There isn’t a better time than summer to enjoy fresh fruit. But maybe you’re getting tired of strawberries and watermelon, and it’s time to explore something new. Have you tried a pluot? What about a tangor? These are examples of hybrid fruit.

Hybrid fruits are created through natural breeding – they are not genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Think of hybrid fruit as extended family members of the fruit we eat every day. Hybridizing fruit results in more variations of taste, texture, and nutrition. Because of their uniqueness, hybrid fruits are more likely to be found at specialty grocery stores or farmers’ markets, but some may be found in the produce department of grocery stores like Hy-Vee.

Keep an eye out for these hybrid fruits the next time you go shopping:

• Pluot: Mostly Plum + Apricot
• Aprium: Mostly Apricot + Plum
• Pluerry: Plum + Cherry
• Peacharine: Peach + Nectarine
• Tangor: Tangerine + Orange
• Tayberry: Red Raspberry + Blackberry
• Limequat: Lime + Kumquat
• Pineberry: White Strawberry + Red Strawberry (tastes like pineapple, shown above)
• Blood Lime: Lime + Mandarin
• Peacotum: Peach + Apricot + Plum