Ask Professor Produce

The Professor sometimes gets ribbed for being too, shall we say, fruit-freaked? But apparently I am not alone. Read on...

I consider myself something of a Colorado peach aficionado. Okay, I'm a peach snob. Some people have wine, some people have cheese, some people have mushrooms. I have Colorado peaches.

I have to say that the ones they get from Rancho Durazno are consistently superior to any other grower out there - organic or conventional. This is the third year I can clearly remember the Wedge getting them from Rancho Durazno.

This year, you have peaches from another Colorado grower in addition to Rancho Durazno, and they're good, don't get me wrong, but those Rancho Durazno ones are golden savory orbs of delectable nectar. They're firm but they have "give," unabashedly drip-down-your-chin juicy, and so sweetly pungent they're almost winey. Their scent alone must drive the entire population of Colorado honeybees into orgiastic frenzies of pollen delight. The other grower's peaches are just okay, for a Colorado peach, still far superior to those crummy peach wanna-be's from California!

Rancho Durazno RULES! More from them! -Anne-Marie, Internet-land

Oh my. Where to begin? First things first. Anyone capable of typing the phrase "orgiastic frenzies of pollen delight" without deleting it in self-conscious shame afterwards is a friend of the Professor's.

Secondly, noting labels on fruit cases before they've been stocked by Wedge Produce workers is a sign that one has indeed, as Anne-Marie fears, "gone 'round the bend." That said, we at The Professor Produce Home for the Curiously Obsessed with Fruit fully endorse stomping on the gas once you reach this bend - and you could do far worse than becoming a groupie for those rock stars at Rancho Durazno.

Rancho Durazno is an old friend of the Wedge's - we've been carrying their "golden savory orbs" (!) for over ten years. And long-time Wedgies agree with you, Anne-Marie. Year in and year out, this farm, located in the heart of Colorado peach-country, brings us organic peaches so juicy they're like a water-balloon right in the kisser. Check out their website at ranchodurazno.com to get a flavor of their commitment to quality, Colorado, and sustainability.

Thanks to the low rainfall, warm summer days, and cool nights at altitudes of around 6000 feet, Colorado has a perfect peach-growing climate, and their peaches' arrival is a high holiday on any fruit-freak's calendar. This year, Colorado was blessed with an unusually long season (typically, we get the Colorados in mid- to late August - this year they started perfuming our department in late July), so the Wedge had Rancho Durazno peaches throughout August and into September. This was expected to be one of the biggest Colorado peach crops in the last 15 years. Such a treat.

Unfortunately for Anne-Marie and the monkey on her back, Rancho Durazno is but one farm. Guru Produce Buyer Rick Christiansen at Co-op Partners' Warehouse brings them in when Rancho Durazno is selling - but from time to time, even in season, there will be gaps in availability, and Rick keeps us fat and happy with the best peaches available.

So, think of winter as just a brief gap in peach-season.

With that in mind, let this thought carry you away in drippy peach-dreams, Anne-Marie: Rancho Durazno has a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that delivers peaches to their members' doors. Picture yourself next summer eating a fully-ripe, mondo-sugared Rancho Durazno peach that never endured a heart-beat of flavor-sapping refrigeration.

So. When are you moving to Colorado, Anne-Marie?

Is avocado fat unhealthy? Do I need to be concerned about eating too many avocados? - Tammy, Hibbing

Not only is avocado fat healthy, but researchers in Ohio and Iowa have determined that without a little fat in your diet, you may be missing benefits from other vegetables.

Here's how it works. In certain veggies such as carrots, spinach, and leafy greens, you'll find "antioxidant carotenoids" (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lycopene for example) which aid in cancer prevention and reducing the risk of heart disease. But now there's strong evidence out of Iowa State University and Ohio State University that, without an accompaniment of monounsaturated fat, these highly beneficial carotenoids can pass from the body without being absorbed.

"Our more popular healthful snacks, like baby carrots, really need to be eaten with a source of fat to absorb the beta-carotene," says Dr. Wendy White of Iowa State University.

In an Ohio State University Study, test subjects who ate salads with 2+ tablespoons of avocado (rich in monounsaturated fat) absorbed 8.3 times more alpha-carotene and 13.6 times more beta-carotene from a salad of carrots, spinach, and lettuce. Test subjects who ate the salad with fat-free dressing had only negligible amounts of these antioxidants in their bloodstreams.

This is because monounsaturated fats are liquid at body temperature. They render the liver-membrane more "fluid" and allow certain nutrients like carotenoids and beneficial cholesterol to absorb more easily into the liver and bloodstream.

Olive oil, canola oil, almonds, and hazelnuts are all rich in monounsaturated fats. Meat and cheese have high monounsaturate fats levels too, but they're high in less-beneficial fats as well. So add a little avocado and a little olive oil dressing to your fresh spinach salad, and you'll have a lean, green, cancer-fighting machine.