The FruitLore blog

Fruit science, varieties, seasonality, and what the research really says — 36 articles and counting. Subscribe via RSS.

Ripe yellow Diamante citron on the tree
Photo: Shantham11 · CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Citrus you've never squeezed: a world tour of rare citrus

Beyond the lemon and lime lies a vast world of citrus — Japanese seasoning limes, Italian perfume oranges, Australian desert limes, and citron grown for its rind alone. A tour of the ones worth hunting down.

· 2 min read

regional guidecitrusrare fruit
A dark finger lime (Citrus australasica) with pale citrus-caviar pearls spilling from its cut end
Photo: Amada44 · CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Australia's bush fruits: a beginner's guide to native flavors

Finger lime, quandong, Kakadu plum, muntries — Australia spent two centuries farming imported fruit while its own native larder waited in the bush. Here's how to meet the flavors of the world's oldest continent.

· 3 min read

regional guideaustraliabush tuckernative food
Ripe elongated blue haskap berries (Lonicera caerulea) on the bush
Photo: Hansicanada · CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Beyond blueberries: 7 northern berries worth seeking out

Blueberries are wonderful — and they've made us forget how many other remarkable berries grow in cold climates. From haskap to jostaberry, here are seven northern berries deserving a place in your bowl.

· 3 min read

recommendationsberriesnorthern hemisphereif you like try
Two whole lucuma fruits with russet-green skin
Photo: Dtarazona · Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

5 exotic-fruit smoothie formulas that actually work

Great smoothies aren't random — they follow a formula: a creamy base, a bright top note, and something to carry it. Here are five blueprints built around exotic fruits, from lúcuma to soursop.

· 3 min read

recipessmoothiesmixologyhow to
A large hanging cluster of dark purple acai berries on an acai palm
Photo: Forest & Kim Starr · CC BY 3.0 US / Wikimedia Commons

A fruit lover's guide to the Amazon

The Amazon basin holds more edible fruit species than anywhere on Earth — most of them harvested by canoe, sold in riverside markets, and never exported. Here's what to look for and where.

· 3 min read

regional guideamazontravelrare fruit
A whole yellow bacuri beside a halved one showing white pulp and two large seeds, with bacuri seed butter alongside
Photo: P. S. Sena · CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Fruit spotlight: Bacuri, the Amazon's ice-cream fruit

In the markets of Belém, bacuri pulp is priced like a delicacy — its perfume so intense a spoonful flavors a whole tub of ice cream. Meet one of the Amazon's most treasured and least-exported fruits.

· 3 min read

fruit spotlightamazonrare fruitbrazil
A whole ripe mango beside a halved one showing deep-orange flesh
Photo: Ivar Leidus · CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

If you love mango, try these 7 tropical fruits next

Mango is the gateway tropical fruit. If its sweet, resinous, sunshine flavor is your thing, here are seven lesser-known fruits — from marula to soncoya — that scratch the same itch.

· 3 min read

recommendationsif you like trytropical fruit
Pale yellow-green kakadu plums (Terminalia ferdinandiana) hanging on the branch
Photo: Allthingsnative · CC BY 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Around the world in 38 rare fruits

FruitLore just grew by 38 profiles — the rare, seasonal, and regionally-adored fruits that almost never reach a supermarket. Here's the grand tour, from canoe-harvested Amazon berries to a houseplant that fruits like a jungle.

· 3 min read

rare fruitsseasonaltravelsite news
A whole spiky durian and one split open to reveal the pale-yellow custard flesh
Photo: Manfi · CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

How to Eat Durian: A Beginner's Guide to the King of Fruits

Everything a first-timer needs: why it smells like that, which variety to start with, the chilled-durian trick that converts skeptics, and the one pairing rule (and one drink warning) that locals swear by.

· 2 min read

how-toduriansoutheast-asiabeginners
A single ripe garden strawberry with its green calyx
Photo: Ivar Leidus · CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

What Fruit Is in Season? A Month-by-Month Guide

Peak-season fruit is cheaper, sweeter, and more nutritious. Here's the year mapped out — temperate and tropical calendars side by side — so you always know what to buy next.

· 2 min read

seasonsbuying-guideseasonal-eating
A red raspberry halved to show its hollow core and juicy drupelets
Photo: Ivar Leidus · CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

The Low-Sugar Fruit Guide: What to Eat When You're Watching Glucose

Fruit isn't off-limits for blood-sugar management — but fruits differ enormously. Here's the honest ranking by sugar and glycemic load, the fruits that surprise in both directions, and the pairing tricks that flatten the curve.

· 2 min read

nutritionhealthdiabeteslow-sugarglycemic-index
A single ripe yellow Cavendish banana
Photo: Evan-Amos · CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Fridge or Counter? Where to Store Every Fruit (and Why)

Refrigerating the wrong fruit destroys flavor; leaving the wrong fruit out wastes it. The complete storage map — what belongs on the counter, what belongs in the crisper, and the ethylene rule that ties it together.

· 2 min read

how-tostoragefood-wastekitchen
A whole ripe mango beside a halved one showing deep-orange flesh
Photo: Ivar Leidus · CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Whole Fruit vs. Juice: What the Research Actually Says

Fruit is healthy; fruit juice is sugar water with a health halo. The distinction comes down to fiber structure, eating speed, and what food scientists call the "food matrix" — here's the evidence in plain language.

· 2 min read

nutritionfood-sciencejuicefiber