Kiwifruit update

Way back in December, 2009, I wrote a blog entry about the health benefits of the fruit of the kiwi.

Not only are they cute (in a fuzzy kind of way), really attractive in a bouquet (the bright green, white and black make them an outstanding component of a fruit arrangement), and delicious, but we are now learning about additional health benefits.

According to a recent study, done by researchers at South Korea's Seoul National University, kiwi could play a roll in helping some of the 300 million people worldwide who suffer from asthma.

The March Dole Nutrition News described the study, saying that researchers administered kiwifruit extract to mice which were later exposed to allergens, then monitored for roughly three weeks. Compared to a control (placebo) group, the kiwi-fed mice enjoyed a 47% decline in asthmatic symptoms – plus a 48% reduction in white blood cell counts (which marshal in excess among asthmatic and allergy patients). Kiwi’s powerful enzyme – actinidin – may play a role.

If you haven't yet subscribed to the Dole Nutrition News,
http://www.dole.com/NutritionInstituteLanding/NutritionNews/tabid/1060/Default.aspx,
you may want to check out their website. The monthly newsletter is always full of interesting facts, stories and new research on fruit and nutrition.

In the meantime, keep enjoying those cute, fuzzy green kiwifruits!

Tropical Flowers and Fresh Fruit Bouquets

What is the most common characteristic of tropical flowers?

Is it their heady fragrance, maybe their prolific nature? I think it is their vibrant colors.
Whether you are looking at a beautiful yellow, orange or red hibiscus or marveling at the outstanding colors of the paper thin bracts of a bougainvillea, there is no doubt that you are looking at a tropical plant. Did you think those beautiful ‘blossoms’ on the bougainvillea were it’s flowers? Actually, the flower is the little white tubular blossom in the center of the colorful bracts. They are small, but big enough for hummingbirds and other pollinators to find them.

Following the lead of tropical flowers, today’s fruit bouquets and arrangements are also composed of colorful flowers made from bright yellow pineapples, vibrant pink watermelon, orange cantaloupes, and the green honeydew. Then when you add purple grapes, bright orange citrus, green and black kiwifruit, bright red strawberries, and blueberries, you have a tropical bouquet that is also edible!

Keeping with the tropical theme, Flowers to Eat has added some vibrant new arrangements to their product line. Take a moment and look at the new Sensational Starburst, packed with color, flavor and creativity! Let us know what you think of this and our other new designs.

IT's Strawberry Season in Florida!

Wow, Valentine's Day has come and gone, and we want to thank all our customers and clients for their orders.

The strawberries were super sweet and large. The gourmet chocolate was smooth and delicious.

We are now entering the best season for Florida strawberries. (There's a reason why the Florida Strawberry Festival is held the first week of March!). The berries will be prolific and very tasty.
Whether you like strawberry shortcake, strawberry smoothies, or strawberry cheesecakes, the freshest, most delicious and healthy berries are readily available! Enjoy!

Early Bird Savings

We are offering a 10% discount to anyone who asks for it and who places their Valentine's Day order by Monday, February 7th.

Whether you are going to order gourmet chocolate covered strawberries or a fruit or vegetable arrangement, order early and save!

And if you choose to pick up your arrangement on Friday, February 11th, Saturday February 12th or Monday, February 14th tell us you would like a free I Love You or Happy Valentine's Day balloon and we'll have it blown up and ready for you.

Order early and Save!

Snowy Days, Citrus Fruits and Baboons???

The 2010 winter holidays are past. Mother Nature is definitely telling us that the winter of 2011 will be snowy, cold and possibly one for the record books.

I read today that Florida is the only state in the Union with no snow. Even Hawaii has snow on the mountain peaks!

Well, we here in Florida have some sunshine that we can export to our fellow citizens who are snowbound throughout the country; our Citrus Fruit!

Take your pick, oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, tangelos, tangerines, clementines; they are all available now, sweet and juicy, bursting with flavor and vitamins. The way to reap the largest amount of vitamins and nutrients is to eat them whole and fresh, but freshly squeezed orange juice tastes soooooo good too.

We’ve been experiencing our second really cold winter in a row, here in the Tampa Bay area, but so far, the citrus crop has not been adversely affected.

If you are looking for a fruit arrangement that is bursting with citrus flavors, Flowers to Eat has their Tropical Fruit Explosions and our Chocolate Orange Blossom. How good is that; dark chocolate and fresh, juicy Navel Oranges. YUM!

For a wild new cultivar, see the Times Live article at the link, below. Apparently, the wild baboons in South Africa have identified a single Minneola orange tree in an orchard that underwent a spontaneous mutation to produce minneolas sweeter than those on all the surrounding trees. “The troop always selected one tree amongst thousands of trees in one of our orchards and devoured all the fruit before our season really got going.”

Read the whole story at:

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article846316.ece/Baboons-discover-new-citrus-fruit-in-W.CapeSt

Stay warm and enjoy your citrus fruit!

Healthy or Decadently Delicious?

Healthy or decadently delicious?

Thinking of our healthy fruit and vegetable arrangements, and our decadently delicious chocolate covered fruit, I've told our customers that Flowers to Eat products can be either.

We've all heard about the benefits of the antioxidents in dark chocolate. Today's Tampa Tribune 4You section has an article that says that dark chocolate, that is 70% cocoa or more, actually has been shown to reduce blood pressure. An ounce a day has healthy benefits.

Moderation in everything, but enjoy your dark chocolate!

National Cover Anything in Chocolate Day

Do you believe there is actually a designated National Cover Anything in Chocolate Day? This year it is Thursday, December 16th.

It sure surprised me, but as a lover of good dark chocolate, now that I think about it, I think it is a great idea. Let's face it, if you attend State Fairs, the Florida Strawberry Festival and other events like these, you have seen all kinds of things covered in chocolate and up for sale.

Holiday Insights says it is a great day to "binge, indulge, pig-out and otherwise consume to excess, your favorite food....chocolate'. Check out what else Holiday Insights says about this wonderful day at http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/December/chocolatecovered.htm

And, if you are in our neighborhood on Thursday, December 16th, stop in at the Flowers to Eat store and ask for your free corsage box of 2 deliciously dipped chocolate covered strawberries. One freebie per person, please.

Ruth's Gourmet Peppermint Cookies

With the holidays just around the corner, we wanted to share one of our favorite cookie recipes with you. They are quick and easy to make and bake, and delicious with their holiday peppermint chips.

If you look at our website, www.flowerstoeat.com, you'll see some of our newest holiday arrangements and products. Mention this blog entry and receive $5.00 off of an arrangement.

Happy Holidays, from your friends at Flowers to Eat.

Ruth's Gourmet Peppermint Cookies

1/2 stick of salted butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla
2 2/3 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 bag Andes Peppermint Chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Blend softened butter, the sugars, eggs and vanilla with mixer.
Add baking powder and baking soda and continue mixing with mixer.

Add Peppermint chips and stir with spoon.
Add flour and stir till mixed.

Drop by tablespoonfuls (I use a small ice cream scoop for consistent sizing of the cookies)
onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 min. 30 sec. if you want a soft cookie.
Bake for 2 additional minutes if you prefer your cookies to be harder.

I leave the cookies on the hot cookie sheet for 8 - 10 minutes after removing them from the oven.
I then let the cookies cool completely on a rack.

My nieces and nephews love it when I sandwich them with Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Vanilla Frosting or your own cream cheese frosting.

I finish the cookies by drizzling melted white chocolate across the cookies sandwiches.

Of course you need to taste test several of the cookies before sharing them with your family and friends........just to be sure they are as delicious as you thought they would be.

The Ubiquitous Pumpkin

Wherever you look this week, you will find real or real-looking pumpkins. This bright orange, nutritious member of the squash family enjoys its greatest popularity in the month of October. While they have been around for centuries and enjoyed by Native Americans, the art of pumpkin carving has been raised to new levels.

Pumpkins are ever present this week, in any direction that you turn. Grocery stores have fresh whole pumpkins for those not able to go to a pumpkin patch and choose their own right off of the vine. Farm stands have displays of pumpkins large and small, for carving, decorating or eating! Every discount store and craft store has displays of pumpkins, real or not, but all are guaranteed carvable.

Remember when it was enough to just carve 3 triangles (eyes and nose) and either a happy or scary mouth?

Those days are definitely gone. With the advanced carving tools and patterns available today pumpkins have turned into a work of art. The Food Network even had a pumpkin carving ‘Challenge’ with the winner taking home a check for $10,000. Now those carvings were unbelievably intricate. The winning “Medusa” pumpkin had 5 pumpkin carved snakes protruding from her detailed face, with several of them battery powered and moving! What a fantastic display of talented carving!

With all this focus on carving pumpkins their high nutritional value can get lost. Like other brightly colored fruits and vegetables, pumpkins are high in beta-carotene., an important antioxidant. Beta-carotene is converted by our bodies into vitamin A. There have been numerous articles relating foods high in beta-carotene to providing some protection against developing certain types of cancer, and against heart disease. They are low in salt, have zero cholesterol, and lots of fiber and vitamin C.

Pumpkins have also been associated with strange properties, none of which are proved. At one time they were thought to remove freckles, and were once, for some people, a remedy for snakebites!

If you are a Food Network junkie, every major chef has had Autumn or Halloween focused episodes with some acknowledgment of the popularity and importance of the pumpkin. There are pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pies, and let’s not forget pumpkin seeds! Yum!

While we are talking about pumpkin pies, according to pumpkinnook.com, the folks in New Bremen, Ohio baked the world’s biggest pumpkin pie. It weighed 3,699 pounds! Where did they find a pan big enough for it? Pumpkinnook also publicized the new world record holder for the biggest pumpkin. Chris Stevens of New Richmond, Wi. won this honor in 2010 by growing a pumpkin that had a recorded weight of 1,810.5 pounds. Now that pumpkin would make a lot of pies!

Whether your preference is to eat them, carve them or grow them, this is the season for the rotund orange pumpkin.

Newest Creations

Anticipating the smaller strawberries that will be in season for the next 6 - 10 weeks, Ruth, our creative diva, has developed several new arrangements whose focus relies less on strawberries and more on the other fruits that are still abundant. They are all delicious and beautiful to look at.

Soon, we will have our holiday arrangements and products available also. From custom platters of fruit and vegetables, to hand decorated berries, apple wedges, Banana Bites and Raspberries, the designs will be ones that you would be proud to give and delighted to receive!

In the meantime, we did create our Sports Berries, for the athlete in your life or the athlete in you!
Strawberries decorated as baseballs, basketballs, and footballs will set the mood for any tailgate party.