Fresh fruits and vegetables are usually best in quality and lowest in
cost when in season.
Whatever fruit or vegetable you are buying, look first for freshness.
Pointers on selecting some fruits and vegetables follow on page 12.
_Fruits_
_Apples._—Good color usually indicates full flavor.
_Bananas._—Bananas should be firm, fresh in appearance, and unscarred.
Yellow or brown-flecked ones are ready for immediate use. Select
slightly green-colored bananas for use within a few days.
_Berries._—Select plump, solid berries with good color. Avoid wet or
leaky berries. Blackberries and raspberries with clinging caps may be
underripe. Strawberries without caps may be too ripe.
_Grapes._—Grapes should be plump, fresh in appearance, and firmly
attached to the stems. Red or black varieties should be well colored
for the variety. Most white or green varieties should have a slightly
amber tone.
_Melons (except watermelons)._—Ripe cantaloups have a yellowish surface
color; honeydews, a creamy color; crenshaws, a golden-yellow color
mottled with green; casabas, a yellow color; and persian melons, a dull
gray-green color. Ripe melons of these types usually have a fruity
aroma and a slight softening at the blossom end. A ripe cantaloup has
no stem; other melons may have stems attached.
_Oranges, grapefruit, and lemons._—Choose those heavy for their size.
Smooth, thin skins usually indicate more juice. Most skin markings do
not affect quality. Oranges with a slight greenish tinge may be just as
ripe as fully colored ones. Light or greenish-yellow lemons are more
tart than deep-yellow ones.
_Peaches._—Best quality peaches are fairly firm, not bruised, with
yellow or red color over the entire surface.
_Pears._—Some pears, especially winter varieties, are marketed when
slightly underripe and need to be ripened at home—at room temperature.
Pears are ripe and ready to eat when they yield slightly to moderate
pressure.
_Pineapples._—Pineapple varieties vary greatly in color. Ripe
pineapples have a fragrant, fruity aroma. Usually, the heavier the
fruit for its size, the better the quality. Avoid pineapples that have
decayed or moldy spots.
_Watermelons._—Ripe watermelons have a somewhat dull surface and a
creamy color underneath. The interior should be fully red and firm, and
should have few immature seeds.
_Vegetables_
_Asparagus._—Stalks should be tender and firm; tips should be close and
compact. Choose the stalks with little white—they are more tender. Use
asparagus promptly—it toughens rapidly.
_Beans, snap._—Choose slender beans with no large bumps (bumps indicate
large seeds). Avoid beans with dry-looking pods.
_Broccoli._—Look for small flower buds on compactly arranged heads with
good green color. Avoid yellowing, soft, or spreading heads.
_Brussels sprouts._—The heads should be firm with good green color.
Yellowing outer leaves and softness indicate aging. Smudgy, dirty spots
may indicate insect damage or decay.
_Cabbage._—Choose heads that are firm and heavy. Outer leaves should be
fresh, green, and free from worm-holes.
_Cauliflower._—Choose heads that are compact, firm, and white or creamy
white. Avoid discolored heads and those with soft spots.
_Celery._—Best-quality celery is fresh and crisp. It is clean and
has leaves that appear fresh; stems do not have black or brown
discoloration. Avoid pithy, woody, or very stringy celery.
_Corn._—Good-quality fresh corn has husks that are fresh and green. The
ears are well filled with plump, firm, milky kernels. Immature ears of
corn have small, undeveloped, watery kernels. Overmature ears have very
firm, large, starchy kernels, often indented.
_Cucumbers._—Choose firm, slender cucumbers for best quality. Avoid
yellowed cucumbers and those with withered or shrivelled ends.
_Lettuce (head)._—Select heads that are green, fresh, crisp, and fairly
firm to firm. Head lettuce should be free from rusty appearance and
excessive outer leaves.
_Onions (dry)._—Size and color do not affect flavor or quality of
dry onions. Clean, hard, well-shaped onions with dry skins are
usually of good quality. Moisture at the neck may be a sign of decay.
Mild-flavored onions, which are often large, may be elongated or flat.
Stronger-flavored onions are usually medium size and globe shaped.
_Peas and lima beans._—Select pods that are well filled but not
bulging. Avoid dried, spotted, yellowed, or flabby pods.
_Potatoes._—Best-quality potatoes are firm, smooth, and well shaped.
They are free from cuts, blemishes, and decay. To judge quality more
easily, look for potatoes that are reasonably clean. Avoid potatoes
with wasteful deep eyes. Potatoes with green skins may be bitter. If
you plan to buy a large quantity of potatoes, buy a few first to see if
they are the kind you want. Early-crop potatoes, harvested in spring
and summer, tend to be less mealy when cooked than those harvested
later.
_Root vegetables._—Choose smooth, firm vegetables. Very large carrots
may have woody cores; oversized radishes may be pithy; oversized
turnips, beets, and parsnips may be woody. The size and condition of
the tops on root vegetables do not necessarily indicate the eating
quality.
_Sweetpotatoes._—Choose sweetpotatoes that are clean, smooth, well
shaped, and firm. Damp or soft spots may indicate decay. There are two
types of sweetpotatoes. The moist type has soft, moist, orange-colored
flesh and bronze or rosy skin. The dry type has firm, dry, somewhat
mealy, yellow-colored flesh and yellow or light-brown skin.
_Tomatoes._—Choose tomatoes that are plump, firm, and uniformly pink,
red, or yellow in color. They should be free from growth cracks, scars,
and bruises. The best flavored tomatoes are ripened on the vine.
For more information, see Home and Garden Bulletins 141, “How to Buy
Fresh Fruits,” and 143, “How to Buy Fresh Vegetables.”