Seasonal Picks: What the Fruit Stalls Have Right Now

Fruit is the part of the catalogue that changes most, because it has to. Here is what our growers are sending in at the moment and what to look for in each.

Alphonso mango

Judge it by smell and give, not colour — a fruit can look ready and still be firm at the stone. Alphonso arrives slightly under-ripe by design so it survives the journey. Leave it out of the fridge, in paper, until it yields to light pressure at the shoulder, then chill it if you like it cold.

Nendran banana

Firmer and starchier than a table banana, which is exactly why it fries well. Green Nendran is for chips and for cooking; wait for real yellow if you want to eat it raw. It ripens happily on the counter and does not need any help.

Pink guava and papaya

Guava is ready when the skin shifts from hard green toward pale yellow and the fruit smells sweet from a distance. Papaya is the one most people cut too early — wait for the skin to turn substantially yellow-orange and to soften under the thumb. Both go into the fridge once cut, not before.

Because these come from small growers, availability moves week to week. If something is not on the shelf, it usually means it is not good enough to send yet.