This fruit costs $130 a pop — here's why
Japanese crown melons are known throughout the agricultural world as 'the king of fruits,' and Asian supermarket HMart's Upper West Side location is running a special on them: $130 apiece, marked down from $160.
Hurry, because on Thursday the store at 210 Amsterdam Ave. had just four left.
The muskmelons — otherwise known as the Shizuoka crown melon, as its grown in the western part of the Shizuoka prefecture — come packaged in a sleek, black gift box with gold lettering. Inside the supermarket, they're kept in lucite.
4 HMart is running a special on the king of all fruits.
Helayne Seidman
The big-money melons are renowned for their unparalleled sweetness, subtle flavor and silky texture. Fans of the rare fruit claim the Japanese crown practically melts in your mouth.
It's some of the priciest produce in the Big Apple.
Each crown boasts a T-shaped stem, which verifies the melon's 'one tree, one fruit' growing method. One melon is allowed to grow on the vine, concentrating all of the plant's nutrients into a single fruit.
They also require almost constant attention. The temperature, the humidity in the air, the amount the melon's watered — all are exacting.
Before they can receive the crown seal of approval, each and every melon must pass specific flavor, sugar content, appearance, and ripeness standards.
4 Loulia Gourari, 35, a doctor, was not convinced enough to leave with one of the melons.
Helayne Seidman
A good source of potassium and vitamins A and C, the luxury fruit begins to ripen once its harvested, and should be kept at room temperature until snack time. And even then, you need to refrigerate the melon for 2 to 3 hours before consuming.
On average, the pale green melons weigh 3.3 pounds, and are larger than a bocce ball, but smaller than a bowling ball.
Butterfield Market on Lexington Ave between 77th and 78th streets usually carries the melons, but are presently sold out. The store is due to receive a fresh delivery this month.
4 The T-shaped stem denotes the 'one tree, one fruit' growing method
Helayne Seidman
The market sells 36 melons a week, when in stock, manager Ken Williams told The Post.
'Paying that much for fruit is a bold decision,' said Dr. Loulia Gourari, 35, who stopped to take a look at HMart's crown melons this week. 'It's a nice gift for someone who has everything.'
The melon is also served at Jōji NY, a sushi restaurant in One Vanderbilt.
4 HMart only had four of the succulent melons on Wednesday.
Helayne Seidman
The HMart price is a bargain compared to some of the websites that'll deliver the penultimate fruit to your door.
They can be ordered online through Ikigai Fruits (each priced at $177 — 'with delivery') and are available for pre-order (with next day delivery) through Melissa's Produce, which charges $159 without delivery.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Who is Shaun Maguire, the VC partner facing backlash over his remarks about Zohran Mamdani
Shaun Maguire, a partner at the blue-chip venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, is under fire for his comments about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — and his past remarks suggest he's not afraid of controversy. In response to a New York Times story about Mamdani marking his ethnicity as both "Asian" and "Black or African American" on his 2009 application to Columbia University, Maguire wrote on X that the candidate "comes from a culture that lies about everything." "It's literally a virtue to lie if it advances his Islamist agenda," he said. The comments have ignited backlash from some in the tech world, including some founders backed by Sequoia. An online petition calling for the firm to take disciplinary action against Maguire and establish an avenue for Sequoia's founders to report discrimination and hate speech has more than 900 signatories who self-identified as founders, executives, or tech workers. Meanwhile, others in the tech world, like Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale, have expressed support for Maguire, and an open letter in his defense has begun circulating on X. He previously pointed to posts he made on X in response to the backlash, including a video in which he defended his comments. "To any Muslim that is not an Islamist, and to any Indian that took offense to this tweet, I am very, very sorry," he said in the video. This is not Maguire's first time wading into political waters. The investor has become known for his outspoken conservative bent and is emblematic of a shift to the right in Silicon Valley. From high school dropout to Silicon Valley big shot Maguire followed a slightly unconventional path to venture capital. After a lackluster high school performance — his GPA was 1.8 and he failed Algebra 2 — he dropped out of school in 10th grade and earned the equivalent of a GED, he said in a 2022 interview with the Caltech Heritage Project. He went on to enroll in community college and then graduate from the University of Southern California, where he was a member of the math team. His interest in math took him to Stanford University, where he earned a Master's in statistics, and then to Caltech, where he earned a Ph.D. in physics. While at the latter, he started working for DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, in Afghanistan. His work there led him to cofound Expanse (formerly Qadium), a network security company, which was acquired by Palo Alto Networks in 2020 for about $800 million. He became a partner at Google Ventures in 2016, according to his LinkedIn profile. His investments there included Dandelion Energy, a geothermal heating and cooling company, IonQ, a quantum computing company, and Lambda School, a coding boot camp. In 2019, Maguire joined Sequoia. He's led or co-led more than two dozen investments for the firm, including in AI upstarts Decart and Foundry, and several of Elon Musk's companies, like tunneling venture The Boring Company, AI platform xAI, and rocket builder SpaceX. He's also interested in investments that support President Donald Trump's ambitions to "reshore the supply chain" through drones and silicon photonics, he told CNBC last month. An outspoken Trump supporter: 'I was willing to face any consequences' As his profile has risen in Silicon Valley, so has his political one. Maguire, who went from supporting Hillary Clinton to embracing the Make America Great Again movement, has become one of the most prominent GOP supporters in Silicon Valley. Following Trump's felony conviction last year, Maguire announced he'd back Trump in the 2024 election and would write his campaign a $300,000 check. In total, he donated about $800,000 to Republican causes last year, according to data from Open Secrets. Once Trump was elected, Maguire aided in the transition by interviewing candidates for positions in the defense department, The New York Times reported. In a lengthy screed on X, Maguire, a staunch supporter of Israel, outlined the reasoning behind his political change of heart. Part of his disillusionment with the Democrats hinged on foreign policy, including the fact that Joe Biden pulled US troops out of Afghanistan, he said. In contrast, he praised Trump as a "master of foreign policy" and described the myriad lawsuits against him as "double standards and lawfare." His ideological shift extends beyond diplomatics. Over the past year, he's been posting near-daily diatribes on his politics. He's criticized diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, claiming he wasn't promoted because he was a white man, and dabbled in conspiracy theories, including posting about how "antifa" is responsible for voter fraud. "I had made enough money to where, if I got fired, I wasn't going to starve to death," he said earlier this year of his decision to be more outspoken on the "Uncapped" podcast. "I was at a point in my life where I was willing to face any consequences, as crazy as it sounds, even death." His points of view have made him some enemies. He told Fortune that he "lost lots of friends and disappointed family." The blowback following his comments on Mamdani, though, marks a new level. Maguire isn't backing down, though.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Trump ‘OK' with probe of Jerome Powell over ‘Palace of Versailles' HQ revamp
President Trump ramped up his war of words with Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday by backing calls for a probe into whether he lied to Congress about a $2.5 billion upgrade to the central bank's headquarters. 'It's OK with me. I think he's terrible,' Trump told reporters during a cabinet meeting at the White House. 'I call him 'Too Late.' 'He's always late. But he wasn't late with Biden before the election, he was cutting [rates] like crazy.' Trump, who has repeatedly slammed Powell over his unwillingness to slash interest rates, added that his nemesis 'should resign immediately' if the investigation proves he misled Congress. 5 Trump told The Post earlier on Tuesday that he supported a GOP probe into the $2.5 billion lavish revamp of the Fed's DC HQ. REUTERS Trump support for a probe comes after Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte demanded a full inquiry following Powell's testimony to the Senate Banking Committee last month, as The Post exclusively reported. 'It is going to get worse for Jerome Powell,' Pulte, who is also chairman of US-backed mortgage lenders Fannie and Freddie Mac, told The Post on Tuesday. 'I believe Powell not only lied to Congress but also is covering up for improper payments related to the $2.5 billion renovation of the Fed building.' A Fed spokesperson declined to comment. The eye-popping price tag for the overhaul to the Fed's Washington, DC, office has already ballooned by 30% from an original estimate of $1.9 billion. 5 Bill Pulte, a former private equity supremo, who now runs the Federal Housing Finance Authority, has been one of the most vocal administration officials in calling for Jersome Powell to go. Bloomberg via Getty Images Powell had disputed The Post's reporting about the extravagant revamp, calling it 'misleading and inaccurate in many, many respects.' 'There's no VIP dining room, there's no new marble. There are no special elevators,' Powell insisted. 'There are no new water features, there's no beehives, and there's no roof terrace gardens.' His denial sparked outrage among Republicans because his remarks directly contradicted planning documents that had been rubber-stamped by the National Capital Planning Commission. 5 The Post's artwork after outrage broke out over Powell's 'deceptive' testimony to Congress that directly contradicted the project's own planning documents. Jack Forbes / Donald Pearsall / NY Post Design The documents also expressly mention 'vegetated roof terraces' that will welcome 'urban wildlife and pollinators' as well as new marble and water features. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) branded the luxurious upgrade as something that belongs in the 'Palace of Versailles.' Powell also appeared to dismiss concerns that the revamp was effectively being subsidized by American taxpayers in the hearing, saying simply that 'the cost overruns are what they are.' The Post has lodged a FOIA request with the Federal Reserve Board to obtain a copy of its 2025 budget, which was not released in November as it has been in previous years. Former Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk called the report about the alleged reckless spending 'an eyebrow raiser.' The Tesla titan, who has since left government, said DOGE should 'definitely' investigate how so much money came to be blown on the glorified vanity project. By comparison, JPMorgan's new headquarters in Midtown Manhattan — a luxe, 60-story tower at 270 Park Ave. designed by star architect Norman Foster — is set to cost an estimated $3 billion. 5 Powell denied that any luxurious amenities had been added during the work, which was signed off by government officials in 2021. NCPC 5 A rendering of the Fed's Washington, DC, office with the eye-popping price tag of $2.5 billion. NCPC The Fed is struggling with mounting losses, which currently stand at a total of $227 billion from the past three years. Its interest costs surged and outstripped its earnings on bonds it owns when Powell hiked rates in trying to tame rampant inflation during the Biden administration. It sank into the red for the first time in its history, posting losses of $114.6 billion in 2023. Officials there insist that losing money in no way impacts their ability to operate and conduct monetary policy. When the Fed makes a profit, that money is passed on to the US Treasury to become part of the federal government's budget. The losses are bundled together in what is known as the Fed's 'deferred asset' that it must pay down before money can be spent on other things, such as defense, education and Medicare.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
The French seaside factory trying to break China's chokehold on rare earths
LA ROCHELLE, France -- In a squat warehouse not far from the Atlantic shoreline in La Rochelle, France, sits a cluster of giant metal tanks topped by gently whirring motors. They are a gamble on the future of European industry. Since April, the tanks have been purifying two rare earth minerals: a hot pink solution called neodymium and lime-green praseodymium. Both are turned into powder and then sold for use in permanent magnets -- crucial materials in producing modern cars, wind turbines and military equipment. For now, the quantities being produced are experimental and tiny. Solvay, the Belgium-based company that owns the plant, will increase production only if it can find customers. 'We are just here signaling that we are available to Europe,' said Philippe Kehren, Solvay's CEO. The company is an example of an unfolding trend. Europe is trying to get back into the rare earths business, but the barriers are towering, and whether it will succeed is uncertain. Rare earth minerals are critical components to advanced technologies in industries including energy and transportation. Magnets made with rare earths are particularly powerful and resistant to heat, making them useful in small electric motors and other applications. Most of these 17 important elements -- difficult and often dirty to mine and refine at scale -- come from China, which has spent decades becoming the dominant producer. Europe once had a substantial rare earth industry. The plant in La Rochelle, in operation since 1948, has long focused on the minerals. But in the 1980s and '90s, Europe outsourced much of the pollution-heavy production to China. Now, European policymakers have become painfully aware that China has the continent in a chokehold. In recent weeks, China has curbed global access to rare earths and to the permanent magnets they go into, part of its response to American tariffs and other global trade tensions. The limits have left European producers scrambling. While Europe was already working to shore up its supply of critical raw materials, some experts think the disruption could be the kick the continent needs to start diversifying in earnest. Doing so is no easy task. China has the technical knowledge, workforce and scale to mine rare earths efficiently, and it has laxer environmental regulations. The combination makes it difficult if not impossible for European companies to rival Asian producers on cost. 'Europe understood that mining is a dirty business, so they outsourced it elsewhere,' said Alena Kudzko, a policy director at Globsec, a European research group. 'And it became this snowball effect,' she added. 'We made a choice decades ago, and now it would be very hard to reverse.' Europe is even more dependent on China for the minerals than the United States is. About 98% of the bloc's rare earth imports come from China, versus 80% for America. 'We are lagging behind -- we are lagging behind China, we're lagging behind the United States -- in reviving our mining sector,' said Hildegard Bentele, a member of the European Parliament from Germany. Policymakers have worried for years that China might weaponize its rare earth dominance. In 2010, China halted shipments to Japan for two months amid a diplomatic standoff, and in 2012, it placed broad export controls on rare earths. Given that, China's trading partners have been working to reduce their dependencies. In 2023, the European Union passed a law meant to help secure its future supply of critical raw materials. The bloc has announced dozens of projects as part of the plan, with an eye on mining and refining cobalt, copper, lithium and rare earths. But Bentele, who helped to shepherd the raw materials act into law, said that while the recent response was fast by European standards, 'of course, that's not enough.' Part of the problem, she pointed out, is that for European production to work, companies would need to decide that having a reliable, nearby supplier was more important than minimizing costs. 'If you, as a company, go with the risky partner, then you run the risk,' she noted. It's not clear that businesses will make the higher-cost choice. That's why Solvay has invested only a few million dollars to churn out rare earths in small amounts. If there is enough demand from car manufacturers and others, the company could supply up to 30% of Europe's needs. But that would require sinking 100 million euros, about $117 million, into scaling up production. 'If we don't have many buyers, we're not going to invest,' Kehren said. The current disruption could be a boon for the company if it speeds up Europe's diversification. Some industry experts think that China's latest rare earth restrictions could be the spur for European businesses to speed up diversification. Since early April, China has required foreign customers to have export licenses to buy rare earth minerals. But officials have been slow to process the licenses, which has created the potential for widespread shortages. The European Association of Automotive Suppliers said that only about half of export license requests had been approved as of late June, an improvement from earlier in the month but still enough to disrupt industry and leave executives scrambling. On the license applications, Chinese trade officials have also asked for details that many European companies see as sensitive business information, said Luisa Santos, deputy director general at the lobby group BusinessEurope. And though China's Ministry of Commerce said in May that a channel had been established to expedite rare earth licenses for EU companies, delays have persisted. 'We're all very conscious of the problem,' Santos said of the rare earth dependency. 'We have had a system that was based on efficiency, cost cutting, but now that's changing.' The European Union has been approving projects to try to jump-start rare earth supply in the bloc, and government support could help companies to at least start production. Solvay has already locked down support from France and is in talks with the wider bloc to find funding for any potential expansion. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, recently took a permanent magnet made at a new factory in Estonia to show to her colleagues at the Group of 7 meeting in Canada. 'China is using this quasi monopoly not only as a bargaining chip, but also weaponizing it to undermine competitors in key industries,' she said. 'Even if there are signals that China may loosen its restrictions, the threat remains.' Europe is not looking to build a wholly homegrown industry. While the bloc is exploring mining and refining capacity within its own borders, it is also looking to secure supply from countries other than China. The point is to diversify. Nor are European policymakers and firms bent on getting their rare earths from the ground. The bloc is also trying to recycle rare earths, which would pollute less. Under the critical raw materials act, the goal is to have 10% of Europe's raw material needs mined, 25% recycled and 40% processed in Europe by 2030. Because rebuilding a supply chain will take time, the problem in the near term is diplomatic. European officials are pushing China to improve access to rare earths, and the topic is expected to come up at a summit between Brussels and Beijing in late July. For companies like Solvay, the question is whether today's problems will remain in focus if the supply complications ease in the coming months and the need to source locally fades. 'At the CEO level, yes, it's strategic, but then, when the procurement teams come in, it's still about price,' said Nils Poel, head of market affairs at the European Association of Automotive Suppliers. But, he noted, that could be starting to change. 'There's a little more willingness, now, to pay a premium.' This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Copyright 2025
