It’s disappointing coming home from a trip to the supermarket only to discover you’ve picked flavorless or over- or under-ripe fruits and veggies. The good news is that you can avoid future frustrating grocery runs simply by following these seven tips for selecting the best produce possible!
1. Cantaloupes
The best way to pick a delicious cantaloupe is to smell it. A ripe cantaloupe will smell sweet, recognizably melon-y, and good enough to eat. Also, when shopping for these mouthwatering melons, look for a yellowish hue beneath the netted skin, not green.
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2. Avocados
A ripe avocado will be soft, but not mushy, and free of any brown spots (a good tip for just about every fruit or vegetable you’re selecting). A quick tip for picking an avocado is to remove the tiny stem at the top to see the flesh underneath, which should be a bright green. However, if you don’t want (or need) to use the avocado right away, the best thing to do is buy an unripe one—before it’s been handled, squeezed, and bruised by myriad other shoppers—and let it ripen in a brown paper bag on your kitchen counter.
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3. Tomatoes
The best tomatoes will be a bright red color and give a little (enough to bounce back and not remain indented) when pressed. A tomato that feels slightly heavy for its size indicates it’s dense and juicy and ready to eat. The skin should be smooth and not at all wrinkled or shriveled.
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4. Peaches and Nectarines
Select a peach or nectarine that’s firm with only slight give at the seams. A ripe fruit will be a lovely shade of orangey-red without any green patches. Beware of fruits that have been over-handled—and bruised—by other shoppers, which will show mushy spots.
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5. Asparagus
The best asparagus bundles will feature straight, bright green stalks with closed purple-tinged tips. If the stalks are curving or the buds are starting to open, keep looking. The thickness of the stalks is not a major factor in whether the vegetable will be more or less tender, so just go with your personal preference when it comes to size.
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6. Artichokes
The freshest artichokes will feel firm, heavy for their size, and squeak slightly when squeezed. Also, look for ones that are a bright shade of green with tightly closed center leaves.
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7. Watermelons
Unlike cantaloupes, you can’t really smell a watermelon to help determine ripeness. Instead, look for a symmetrically shaped melon without flat yellow spots, which indicates the melon has spent a fair amount of time being transported while resting on its side. Select a watermelon that seems dense and heavy for its size and produces a nice thump when knocked.
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Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
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