By Jacob Cruikshank/GG Staff

With winter turning into spring, there are many fruits to look forward too. You can many of these fruits all year round but they taste best during the spring.

Most fruits taste delicious by themselves, but there many more things you can do with them, like make a smoothie.

There are about 270,000 kinds of fruit on Earth, so there are many fruits to try out. They may not be native Nebraska or even be sold in Nebraska, but if you travel soon, you may be able to have a new experience with fruit.

Papaya

Papaya, also known as pawpaw, originates in Central America. There many different variations of papaya including Solo, Vista Solo, Waimanalo, Sunrise and Sunset, Mexican Red, Mexican Yellow, Kamiah, Kapoho papayas. Many people say papayas are sweet with a tart taste. The consistency of the fruit is creamy like butter.

Avocado

The avocado is a fruit even though many people think it’s a vegetable. The outside of an avocado is usually wrinkly and the inside is creamy. Besides the fruit being delicious it also has many health benefits. Avocadoes have seventeen different vitamins and have healthy fats that are not found in many foods. They can be added to foods like tacos, pastas and sandwiches.

Cherries

Cherries are a round, plump, small fruit that can either be tart or sweet. The dark-red cherries are sweet and the bright red cherries could be tart. Usually cherries are added to foods or put as a side, but cherries are also good on their own. Cherry harvest season starts in May and goes through August.

Melons

There are over 25 different types of melons good for the spring. The two most popular melons are watermelon and cantaloupe. Melons are usually sweet, tender and juicy.

Watermelons are a large fruit that grows on a vine and are 91 percent water. It is typically cut into triangles, but it can almost form into any shape.

Cantaloupes are much smaller than watermelon, but are less popular than watermelon. When melons are ripe their skin is more waxy and they smell fruity.

Things to do with Fruit.

Papaya Coconut Smoothie by Food Network.

Ingredients: Milk, Papaya, banana, Greek Yogurt and Ice.

• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup greek yogurt
• 1 ripe banana
• ½ cup peeled papaya
• 1 cup ice cubes

The smoothie is very refreshing for a hot day.

If you have extra fruit, but you’re bored of eating it plain, there are alternative ways to eat them.

Making the fruit into popsicle can be a great way to use extra fruit. Putting fruit and fruit juice into a popsicle mold and freezing it could make a good tasting popsicle.

Although it might seem weird to dip some fruits into chocolate, it can be a fun and tasty alternative.

Adding fruits to yogurt or oatmeal can sweeten up the meal without using artificial sugars.