Fruits and vegetables are an essential part of nutrients that our body needs. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture fruits and vegetables contains nutrients that prevents certain cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and inflammation.
Buying fruits or vegetables can be a daunting task if you don’t know certain cues on how to choose the right ones or should I say the ripe ones. Choosing ripe fruits and vegetables is not only essential to your health but is also essential to your bank account. Research done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency has shown that as much as 40 percent of food produced in America is thrown away, amounting to $400 per person per year, and notably, 31 million tons of food added to landfills each year.
Fruits and vegetables have clues to its freshness just so you don't need a laundry list of specifics here are a few tips to pick fresh produce. There are some fruits and vegetables that need to be left out for a few days before eating because they haven’t reached their peak. One thing to remember when inspecting produce is to use your senses. Ask yourself how the item smells, how it feels, and whether it looks appealing.
Fruits
Before you start squeezing every fruit you see in the store to determine if it's ripe, pick it up and turn it over in your hands. The surface should be largely smooth and even, with a firm-but not rock hard surface. If you feel pits and dents under the surface, the flesh of the fruit has probably been damaged by shipping, or is slowly rotting. The flesh should be firm, but give a little. If your plums, berries, or nectarines are rock hard, they're not ripe. Citrus fruits that are too firm are likely dry on the inside. Also, pay attention to weight: heaviness can indicate how juicy a fruit or melon is, especially with oranges, lemons, watermelon, and cantaloupe.
Give the fruit a good whiff. There's no need to hold it directly up to your nose, but you should pick up a light aroma from it. A strong aroma can indicate over-ripeness, and if the fruit smells a bit sour or stinky, you're probably holding an apple or bag of grapes that's past its prime. A light, sweet smell is a good indicator that your fruit is fresh and ripe. Smell is particularly important when it comes to melons and pineapple, which can smell very strongly when past their prime, so the lighter and sweeter the better.
Tree-ripened fruit should have even coloration across the surface, and avoid anything with dark marks and spots, or citrus fruits with white streaks or colors on the surface. Melons don't give too many visual or color cues, but look for the obvious: bruises, dents, and other pockmarks. Don't dismiss a vine-ripened melon because of a little scarring on one side. As long as it's not tender or thinner than the rest of the rind, it's likely only the place where the melon rested on the ground while ripening.
Vegetables
Some of the same rules for fruit apply to vegetables. Pay attention to the surface of the vegetable and make sure it's consistent, evenly colored, and firm all the way around. With most vegetables like cucumbers, peppers, onions, and potatoes, you want them to be as firm as possible. Even the gentle give you look for in fruit can indicate over-ripeness vegetables. Softness in specific areas is generally an indicator of slow rotting or bruising, even if you don't see anything obvious that would indicate spoilage.
With leafy greens like lettuce and kale, look for firm, crisp, and plump leaves that are consistently colored. Expect a little brownness and a few tears in the leaves due to shipping or handling, but they should be the exception, not the rule. The majority of the leaves should be green, smooth, and unbroken. You also want to make sure that the leaves give a good snap if you break one. Look for the same plumpness and crispness with green or string beans or peas in the pod. Root vegetables like potatoes, garlic, and onions should be firm and tough, as well. Avoid root vegetables with cracks on the base, this means it's too dry. Most vegetables don't give you clues to their ripeness by smell the way that fruits do, but you'll know the vaguely stinky smell of slow rot or mold when you smell it. It's common sense, but steer clear if something doesn't look or smell right.
The best way to buy great fruits and vegetables is to buy from a reputable source.
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