Category 09 — Produce: Fruits (Citrus, Stone Fruit, Berries, Tropical)

Category 9 of 23 · Built 2026-04-20 · Last verified 2026-04-20 · UMAMI-15 Quality contract: PROCESS.md

Context: Miami's single biggest produce advantage over the rest of the US is tropical fruit. Homestead/Redland (25 miles south) is the top mango + lychee + guava + mamey + avocado zone in the US — product that costs $15/lb flown-in to NYC is $4/lb fresh-picked an hour from the kitchen. This file centers that advantage while covering the non-tropical categories (citrus, stone fruit, berries, specialty) where out-of-state sourcing matters.

Three major Miami fruit unlocks:

• 🏆 Robert Is Here — robertishere.com · 19200 SW 344th St, Homestead · 9am-6pm daily · Family fruit stand since 1959. "One of the largest selections of fresh, exotic, and local fruit in South Florida — from mangoes and guanabana to black sapote and starfruit." The Miami tropical-fruit cathedral. 45 min south from Key Biscayne.
• Coconut Grove Saturday Organic Market / Glaser Organic Farms — (from file 08) — tropical fruit + citrus + exotic varieties direct from growers.
• Bee Heaven Farm summer avocado mail-order — when in-season (May-Sep), Florida avocados shipped direct.

Seasonality drives this category harder than any other. Most fruits have 4-8 week peak windows. Miami's tropical season is generally May-October (opposite of citrus, which is Oct-April). Non-tropical stone fruit + berries ship from California + Mexico year-round but peak summer.

CITRUS

Lemons + Limes

Depth: A (every recipe; used constantly)

What to know:

• Lemon varieties: Eureka (supermarket standard), Meyer (sweeter-floral, California specialty), Amalfi (IGP Italian — rare US), Cedro Citron (huge peel, preserved lemon territory)
• Lime varieties: Persian / Tahiti (standard), Key Lime (small, yellow-green, more acidic, relevant as Florida native), Kaffir (leaves + fruit — Southeast Asian), Makrut (same as kaffir), Mexican Lime

Key Lime availability in Miami is seasonally good (June-August peak local); Whole Foods + Publix carry imported Mexican year-round.

🏬 TIER 1

• Whole Foods + Publix + Winn-Dixie — Eureka lemon + Persian lime year-round reliable.
• Coconut Grove Market — Meyer lemons during California season (Nov-Mar) + local Florida Key limes in summer.
• 🏆 Robert Is Here — full range including Key lime + Kaffir + Bearss lime + Finger lime in season.

🌐 TIER 2

• Melissa's Produce — via grocery partners; Meyer lemons + specialty citrus.
• Friend's Ranches (California) — Ojai specialty citrus direct-ship.
• Frog Hollow Farm — froghollow.com · blood oranges + specialty citrus in season (Dec-Mar).

👑 TIER 3

• Amalfi Lemon IGP direct — only seasonal tour-tier import; ⚠️ US retail availability near-zero.
• Finger lime (Citrus australasica) from specialty CA growers — "caviar limes," jewel-like vesicles; via Melissa's or Regalis. ~$60-$100/lb when available.
• Buddha's Hand citron — bizarre-shaped fragrant citron; November-January peak; via Whole Foods specialty case or Regalis.

Cross-recipe: aguachile-verde ✅ (lime is core), mojos-canarios ✅ (lime + lemon), kanpachi-crudo ✅ (lemon/yuzu — see file 05 Yuzu section), tuna-tartare-sherry-soy ✅ (lemon accent), deviled-eggs-bottarga-sv ✅ (lemon zest), salsa-verde-basque ✅ (lemon peel), countless dressings + finishings. Single most-used fresh acid in the corpus.

Oranges

Depth: B (eating + juicing fruit; cooking use is blood orange + zest)

What to know:

• Navel orange (Washington, Cara Cara, Blood) — eating oranges; peak December-April.
• Valencia — juicing orange; peak March-May.
• Blood orange (Moro, Tarocco, Sanguinello) — winter specialty; December-February; Sicilian imports (Arancia Rossa di Sicilia IGP) are the summit.
• Cara Cara — pink-fleshed navel; January-March California.
• Clementine / Mandarin / Tangerine — peak November-February; Spanish + Moroccan varieties at Whole Foods.
• Bergamot (orange × lemon) — aromatic; zest + Earl Grey tea; Dec-Feb; rare fresh.

🏬 TIER 1

• Whole Foods + Publix + Winn-Dixie — standard navels + Valencia year-round; blood orange + Cara Cara in winter.
• Coconut Grove Market — local Florida + specialty varieties.
• Robert Is Here — Florida oranges in season + specialty citrus.

🌐 TIER 2

• Frog Hollow Farm — blood orange + specialty winter citrus.
• Friend's Ranches Ojai — California specialty direct.

👑 TIER 3

• Sicilian Arancia Rossa IGP blood oranges direct-import — seasonal specialty importers; ~$40-$60/case.
• Bergamot direct from Calabria — aromatic juice for cocktails + zest; limited US fresh.

Cross-recipe: Future candidates → pa-amb-tomaquet with sliced blood orange (Catalan variant), citrus-based winter salads, zest in pastry (ensaimada-mallorquina ✅ variants).

Grapefruit + Pomelo

Depth: B

• Ruby Red grapefruit (Texas) — peak December-May.
• Marsh White — juicing; May-October.
• Pomelo / Shaddock — Southeast Asian; specialty year-round.

Sourcing: Whole Foods + Publix standard; Pomelo at Asian markets (Momi Market, Kimchi Mart).

Cross-recipe: future grapefruit-mezcal cocktail, winter salad plays.

STONE FRUIT

Peaches + Nectarines + Plums + Apricots + Cherries + Pluots

Depth: A (summer peak May-September; swordfish-ceviche-bottarga and fruit-dessert moments)

What to know: Stone fruit peak is June-August with early-season (May) and late-season (September) tapering. California is the US summer stone-fruit capital; Frog Hollow Farm (Brentwood, CA) is the widely-acknowledged summit.

Sub-variety hierarchy:

• Cherries — Bing, Rainier (yellow-red), Royal Ann. Peak late May to early July. Rainier (Frog Hollow) is the summit.
• Peaches — white-flesh vs yellow-flesh; "Galaxy" white peach (Frog Hollow) is a legend. Peak June-August.
• Nectarines — same species as peaches; no fuzz. Peak July-August.
• Plums — thousands of varieties; Santa Rosa + Elephant Heart are classics. Peak June-August.
• Pluots (plum × apricot hybrids) — Dapple Dandy, Flavor King. Peak July-August. Better than most plums.
• Apricots — short 3-week peak in June; Blenheim (California heritage) is the summit.

🏬 TIER 1 — Miami

• Whole Foods Brickell / Coral Gables — reliable mid-premium during peak. Labels origin (California Frog Hollow occasional, Masumoto Family Farm imported).
• Publix — standard California fruit; quality tracks season.
• Coconut Grove Market — occasional specialty California shipments.

🌐 TIER 2

• 🏆 Frog Hollow Farm — froghollow.com · widely-acknowledged US stone-fruit summit — "the best peaches, nectarines, cherries, apricots, plums, pluots, pears, olives, persimmons, and blood oranges you will ever taste." Certified organic. Pre-order fruit clubs (pre-order collection) — "Gotta Have My Cherries" 2-shipment club ships mid-May through June; Monthly Cornucopia ~$167.99 per shipment. ⚪ curated. The summit default.
• Masumoto Family Farm — legendary peach grower; direct-ship via their mailing list (seasonal allocation).
• JJ's Lone Daughter Ranch — specialty apricot direct.

👑 TIER 3

• Frog Hollow pre-order Rainier or Galaxy White Peach single-variety box — peak-window targeted shipments; ~$80-$150 per box. The summit stone fruit experience.
• Direct Masumoto / Blenheim apricot heritage shipments — 3-week window; pre-order required.

Cross-recipe: swordfish-ceviche-bottarga ✅ (stone fruit variant for summer), dessert courses, the fearless-fusion register-tier moves: burrata + Frog Hollow peach + EVOO + Maldon is a summer-salad showstopper. Future candidate: burrata-peach-prosciutto (cross-file with files 04 + 07).

BERRIES

Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries

Depth: B (year-round availability; quality tracks season)

What to know:

• Strawberries peak: spring (Mar-May California Driscoll's), fall-winter (Florida). Plant City, FL is 4 hours north of Miami.
• Raspberries peak: early summer (Jun-Jul) + fall (Sep-Oct). More delicate than strawberries.
• Blackberries peak: summer (Jul-Aug). Oregon + California.
• Blueberries peak: summer (Jun-Aug). Maine + Michigan. Florida wild-picked blueberries March-May (brief window).

🏬 TIER 1

• Whole Foods Brickell + Coral Gables — Driscoll's + Sunrise Growers reliable year-round; organic options.
• Publix + Winn-Dixie — Driscoll's standard.
• Coconut Grove Market — local Florida strawberries (winter) + wild blueberries (spring).
• Homestead / Redland markets — Florida-local strawberries Dec-Apr.

🌐 TIER 2

• Murray Family Farms (California) — specialty berry direct.
• Driscoll's specialty line (Sweetest Batch) — heirloom varieties in select Whole Foods.

👑 TIER 3

• Wild foraged berries — Regalis Foods carries wild huckleberry + wild blueberry + specialty foraged berries in their short window.
• Framboise de Bois (wild French raspberries) — specialty, aspirational.

Cross-recipe: dessert courses; berry-based cheese-board companion (blueberry + blue cheese, strawberry + burrata).

Specialty Berries (Currants, Gooseberries, Mulberries)

Depth: C

• Currants (red + black) — rare US fresh; Regalis summer window.
• Gooseberries — rare; specialty.
• Mulberries — Frog Hollow ships mulberries in brief spring window. Very rare elsewhere.
• Wineberries (Japanese wild) — foraged; specialty only.

TROPICAL FRUITS — MIAMI'S ADVANTAGE

Mangoes

Depth: A (Florida's #1 tropical gift; peak May-September)

What to know: Miami/Homestead has 40+ commercial mango varieties, each with its own peak window:

• Haden (classic red-yellow) — May-June; the "Publix supermarket mango" parent
• Keitt — July-September; late-season, green-skinned, huge (2-3 lb)
• Kent — June-August; sweet, less fiber, classic Florida eating mango
• Valencia Pride — June-July; prized yellow-flesh, high sugar
• Glenn — May-June; early-season, sweet
• Nam Doc Mai (Thai variety) — July-August; specialty
• Alphonso (Indian) — April-June; rare US fresh, frozen widely; considered the mango summit globally — rare Florida-grown but exists at Robert Is Here
• Mallika (Indian hybrid) — July-August; specialty at Robert Is Here

Rule: buy based on feel + smell + vendor knowledge, not variety name. Ask Robert what's peak that week.

🏬 TIER 1 — Miami

• 🏆 Robert Is Here — robertishere.com — full 30+ variety range; peak May-September; staff will tell you what's peak that day. ✅ The answer for Miami summer.
• Coconut Grove Saturday Market (Glaser) — local organic mango May-Sep.
• Whole Foods Brickell + Coral Gables — Florida mangoes in season (Jun-Aug); Mexican imports rest of year.
• Publix + Winn-Dixie — standard Tommy Atkins + Haden.

🌐 TIER 2

• Melissa's Produce — specialty mango distribution (Alphonso frozen available year-round).
• Mahogany Mangos (Florida direct-ship) — some Homestead growers ship direct.

👑 TIER 3

• Alphonso fresh direct from India (seasonal April-June window) — very rare US fresh; via specialty importers with CITES clearance. ⚠️ limited.
• Miyazaki "Egg of the Sun" Japanese mango — $50-$150 per mango (single fruit!); near-impossible US access.

Cross-recipe: future mango-bottarga-salad (fearless-fusion candidate), swordfish-ceviche-bottarga ✅ mango variant, summer cheese boards.

Avocados

Depth: A (aguachile-verde ✅ and multiple Mexican-Spanish crossover moments)

What to know: Three main types:

• Hass — standard, year-round, Mexican + Californian + Peruvian. Thick dark skin; best for mashing, guacamole.
• Florida avocados — larger, smoother skin, lower fat, more water. Peak June-October. Milder flavor than Hass. Bee Heaven mail-orders summer.
• Fuerte — rarer, thin-skinned; December-March.

🏬 TIER 1 — Miami

• 🏆 Whole Foods + Publix + Winn-Dixie — Mexican Hass year-round; Florida avocado in season.
• 🏆 Robert Is Here — Florida-grown avocado May-Oct peak.
• Coconut Grove Market — specialty + organic.

🌐 TIER 2

• 🏆 Bee Heaven Farm — localharvest.org Bee Heaven — summer organic Florida avocado mail-order. Miami residents can pick up weekly. ⚪ curated.

Cross-recipe: aguachile-verde ✅ (avocado is core), breakfast applications, future pa-amb-tomaquet with avocado variants.

Pineapples + Guavas + Papayas + Passion Fruit

Depth: B (tropical workhorses)

• Pineapple — Costa Rican Gold standard; Whole Foods + Publix year-round.
• Guava — pink vs white; Whole Foods seasonal + Robert Is Here. Frozen guava paste (membrillo-adjacent) via Whole Foods.
• Papaya — Hawaii Solo + Mexican Maradol. Whole Foods + Latin markets.
• Passion Fruit (Maracuyá) — fresh Florida in season (May-October) at Robert Is Here + farmers markets. Imported year-round at Whole Foods. Juice for cocktails + sauces.

Cross-recipe: tepache ✅ (pineapple fermentation), aguachile-verde ✅ (sometimes with mango or passion fruit), summer desserts.

Lychees + Longans + Rambutan + Dragon Fruit

Depth: B (tropical specialty; Miami season peak)

• Lychee — peak June-July. Robert Is Here is Florida's best fresh lychee source. Frozen rest of year.
• Longan — lychee's cousin; July-August; Asian markets + Robert Is Here.
• Rambutan — hairy lychee cousin; summer.
• Dragon fruit (pitaya) — Florida-grown year-round; Robert Is Here + Whole Foods.

Cross-recipe: cocktail + dessert + exotic cheese-board companions.

Black Sapote + Mamey + Soursop + Starfruit + Specialty Tropicals

Depth: C (rare; the Robert Is Here trip is the unlock)

• Black sapote (chocolate pudding fruit) — Robert Is Here specialty; pulp tastes like chocolate pudding.
• Mamey (red sapote) — Cuban classic; Robert Is Here + Latin markets.
• Soursop (guanábana) — Robert Is Here + Latin markets; for juice.
• Starfruit (carambola) — Florida-grown year-round; Robert Is Here + Whole Foods occasionally.
• Jackfruit, Durian, Canistel, Sugar Apple (atis/cherimoya) — specialty.

Robert Is Here is the single Miami path to this entire tier. 45 min drive south; stack a Saturday-morning Robert Is Here trip with the Redland Farmers Market (same neighborhood) and Homestead seafood → half-day Miami specialty-sourcing run.

QUINCE + POMEGRANATE + PERSIMMON + FIGS

Depth: B (fall-winter specialty; one-off recipes but load-bearing)

• Quince (membrillo) — fall-winter; quince paste (dulce de membrillo) is the classic Spanish pairing with Manchego. Whole Foods fresh Oct-Dec; La Tienda + Matiz quince paste year-round (file 06-adjacent).
• Pomegranate — peak October-January. Whole Foods + Publix standard.
• Persimmon — Fuyu (firm, crunchy) + Hachiya (soft, pudding). Frog Hollow + Whole Foods October-December.
• Fresh Figs — Black Mission + Kadota + Brown Turkey. Peak June + September. Whole Foods specialty; Chile imports extend the season.

Cross-recipe: manchego + membrillo + almond tapa (classic), fig + prosciutto + burrata summer salad (cross-file), persimmon + burrata fall salad.

CROSS-RECIPE INDEX

Open Questions

1. Robert Is Here Saturday trip priority? May-September peak for mango + lychee + passion fruit + tropical = the single highest-impact trip in the whole produce calendar. Want me to flag on calendar for mid-May as the opener weekend?
2. Frog Hollow fruit club subscription? "Gotta Have My Cherries" 2-shipment club (mid-May to June) ~$160-$200 = the summit stone-fruit access without guesswork. Core fit for summer dinner parties?
3. Bee Heaven summer avocado mail-order? June-October Florida avocado direct from Redland. Miami residents can pick up weekly. Want me to scope sign-up?
4. Alphonso mango targeting? April-June brief window. Robert Is Here sometimes carries; also frozen Alphonso pulp year-round (Indian markets). Worth pre-planning a trip in that window?
5. Tropical-fruit-centric menu arc? With 30+ varieties at Robert Is Here from May-Sep, a "Miami tropical summer" dinner party is an underused concept. Want me to spec a candidate menu?
6. Finger lime / Buddha's hand specialty citrus intro? Finger limes (caviar limes) as a fearless-fusion register-tier garnish on aguachile or kanpachi-crudo — ~$60-$100/lb via Regalis when available. Introduce?
7. Meyer lemon preserving / marmalade? Nov-March is CA Meyer season. Preserved Meyer lemons + Meyer lemon curd = pantry-building moves with 6-12 month shelf life.

VERIFIED VENDOR CROSS-CHECK (for MEMORY.md sync)

New vendors this file (beyond files 01-08):

• Robert Is Here ⭐ — robertishere.com · 19200 SW 344th St, Homestead FL · 9am-6pm daily · 1959-founded family fruit stand · THE Miami tropical fruit cathedral. 45-min drive south from Key Biscayne. Full range from mango + lychee + guava through black sapote + soursop + Alphonso.
• Frog Hollow Farm ⭐ — froghollow.com · Brentwood, CA · certified organic stone fruit summit; peaches, nectarines, cherries, apricots, plums, pluots, pears, persimmons, blood oranges. Fruit club subscriptions.
• Masumoto Family Farm — legendary California peach grower; direct-ship via mailing list.
• Bee Heaven Farm (already file 08) — expanded coverage for summer avocado mail-order.
• Friend's Ranches (Ojai, CA) — specialty citrus direct.
• Murray Family Farms (California) — specialty berry direct.
• Mahogany Mangos (Florida) — Homestead mango direct-ship.

9/23 atlas files complete. Next: 10-grains-legumes-flours (rice, pasta, beans, wheat, bread flours). Strong recipe linkage (Bomba rice already in file 06, but pasta + bread + Japanese rice + specialty grains unify here).