Spring has finally sprung! Everywhere in the world everyone loves Spring.
After what seemed like a long winter, we can finally come out of hibernation to enjoy the sunshine.
Spring in Australia -- September to November -- is a great time of the year.
Entire cities come alive along with blooming flowers and markets teeming fresh fruit baskets.
Spring fruits such as apples, rhubarb, quinces, pawpas, oranges not only inspire new and healthy ideas, but also for me to open up my closet to the colors and the warmth of the new season -- I can finally store my cold-weather gear! Finally we can wean away from versions we eat in the winter.
Eat fresh or add to salads or desserts, fill your fruit baskets with spring fruits.
Be excited -- there is nothing better than the start of spring to eat fruit to renew, reawaken and reevaluate healthy habits.
Here are a few fruits to fill your fruit baskets: Quince

• Distant relative to apples and pears, pear-like in shape with golden-yellowish outer-layer.
  Has the fragrance and flavor that is a cross between pear and pineapple.
  
• Ripe fruits are deep yellow with slightly fuzzy skin.
  Avoid green fruits and those that still have green spots on them.
  
• Used to make jellies or jams.
  Delicious in pies, cakes, sauces and meat dishes, with its tartness.
  
• Boasts of antioxidant properties, potassium, Vitamin C.
  High in pectin, it is good for people who are trying to lose weight.
  

Loquat

• Fresh loquat looks a bit like an apricot that forgot to grow up.
  It grows in clusters, are oval, 3-5cm in diameter with a smooth yellow or orange or red-blushed skin.
  The succulent, tangy flesh is white, yellow or orange and sweet.
  
• The fruits are the sweetest when soft and orange.
  
• Good eaten fresh or chopped into fresh salads.
  Can be made into jam, chutney or fruit sauce.
  Loquats have a taste that is a cross between passion fruit and guava.
  
• High in vitamin A, dietary fiber, potassium, and manganese

Pawpaw

• Although the name pawpaw may have come from the Spanish papaya, they are not related.
  Pawpaw is also called sweetsop or prairie banana.
  A large edible berry from 2-6.
  5 inches long and 1-2 inches wide and weighing from 20-500 g with numerous seeds.
  
• Unripe pawpaws are light green in color, but turn to yellow-brown when fully ripe.
  
• Eaten fresh but its shelf life is almost non-existent, for it soon ripens to the point of fermentation.
  Can be made into jams or jellies by dehydrating or pressure canning.
  Some compare its taste to a cross between vanilla and banana; others, banana and mango.
  Can also be used as a fat substitute in recipes for muffins and cakes.
  
• Contains more protein than most other fruits.
  

Blueberries

• Small, marble-size berries with smooth skin ranging in color from dark navy to blue-black.
  Their skin is covered in a fine white powder or 'bloom'.
  
• Look for firm, plum blueberries with dark blue skin.
  Avoid those that feel soft or look wrinkled.
  
• Enjoy blueberries for breakfast, with lashings of creamy yogurt or in a refreshing smoothie.
  They're also perfect in muffins, pies, and tarts.
  Or you can eat them as is too!
• One of nature's true superfoods, blueberries are a powerhouse of antioxidants and vitamin C.
  

Apples (Lady Williams, Fiji, Sundowner)

• Originally from Japan, Fuji apples have a pink to reddish blush on their skin over a green/yellow base.
  Firm-textured and crisp with a very dense flesh.
  High in water and sugar, they are juicy to eat with a honey-sweet flavor.
  Eat fresh, in salads or used in cooking -- pies, sauces.
  
• Available as greenish-red to full-deep-red, the round Cripps Red (sold as Sundowners) usually have a tiny yellow-green bump around the stalk.
  Quite tart when first picked.
  Eat fresh or perfect in baking.
  
• Having a deep red skin and white flesh, Lady William apples are great in salads
• Potent source of antioxidants, low GI food

High in nutrition, low in fat, no cholesterol, no sodium, fruit baskets make a healthy alternative when gift giving.
Not only are fruit baskets good for you, you'll make someone healthy too.
And now that it's spring, fruit baskets contain excellent choices.