How to Select the Best Produce

With spring just around the corner fresh fruits and vegetables will be available at local supermarkets and farmer’s markets so you should be aware of how to select the best fruits and vegetables possible to save money and prepare healthy meals for your family.

Melons

Select cantaloupe with a sweet, aromatic scent; a strong smell could mean that the melon is too ripe. It should feel heavy for its size and have an even color. Avoid wet, dented, bruised, or cracked fruit. When shaken you should hear a few loose seeds, but not the interior sloshing around. When squeezed the ends should feel tender, but not soft or wet. When tapped, the melon should sound hollow. If the fruit is very yellow it is probably overripe. If you have an unripe melon store it at room temperature until it feels and smells ripe. Once it is ripe, refrigerate the melon until you are ready to use it.

Pineapples

The peak season is between March and July. Look for plump pineapple with a sweet, aromatic smell at the stem end. It should be slightly soft to the touch, heavy for its size, and have deep green leaves. If it is soft or smells fermented, it is overripe.  You can ripe pineapples at home if the stem end has a little bit of orange or red color. It the base is green it was picked too soon and it will not ripen. To ripen the pineapple stand it upside down on a counter so the sugar in the bottom of the fruit will flow towards the leafy end. This way the pineapple will ripen evenly and not ferment at the bottom. When the pineapple turns a golden color and has a strong sweet aroma, it is ready to eat.

Grapefruit

Choose fully colored grapefruit with a rounded shape. Juicy grapefruits will be heavy for their size. To select the juiciest grapefruit, place one in each hand and compare the weight; keep the heavier one.

Avocados

Avocados are available year round, but many times people choose overripe fruit. It is best to select a fruit that is hard or yields slightly when pressed with your thumb. An avocado will ripen in 2 to 3 days on the counter or in a paper bag with an apple. To keep from buying overripe avocados, the fruit should be smooth and blemish free, the fruit ripens from the stem end and will become puffy or wrinkled if it is too old. Haas avocados will darken slightly as they ripen. You can also pick off the little stem on the end and look at the flesh inside. If it’s green, it is either ripe or under ripe; if it’s brown, it is overripe.

Peaches and Nectarines

Peaches and nectarines are available from May to September. Look for fruit with golden yellow skin and no tinges of green. Ripe fruit should yield slightly under gentle pressure and have a sweet smell.

Plums

Plums are available from May to October. Find firm, plump, well-shaped plums that give slightly when gently pressed. The “bloom” which is the light gray haze on the skin is natural and doesn’t affect quality or taste.

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is available from February through June. Look for crisp stalks that are firm and tender. Look for moderately-thin, crisp, dark pink to red stalks. Rhubarb stalks that have too much green or have thicker stalks are stringier, coarser, and sour. The leaves should be fresh and free of blemishes. Fresh rhubarb will only keep 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator so use it quickly.

Watermelon

Watermelon is available from May through September. Choose watermelon that has a hard, has a smooth rind and is heavy for its size. Avoid wet, dented, bruised, or cracked fruit.

Peas

The pea pod should be bright green and full but not bulging or split. Dried, spotted and yellow pods indicate over matured peas.

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts and Cauliflower

Flower clusters on the cauliflower and broccoli should be completely closed and tight. For Brussels sprouts choose firm compact sprouts that are bright green in color. Fresh Brussels sprouts should be chilled because if they are kept at room temperature, their leaves will turn yellow. Yellow or wilted leaves are signs of age or mishandling and old sprouts will have a strong, cabbage-like odor.

Asparagus

Asparagus is available year round but the main season is March through June in the United States. Look for a bright green color with smooth stalks, firm, straight, and round, not flat. The tips should be compact, closed, pointed, and have a slight purplish color. They can be thin or thick but be consistent so they cook at the same rate. Keep the asparagus in the refrigerator loosely covered in plastic to retain the vitamins and texture.

Green Beans

Green beans should be smooth and have a uniform thickness. Avoid dry looking pods or ones where you can see the individual beans inside.

Carrots

Carrots should be clean, smooth, and have a bright even color. Use the green tops as an indicator and avoid carrots that have been trimmed or have and green or yellow streaks.