2012’s New Fruits and Vegetables

Although most have been in the works for years, innovative hybrids of fruits and vegetables continue to make their way to many retail produce departments. They may be hard to locate among the more traditional fare or you may have to frequent farmers’ markets to find them but most are worth the effort.

Ugli. Gotta love the name, especially when it so aptly describes the misshapen, bumpy Jamaican fruit that is a cross between grapefruit and tangerine. Despite its unsightly presentation, Ugli’s sweetness is mostly tangerine with a hint of grapefruit.

Hughes. Maybe grapefruit is easy to crossbreed or perhaps there is an ongoing quest to tame its tartness. Hughes is a cross between lemon and grapefruit, with a taste that is less tart than either fruit, and is popular in South Korea and Japan.

Pluot. A cross between a plum and an apricot, pluots have the deep purple skin of a plum and a fleshy interior that imparts the juicy taste of both fruits.

Yellow Watermelon. Although the green rind looks like a regular watermelon, this hybrid of regular and wild watermelon has a bright yellow interior that tastes like conventional red watermelon.

Cabbage Romanesco. Broccoflower, a cross between broccoli and cauliflower, has been available for several years and looks like light green cauliflower. Cabbage Romanesco pairs the same two vegetables but the result looks like a large seashell gone awry, with clusters of pointed, bumpy swirls making up a large decorative head.

Neshi. Created by grafting an apple branch onto a pear tree, neshi has a delicate flavor but looks like neither an apple nor a pear. Its bumpy skin indicates an orange may have sneaked into the orchard somewhere along the way.

Watermelon Radish. Resembling a small turnip, the surprise of this hybrid comes when you cut it open to reveal a bright red interior rimmed by pale green. The taste is mildly radish-like but the presentation turns a salad into a masterpiece.

Broccolini. This appears to be wimpy broccoli upon on first glance but it’s actually a cross between broccoli and asparagus, with a unique flavor that captures the tasty essence of both vegetables.