Fruit > A Guide to Fruit Baskets

A Guide to Fruit Baskets

There is almost no occasion, event or holiday gift that can't be properly addressed by sending some kind of fruit basket. From humble beginnings as a device fruit growers used to expand their business beyond supermarkets, fruit baskets have become one of the most popular categories of gifts in the country. No longer is this merely a device for fruit growers to send out more of their freshly grown produce at retail prices.

Nowadays, many of the items advertised, sold and shipped as fruit baskets contain hardly any fruit at all. Fruit baskets have matured -- come of age, as they say -- and it's possible to satisfy a gift giving need by ordering a fruit basket from any of literally thousands of suppliers across the country.

You'll find that many of the local retail stores in town have some form of fruit basket deal to ship their wares, if not all year round, then certainly at appropriate holiday times. For at least two major gift-giving holidays, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day, fruit baskets surpassed flowers as the gift of choice on a national basis several years ago and have kept on growing ever since.

Built around themes for the holidays, fruit baskets can contain any type, and almost any amount of high quality merchandise designed to make the receiver very happy upon arrival. Christmas baskets specializing in winter fruits -- especially popular in the colder, Eastern states -- have been stuffing Santa's bag for many years. Valentine's Day brings chocolate-dipped goodies, especially cherries and strawberries, which really say "I Love You" to that special person in your life.

Baby baskets send the freshest of fruits for the new parents along with a few bottles of a healthy brand of baby food and other appropriate gifts for the newborn.

For Mother's Day, children delight in sending a choice selection of gourmet items to the woman who gave them life. And there's no better way to say "I Love You, Dad" on Father's Day than by sending a basket brimming with Dad's favorite items and a few new ones as well.

Even giant corporations have gotten accustomed to sending out appropriately stuffed fruit baskets to their highly valued clients and special employees, instead of more traditional fare. Fruit baskets containing all sorts of items have become the easiest and most personal way people can give something to one another that is almost always appreciated. In addition to being one of the easiest and most satisfying experiences, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who's ever returned a fruit basket for any reason whatsoever..

A Look at Edible Fruit Baskets

By their very nature, all fruit baskets, especially the original ones, qualify as edible fruit baskets. After all, when a fruit basket was filled with nothing but fruit, by definition everything in them was edible and therefore qualified as an edible fruit basket. But with today's more competitive marketplace, fruit baskets have grown to include much more than food items. In an attempt to differentiate them from fruit baskets that contain non-food items, the term edible fruit baskets was born ? again nobody knows exactly where, or when, or who first used it ? to signify a fruit basket containing only items that could only be eaten. Nothing drinkable; no wines, no organic juices were included, nor were any jams or jellies or spreads.

Essentially, edible fruit baskets don't contain anything that should be left over after a short-lived, sumptuous feast of its contents.

Some people get confused by the term "edible fruit basket." They think that the basket itself is...

A Look at Edible Fruit Baskets

Fruit > A Look at Edible Fruit Baskets

Italian Marble Oranges Celebrate Ages-Old Wedding Tradition

(ContentDesk) May 1, 2004--Since ancient times, weddings have been festooned with oranges and orange blossoms meant to represent the ideals of marriage ? happiness, fulfilment, fertility and everlasting love.And, while present-day wedding guests select gifts off the bridal registry, trendy gift-givers give the gift of marble oranges, extraordinarily lifelike Italian marble fruit sculptures that commemorate the centuries-old romantic wedding tradition."Our artisans in Italy insisted we put together a collection of marble oranges as a wedding gift idea," said Jessica Parise, co-owner of The Marble Fruit Company.
"They told us the wedding history of the orange and we knew Americans would love to add a little European tradition to their wedding gift-giving!"History tells that giving oranges and orange blossoms as a wedding gift originated in ancient China where they were emblems of purity, chastity and innocence. And, because the orange tree is one of the rare plants that blooms...

Italian Marble Oranges Celebrate Ages-Old Wedding Tradition

Fruit > Italian Marble Oranges Celebrate Ages-Old Wedding Tradition

Best Recipes: Mango Peach Smoothie

Do you like mangoes? You've got to try this delicious Mango Peach Smoothie. The mango gives this refreshing drink a luscious tropical twist and the peach brings a mellow groove that makes the flavors in this fruit smoothie really cool indeed.Mangos are becoming very popular and are a lot easier to find in your supermarket fruit section. So why not try something a little different? Bring home a mango and enjoy it in a nice cool smoothie with some peaches and a twist of lime. Oh, how sublime.Mango Peach Smoothie1 cup peeled mango chunks1 large peach, peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks1 cup peach nectar2 tablespoons lime juiceDirectionsCombine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth..

Fruit > Best Recipes: Mango Peach Smoothie

Noni Fruit Benefits

In the last ten years, some marketers have come under fire for ascribing miraculous cure-all properties to noni fruit, claiming that it can single-handedly prevent, treat, or cure everything imaginable, including arthritis, burns, cancer, cold, diabetes, drug addiction, fever, fractures, gingivitis, headaches, heart disease, immune weakness, indigestion, malaria, menstrual cramps, ringworm, sprains, stroke, and wounds.

To separate fact from fiction, noni fruit is not a cure-all, but it is a valuable food supplement. It is still unclear exactly how noni fruit benefits your health, or to what extent, but there are some widely agreed-upon characteristics of noni fruit.
For example, anecdotal accounts of the anti-swelling effects of noni fruit consumption are numerous. And scientific studies have shown that a polysaccharide-rich substance called "noni-ppt" helps correct the immune system and fight tumors.

Furthermore, noni fruit benefits health in a...

Noni Fruit Benefits

Fruit > Noni Fruit Benefits

A Look at Fruit Gift Baskets

The original, the granddaddy of all of today's items bought and sold as fruit baskets, was in fact a basket full of assorted fruits. While there is no clear cut evidence when the first fruit basket was wrapped up and delivered to it's overjoyed recipient, it is known that in ancient times fruit baskets were routinely given to kings and feudal lords all over the world as a sign of respect and loyalty.

For whatever occasion applied, the coronation of a new king, a royal birth or even a wedding, the kingdom was carefully searched and only the best of all the fruits available were carefully assembled into a wicker basket and presented to the royal family. It wasn't until sometime later that other products, perhaps spices from far away lands, plants, wines and other products not indigenous to the kingdom, were included with the fruit. That's how it all began.

From that point forward, whenever that was, fruit baskets became a name only for any conglomeration of goods,...

A Look at Fruit Gift Baskets

Fruit > A Look at Fruit Gift Baskets

California Historic Business Honored With First Pitch Duties at SF Giants Game

Hollister, CA (ContentDesk) May 24, 2006 -- Gene Zanger, managing partner of Casa de Fruta, threw out the first pitch Monday night at the San Francisco Giants game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Zanger launched a fastball to start the first game in San Franciscos only at-home series with the Cardinals.With so much emphasis on baseball records and players of the past, it is interesting to look back at history. When we founded our fresh and dried fruit business in 1908, players such as Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner were at their prime and breaking records. What a thrill, 98 years later, to have the opportunity to throw out the first pitch representing Casa de Fruta in the presence of todays great baseball stars such as Barry Bonds, Omar Vizquel, Tony LaRussa and Albert Pujols.Casa de Fruta (www.casadefruta.com) is a 98-year-old family business based in Hollister, California.

It encompasses fruit and nut orchards, an orchard...

California Historic Business Honored With First Pitch Duties at SF Giants Game

Fruit > California Historic Business Honored With First Pitch Duties at SF Giants Game

Fun & Fruity Recipes

Sometimes the easiest way to get children to eat healthy is to let them have a hand in making their own snacks?and add whipped cream on top. Here are two fruity recipes that are fun and easy to make, and even more fun to eat. Miniature Fruit Pizzas

1 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Assorted fresh fruit, cut into bite size pieces, such as bananas, kiwis, oranges, blueberries, grapes, strawberries, pineapple, etc.

Directions: Cut sugar cookie dough into 1-inch slices and place on ungreased cookie sheet or pizza pan. Bake as directed, or until lightly browned around the edges.

Allow the cookies to cool.Combine cream cheese and confectioners' sugar; mix well. Spread over cooled cookies. Decorate with assorted fruit. Yummy!

Strawberry Angels

1 angel food cake
6 large strawberries
1 carton whipped topping

Directions: First, cut the cake into serving-size pieces. Slice the...

Fun & Fruity Recipes

Fruit > Fun & Fruity Recipes

Noni Fruit Benefits

Noni Fruit Benefits

Fruit > Noni Fruit Benefits