Ugli Fruit and Vinegar

I realize this is one you may be totally unfamiliar with, but it pays to be adventurous and try new foods!

Ugli Fruit

You’ve probably seen this one in your supermarket but being unfamiliar with it, you may be avoiding it. I want to encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and give this one a try – you won’t be sorry!

It gets its name from its odd, misshapen appearance. It looks, well, ugly! But looks can definitely be deceiving and here’s a time when you should not judge a book by it’s cover! It has an extremely sweet, citrus flavor, can be peeled very easily and is seedless. It’s believed to be a combination of the best features of grapefruit, Seville oranges and tangerines. Like other citrus fruits it’s low in calories, high in vitamin C, as well as flavonoids, folic acid and fiber. Even though it is related to the grapefruit, it doesn’t contain furanocoumarins, which are the components in grapefruit that can interfere with certain drugs. It has been proven to improve, heal and help promote gastrointestinal health and maintain bowel integrity.

Vinegar

Vinegar is a natural product that’s been around for thousands of years and has been used as a health tonic by many. In fact, Hippocrates is said to have used apple cider vinegar (my favorite!) as an antibiotic. Here are some of the more interesting health benefits of vinegar in general:

Vinegar helps the body absorb calcium. Salad greens are full of calcium.
It appears to increase insulin sensitivity in those who are insulin resistant.
Is an effective, natural produce cleaner.

I prefer cold pressed, raw, organic apple cider vinegar and this is why:

It is a completely natural product, resulting from the fermentation of apple juice to hard apple cider followed by a second fermentation to apple cider vinegar. It retains all the nutritional goodness of the apples from which it was made plus it is fortified with the extra acids and enzymes produced during the two fermentation steps.

Apple cider vinegar is rich in vitamins C, E, A, P, B1, B2 and B6 as well as minerals like manganese, iron, calcium, sodium, magnesium, sulfur, copper, phosphorus, silicon, chlorine and fluorine. Studies have shown it helps reduce blood sugar, is extremely alkalizing and those two things make it an excellent food to include if you are trying to lose weight.

Take a Step:

While Ugli fruit is not suitable for cooking, it makes it an excellent snack or add-on to salads. Pick fruits which are heavy with no drying at the ends and there should be a little give if you apply a little pressure. Don’t worry about minor dents and marks – that’s just how they look! They can be kept at room temperature for approximately 4-5 days, or in the fridge for as long as 2 weeks.

To help remove potentially harmful residues on your produce you can mix a solution of water and vinegar in a ratio of 1 to 9, for example, mix one cup of white vinegar in nine cups of water. Briefly soak your produce in the vinegar solution, then swish it around and finally, rinse it thoroughly. One caution – don’t soak very delicate fruits like berries – they can soak up too much vinegar.

Until next month – I wish you vibrant health!

Ann