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Percocas Have Arrived!

The fruit that we have been waiting for the whole summer has officially arrived! That fruit is of course percoca peaches! This fruit, exclusive to Caputo’s, is just what the rest of your summer needs.

 Percoca peaches are an Italian specialty variety of clingstone peach best known for their flavor. Clingstone peaches are known as fruit that does not fall off the pit. This makes it ideal for canning because it will stay together. In fact, over 90% of percoca peaches are grown for canning. We are lucky enough to be one of the few retailers to carry percocas.

We owe this to a relationship we developed with a California farmer over 30 years ago. Because of our long history, DePalma Farms gets the peach trees from Italy and sends us the infamous percoca peach every summer.

 

While these peaches are juicy and delicious eaten on their own, they’re even better enjoyed in wine! Their fruity flavor compliments the aromas of the wine. We like to cut the peach, usually in wedges or slices, then add them directly to our glass of wine. While they sit in the wine, they start to collect the juices and soak. Once you’re done drinking your glass, you get to eat the peach for a nice treat at the end!\\

Haven’t tried percocas yet? Stop by and get yours now!

 

From Our Family To Yours

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Melon Sense: How to Choose the Best Cantaloupe

Eating fresh cantaloupe during the growing season is a joy unto itself, especially if you know how to pick a good one. Here’s how to consistently ensure that the cantaloupes you select are ripe, sweet, and flavorful.

Appearance matters. This may seem obvious but always select cantaloupes that look good. Avoid obviously defective or damaged fruit. This includes any melon with a cracked rind, soft spots, bruises, or moldy patches.

Steer clear of stems. Melons easily detach from their stems when ripe. If you see a cantaloupe with a piece of stem still attached or with a torn rind where the stem was attached, that means it was taken from the vine too soon. And since they do not continue to ripen after being picked, a cantaloupe with its stem still attached should not be selected.

Go for the gold. The rind of a ripe cantaloupe should have a gold or orange tint with well-developed netting. If you see a lot of dark green and the net-like textured part appears to be rather thin, the cantaloupe is not ripe. Also examine the spot that shows where the melon was resting on the ground. A smooth, yellow patch means you’ve got a ripe melon.

Lightweights need not apply.  When comparing cantaloupes, pick them up. A good cantaloupe contains a fair amount of water and will thus feel heavy for its size. All other things being equal, go with the heavier fruit.

How does it feel? A healthy, ripe cantaloupe is neither rock-hard nor soft and squishy. The melon should be uniformly firm. There should be a slight indentation where the stem used to be, indicating that the melon came off the stem easily and that indentation should not be wet. The blossom end, which is opposite the stem end, should give slightly when pressed.

Smell the blossom end. A sweet, ripe cantaloupe smells pleasantly sweet, especially at the blossom end. A cantaloupe that has no sweet aroma should not be considered.

In addition to being delicious, cantaloupe is quite healthy. Thanks to the high water content, one cup only contains about 55 calories. Cantaloupe is a great source of vitamins A and C, potassium, beta-carotene, and fiber.

Now that you know what to look for, stop by any of Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets‘ seven store locations and get some delicious cantaloupe today!

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Percoca!


As we continue to enjoy the summer season here in Chicagoland, it’s time to talk about the annual arrival of a delightful summer fruit grown exclusively for Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets by an Italian family farm in California. Percoca peaches are an Italian specialty variety of clingstone peach prized for their flavor and aroma. Like most cling peaches, the Percoca’s flavor and consistency make it ideal for canning, processing, and cooking but are also quite delicious when eaten fresh. For over 30 years, we have been doing business with the family-owned DePalma Farms, who grows Percoca peaches exclusively for Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets.

These peaches have a flavorful yellow flesh which can be enjoyed in many ways, after removing the stone. One such way, popular in many parts of Italy, is to place chunks or slices of Percoca peaches into a container and cover them with white or red wine. After allowing this combination to mingle and chill for a while, it is customary to sip the wine and eat the wine-drenched peaches. There are entire festivals in Italy dedicated to this simple yet delicious treat.

Our Percoca peaches are only available for a limited time each year. Please stop in soon to get yours!

 

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There’s Something About Local Summer Fruit

Imagine sitting outside on a pleasant mid-summer evening, enjoying a handful of fresh strawberries, cherries, or grapes. Or slicing fresh peaches into a small pitcher and then pouring your favorite wine over the freshly cut fruit. Bite-size pieces of fresh cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto?

This is a magical time of year at Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets, especially for lovers of fresh-picked fruit. Locally grown fruits and vegetables are in full swing now and we are at family farms in Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana to pick up fresh produce daily. These are the same family farms with which the Angelo Caputo Family has been dealing for decades. Because we buy directly from local family farmers and then sell the fresh produce to our customers, visiting any of our stores is like going to a farmers’ market, only without paying the premium prices!

Of course, our love of locally grown produce goes back a lot farther than that. When Angelo Caputo was growing up in Mola Di Bari, Italy, his family had a 25-acre farm site where they grew almond trees, olive trees, peaches trees, and St. John’s Bread (carob), as well as many different fresh vegetables. If you were to see Angelo’s backyard today, you would find peach trees, cherry trees, and fig trees, along with many fresh herbs.

This family learned many years ago that there is nothing quite like the experience of eating freshly picked summer produce. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Stop by today and see for yourself!