Photos: Goldstein, Borenstein, and… Mangosteen?!

CROWN HEIGHTS [CHI] — Rosh Hashana marks the beginning of a new year, and one of the customs that accompany it is the minhag of making a ‘shehecheyanu’ blessing on a new fruit. Once again Mr. Greens, an Albany Avenue produce shop, set out to find some of the most exotic and interesting items for its customers.

“Some of these items you can even make a shehecheyanu just by looking at it” said Shmuly Brummel, store manager to one customer.

This year’s brand new items include the Mangosteen, Monstera Deliciosa, Canepa, and Coqito. More about these fruits below:

MR. GREENS New Fruit Description List

Rambutan: This fruit is very much like a lychee. It can be pried open. There may be some juice if the rambutan is really fresh that you should try to catch before it drips. It will be as sweet as the fruit you are about to enjoy.

Sapote: This fruit has an orange flesh that is unusually soft, juicy, creamy and has a sweet, mild flavor that hints at flavors such as coconut, vanilla, and lemon. Sapotes are the size of a grapefruit or orange and are bright green or brown in color.

Kiwano: This unique-looking fruit is orange at peak ripeness and covered with spiky protrusions. The flavor compares to that of a cucumber, with edible seeds and a jelly-like center. Slice your melon lengthwise into strips. Pick up a slice and eat it like you eat cantaloupe with the rind still attached to the edible insides.

Dragon fruit: This fruit tastes wonderful. Sweet and crunchy, with a flavor that’s like a cross between kiwi and pear. Cut the fruit straight down the middle with a sharp knife. Inside the flesh may be white or red – both will have tiny black edible seeds, just like kiwi fruit. Note that the skin is NOT edible.

Monstera Deliciosa: This has the flavor of banana, mango and pineapple. This extremely unusual fruit is up to a foot long, green and sort of cucumber-shaped covered with a mosaic of hexagonal ’tiles’. It is eaten as it ripens. Ripen at room temperature until the ’tiles’ come loose with a fork. Underneath is the delicious fruit. Low in calories, high in potassium and Vitamin C.

Tamarillo: Just dig a spoon in, eat it raw. Juicy and packed with goodness the tamarillo fruit is a very good source of vitamin C, and is low in fat and calories. You can also just slice & eat.

Pepino: These are teardrop shaped and have a smooth skin that is striped with yellow and dark purple. The flesh of this fruit is fragrant and combines the tastes of cantaloupe and honeydew.

Mangosteen: This fruit is small, dark reddish brown to purple with a smooth thick rind and 5 or so seeds. The flavor is described variously as that of peach and pineapple, strawberry and grape, peach and apple, etc. The juicy flesh, divided into sections like an orange, almost melts in your mouth. Many say it is the most delicious fruit in the world. Mangosteens are not related to the mango.

Canepa: Also called honeyberry is a must-try for anyone unfamiliar with this delicious fruit, you pop the skin by biting it, then put the fruit in your mouth and suck the flesh off of the large seed.

Gooseberry: These sweet/tart golden berries can be eaten right out of the husk or dipped in chocolate.

Coqito: These mini coconuts are adorable! They look exactly like grown up coconuts but they’re the size of walnuts. If you bite into one and crack it in half, it even looks exactly like a fully grown coconut.