For over 20 years Wilson Farms' produce manager Tony has been our fruit and produce professor. Here he shares his know-how with secrets to selecting, ripening and storing everything you'll ever find at Wilson's. Choose from the links below to learn about his seasonal favorites.

Citrus | Asparagus | Rhubarb | Fiddleheads

Citrus
Fresh Citrus is at the peak of its season! Citrus fruits are great to have on hand for a quick snack. They have a high potency of the antioxidant Vitamin C, are a natural source of potassium, are high in fiber and have no sodium, fat or cholesterol.

Another major health benefit of citrus and citrus juices is the presence of Folate, a B vitamin shown to help reduce the risk of certain types of birth defects.

The surface scarring sometimes seen on oranges does not affect the flavor or quality of the fruit, this happens when wind brushed the young fruit against the tree branches they were growing on.

California Navel Oranges are at the peak of their season!
Make eating 5-A-Day fun for kids! Top off a bowl of cereal with a smiling face from sliced bananas for eyes, raisins for a nose, and an orange slice for a mouth.

Fun Facts: Oranges were cultivated in China for centuries in prehistoric times; then they followed the trade routes west to the Arabs, who in turn took them to northern Africa, Italy and Spain.

Of all the juice consumed in the U.S., more than half is orange.

Honey Tangerines are a rare new hybrid. Without a doubt this is the sweetest citrus fruit known to man. The easy peeling zipper-skin makes them fun to eat. 100% delicious, wholesome snacking awaits, so get ready for a sweet treat!

Grapefruit Delicious? Of course! Florida grapefruit are unbelievably sweet and thin-skinned with a juicy fruit. Eat a grapefruit every day as a part of a low calorie breakfast or for a healthy dessert. Sections make a great fat-free snack. And, grapefruit has been proven to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Toss grapefruit and/or orange sections in a fresh crunchy salad of mixed greens --the sweet citrus and crisp lettuce are an incredible wake-up call for the the taste buds, and the juice from the segments moistens each leaf.

Fun Facts: The oldest grapefruit clone grown in Florida is the "Duncan," introduced in 1809. Europeans used grapefruits medicinally for over three hundred years.

Florida Juice Oranges are just getting into the best of the year, making Our Own Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice or yours the sweetest around!

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Asparagus
Our own spring asparagus is now being harvested.
Fresh asparagus should be kept cold. Trim the stems about 1/4 inch, wash and pat dry before storing. Wrapping the stem ends in a moist paper towel or standing them upright in a few inches of water will keep your spears fresher.
Asparagus is high in Folic Acid, Potassium, Fiber , Vitamin B6, A & C, and Thiamin. It contains no fat or cholesterol and is low in sodium.

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Rhubarb
A sure sign of spring is the appearance of rhubarb. Only the rhubarb stalks are edible; remove and discard leaves before using. Rhubarb must be cooked and although it is a vegetable it is most often used like a fruit in pies, preserves, and sauces.

Rhubarb is low in calories, saturated fat free, cholesterol free, and fat free.

Fun Facts: Rhubarb first came to America via Russia: Russian fur traders brought cold-climate crops --rhubarb and cabbage --with them to their trading posts in Alaska during the reign of Peter the Great.

Rhubarb was first used for medicinal purposes.

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Fiddleheads
Fiddleheads are a rather uncommon vegetable available sporadically in the late spring and we have them. Theyíre young shoots of the ostrich fern and get their name because their tops are curled like the head of a violin or fiddle. They can be found throughout the eastern half of the United States, ranging from as far south as Virginia north to Canada.

The tender young fiddleheads are picked before they begin to uncurl and have a flavor resembling a cross between asparagus and mushrooms and its texture is appealingly chewy.

Refrigerate, tightly wrapped, for no more than 2 days. Fiddleheads should be washed and the ends trimmed before briefly cooked by steaming, simmering, or sauteing. They may be served cooked as a first course or side dish or used raw in salads.

Fiddleheads are a good source of vitamins A and C.

Fiddleheads have a very short season so try them today.

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