Grill Hills: 02 February 2014

I've always doused cut apple and banana in fresh lemon juice, but never understood: why does the fruit go brown? - Ellis Smith, Pinetown

Cutting fruit gives the cells access to oxygen. The process of oxidation causes the fruit to brown. The same thing happens to bruised fruit - oxygen penetrates the cells and forms a brown mark. Lemon juice is not the only way to prevent oxidation, white vinegar or water will do the trick as well.

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Editor's Note

I was like a child in a sweet shop walking through theorchards of the Ceres valley recently. The trees, dripping with fruit, made it difficult to choose - nectarine, plum, peach? The solution? Try them all in a selection of recipes on pages 4 and 5.

PS: Saving the best for last, tomorrow you'll find a delicious plum clafouti recipe on our Facebook page.

The Food Weekly Kitchen Club is full of interesting snippets, food ideas and giveaways: facebook.com/stkitchenclub

Find of the week

Sweet and mouth-wateringly juicy, plumcot is a new variety of fruit that is a cross between a plum and an apricot. Not a GM creation, the fruit is the result of natural cross pollination. The flesh is rich in antioxidants and vitamin C. To encourage children to eat more fruit, plumcots will be sold as "dinosaur eggs". Available at Woolworths and Checkers.