other spellings), comes from far away. It’s native to Malaysia and Indonesia.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF GRAPEFRUIT

In 1693, pummelo seeds were brought from the East Indies to the West Indies—Barbados—by an English ship commander, one Captain Shaddock. The grapefruit may have been a horticultural accident or a deliberate hybridization between the larger pummelo and the smaller sweet orange. The original grapefruit was about the size of the orange.

Its name evolved in English to a descriptive one: The fruit grows on trees in grape-like clusters. The fruit was pretty but very sour and the thick took time to peel. For a long time, it was grown only as an ornamental tree.

The grapefruit arrived in the U.S. in 1823, but it was not immediately popular for eating. The tart fruits had numerous tiny seeds and required a generous sprinkling of sugar.

Growers learned how to breed selective fruits that were sweeter, and in 1870, the first grapefruit nursery was established in Florida.

In 1885, the first shipment of grapefruits arrived in New York and Philadelphia, generated interest and helped to create the commercial grapefruit industry.

Here’s a longer history of grapefruit.

Most grapefruit grown is white grapefruit. But hopefully that will change: Red grapefruit (not pink) is where it’s at.
 
 
HOW RED GRAPEFRUIT DEVELOPED

The first grapefruits were white. Pink grapefruit, a mutation, was first discovered in 1906 in the groves of the Atwood Grapefruit Company in Manatee County, Florida.

[2] The yellow rinds often have a pink blush (photo of Star Ruby grapefruits Sweet Scarlett red grapefruits. Photo courtesy Wonderful Fruit © Specialty Produce).

Another mutation gave us red grapefruit, which was originally discovered growing on a pink grapefruit tree in Texas. It was patented as Ruby Red grapefruit in 1929. Red grapefruit is known in agriculture as a “limb sport,” a mutation of one limb (branch) that has different fruit characteristics than the rest of the tree.

A hit from the start, sweeter with alluring rosy red flesh, Ruby Reds are marketed under different names: Flame, Rio Red, Rio Star, Ruby-Sweet, Star Ruby, Sweet Scarletts, TexaSweet and others.

While consumers call these different red grapefruits “varieties,” botanically it’s more accurate to call them different “selections” because they are all derived from one another as descendants of the original Ruby Reds. Each has different small attributes, tailored to succeed in different climates and soils.

Otherwise stated, all of the different deep red grapefruits grown around the world—Rio Red in Texas, Star Ruby in South Africa, Flame in Florida, etc.—are not botanically different, but have been adapted to the the climate and soil in each region.

Different selections also have different shades of flesh. For example, Florida’s Ruby Reds are deep pink, while Flame grapefruits have deep red flesh.

WHAT MAKES THE FLESH RED?

Red and pink grapefruits contain lycopene, a phytochemical (antioxidant) found in tomatoes and some other red fruits and vegetables such as papaya, red carrots and watermelon. Red grapefruits have a greater concentration than pink grapefruits.

Why are red grapefruits sweeter?

It’s all in the weather. Sweet Scarletts, for example, are grown in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, where hot days, cool nights and the unique terroir† merge to create the ideal grapefruit.

Most red grapefruits are grown in Texas, since the The Texas climate produces the sweetest red grapefruits.
 
 
DON’T LET THE SEASON PASS YOU BY

Different regions are ready to harvest at different times; but in general, red grapefruit is available from October through March.

We have been enjoying a box of Sweet Scarletts, and couldn’t be happier. They’re so sweet and lush, who needs ice cream?

Here are nine pages of red grapefruit recipes, from cocktails and appetizers through main courses, sides and desserts.

 
Many thanks to to Etienne Rabe, Vice President, Agronomy at Wonderful Citrus in California, for explaining the fine points of this “wonderful” fruit.
 
______________________________________
*For those who closely monitor their nutrition, they’re high in the cancer-fighting antioxidant vitamin A; the free-radical-fighting antioxidant vitamin C; the vision-friendly flavonoid antioxidants beta-carotene, lutein, naringenin and xanthin; the dietary fiber pectin (which also lowers cholesterol); and potassium, which counters the negative effects of sodium; among other nutrients such as B vitamins. Red grapefruit also contains the powerful flavonoid antioxidant, lycopene, which protects skin from damage from UV rays and fights macular degeneration and several types of cancer.

†Terroir, a French word pronounced tur-WAH, refers to the unique combination of geographic location, climate and microclimate, soil and temperature that creates the individual personality of an agricultural product. As in the growing of grapes for wine or beans for coffee, terroir dramatically affects the flavor profiles of the product.

What oils are in your pantry? Are they the best cooking oils to use? Here’s what you should know from Chef Gerard Viverito, a culinary instructor and Director of Culinary Education for Passionfish, an NGO non-profit organization dedicated to educating people around the globe on issues of sustainability in the seas.

National Healthy Fats Day is March 21st.
 
 
THE 12 COOKING OILS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

In your mother’s kitchen, the only cooking oil may have been all-purpose vegetable oil, a blend of inexpensive oils. Then came the Mediterranean Diet and the attention paid to its heart-healthy olive oil.

Today, there are more than a dozen options for cooking oil. Don’t be stuck with mom’s ingredients. Use Chef Gerard’s handy guide to determine which cooking oils you need to add to your collection.
 
 
EVERYDAY HEALTHY COOKING FATS

Each of these healthy fats deserves a place in your pantry, says Chef Gerard. (Editor’s note: For higher-flame stovetop cooking, you should also check the smoke point of the oil).

 
SPECIAL OCCASION COOKING OILS

These oils have more limited uses, and often come with a higher price.

 
If you currently use sunflower oil, consider this:

 
 
GENETICALLY MODIFIED OILS

If you’re trying to avoid genetically modified foods (GMOs), put these oils on your “do not buy” list. More than 90% of these crops are grown using genetically modified seeds.

 
Give all of your current oils the “sniff test.” If they smell musty, they’re ready the recycling bin.

Replace them with “good oils.”
 
 
ALL OF THE COOKING OILS

There are more cooking oils, including the pricey-but-delicious hazelnut, pistachio, and walnut oils; and powerful dark sesame oil, which is delicious when used in moderation. Take a look at the different cooking oils in our Culinary Oils Glossary.

And check to see if your oil should be kept in the fridge. Some are very hardy and stay well on the shelf for two years; others, less so.
 
 
 
 
 
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[2] Coconut oil. The liquid form is called fractionated coconut oil. They are equally good for cooking, but differ in their fatty acid composition. Here’s the scoop (photo © Dr. Bronner).

[3] Avocado is a very healthy oil, and also has a high smoke point (photo © Olivado.

[4] Flaxseed oil is extremely high in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids (photo © La Tourangelle).

[5] Macadamia and avocado oils are both made in Australia. For the best flavor, look for first cold pressed oils (photo © Brookfarm).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.