Origin: New Zealand

Pack: 28 to 39 ct place pack.

Availability: Just Starting

This round, dark purple fruit is best when wrinkled and soft. The outer shell must be cut carefully to extract the runny juice and seedy pulp inside. What a heavenly fragrance!! The pulp and seeds are edible, but are generally used in sauces, sorbet and exotic fruit drinks. Contains vitamins A and C.

Origin: Chile

Pack: 1 Layer 24 ct.

Availability: Starting

Relatively new variety of plum imported from Chile. The fruit begins with a green tinge and transforms to a bright yellow with red accents when fully ripened. An excellent source of vitamin A, the skin of the plum is said to boost positive gastro-intestinal activity. (Prunes are dried plums.)

While some state that this fruit has a citrus or lemon flavor, this may be more indicative of the fruit‘s undeveloped sugar content and heightened acidity when not yet ripe. A beautiful example of an heirloom shape and unusual pigmentation, the Lemon plum is a rare winter fruit with limited importation.

Can be eaten raw or cooked. Like all stonefruit, this has a pit in the center of the fruit.

Origin: California

Pack: 35 lb.

Availability: Good

Although called a grapefruit, the Cocktail Grapefruit is actually a hybrid of Siamese Sweet pomelo and Frua mandarin (which is a cross of King mandarin and Dancy tangerine) - which explains its other name the Mandalo.

The fruit can vary from the size of an orange to the size of a grapefruit. It has a thin, smooth, yellow rind, which is easy to peel. The flesh is seedy, yellow-orange in color, and exceptionally juicy. The flavor is unique and pleasantly sub-acid. Cocktail grapefruit matures in early winter and the fruits hold well on the tree. It is an excellent variety to try in cooler areas, where it can hang until ripe. Cocktail is usually available from November to February. The original hybrid was made in Riverside, CA in 1966. The variety was never officially released but found its way to the public sector, where it became known as Cocktail grapefruit. Its proper place, however, is in the pomelo hybrid section, rather than a grapefruit. Besides being good for eating fresh Cocktail is reported to be good for making marmalade, candied peel and syrup.

Thick outer skin and a sweet yet tart flavor makes this a delicious snacking fruit and a wonderful winter burst of flavor.

Origin: California

Pack: 10 lb

Availability: Very Limited

This baby avocado is entirely edible. Allow to ripen at room temperature until soft, and enjoy out of hand. The skin is very thin and there is no seed within. The flavor is like that of the larger, California avocado. Enjoy sliced, or halved cocktail avocados on relish trays or serve with fresh salsa. An excellent garnish.

Origin: New Zealand

Pack: 12 half pint

Availability: Few

The English had a passion for gooseberries and in colonial days gooseberry wines, pies and puddings were very popular. However, today many of those recipes have all but disappeared from cookbooks.

The popularity of gooseberries has been increasing over the past few years and fresh berries are becoming easier to find. The berries taste of a sweet tangy mixture of pineapple and strawberry. The fruits make an interesting addition to salads, cooked dishes, and as a garnish.

Origin: Taiwan

Pack: 8 lbs 16-22 count

Availability: Good

Originally from Sri Lanka and the Moluccas, and cultivated in Southeast Asia and Malaysia for several hundred years, this fruit also goes by many other names including: bilimbi, belimbing, Chinese star fruit, five-angled fruit and the star apple. Today, star fruit flourishes in south Florida and Hawaii because the fruit thrives on growing in a warm environment.

Star fruits are great to eat out of hand as these tropical delights do not need to be peeled or seeded before eating. Simply wash the fruit, remove any blemished areas, cut crosswise to get the star shape, and eat! Add to fruit salads.

Use for tarts, preserves, chutney and stewed fruits.

Garnish chicken, pork or fish dishes.

Garnish beverages.

Add to your fruit smoothies.

Star fruits are an excellent source of vitamin C, is low fat, and naturally sodium and cholesterol free. A small whole star fruit will provide approximately 2/3 cup sliced.

Origin: Oregon

Pack: 36 ct.

Availability: Good

Originating in Japan from the Aomori Apple Research Center around 1920, the Green Dragon apple was named after the Chinese symbol for royalty. It is highly prized and a delicacy in many Asian countries.

The appearance of the Green Dragon apple resembles a green tinted Golden Delicious but the white, crisp-textured flesh of the Green Dragon apple is encased in a skin that resists bruising. Coming from the same parents as the Mutsu and Shizuka apples, it has raised above its siblings in taste, flavor and popularity. It is a sweet apple, with low acidity, and numerous fruit esters in the aroma, it is known as the most aromatic of apples. The flavor has been described as having a slight pineapple flavor and yet others have compared it to a pear-like taste. The taste is sweet yet it leaves a subtle hint of tart behind. Although locally grown and harvested in the Pacific Northwest, until now the Green Dragon apple has been mainly exported to Asia, available only to the public through fruit stands, farmers markets or you-pick orchards.

Origin: South Africa

Pack: 10 ct

Availability: Good

South Africa is noted for these baby pineapples, also known as Queen Victoria, because they thrive in hot and humid climate. This sweet & tart baby pineapple has a bold rich flavor. It has a clean, golden skin and brilliant yellow flesh color. South African baby pineapple flesh is entirely edible, with no need to core. Cut the pineapple in quarters from top to bottom leaving the crown on. No need to cut out the mid-section of the pineapple, for there is no core. These pineapples are low in acid and delicious fresh out of hand or added to fruit salads.

Origin: Italy

Truffles are the rare and delicate tubers that grow primarily in Italy, France, Spain, Croatia and Slovenia; though certain lesser known varieties of truffles are found in the United States, in Oregon and Washington. They grow underground among the roots of oak, elm, chestnut, pine and willow trees, where they form a symbiotic relationship with their environment.

Of the many varieties of truffles some of the most famous are the Italian white truffle (tuber magnatum), the black winter truffle (tuber melanosporum), and the summer black truffle (tuber aestivum). The white truffle, often referred to as the white diamond, is considered the rarest and demands the highest price.

Coosemans Shipping is happy to offer these delicate flavorings created from this culinary delight. As the winter encroaches, the earthy and rich flavor of truffle adds an unctuous depth to recipes.

Origin: USA

Pack: 12/6 oz clamshells

Availability: Good

The Baby Kiwi are grape sized berries with beautiful smooth green skins and delicate seeds. They are cousins of the Kiwi Fruit but lack the undesirable fuzz found on the larger Kiwi fruit. They have a short season and limited supply. They make excellent snacks and are high in nutritional value.

Origin: California

Pack: 16 lbs

Availability: Few

The history of the olive is a long one, dating back to Biblical times. The olive branch was the symbol shown by God to Noah to indicate the end of the flood. According to Greek mythology, the olive tree was a gift from the goddess Athena to the people of Athens. In fact, olive trees were cultivated in Crete and Assyria over 5000 years ago. And the olive itself has been eaten and enjoyed by all the peoples of the region for thousands of years. Throughout the Mediterranean, the olive has always been highly valued; olive oil was used as fuel; as a preservative; as an analgesic; and as a perfume. Olive wood was used for construction and decoration.

These olives are fresh from the tree. Before brining, green olives should be soaked in lye. A good resource for olive curing can be found at:

http://www.oliveoilsource.com/

Origin: Oregon

Pack: 12 lbs

Availability: Just Starting

This small, tart apple is used in making tarts, jellies and garnish. Some may be too tart to enjoy fresh, but some are a refreshing and enjoyable combination of sweet and sour. Crabapple fruit are mostly red, but some cultivars, such as the 'Golden Hornet', are yellow. If crabapples are stewed and the pulp is carefully strained and mixed with an equal volume of sugar then boiled, their juice can be made into a delicious ruby-colored crabapple jelly. A small percentage of crab apples in cider makes a more interesting flavor.

Origin: California

Pack: 1 lb.

Availability: Year Round

A fragrant and necessary ingredient in Thai, Laotian and some Vietnamese and Indian cooking, the kaffir lime tree has other common names, including kieffer lime, Thai makrut and limau puru. The leaves are known as bai magrood and are harvested from the evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. The English name kaffir may be based on colonial slang and come chefs prefer to call this ingredient by it's Thai name, makrut.

Characterized by the unique figure-eight shape of it's double leaf, this ingredient is also identified by it's distinct and explosive bright, floral and citrusy aroma. The upper side of the leaf is dark green and glossy and the underside is a lighter green with no sheen. The darker the leaf, generally the more mature and aromatic the ingredient.

The leaves have a strong fragrance and flavor for which there is no ready substitute. If the leaves are to be used in a culinary application, it is best to break apart the pairs and remove the thick stem running centrally down the petiole. Stack several leaves and shred finely (chiffonade) to impart the most flavor to the dish. The leaves keep well in a plastic bag, refrigerated. They freeze well and can be kept for up to a year frozen, without losing any texture or aroma.

Dried leaves are available from a variety of sources but prove to be a less than mediocre substitute for the fresh variety.

Unable to ship out of Los Angeles for the past few years, Coosemans Shipping has created a relationship with Purple Hills Ranch, one of the leading producers of California-grown Makrut limes leaves. Now this rare ingredient has been treated to USDA specifications. Each lot shipped out of Los Angeles will have a tracking number assigned to a specific USDA certificate number.

Packed in a one pound bag, Coosemans Shipping is delighted to be able to offer this unique year around program to our customers.

Origin: California

Pack: 30 lb/40 lb

Availability: Limited

A highly prized traditional "kyo yasai" or Kyoto vegetable, from the Kamo area of Japan. It has been a delicacy in the region of Japan for many hundreds of years. A Kamo eggplant is unique. It is fat and round with a flat bottom. It has lustrous purple-black skin and purple calyx. This is the choice eggplant served at top restaurants in Japan. Its tight pulp has a rich flavor. Particularly delicious when coated and baked or fried with miso and tofu.

Origin: California

Pack: 10 lb.

Availability: Just Starting

The kaffir lime fruit approximates the size of a normal lime. The fruit is green in color and has a bumpy surface. Through the juice is seldom used in cooking, the peel of the fruit, with its high concentration of aromatic oils, is indispensable in many curry pastes and is one reason why Thai curries taste refreshingly unique. The zest also imparts a wonderful piquant flavor to such delectable favorites as fried fish cakes, and it blends in powerfully with such spicy, chili-laden stews as "jungle soup" (gkaeng bpah). Because it's strong flavor can over power the more subtle ones in a dish, the rind should be used sparingly, grated or chopped finely and reduced in a mortar with other paste ingredients until indistinguishable.

In folk medicine, the juice of kaffir lime is said to promote gum health and is recommended for use in brushing teeth and gums. The essential oils in the fruit are incorporated into various ointments, and the rind is an ingredient in medical tonics believed to be good for the blood. Like lemon grass and galanga, the rind is also known to have beneficial properties for the digestive system.