Fruits come in a variety of forms and sizes. Apples, pears, and green grapes are the most frequent types of green fruits. Limes, gooseberries, sour plums, and the unusual cucamelon are some examples of sour sharp-tasting green fruits. Breadfruit and jackfruit are two varieties of tropical green fruits with delicious flavor. Avocados and cucumbers are two kinds of vegetables that we commonly consider as fruit.
Green fruits are not only tasty, but they are also quite healthy. Green fruits, like other fruit, are chock-full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which are critical to good health. Green fruits and vegetables also include high amounts of chlorophyll, vitamin K, folate, and lutein. These minerals aid your heart and immune systems in functionning properly.
What are the best green fruits to eat, and what are some of the most delicious? This post features a list of tiny green veggies, spiky green veggies, large green exotic fruits, and uncommon foods.
Types of Green Fruits: Introduction
Green fruits are divided into five categories, each with its own set of characteristics. Drupes, pomes, berries, citrus fruits, and pepo are the names of the various types. Tropical fruits with an exotic flavor and veggies that we commonly consider to be vegetables are among them.
Green olives, for example, are a drupe because they have a fleshy layer that surrounds a large stone. Cucumbers are green fruits on vines that are classified as berries or pepos. Pears and apples are two common kinds of pomes.
Types of Common Green Fruits
Let’s look at some of the most popular and accessible green fruits you can cultivate in your own garden and find in shops.
Green Apples (Malus domestica)
Green apples are the most common type of green fruit. When ripe, some apple varieties develop bright red hues. Nonetheless, many apple cultivars have green flesh when they’re ready to eat. Green apples have a waxy covering that encircles crisp white flesh.
Apple trees bear pome fruit, which is a cultivar of apple. Round green apples have a tart flavor than red apples. Green apple cultivars are great for snacking off the tree or preparing into meals since they are less sweet and more tart. Their vibrant, crisp taste complements salty, savory dishes such as mature cheese and adds freshness to lunch meats.
Here is a list of some popular green apples:
Pears (Pyrus)
There are many different pear cultivars, most of which have smooth green skins that may sometimes show traces of redness and a unique form. Pears generally have a broad, bulbous base and taper to the stem end when ripe. The white pear flesh is typically soft and juicy, with a pleasant flavor when ripe.
The texture of the flesh is determined by the variety of pears. Some pears have crisp, firm flesh that is good for poaching, while others are soft and juicy. Comice pears are generally the sweetest green pears.
A distinct variety of pear is the Nashi pear, also known as the Asian pear. These pears are tiny round golden green fruits or pomes that are great for munching on. The outer layer of Nashi pears is light green to yellowish and has white flesh within a spherical shape Apple-shaped.
Green Grapes (Vitis)
Green grapes are small green berry fruits that grow on vines in bunches. Green grapes are often referred to as “white” grapes, despite the fact that they aren’t white. The shape of a grape is usually elliptical (elliptic). Green grapes can be round or ovoid-shaped, however some varieties are oval (round). In the United States, Thompson seedless green grapes are most commonly eaten.
Types of Sweet Green Fruits
Although many green fruits are sugary, a few types of green fruits are known for their sweet, juicy flesh.
Honeydew Melon (Cucumis melo)
Honeydew melon is a large, green fruit with a light green sweet flesh and pale yellowish-green skin. Green honeydew melons are typically oval in shape and range in size from 6″ to 9″ (15 – 22 cm). This delectable fruit contains clusters of several yellowish-brown seeds encased in the inner pale green flesh.
Honeydew melons are a type of cantaloupe available during the months of July and August. They’re very sweet, with a high water content of 90 percent. Honeydew melons are one of the most delicious types of melons. The flavor is similar to yellow cantaloupe but without the musky aftertaste. Honeydews are eaten raw in fruit salads, smoothies, or alone.
Mexican Sour Cucumber (Melothria scabra)
The Mexican tiny watermelon (mouse melon, pepquino, cucamelon) is sweet when fully ripe. The green oval fruits resemble tiny watermelons and are the size of grapes. Vines produce small green fruits similar to other cucurbits in the family.
The Mexican sour cucumber, often known as the mouse melon, pepquinos, or kumamotos in Japan (cucamelon), is a variety of cucumber that has a similar flavor to the English garden cuke.
Sweet Green Oranges (Citrus reticulata × sinensis)
Sweet green oranges are unusual green citrus fruits because they have a rind like that of a lime fruit but orange flesh comparable to that of an orange. Sweet orange segments are covered in a bright green, thick skin. The delicious exotic green fruit is a citrus hybrid with tangerine-like flavor.
Sweet green oranges retain their vibrant color in the heat. In colder climes, the citrusy rind gradually becomes green and orange, or completely orange.
Types of Sour Green Fruits
Green fruits have a distinct sour flavor, which is characteristic in many varieties. Here are a handful of sour green fruits to consider.
Limes
Limes are sour-tasting, round green citrus fruits with a puckering effect on the lips. Green lises are generally somewhat larger than a golf ball, ranging in diameter from 1.2″ to 2.4″ (3 – 6 cm). The thin green rind covers delicate lime segments. Limes have a more pungent flavor than lemons.
Key limes (Citrus aurantiifolia) have a smooth green skin that becomes yellow when ripe. Limes are used in many pies, such as the Key lime pie, and chutneys like lime pickles in Indian cuisine.
Bearss lime (Citrus × latifolia)
The Persian lime, also known as the Persian lime, is a long green citrus fruit with thicker green skin than a Key lime. Bearss limes have a sweeter flavor than typical Mexican limes (Key lises). The Persian lime has a diameter of 2.4” (6 cm).
Kaffir Lime (Citrus hystrix)
The Kaffir lime is a small, green, bumpy-skinned fruit. Kaffir limes are tart and bitter and don’t provide much juice. Kaffir limes are commonly used in Thai cuisine where the citrus peel is utilized to add flavor to curries. The rough green fruits measure 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter.
Finger Limes (Citrus australasica)
Finger limes are a unique green edible fruit with a thick, somewhat bumpy skin and cylindrical form, as well as juicy pearl-like balls. Finger limes are also known as lime caviar because of the spherical juice vesicles in the green citrus fruits. Green citrus fruits measure 1.6” to 3.1” (4 – 8 cm) long and have a tapered tip.
Sour Green Plums
Sour green plums are small drupes, usually with a firm and tart green flesh covered by a brilliant green skin. Fresh sour plums are often too sour to consume. Instead, the red and green forms of these sour drupes are utilized to make sauces, relishes, compotes, and stews for a tangy flavor.
Ugli Fruit (Jamaican Tangelo)
The Ugli fruit, also known as the Japanese Lime, is a strange-looking citrus fruit with a bumpy light green skin that becomes golden yellow when mature. The Ugli fruit measures about the size of a grapefruit and has a pear shape. The juicy flesh has a stronger flavor than an orange but is sweeter than a grapefruit.
The Ugli fruit is a natural cross between a tangerine and a pomelo. As a result, the peculiar fruit is also known as tangelo. The scientific name for the unattractive green fruit is Citrus reticulata × paradisi.
Gooseberries
Gooseberries are beautiful, somewhat sour green berries with a very distinct flavor. Gooseberries can be red or yellow in color, although they are frequently light green and nearly transparent in skin. The flesh of gooseberries is soft and thick, with numerous tiny seeds. Gooseberry bushes grow on little thorny bushes. The tiny oval green berries weigh about 0.5 ounces (about 14 grams).
Types of Bumpy Green Fruit
Osage orange (Maclura pomifera)
The Osage orange is a spherical, green fruit with a rough skin. The Osage orange is about the size of a baseball, measuring 4”–5” (10 to 13 cm) in diameter. The rough surface of the fruit is a yellowish-green color and covers a juicy yellow flesh. Despite its reputation as being like cucumber, the Osage orange isn’t commonly eaten.
The fruit of the Osage orange is not in the citrus family. The spherical bumpy fruits develop on a shrub-like tree in the mulberry family, rather than a citrus fruit. The hedge apple or horse apple are two more names for the Osage orange.
Avocado
Avocado is a pear-shaped, green fruit with dark-green bumpy skin that grows on trees. Some avocado cultivars have smooth, bright green glossy skin, while others have rough, dark greenish brown coating. Avocados are botanically a big berry that’s used as a vegetable even though they’re eaten as fruits. The dark green avocados range in size from 3″ to 8″ (7 – 20 cm).
The avocado’s outer skin color can range from purple, black, brown, or green when ripe. The leathery bumpy skin is topped with buttery green flesh and a large stone embedded in the middle. When squeezing an avocado, it should yield somewhat.
Custard Apple (Annona cherimola)
The custard apple (also known as the custard fruit) is a strange, greenish-green fruit with thick, leathery, bumpy exterior that resembles a huge cone-shaped apple. The bumpy skin appears to have warty bumps or overlapping scales. The creamy flesh of the delicious fruit may be scooped out from the peel using a spoon.
It is critical to bear in mind that each black seed within the flesh of a custard apple is poisonous. When eating a custard apple raw, be aware that every single black seed within the flesh contains poisons that may be harmful.
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)
Breadfruit is a green, bumpy fruit with a grapefruit-sized body and leathery skin. The thick yellowish-green outer layer of the round green fruit deteriorates as it matures, becoming brown in color. Breadfruit has soft, pale sweet flesh that has a starchy texture and mild potato-like taste. Breadfruit grows to be 4″ to 12″ (10 – 30 cm) in diameter.
Noni (Morinda citrifolia)
Noni is a green or yellowish-green oval fruit with rough, bumpy skin. The green fruit is 4” – 7” (10 – 18 cm) long when unripe. When ripe, the white flesh has a strong odor and harsh flavor. When roasted, the large black seeds are edible.
Types of Spiky Green Fruits
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Jackfruit is a tropical, bright green, spiky-skinned fruit. Jackfruit grows on the jack tree in clusters and is closely related to breadfruit. The spherical fruit resembles a large mango and has a yellowish-green color when ripe that fades to yellowish-brown with maturity. Fruits with a green tinge grow 4″ (10 cm) long.
Durian Fruit (Durio)
Durian fruit is a tropical fruit with green or thorny skin. The enormous green spiky fruit may reach up to 12 inches (30 cm) long and weigh between 2 and 7 pounds. Depending on the strain, the spiked rind might cover soft inside that is either yellow or crimson. Some people claim that the Durian has a sweet fragrance. Others, on the other hand, describe it as having an oniony odor.
Types of Tropical Green Fruits
There are some really delicious fresh fruits with a sweet fragrance, pleasant soft flesh, and a “paradise-like” taste.
Caribbean Guava
Guava is a tropical fruit with green skin and bright red flesh that grows on trees. Guava, like other fruits, is green when unripe. The edible guava berry may stay green or turn yellow or red as it matures. Depending on the kind, guava fruit can be sweet or sour and range in size from 1.5 to 4.5 inches (4 – 12 cm).
Soursop (Graviola)
Soursop (also known as graviola or guanabana) is a pear-shaped tropical fruit with spiny green skin that covers white, fragrant flesh. The green tropical fruit has a pineapple-like fragrance and flavor, combining apples and strawberries with citrus undertones. The spiky green fruits may grow up to 12 inches long.
Soursop, also known as ponytail guava, is a prickly green fruit that may be found in the Caribbean, tropical areas of North and South America, and Southeast Asia. In southern Florida, you can cultivate soursop fruits in USDA zone 10.
Types of Exotic Green Fruits
Fuzzy Green Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa)
In USDA zones 5 through 9, kiwifruit is a green fuzzy fruit that grows on woody vines. The large hairy berries are brown-skinned and tart green in texture, with tiny black seeds throughout. Green kiwifruits are around a hen’s egg size in length and range from 2″ to 3″ (5 – 8 cm) in diameter. With some bitterness, the light green flesh has a sharp flavor.
Green Star Fruit (Carambola)
The star fruit is a strange green fruit with five or six distinct ridges on the perimeter. When unripe, star fruit is mostly green and gradually turns yellow when ripe. When ripe, carambola has a pale green tinge to it that makes it look like a star. The star form of the fruit may be seen by cutting it into slices.
Green Fruits Used as Vegetables
Chayote (Sechium edule)
Chayote is a pear-shaped fruit with green skin and flesh that may be compared to squash plants. The delicate green outer layer covers white to yellowish flesh. The fruit has a mild taste and can be seasoned with salt and pepper for use as a vegetable. Baked, stuffed, mashed, fried, or pickled vine-growing green fruits are available.
Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo)
Green zucchini is a type of green fruit that may be prepared as a vegetable, and botanically, it’s closer to many other cultivars. Green summer squash plants are vine-based and have dark green skin, with most growing between 6 and 10 inches (15 – 25 cm) long. This strange green berry is frequently cooked, seasoned with salt, and can be grilled, baked, or steamed.
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
Cucumbers are a berry fruit that grows on vines and is usually eaten fresh in salads or pickled to produce gherkins. The cylindrical fruits have a light green, crisp flesh and a melon-like flavor. Some cucumber strains may be distasteful. Long green cucumbers have smooth, slightly ribbed skin. Short green cukes, on the other hand, can have bumpy, spiky skin.