I need to expand my fruit palate. The past few weeks, I'm pretty much just been having blackberries, cherries, and citrus. I've bought a few peaches at the farmers market, but it annoys me that they're too hard for a long time, then ripe for about an hour, and then just mush. I need something with a better shelf life. I don't think I like raspberries. Blueberries and strawberries are OK. I know I don't like plums. I like dried apricots, but I've never tried fresh. I'm sick of apples. I like mangos, but they're expensive. What else should I try?

I think the trick to peaches is to make sure you are getting local picked the day before by people who know what they are doing. Which I don't know. But I got lucky following the swarm Saturday to the vendor adverting "picked yesterday" who was giving out advice and telling people to only buy as much as they could eat in 4 days, rather that until the next FM. I've eaten 3 of the 6 peaches and each one has only gotten better.

As for other fruit, I have no clue. Except I got white apricots from TJs and I love. But I love apricots in all forms. They were big at the FM, but I already had enough.

What else should I try?

Various kinds of melons? You could also try kiwis and pears, although the pears might have problems similar to the peaches.

CANTELOPE!! God, I love it. Some hate it. It has substance to it.

Cantelope is OK. I like kiwis, but never see them at the store.

I've been getting peaches at the farmers' market. I already know that I don't like peaches from grocery stores. The peaches that I really liked were from the farmers' market in San Luis Obispo the summer that I was there -- I haven't found peaches anywhere else that are anywhere near that good.

I have no idea why I'm totally willing to try any kind of vegetable, but get kind of suspicious of new kinds of fruit.

I have no idea why I'm totally willing to try any kind of vegetable, but get kind of suspicious of new kinds of fruit.

If there is a good grocery store convenient to you, strike up a conversation with the staff in the produce department. They can be fairly knowledgeable, and at least some of them I've run into have been willing to cut into a piece of fruit to let me try it - if I've expressed interest in some thing I've never had before.

Sad because I likely have lots of mangoes on the ground at home in Florida, but I am not there to pack them up and send them to Hil. There are a couple lawn guys that have asked me for them in the past and I made it clear that they were welcome to them, so I hope they are being eaten and not just by birds.

I like bananas, but I like them on the green side. They don't stay that way long.

If there is a good grocery store convenient to you, strike up a conversation with the staff in the produce department. They can be fairly knowledgeable, and at least some of them I've run into have been willing to cut into a piece of fruit to let me try it - if I've expressed interest in some thing I've never had before.

The grocery stores near me are a Trader Joe's, where all the produce is wrapped in layers of plastic, and the Watergate Safeway, which is kind of notoriously horrible. I don't think I've ever seen any fruit other than apples, berries, citrus, bananas, and the occasional mango in their produce department, and usually at least half of it is mushy. I've tried new fruits at the farmers' market sometimes.

I love berries of all kinds and dislike melons, so I can't advise you on tasty fruit, Hil, but you mentioned liking kiwi. The kiwi grower near me actually recommends buying a large amount of kiwi at once and storing it in the fridge where it won't really ripen, just keeping out the amount you plan to eat over the course of a few days. So if you find a source, don't be afraid to stock up. Or if you order online, I suppose [link]

Edited for subject-verb agreement

Most of the farmer's markets around here cut some fruit fro you to try.

But when you next go to the farmers market - tell them you are single and can only buy a limited amount of fruit -- ask them what to buy. It might take talking to a few , but eventually you will find a farmer or two that will steer you the right way.

And if fruit is going bad make fruit salad -- and keep it in the fridge. Maybe not the best way for fruit , but less mushy

Most veggies keep longer-- they don't go mushy as fast and they don't lose as much flavor in the fridge,