Every month, we select the best product of the season, in term of taste and freshness. This November, we celebrate Chilean Murcott Mandarin Oranges as our Featured Product of the Month for you to enjoy for the entire month.
Kin’s Fresh Murcott
W. Murcott Mandarins, or Murcotts as they are commonly known, are well loved for their sweet and tender fruits that burst with juicy orange goodness. They are delightful eaten fresh, or you can add their brightly coloured segments into a salad for a refreshing twist. Murcotts make excellent jams, curds and tarts; and they play well with spices such as cinnamon and cardamom.
Don’t miss this season’s must-try orange variety—just look for their golden orange skins!
Look and feel of Murcott Mandarin oranges you want to take home
Here are a few tips to help you select the Murcotts you would want to take home.
The skin is vivid orange in colour with no bruise or soft spots.
The stem is bright green colour. You may find the fruit without a stem, this is not necessary indicates poor quality.
The fruit should be heavy for its size – this indicates the juice content. In other words, the fruit is not dry inside.
Kin’s Keeping Them Fresh
We recommend storing our Murcott Mandarin oranges inside the fridge. They last up to 2 weeks in a cool and dry environment.
Continuing every month, we are bringing and promoting top-notch quality products. This month, we fall in love with our mangoes.
Manila Mangoes
Underneath the yellow skin of Manila mangoes, you will discover sweet and creamy yellow flesh with a buttery texture. This mango variety is usually orange-yellow hue when ripe; on a few occasions, the skin can turn pink. There are 2 simple ways to consider when selecting a Manila mango, by appearance & texture, and smell.
Selecting Manila Mangoes
Colour is apparently not the best indicator for Manila mangoes. Instead, you should:
Lightly squeeze Manila mango with your palms. The flesh of the mango should yield.
Smell the mango around the stem area. The taste of the mango is closely related to its smell.
Avoid Manila mango that has the sour and alcoholic scent. This indicates that the mango is over-ripened.
Avoid Manila mango with soft spots or bruises.
Storing Manila Mangoes
Similar to other soft-textured fruits, Manila mango continues to ripen after you brought it home. Putting the mango in a brown paper bag speed up the ripening process. Once your mango is ripe, our suggestion is to eat it. If it must be, you can put it in a refrigerator for a couple of days.
Haden Mangoes
The flesh of Haden mango is quite smooth with a custard-like texture. It has very little of the fibre you find in other mango varieties. The taste of Haden mango is absolutely delicious. Once ripe, the mango is very sweet. Haden mangoes also release an amazing tropical fragrance.
Selecting Haden Mangoes
Haden mangoes start out with green and red colours. Once it’s starting to ripen, the green colour will slowly turn into yellow. On your visit to Kin’s Farm Market for Haden mangoes, use your palms lightly squeeze the Haden mango to see if the mango is ripe. The flesh of Haden mango should be firm, yet, yield when gently pressed.
Storing Haden Mangoes
We highly recommend storing mangoes in room temperature until they are fully ripe. Storing Haden mangoes in the refrigerator will interfere ripening process and the mangoes will not be ripened properly. You can put Haden mango in a paper bag to hasten the ripening process.
Enjoy FRESH mangoes from Kin’s Farm Market any day in April.
Use them in something incredible and share with us on socials using #TryItAtKins.
Every month, we select the best product of the season in consideration of taste and freshness. This new year, January, we celebrate Blue Jay Navel Oranges as our Featured Product of the Month for you to enjoy for the entire month.
January month is known to be the Navel orange season. It is the time that you will enjoy the orange at its very best citrusy flavour and fragrance with a mouthful juice content.
Kin’s Fresh Blue Jay
Blue Jay orange is well-known to many consumers. It is a Navel variety; hence, you can expect the good balance of citrus acidic and sweet taste of this orange. We find Blue Jay oranges to be a little sweeter than the regular Navel orange creating a greater balance between tartness and sweetness. The skin of the orange is thick; however, it does not give us the challenge to peel it with hands.
Look and feel of Blue Jay Navel oranges you want to take home
Here are a few tips to help you select the Blue Jay you would want to take home.
The skin is vivid orange in colour with no bruise or soft spots.
Heavy for its size. The weight is a good indicator of juice content.
The fruit is evenly firm all around.
Kin’s Keeping Them Fresh
Note that oranges do not continue to ripen once they have been harvested. Whole Blue Jay oranges can last up to a week at room temperature, and up to a month refrigerated. The segments of orange should be wrapped and refrigerated right away. We recommend eating the orange segments within 3 days after the flesh is exposed to the air.
Every month, we select the best product of the season, in term of taste and freshness. This December, we celebrate bagged avocados as our Featured Product of the Month for you to enjoy for the entire month.
Avocado is named “Superfood” due to its nutrients. There are numerous ways to eat avocado, FRESH off the peel, in a smoothie, salads, nachos, just to name a few. Did we mention sushi? We carry only Hass avocados variety, hence, the information here only applies to this variety.
Selecting Avocados
On your visit to Kin’s Farm Market, we want you to have the best produce from our stores.
FRESH avocado is hard and has a green colour.
You should look for the one with uniform texture and avoid ones with bruises or soft spots.
Give avocado a little shake, if the pit is loose, try another one.
Avocado will turn dark green and yield with gentle pressure when ripe. A ripe avocado can be bruised easily especially in a marketplace. This is the reason our staff pay extra care at the stores with this Superfood. We suggest planning ahead select FRESH avocado instead of ripe ones. If you need to use the avocado on the same day, select the dark brown colour and watch out for the bruises.
Storing Avocados
We do not recommend storing unripe avocado in the refrigerator. This will interfere with the ripening process. FRESH avocado takes 2 – 5 days to become fully ripe. You can put avocado in a brown paper bag and store at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Put an apple or a banana in the same bag to hasten the ripening process of the avocado.
The flesh of avocado gets darker when exposed to the air quite quickly. Use lemon juice to delay the darkening process.
Every month, we select the best product of the season, in term of taste and freshness. This November, we celebrate Chilean Murcott Mandarin Oranges as our Featured Product of the Month for you to enjoy for the entire month.
Kin’s Fresh Murcott
W. Murcott Mandarins, or Murcotts as they are commonly known, are well loved for their sweet and tender fruits that burst with juicy orange goodness. They are delightful eaten fresh, or you can add their brightly coloured segments into a salad for a refreshing twist. Murcotts make excellent jams, curds and tarts; and they play well with spices such as cinnamon and cardamom.
Don’t miss this season’s must-try orange variety—just look for their golden orange skins!
Look and feel of Murcott Mandarin oranges you want to take home
Here are a few tips to help you select the Murcotts you would want to take home.
The skin is vivid orange in colour with no bruise or soft spots.
The stem is bright green colour. You may find the fruit without a stem, this is not necessary indicates poor quality.
The fruit should be heavy for its size – this indicates the juice content. In other words, the fruit is not dry inside.
Kin’s Keeping Them Fresh
We recommend storing our Murcott Mandarin oranges inside the fridge. They last up to 2 weeks in a cool and dry environment.
Every month we select the best product of the season in term of taste and freshness. This August, we celebrate #NationalPeachMonth by bringing local peaches for you to enjoy for the whole month as our Featured Product of the Month.
Kin’s Fresh Local Peaches
Unlike peaches from elsewhere, local peaches often harvested when they are almost ripe. Thus, you can expect the delicious taste from the fruits that reach the full benefits of sugar production from being ripe on the tree.
Look and feel of peaches you want to take home
The peaches you want are those with vibrant tones and colours. You should avoid peaches with green colour as it is a sign of an underripe peach. Although peaches will continue to ripen after harvest, the sweetness will not develop off the tree.
You can also gently press the shoulder and top of peaches to determine if the peach is ripe. If the peach starts to give with gentle pressure, it is ready to eat. If you are planning to use peaches for salads, select the ones that are still firm. Avoid any peach with blemishes and bruises. Now, you will have the delicious local peaches you love!
Kin’s Keeping Them Fresh
Peaches continue to ripen; if they are not at the stage you’d like to eat, they should be stored at room temperature shoulder side down. They should last, at room temperature, for about four days. Ripe peaches can be stored in the fridge holding their freshness for up to two more days. Bring refrigerated peaches to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before eating for full flavour.
Stay Connected
Did you know we are social? Connect with us to find interesting facts, promotions, and recipe ideas relating to our featured product of the month.
Every month we select the best product of the season in term of taste and freshness. This September, we bring you sweet corn as our Featured Product of the Month.
Each year, we wait for summer to enjoy this fresh corn on the cob. There are countless ways to cook corn; such as steamed, grilled, boiled, and roasted just to name a few. Salt and butter are most common to include with any given method.
Selecting the right corn from us
Although the easiest way to select corn is to take a peek inside the husk, look at the color and feel the texture of the kernels. There are alternative ways to select delicious corn without peeling the husk. How? You asked.
You can actually feel the kernels through the husk
If you can feel holes where kernels should be, move on to the next one.
Avoid corn with moist or dark silks (at the tip of the corn)
This is an indicator of an old ear of corn.
The color of the husk indicates freshness too
If the husk is bright green and tightly wrapped against the cob, then the corn is fresh.
Storage
Another reason to keep the husk on is due to storage. In fact, the husk should be kept on the corn until you are ready to eat them.
Sweet corn must be refrigerated after you bring them home. You can store the corn with husk in the fridge right away. However, corn without the husk needs to be wrapped in plastic or foil before refrigerating.
Generally speaking, fresh corn lasts up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Now you can enjoy an amaizing summer.
Sweet corn is now available at any Kin’s Farm Market near you.
Every month we select the best product of the season in terms of taste and freshness. This month, we bring you red seedless grapes as our Featured Product of the Month. There are, of course, many varieties of red seedless grapes. Here are a few red seedless table grapes you find at your neighbor produce stores.
Flame Seedless
Flame Seedless grapes are one of the most popular grapes to eat fresh. They are round and medium in size. Due to their distinctive sweet flavor, they pair well with cheese and crackers. Flame seedless grapes have a brilliant flame red color, crisp, and firm texture.
Krissy
Krissy grapes have a wonderful aroma, flavor, and texture. They are round and medium in size with a violet red color. The taste of this grape defines a perfect balance between sweet and tart tones.
Crimson Seedless
Crimson seedless grapes are medium in size with a cylindrical shape and bright red color. They have crisp-juicy texture and excellent sweet flavor. These features make Crimson seedless grapes a choice to eat fresh alone or pair with cheese.
Scarlet Royals
Scarlet Royals grapes are a little different than other red grapes due to their large size, oval shaped, and deep raspberry-like red color. They are remarkably crisp, juicy, and tender with light muscat flavor.
Selecting the best grapes
First of all, we need to know that grapes do not continue to ripen after harvest. It is best to select fresh grapes and eat them soon after purchase.
Here are a few tips when selecting your grapes at Kin’s Farm Market.
The color
The color of red grapes varies from pink to deep red depending on each variety. Ripeness and exposure to sunlight can also affect the color of berries as well. That being said, color can still can be a good indicator of quality. They should be mostly red with no blemish.
The condition
The berries should be firm and tightly attached to the stems. Berries that are wet and wrinkled should be avoided. The stems of fresh grapes should be green and flexible.
The bloom
Bloom is the waxy coating on the berries. This bloom is naturally produced to protect the fruits from moisture loss and decay. They are perfectly safe to eat.
When you brought the grapes home, we recommend spending a few minutes to discard decayed berries before putting the bag in the refrigerator.
Product Life
In general, red grapes will last up to 2 weeks in a refrigerator, and up to 3 months frozen.
Wash Your Grapes
Grapes should be stored in a refrigerator unwashed to preserve the “bloom” on the berries. Extra moisture from washing can hasten the decay process. We recommend to wash only the right amount which you need to eat or cook. You can use your hands or colander to wash grapes under cool running water for about 30 seconds to a minute. Remove grapes that are broken and showing a sign of decay while you are washing them.
Make them shine
Salt or baking soda is perfect for the job if you like your grapes shiny. Gently rub salt or baking soda on berries, this will clean out the bloom (waxy coating). Wash the berries afterward for that sparkle.
*Never attempt to use soap or detergents to wash off the bloom.
Continuing every month, we are bringing and promoting top-notch quality products. This month, we fall in love with our berries.
Selecting the best berries
When you search for berries in our stores, make sure to observe a few characteristics to ensure the FRESHEST berries are in your shopping basket.
The berries should be plump, tender, and bright in colour.
Avoid containers that are damp or stained. This indicates the possibility of overripe fruits.
Raspberries and Blueberries may not appear as bright due to the waxy coating. This wax is very important for the fruits to stay fresh for longer. It protects the fruits from insect and bacteria, and it’s only natural to have a pale coating look on the surface of these berries.
Storing berries
After you’ve purchased FRESH berries from us, follow the steps below to keep them longer for later consumption (or before eating them right away).
Strawberries
Strawberries should be washed right away regardless when you are planning to eat them.
Wash strawberries (with stem) under cool running water.
Dry with paper towels.
Store in refrigerator.
Raspberries and Blueberries
These two berries should ONLY BE WASHED before you eat them. If you plan to eat them later, simply put them in a refrigerator. Unlike strawberries, raspberries and blueberries should not be washed under running water. This method may damage the berries. Instead, put the berries in a colander and dip it into a bowl of cold water. Swish the colander gently under the water, then allow it to drain. Dry them with paper towels.
Strawberries and Blueberries can be stored up to 5 days in a fridge. Raspberries, on the other hand, last up to 3 days in a fridge.
Enjoy FRESH berries from Kin’s Farm Market any day.
Use them in something incredible and share with us on socials using #TryItAtKins.
We may feature your ideas on our accounts.
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