Jujubes (Not the Candy)

One of my favorite things about the Little Italy farmer’s market is that I’m always finding new fruits and veggies I’ve never made myself, eaten before, or even ever heard of. Almost every time I go, I come home with something new to try.

Last weekend, I came across a stand that had fruit called jujubes. No, I’m not talking about the artificial candy.

Also known as the red/Chinese/Korean/Indian date, the dried fruit first caught my eye because of its dark red color. After reading the chart above them that listed all their nutritional benefits, I was curious to try one. High in antioxidants and various vitamins, including vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin B2, jujubes aren’t as sweet and sticky as the typical date. The inside of the fruit is sort of spongy.

Today I sliced some jujubes up and combined them with fennel, an apple, and toasted sliced almonds, for a super healthy salad:

When I took my fennel bulbs out of the fridge, Harley was freaking out trying to eat the wild leafy parts to them. Here’s the best shot I got of her nuttiness:

She cracks me up. Last night when I brought my surprise flowers inside and put them on my kitchen table, she kept sitting near the table, staring at them and whining. She thinks everything is for her (to eat)!

At the farmer’s market, I also got another new fruit I’d never heard of before that was heart-shaped and green:

Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of it. The inside is white with a ton of black seeds, and it tastes really sugary like a mango, but with a uniqueness to it that I can’t really describe:

Anyone know the name of it?? This kind of stuff drives me nuts, so please share if you do!