Ordering fruit by mail - your suggestions needed!

I had the idea to send my college kids fruit by mail in January, as part of their Christmas present. I remember receiving Harry and David's in my youth, and it was terrific.

I read a thread here from 2005 and it seemed as if there were some quality issues. I also searched on Cushman's honeybells, which I have never tasted, but wondered about, and found a handful of comments, all positive, but not quite critical mass. (I actually tried to order the honeybells, but there was a website problem and I kept having to start over, and got tired of it-- if I try again, I will call.)

So-- tell me your stories of fruit by mail, what is best, what might my kids get a kick out of. One is a major fruit eater, and likes his fruit as perfect as possible (no bruises please!) and the other will be taking exams and need sustenance in any case. Or should I just give each of them a Whole Foods gift card to buy their own fruit (both are in walking distance of a WF).

For years I worked in offices that received a lot of Harry & David deliveries during the holiday season. I've never been wow'ed by their offerings...in my experience, it wasn't always ripe, or was almost overripe.

I think WFs (or another grocery store) is a great idea because when you order from a place like H&D, you're paying a high per-pound price and the cost of shipping adds up. They could get a lot more for your money at WFs or another grocery store. Do their local WFs deliver?

I don't know if it will help you, but here's a devour.tv segmentwith David Rosengarten (Dave in the Life starts at 2:10) on mail-order fruit.

My parents order a box or two of grapefruit from H&D every winter. A half grapefruit every morning with breakfast is one of the the many big treats of being home for the holidays. The quality has been variable, with some years outstanding and others merely pretty good. I figure a lot of that probably has to do with things like weather, which affect fruit from all sources.

The last gift I received from Harry and David was so overripe I tossed the whole package in the trash.

Personally, I have had only positive things to say about the shipments I have received or shipped from Harry and David's.

One year, my brother did send me pears the day after I left for a ten day trip over the Christmas holiday. Needless to say, the pears were solidly frozen when we returned. Harry and David reshipped the gift at no charge.

in my experience, it wasn't always ripe, or was almost overripe.

Isn't the word for almost overripe "ripe"?

Folks in my office seem to love the H&D pears. i order a couple of boxes every year. They're always ripe and terrific.

My experience with pears is that if they're delivered perfectly ripe, they have to be eaten very quickly before they go over the edge into over-ripeness. Citrus is a better bet if you want to eat the fruit over a week or two.

I have researched fruit baskets in depth and found Diamond Organics to be the best.
They sell a 9-pound basket for $79, which includes overnight shipping.
http://www.diamondorganics.com

Standard disclaimer: I do not work for them.
All the reviews I read say that this fruit is beautiful and carefully packed. When you call them, you get a person, not a bunch of voice prompts.

We love Cushman's honeybells.

Mike G wrote:

in my experience, it wasn't always ripe, or was almost overripe.

Isn't the word for almost overripe "ripe"?

True, but I was trying to express it fell on the scale of barely ripe-perfectly ripe-about to be overripe.

My mom is getting hip surgery at the end of September, so I'm bumping this thread to see if anyone has any additional suggestions or new information. No grapefruit, as my dad is on incompatible meds.

Thanks, Jen

My parents spend the winter in Ft. Myers, Florida and we always go to the Sun Harvest Citrus store when I'm visiting. I've sent my neighbors some fruit a few times as a thank you for watching my cats, and they've said the fruit is very good. But, I think they only ship fruit when it is in season.

Sun Harvest Citrus

For nuts and dried/candied fruits by mail, the best I have ever had is from

http://www.bing.com/search?q=houstonpec ... DF&PC=AV01

This Houston company has every kind of nut or dried/candied fruit you can imagine, and every one we have ever tried from there is simply wonderful. (They don't do fresh fruit, though.) They have gift baskets and the like which I am quite confident your father would greatly appreciate. With the fruitcake season approaching, this is a terrific source for makings.

Interesting backstory:

The company was founded in Houston in 1942 and acquired sometime after WW II by a Mr. Cooper, a Jewish refugee from occupied Europe. He made it to the end of the war because... he was on Schindler's List. There is a newspaper biography of him posted in the retail area of the plant.

Try it: you won't like it... you'll love it!