A: The first thing I do is eat it, keeping in mind that if I have just brushed my teeth, it will taste funny. If I need to get a linear reading, then I'll go to the refractometer, which we would do anyway.

What is a refractometer? A refractometer measures the brix (pronounced "brick") level of sugar in the juice of the fruit. We would take a slice or smashing of what we want to check, put it on the glass, close the top and hold it to the light (sunlight works best). Like a thermometer, the device gives a reading on a line from 0 to 32.

Does every produce professional check that? This happens mostly in the receiving and quality control end as well as the retail/wholesale side. In the field, with grapes for example, you may be hoping for a minimum reading of 12 on the refractometer. Inspectors will take samples from different parts of the field, combine these juices and put them in the refractometer for an average brix of the whole field. If you have a piece of fruit, one that promotes itself as a true ripe or higher sugar content, inspectors will set the minimum reading higher so they're assured of a better tasting piece of fruit.

Sunlight can make a difference in the readings. If it's been cloudy for a couple days, sugar levels are going to be lower. When you've watered, you're sugar levels are going to be lower. If you haven't watered, the water to sugar ratio will be higher. but typically in our industry, you want to have that great mix. We also don't want to harvest in the mud. It's good to have clean fruit.

Eat your fruit first and also be cognitive of your palette. Then after that you can use refractometers.

A: They're cousins. Mandarins have been around for a long time. Tangerines are a certain scientific cross.

A: From my experience, a mulberry, but we don't get them commercially. There is only one tree that I know of and it's at my grandfather's house. Boysenberries are very sweet too. It is somewhat subjective. Because of the sugar content you can't harvest them whole. The sugar ferments and the aging process breaks down very quickly.

Are we able to get any mulberries? No.

Why? Commercially, they can't harvest them.

Can we do it for Crave!? Would it be hard?
If we got them here on a Monday, by Wednesday, they would be juice. For me they're just an exceptional eating berry... not real seedy. They stain like crazy though. We don't see the sweetest berry, we as in the industry, everyday because we're in the produce distribution business as well and that makes it difficult to have a really high sugar fruit. Even strawberries... sometimes before people even get them home, a nice one will just melt. And a blackberry, blueberry, mulberry... if it's not cold it will mold very quickly. The mulberry is Crave! worthy but it would have to be eaten upon arrival.

A: Not so much where it grows as the seed variety and the growing conditions. It will have probably a different taste profile or propensity to be a better fruit depending on these factors. We call it the West Side effect, in the melon situation. This region is west of the Fresno area and between the Coastal Mountains and Pacific Ocean. It was a great growing area but not anymore because of drought. The water table was 72 to 85 feet and really got lowered because of no rain. Now, there's more salt in the water (because people use water from home or an aqueduct) and it does not have that nice mix created by ground water. So yes, it does make a difference in that case. A Maui Onion, with that volcanic dirt and ash, has a different flavor. A Vidalia Onion, grows in Georgia and that soil helps it be that sweet.

A: Well, back when I was in college and worked at a produce stand, the people beside us ran Nature's Power Station and they juiced carrots. Body builders would go there in preparation for their shows. This one woman would drink carrot juice like crazy and her skin had an orange hue to it. I don't think there was any sunless tanning at this time; maybe there was for the body builders but everyone thought it was because of the carrot juice. I don't know if there's any proof to it but this woman was orange.

A: A yam.

Why? The mix of nutrients, fiber and low caloric count makes a yam probably one of the best for the human body. You have vitamin C in an apple, potassium in a banana, but you get the most, from what I understand, from a yam.

What's the difference between a yam and a sweet potato? They are two different things. They're all roots but potatoes are potatoes. They're not varieties of the same thing. They are completely different. There are different varieties of yams but sweet potatoes are just potatoes that have more sugar. There is a distinct difference genetically.

A: It's almost instantaneous. It's very cleansing. It runs through the kidneys very quickly with lots of vitamins.

A: I think any fruit or vegetable. That's why the saying goes, "more fruits and veggies" for better evacuation. Back to the yams, it's got a lot of fiber. For *fiber* fiber, I would say lettuce, spinach, leafy greens. Something with very low starch. Not a banana... not even an apple. But if you're eating all your fruits and vegetables, I think you're good.

A: Dragonfruit because it's so unique looking; like something that should come out of the ocean. Or maybe the cactus leaf? Why would you eat something with spines on it? It has a lot of things in it that are good for you. I don't know if it's something people would go towards. Mangosteen? I don't know... it grows on a tree... looks pretty cool. Semi-unique. Durian? That's an acquired taste. Jackfruit?

A: It's very scientific and deals with the biological make up of the item at hand. There's a distinct line between both but there are exceptions to the rules. You can tell from the seeds. The seeds are on the outside of a strawberry which is funky. Then there's the avocado and the tomato which are fruits, yet we utilize them as vegetables. This may be a question with an answer longer than the space we have to explain it.