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A Seasonality Guide for Hawaii's Fruits and Vegetables is available.

Hawaii is ranked as the happiest state in the nation every year.Being near the ocean and lots of sunny days contribute to this contentment.People are not the only ones who are happy in Hawaii.Local produce thrives in the state with a mild climate.Exotic fruit now grows in abundance in Hawaii.

There is fresh fruit in the islands.It is worth visiting a farmer's market, fruit stand, or grocery store if you are in Hawaii.

Hawaii's growing season lasts all year long, but certain produce will follow the usual seasonal harvest in the spring, summer, fall, and winter.It's the best time to find some of our favorite Hawaiian fruits.

In Hawaii, passion fruit is known as lilikoi.The fruit is approximately 1 1/2 to 3 inches wide and has a tough outer skin.The skin is either yellow or purple when ripe.There are as many as 250 seeds inside the fruit.

Lilikoi is at its peak for harvest in June and January.Lilikoi is fully colored and ready to eat when it is plump.The purple fruits are almost black in its yellow form.The uglier the fruit is on the inside, the sweeter it will be.The ripest fruits will fall off the vine.

The easiest way to eat lilikoi is to cut it in half and use a spoon.You can eat the seeds.It's also great as a jam, incorporated into desserts, and added to drinks.

It is a local favorite.There are several mango related events in Honolulu in the summer.There is an annual mango festival on the Big Island in Hawaii.

The most popular types of mangoes in Hawaii are Hayden, Raposa, and Pirie.When it's ready to eat, the most common mango in Hawaii turns red and yellow with only a hint of green.The Hawaiian Rapoza is green, purple, and yellow.The Pirie mango is more green and yellow than red.

There are mango trees in December and April.The peak season for fruit is July and some trees give fruit as late as October.

Don't eat the skin of the mangoes, they are amazing when eaten fresh and cold.Try carving around the mango's large seed by cutting it in half.Score the flesh, not the skin.Push up on the skin so that the fruit sticks out and can be eaten with a utensil.Mango can be dried and eaten.

A couple of ripe guavas in a fruit bowl can scent a room.The common guava has yellow skin, pink flesh filled with seeds, and can grow to be about the size of a tennis ball.The skin and seeds of the guava can be eaten.The fruit can be eaten fresh and is often made into juice, jam, jelly, or paste.Smoking meat can be done with the wood from the guava tree.

There are two harvest periods, the first from August to December and the second from January to April.A common guava is soft, yellow, and fragrant.If you squeeze it gently, it will give under your fingers.The sweeter a guava is, the softer it is.Don't squeeze too hard.The fruit bruise easily.Ripe guavas are those that have changed from green to yellow.You can see a hint of pink on the fruit when it is in its prime.A guava's smell is described as sweet and penetrating, meaning you should be able to smell it without putting it right up to your nose.If it smells bad, it's overripe.Guavas are not good for a long time.Depending on how ripe the fruit is when you get a hold of it, you will have about two days before it goes bad.

There is a strawberry guava in Hawaii.It has a hint of strawberry.It has red skin and white flesh with yellow seeds.The strawberry guava is about the size of a quarter.

Pineapple is a fruit of the islands.Hawaii supplied 80% of the world's canned pineapple.Maui Gold Pineapple Company still grows pineapple here on Maui and is known for being extra sweet and juicy despite the fact that production has declined.

Pineapple can be grown year-round.There are a number of ways to determine if a pineapple is ripe.

You want a pineapple that is golden yellow because it changes from green to yellow as it matures.The color will change from the base to the top.When pineapples are still green, they will be ripe.A pineapple is not ripe.If a pineapple has wrinkled skin, cracks, mold, or withering brown leaves, it is overripe and may be starting to rot.

The smell is strongest at the base of the pineapple.A pineapple with a sweet smell is ripe.An overripe pineapple will smell bad.

If you're still unsure after all the other tests, try plucking an inner leaf from the crown of the pineapple.There should be no resistance to the leaf coming out.

The coconut palm can produce fruit all year long.The coconut has many uses, including coconut water, coconut milk, and coconut oil.

The coconut needs to be Harvested while it is still young and green on the tree to get coconut water.The coconut is full of water.

The coconut becomes brown as it matures.The water inside becomes less and the coconut meat becomes more white.

Coconut milk is the result of softer coconut meat being squeezed into a liquid.Coconut can be dried and shredded if the outside is brown.This is where coconut meat would be converted into oil.

Did you know that there are many different types of bananas?Most Americans only know about the Cavendish banana, which is found in stores.

There are several banana varieties in Hawaii, from big to small, extremely pale yellow to reddish pink.The apple banana is one of the most popular bananas in Hawaii.It is sweeter and has more vitamins A and C than the Cavendish.Their peak season is June through October.

Papayas in Hawaii are different from the papayas found on the mainland.When they turn from green to yellow, they're ripe.To eat, cut in half, scoop out the seeds, and enjoy!

The round, black seeds can be eaten.They are ground up and added to salad dressings.

The ridges going down the sides created a star shape when sliced.The skin is smooth and yellow when ripe.

Starfruit can be found from September through April.The fruit can be eaten.It can be eaten in a variety of ways.Starfruit makes a pretty addition to salads and can be made into a special treat by dipping in chocolate.

A Seasonality Guide for Hawaii's Fruits and Vegetables is available.

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