hand fruit

Meanings

1. Fruit that is normally eaten from the hand, such as apples or bananas.
2. Fruit of a suitable variety, and of a good grade of condition, such that it is salable on the basis that it is appealing for immediate consumption; in a schema of table fruit, hand fruit, and preserving fruit, table fruit was a top grade, hand fruit was a good grade, and preserving fruit encompassed any combination of (1) varieties less suited to unpreserved consumption (such as by palatability when uncooked) and (2) lower-grade condition that needed more trimming and culling.