The Washington Post - 31.07.2019

BY RACHAEL JACKSON

Special to The Washington Post

F

resh fruits and vegetables can do some alarming things. They can crack open

and change colors, sport tiny — or really big — scars, and even start trying to

make new produce, right there on your kitchen counter.

“When in doubt, throw it out,” you might tell yourself as you approach your

garbage can, suspicious produce in hand.

But hold on. Americans dump an estimated 150,000 tons of food every day, most of

which is landfilled and generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. You’re also

squandering the resources used to produce that food. A 2018 study by researchers at

the U.S. Department of Agriculture and two universities found that every year, more

than 30 million acres of cropland and 4.2 trillion gallons of water are dedicated to

producing food that Americans throw away.

So before you curse your overly ambitious farmers market run, consider taking a

second look at that scarred tomato on your counter or the sprouting onion in your

pantry. Because while sometimes “off-looking” fruits and veggies are telling you that

they’re no longer good to eat, often they’re simply showcasing harmless science

lessons.

Here’s what you might see in your fresh produce haul and what to make of it.

A sprouting onion. The onion looked fine when you took it home, but now it has

sprouted green shoots. Is your stir-fry doomed? Not at all. The onion, prompted by

factors such as age and temperature, simply moved to its next stage of life.

“It’s certainly not dangerous to eat,” said Elizabeth J. Mitcham, of the University of

California Postharvest Technology Center, noting that it just won’t be optimal quality.

“If it’s in my cabinet, I’m not going to throw it away.”

Having sent sugars and water to the sprout, the onion may taste a little bitter and

possibly be more fibrous; you’re more likely to notice this if you eat the onion raw. I’ve

sauteed onions and garlic with small sprouts and haven’t noticed unpleasant flavors in

the final dish. In fact, I usually forget about the sprouting by the time I sit down to eat

my meal.

As for the sprout itself, the “Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook” urges treating it like a

green onion, though Cook’s Illustrated taste testers found the green shoots unpleasant.

SEE PRODUCE ON E4

Is it unsafe

or just unsightly?

There’s an art to

assessing produce.

BY BECKY KRYSTAL

Chocolate is my default dessert mode.

I eat enough berries, peaches, apricots

and plums out of hand in the summer

that I never feel a great urgency to use

them when I’m baking. But then a recipe

like Summer Fruit Crumble comes along

and I’m reminded how delightful it is to

incorporate some of the season’s best

fruit into a simple, comforting treat.

Last year, readers went gaga for the

Any-Fruit Cobbler we developed, so I

decided to dip into the adaptable-dessert

well again with something a bit crunchi-

er. A blueberry crumble from the late,

great cookbook author Maida Heatter

caught my eye. Blueberries are wonder-

ful, of course, and you won’t go wrong if

you use only them. My favorite rendition,

however, was a mixed-berry number,

with blueberries, blackberries, cherries

and raspberries. Peaches were quite nice,

too, if a little soupier. The bottom line —

use whatever you like or have in excess.

Be sure your butter for the streusel-

like topping is cold. Chilling the butter is

insurance against it melting into the rest

SEE CRUMBLE ON E8

BY DANIELA GALARZA

Special to The Washington Post

The other day, as we walked past a
fruit stand, my friend Emery asked me
how to peel a mango. “There are a lot of
ways,” I said, “but lately I use a vegetable
peeler. And then I hold it over the kitchen
sink and.. .” at this point, I opened my
mouth, Godzilla-style, and with my
hands made a motion of shoving a thing
into it.
But that’s not my favorite way to eat a
mango. After I peel it, trying to grip the
wet flesh gently so I don’t slip and skin
my palm, my favorite way is to cut it
carefully. To slice as close to the core as
possible, I make a deep cut into the
center of each rounded side, along the
equator of the fruit, until the knife hits
the pit. Now I know where to make a
perpendicular cut, from the stem end to
the dimpled bottom, yielding oval
cheeks, fleshy and golden and free of the
stringy bits that get stuck in your teeth.
I never buy already-cut fruit. It’s an
SEE ESSAY ON E4

VORACIOUSLY

Your favorite summer

fruit is just perfect

in this crispy crumble

STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG FOR THE WASHINGTON POST; FOOD

STYLING BY LISA CHERKASKY FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

ESSAY

Knife to fruit:

It’s a beautiful

slice of life

TOM SIETSEMA

Ever been to a “monkey

hour”? The new Lao spot

Hanumanh in Shaw gives

you the chance. E3

SPIRITS

‘Bottled in bond’ used to

signify the safety of a

bottle. It’s back, but with a

different meaning. E7

MORE AT WASHINGTONPOST.COM/RECIPES

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Chicken Orzo Soup With Pesto E2 Grain Bowls With Cucumber-Dill Sauce Online

Grilled Chicken Thighs With Blueberry

Barbecue Sauce E2 Chat At noon: live.washingtonpost.com

The true bang bang

In China, bang bang chicken is a
ubiquitous street food that packs heat,

but that isn’t how it got its name.

Story and recipes, E8

STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG FOR THE WASHINGTON POST; FOOD STYLING BY LISA CHERKASKY FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

KLMNO

Food

WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2019. SECTION E EZ EE

RECIPE

Summer Fruit Crumble E8