Tips to Purchase the Best Fruits and Vegetables...
· Buy in Season:
Not all fresh produce grows year-round. To sell produce in its off-season
incurs a significant shipping expense on retailers which is transferred onto
the price of the food. Fruits and vegetables that are in season are both better
quality and less expensive.
· Buy Local: Shop
your local Farmer’s Market as much as you can. You’re supporting your neighbors
and produce is often much fresher than you’ll find at a grocery store and often
much less.
· Bright Colors:
Look for vibrant colorful produce except for celery. (see celery). Different
colored fruits and vegetables contain different phytochemicals that have
varying nutritional benefits.
· Bruising:
Don’t buy produce that is bruised or damaged. It’s a great place for bacteria
to hide and spread rapidly to the rest of the fruit or vegetable.
· Canned: Don’t
be afraid of canned fruits and vegetables. Although they often contain a higher
sodium content than fresh and frozen goods, the nutritional value of canned
produce is mostly the same. If good fresh produce is not available, consider
canned varieties and opt for products that are reduced-sodium.
· Celery is best
purchased when it’s a pale color. Darker celery is too ripe and bitter.
· Corn: Don’t
dig for corn when piled up. Pick from the top. Warm corn loses its sweetness.
· Frozen vegetables & fruits: Frozen fruits can be way more affordable, especially for
varieties that tend to naturally cost more, such as cherries. Don’t buy frozen
produce if it has frost in the bag. That means they have been thawed and refrozen.
If the contents are still separate in the bag, they are fine. If they are
frozen solid together then they have thawed and refrozen.
· Fruit: Before
selecting, smell the fruit. A sweeter fragrance indicates its ripeness. Also, give
the fruit a light squeeze. If it is ripe it should give a little under
pressure. No fruit except apples should be rock-hard. Fruits such as pears,
bananas and avocados, continue to soften after picking if left at room
temperature.
· Lemons and Limes: Choose the largest lemons and limes. They tend to be sweeter.
· Lettuce: Avoid
puffy bags of lettuce. Lettuce gives off gas as it ripens. Look for bags with
as little air as possible.
· Organic Codes:
A 4-digit code indicates non-organic produce and 5-digits indicates organic
produce. A typical rule for buying organic or not is: If something has a thick peel that you're not
going to eat, such as mango, avocado or banana, no need to go organic. If
you're going to eat the skin or the produce has lots of little crevices,
purchase organic and wash it well before eating. The current Clean 15 list (produce that is safe to eat
without buying organic) is: Asparagus, avocado, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe,
cauliflower, corn, eggplant, honeydew melon, kiwi, mushrooms, onions, papaya, pineapple,
and sweet peas. The Dirty dozen list (you should
buy organic) is apples, celery, cherries, grapes, kale, nectarines, peaches, pears,
potatoes, spinach, strawberries, and tomatoes. NOTE: Some corn, papaya
and summer squash sold in the U.S.A is produced from genetically modified
seeds. Buy organic varieties of these crops if you want to avoid genetically
modified produce.
· Overripe produce: Don’t throw overripe produce away. Overripe bananas can be used in
muffin and bread recipes; or cut and frozen to be used in smoothies later. Overripe
zucchini can be used in zucchini bread batter or mixed with ground meat to add
moisture, fiber and vitamins to your burgers or meatballs.
· Strawberries:
Avoid white-topped strawberries. That means they were picked before they were
ripened and unlike other fruit, they won’t ripen off the vine.
· Watermelon:
Look for a pale patch on a side of the watermelon. It’s a good sign that it was
laying in the field when it ripened.