Tips for Selecting the Best Produce By Alexis Pike

Did you know that Americans waste 60 million metric tons of food per year? This equates to about 20 pounds of food per person, per month. Not only that, but about one-third of all the food produced in the world is never consumed. So whether you are purchasing your products to eat healthier, throw in your favorite recipes or because you are trying to save money by not eating out, you want to make sure your food is lasting as long as it can. Some produce isn’t cheap, especially if you happen to need or purchase it out of its season.

Buying your produce while it is in season not only tends to be fresher, offers a chance to obtain your produce from local farmers which is also environmentally friendly due to the produce not having to travel as far to get to your grocery store. It is also usually cheaper to purchase when it is in season due to the higher demand when there is less supply available. Luckily each season has numerous options for products that are available.

While shopping for some produce items you are able to hold each item and test for firmness, color, and bruising; however, when looking at packaged products such as strawberries and blueberries you don’t have the same opportunity. When looking at packaged produce make sure you not only look at the top of the container but flipping it upside down and checking the bottom. If there are mushy or extra juicy items on the bottom, you know the saying, “one bad apple ruins the whole bunch”.

When buying produce you want to make sure you are purchasing enough so you don’t have to market multiple times in a week, however, you may need some produce for dinner tonight. Don’t hesitate to buy some produce that is ripe and some that are not. When purchasing produce that isn’t ripe that you want to ripen eventually, make sure you rotate it every so often to ensure good quality and even ripeness.

Knowing whether or not your produce is ripe or not is important when picking it. Some tips and tricks on picking produce are to look at different markings and tell-tale signs for ripe and good produce. When picking your watermelon, for example, you want to look for a flat yellow spot on the watermelon. This spot tends to mean that the watermelon has sat long enough to ripen and is sweet and ready to eat. Bee stings can also be a sign for a good and sweet melon. Picking the perfect pineapple can seem tricky, one tale includes that if you are able to pull a leaf from the crown easily then you’ve picked a good one. However, another one is that if you find a pineapple that has even ‘eyes’ then it has had enough time to fully grow if the eyes on the bottom are the same size as the ones towards the top. Pineapples also will smell like a pineapple when they’re ripe, so go ahead and sniff that crown and if you can smell that sweet pineapple smell then you are on the right track.

Knowing how to store your freshly bought produce is important in ensuring it stays fresh as long as possible. When you start putting your produce away make sure you aren’t stuffing your drawers too full of product. This reduces the airflow and will make your food go bad. Don’t forget that mixing certain fruits with certain vegetables will make the products go bad faster due to the gasses they give off. Ethylene gas is given off naturally from fruits and vegetables to assist in uniform ripening, however, when put in the fridge it becomes concentrated and expedites the process of ripening and then leads to spoiling of your food. Knowing the best ways to utilize the controls in your fridge will help your produce last longer and ensure freshness.

Sometimes getting yourself and the kids to eat fruits and veggies can be a tricky task but start small and slow and build up. There are also recipes that include vegetables that are hidden so you and your family can get their servings in. Purchasing fresh produce that is ripe and in season tends to be sweeter and more enjoyable to eat. You can shop locally for your produce and ask if they have any good tips for selecting the sweetest and best produce. Otherwise, get a good mix of ripe and not quite ripe produce so you can start eating some and by the time you are ready to eat the others, they will be ripe. Make sure you are utilizing the settings on your fridge and humidity drawers to ensure the freshness of your products as long as possible.