Apples, Peaches & Pears – Oh My!

Well it is that time of year again, the harvest begins and one of the sweetest treats that summer offers is tree fruit and it is out early this year; peaches, plums, pears, nectarines and apricots, oh my!  Local tree fruit is a great addition to your menu and involves a simple switch from your distributor from the often-relied on imported fruit to local fruit.

Apples are an easy fruit to switch to local but much of Canada’s apple harvest has been devastated due to an early spring followed by a frost; killing most of the apple crop.  Apples are a great shift to make from imported to local in your facility but this may be a hard shift this year.  Have no fear; there are a lot of other types of tree fruit that you can switch in your facility to get more local produce onto patient trays.

Peaches are a great place to start; a whole ripe peach adds visual and taste appeal to any meal tray.  Replace your canned peaches with a whole fresh peach.  Work within your current labour pool, utilizing staff to wash the fruit instead of portioning canned fruit.  This switch may actually free up staff to take on other responsibilities in the kitchen.

Pears are a staple on many hospital menus and can be easily substituted for imported.  Take this opportunity to let your patients know that you have made a switch to your local, seasonal ripe fruit.  Simply add a symbol or provincial name to your menus.

Work with your distributors to source locally produced fruit and take advantage of the short season that Canadian provinces enjoy.

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