Tips for Buying Fresh Vegetables and Fruits

When shopping for vegetables and fruits at your local grocer or Farmer's Market, you want to be sure you are picking the cream of the crop and getting the most for your money. Here are some tips to help guide you during this part of your shopping experience.

Vegetables:

When shopping for artichokes, make sure the heads are compact and tightly closed with green, clean leaves. Avoid artichokes with brown or separated leaves.

Asparagus stalks should be tender and firm. Tips should be close and compact. The best asparagus are those with very little white; this makes them more tender. Asparagus is best used right after you buy it because it gets tough in a hurry.

Choose snap beans with small seeds inside the pods. If the pods look dry, avoid them.

If you are a broccoli, brussels sprouts or cauliflower lover, make sure the flower clusters on these are tight and close together. Steer clear of those with smudges or dirt spots as that indicates pests or disease. When shopping for cabbage and heads of lettuce, choose heads that are heavy in relation to their size. Avoid any cabbage that has worm holes and any lettuce with discoloration or soft rot.

Cucumbers should be long and slender. Dark or medium green cucumbers are great, but yellow cucumbers may not be quite as tasty.

Mushroom caps should be closed around the stems. Stay away from gills that are black or brown.

Pea and lima bean pods should be well-filled but not bulging. Avoid pods that are dried, spotted, yellow, or flabby.

Fruits:

Banana skins should be free of bruises and discolorations. It is best to buy them when they are green and let them ripen at home at room temperature.

Pick plump, solid berries with nice color. If the containers are stained, this means the berries are weak and leaky. Don't buy these. If the berries have clinging caps, such as blackberries and raspberries, they may be unripe. Strawberries without caps may be too ripe.

Cantaloupes of the best quality have thick, close netting on the rind. You can tell a ripe cantaloupe by looking at the stem scar. If this is smooth and the space between the netting is yellow or yellow-green, this indicates ripeness. Of course, they taste best when they are fully ripe with a fruity scent.

Honeydews are ripe when the rind has a creamy to yellowish color and velvety texture. Honeydews that are whitish-green are not ripe.

A watermelon is ripe when it has some yellow color on one side. If melons are white or pale green on one side, they are not ripe.

When buying oranges, grapefruit and lemons, pick those that are heavy in relation to their size. If the skin is smooth and thin, this usually means the fruit is juicier. Oranges with a green tinge may be just as ripe as fully colored oranges. If you find a lemon that is light or greenish-yellow, it will be more tart than deep yellow ones. Stay clear of fruits with withered, sunken or soft areas.

Enjoy your cornucopia of vegetables and fruits. Knowing what to look for can make all the difference in your cooking/dining experience.