Tips for choosing fruits and veggies
(that may surprise you)
Summer is the best time for fresh fruits and vegetables but choosing them or picking them at the right time is an integral part of having an exceptional culinary experience.
Let’s take cantaloupe, for example. When you thump it, it should sound hollow (this is true for pretty much any summer melon). When you look on the outside, it should have even coloring. Also, it should smell like cantaloupe. As weird as that sounds, authentic smelling fruit (fruit that smells like the fruit) is ready to eat in most cases. Fruit that starts to smell like garbage is overripe, and if it doesn’t have much aroma, it’s likely not ripe enough.
Blueberry growing season is just about done, but you can still find many in stores and some farmers’ markets. Look for even coloring when choosing your berries for the best eating and baking condition.
Another favorite summertime fruit is peaches. Who doesn’t love a soft, juicy peach? When choosing your peaches, look for the softer ones. If they are still firm like an apple, they aren’t quite ready.
Something that might surprise you is how to choose tomatoes. Don’t buy tomatoes the same day you need to use them if you want the sweet, amazing ripe tomato flavor. Too many people purchase and immediately cut tomatoes when they are still too firm. They should not be like a soft apple! Instead, buy them and let them sit on the counter for a couple of days to finish ripening. Ripening helps increase the sugar content, making them sweet and juicy. Be careful, however, not to let them cross over into being overripe!
One last tip when purchasing and storing fruits and vegetables: use the refrigerator test. Too many people think that all produce should be refrigerated, and that is far from true. A good rule of thumb is, if the grocery store has it in a cooler/refrigerated section, you need to do the same. If the produce is not refrigerated in the store, you should not chill it either. That is until it’s cut! Cut fruit and veggies should always be refrigerated.
What fruits and veggies are you enjoying this summer?
