Selecting Produce: Tips for Buying Fruits & Veggies

[lisab]

This thread describes the criteria a buyer should use when buying fruits and veggies.

I'll start...

Potatoes: waxy or starchy, there should be no green under the skin - none.

Avocados: slightly squishy. The really bumpy rinds seem to give the best taste (just my observation).

Carrots: very firm - bend them and they should feel stiff. Best without tops, which are pretty but provide an escape route for moisture.

Cantaloupes: firm. Some places I read talk about color but I go by smell, I think it's a better predictor.

Onions - should be firm, especially at the root end.

I'm sure PFers can come up with lots of produce tips!

 

[turbo]

If you are buying from a grower that let's you sample:

Asparagus should break cleanly where the tougher, older flesh and the tender shaft differentiate. If the asparagus bends, but does not snap (or does not snap cleanly) don't buy it.

Carrots and green beans should be very crisp and must snap cleanly when bent. If they bend much before snapping, walk away.

Pea pods should be firm and squeaky. No squeak, no buy.

Garlic bulbs should be very firm. If not, walk away.

Winter squash must be very hard and sound like wood when rapped. If not, walk away. Hubbards, especially. A good hubbard should be denser and tougher than even a buttercup, and they are hard and resiliant.

Lettuce should also be firm and squeaky when you rub the leaves. If not, it's too old.

Peppers should have a nice glossy skin and be firm to the touch. If they don't feel firm or the skins "give" a little when you rub them, they are too old.

That's a few to start with...

 

[Evo]

This is great lisab! So many people do not know how to select fresh produce.

eggplants - should be firm, glossy, no brown or soft spots

oranges - don't go by color, many oranges are colored with dyes, the list I have says to check the navel, but that only works if it is a navel orange. Sorry.

 

[Math Is Hard]

If you are buying from a grower that let's you sample:

Asparagus should break cleanly where the tougher, older flesh and the tender shaft differentiate. If the asparagus bends, but does not snap (or does not snap cleanly) don't buy it.

Carrots and green beans should be very crisp and must snap cleanly when bent. If they bend much before snapping, walk away.

Pea pods should be firm and squeaky. No squeak, no buy.

Garlic bulbs should be very firm. If not, walk away.

Winter squash must be very hard and sound like wood when rapped. If not, walk away. Hubbards, especially. A good hubbard should be denser and tougher than even a buttercup, and they are hard and resiliant.

Lettuce should also be firm and squeaky when you rub the leaves. If not, it's too old.

Peppers should have a nice glossy skin and be firm to the touch. If they don't feel firm or the skins "give" a little when you rub them, they are too old.

That's a few to start with...

Don't the grocers get peeved when you abuse their fruits and veggies?

 

[turbo]

eggplants - should be firm, glossy, no brown or soft spots.

There you go screwing up a perfectly good thread! There is no such thing as a "good" eggplant. If you want to foist that food-substitute on an unwitting public you should include disclaimers like "you can substitute cardboard beer-coasters for sliced eggplant in this this eggplant Parmesan recipe" if you can't get eggplant or are too smart not to pay actual money for it.

 

[turbo]

Don't the grocers get peeved when you abuse their fruits and veggies?

At farmers' markets, it is expected and encouraged by the honest folks.

 

[Evo]

At farmers' markets, it is expected and encouraged by the honest folks.

But then there is the person that knows how to feel a vegetable without harming it, and the nimnals that cause the damage that ruins them.

It reminds me of a grocery store I went to in Houston where all of the produce was behind the counter and was staffed by knowledgeable produce people. Customers were not allowed to touch the produce and harm it or get their dirty hands all over it. You told the expert what you wanted, they picked it up, showed it to you, and if you didn't know what to look for, they explained why they selected them. It always turned out to be excellent choices. But it was also expensive.

 

[lisab]

But then there is the person that knows how to feel a vegetable without harming it, and the nimnals that cause the damage that ruins them.

It reminds me of a grocery store I went to in Houston where all of the produce was behind the counter and was staffed by knowledgeable produce people. Customers were not allowed to touch the produce and harm it or get their dirty hands all over it. You told the expert what you wanted, they picked it up, showed it to you, and if you didn't know what to look for, they explained why they selected them. It always turned out to be excellent choices. But it was also expensive.

Wow, I've never been to such a place, but if the employees are knowledgeable I bet it could be great.

Apples - oh, I go by smell. But does anyone know how to tell if an apple is mealy? Firmness won't always indicate it (unless it's far gone of course).

 

[turbo]

But then there is the person that knows how to feel a vegetable without harming it, and the nimnals that cause the damage that ruins them.

It reminds me of a grocery store I went to in Houston where all of the produce was behind the counter and was staffed by knowledgeable produce people. Customers were not allowed to touch the produce and harm it or get their dirty hands all over it. You told the expert what you wanted, they picked it up, showed it to you, and if you didn't know what to look for, they explained why they selected them. It always turned out to be excellent choices. But it was also expensive.

We sure don't have that here. The supermarkets offer stuff that has been trucked up from Mexico, FL, CA, etc and you get pick your poison.

 

[turbo]

Wow, I've never been to such a place, but if the employees are knowledgeable I bet it could be great.

Apples - oh, I go by smell. But does anyone know how to tell if an apple is mealy? Firmness won't always indicate it (unless it's far gone of course).

Buy apples VERY early. If they are not sweet enough for you, boil them down to make applesauce or process them with a peeler/slicer and freeze them. Apples in a freezer are like gold. You can do stuff with them all winter.

 

[Evo]

Wow, I've never been to such a place, but if the employees are knowledgeable I bet it could be great.

It wasn't in *my* neighborhood. This was a store in a very posh, out of my income neighborhood that I was in because I was visiting clients. But, I have to say, it made sense, they surely knew more than I did. I was actually in line, I found out, with the cooks and servants employed by these uber wealthy people. :tongue2:

I guess I should be happy I wasn't gunned down in the parking lot for invading their space.

I went back many times, the produce was so good. I think it was called Jason's. I have no idea if it is still there.

 

[WhoWee]

At farmers' markets, it is expected and encouraged by the honest folks.

I like to go to places like the "Strip District" in Pittsburgh. It's (basically) a wholesale area near downtown where rail-cars deliver produce and it's transported to trucks for regional delivery. The vendors start around 4:00 AM and trade until about Noon.

In addition to fresh vegetables and fruit, the various merchants offer a wide variety of seafood, meats, cheeses, pastas, breads, and nuts. For the most part, the produce and fruit are delivered early and delivered to the stores when ripe.

Accordingly, you need an eye for selecting products on the basis of what they would look/feel like tomorrow or the next day. As an example, green bananas would be shipped to a store and yellow ones might be sold in the Strip.

Most of the items I wanted to discuss have already been posted. But a good rule of thumb is if it's soft, it might be bruised. If it's waxy it's probably good, and if you hold it with 2 hands and shake it near your ear - people will think you know what you're doing and may ask advice.

 

[Moonbear]

But then there is the person that knows how to feel a vegetable without harming it, and the nimnals that cause the damage that ruins them.

It reminds me of a grocery store I went to in Houston where all of the produce was behind the counter and was staffed by knowledgeable produce people. Customers were not allowed to touch the produce and harm it or get their dirty hands all over it. You told the expert what you wanted, they picked it up, showed it to you, and if you didn't know what to look for, they explained why they selected them. It always turned out to be excellent choices. But it was also expensive.

I wish I knew of a place like that! I HATE going to a grocery store and finding every single ear of corn has been half shucked and left behind, all because nitwits can't tell just by feeling the corn if it's full (and then think that because the very tippy top of it is not fully developed, that it's a bad ear). All they accomplish is ruining perfectly good corn by removing the husk and letting it dry out.

Of course, one grocery store I won't go back to. I was selecting tomatoes one day there, and managed to pick up a defective bag. They fell right out the bottom. So, I left them on the floor where they landed so someone could clean them up since I deemed them now bruised and useless, got a new bag, and started looking for another tomato. One of the employees walked up while I was still in the produce section, picked up the damaged tomatoes from the floor, and put them right back in the bin for sale instead of throwing them out! When I saw that, I put down what I was selecting and walked away.

 

[Monique]

There you go screwing up a perfectly good thread! There is no such thing as a "good" eggplant. If you want to foist that food-substitute on an unwitting public you should include disclaimers like "you can substitute cardboard beer-coasters for sliced eggplant in this this eggplant Parmesan recipe" if you can't get eggplant or are too smart not to pay actual money for it.

Try making "baingan ka bharta", seasoned roast eggplant, it's delicious

How about passion fruit? In the stores they are always perfectly round, but I've heard that the wrinklier the better?

 

[Topher925]

Twinkies: slightly spongy and entirely yellow except for the white cream stuff oozing out of the bottom

Ramen: always good, no matter what

 

[protonchain]

One that I learned from my dad recently -

Okra: Has to be soft to the touch when you squeeze it. If it's even the slightest bit hard, toss it.

This is a better method of picking them than clipping off the ends.

 

[Pengwuino]

Twinkies: slightly spongy and entirely yellow except for the white cream stuff oozing out of the bottom

Ramen: always good, no matter what

Now we're getting this thread somewhere.

Chef Boyardee: The larger the better, make sure the can isn't open.

Snickers: Make sure the bar hasn't been broken on the inside of the packaging

 

[protonchain]

Bananas - Should have some bit of greenness to them when buying if you expect them to last the entire week.

Coffee - So long as its not decaf :yuck:

 

[turbo]

Only buy Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is less than 2 years expired.

 

[D H]

Cantaloupes: firm. Some places I read talk about color but I go by smell, I think it's a better predictor.

1. Thump test. Put the cantelope by your ear and thump it with the side of your thumb. A good cantelope will sound hollowish rather than solid or mushy. Solid: Thump your head instead of the melon. If you can't tell the difference, the melon is underripe. Mushy sounds like a thump on your abdomen. If it sounds like a thump on your chest, its just about right.

2. Stem test. Press at the spot on the melon where the stem used to be. The melon is overripe if the stem spot is mushy, overripe if it is very firm, just right if it is just a bit spongy.

3. Sight test. Look for sunken in areas. A good melon should be nice and round. A soft concavity is a sign of a bad spot.

Onions - should be firm, especially at the root end.

In Southeast Texas, we have to watch out for black spots. Everything molds here! Sometimes mold is patently obvious, other times it is sneaky and is hiding under the paper. Mold loves the root end.

Other things that mold just loves: raspberries, strawberries, grapes, garlic, zucchini, ...


Peaches: God knows. The baseball substitutes that grocers here parade as peaches are cling peaches picked green. The rot from the inside out before they turn ripe. I yearn for a soft, sweet, juicy freestone peach.

 

[GeorginaS]

1. Thump test. Put the cantelope by your ear and thump it with the side of your thumb.

I've not mastered the melon thump test. The most reliable method I've found is to smell the melon where it was disconnected from the vine. If it smells rich and sweet, it's ripe. It's very apparent when it's not. And, yes, check the skin for obvious deformities, shrivelled spots, mould growth and whatnot.

Anyone have any reliable ideas for tomatoes? I know that, during winter, the ones shipped long distances are picked green, dyed and then shipped. The local ones (western Canada local) are hothouse grown, generally hydroponically, and the "on the vine" variety and smell astoundingly fresh. They certainly don't taste it. During summer, it's easy to tell by feel and smell. But winter? Any help there?

 

[Moonbear]

Anyone have any reliable ideas for tomatoes? I know that, during winter, the ones shipped long distances are picked green, dyed and then shipped. The local ones (western Canada local) are hothouse grown, generally hydroponically, and the "on the vine" variety and smell astoundingly fresh. They certainly don't taste it. During summer, it's easy to tell by feel and smell. But winter? Any help there?

Yeah, don't buy tomatoes in winter. I don't think it's possible to get a good tomato in winter. They have to be picked green or one of the varieties that tastes like cardboard in order to survive the distance they need to be shipped.

 

[DaveC426913]

Pineapple: should be mostly golden husk. Not overly green. Pull on leaves. They should pull out crisply if it's ripe.

Corn on the cob: peel back the husk enough to see the tip (don't strip the thing down to its waist! Jeez!). Tip should have plump kernels, not shriveled.

Brussels Sprouts: If they contain molecules, walk away.

Peaches: D_H is right. Flip a coin. If it lands on its edge, the peaches are ripe but not too ripe.

Chocolate: If it's in a dollar store, it is scary old. Walk away.

 

[lisab]

Pineapple: should be mostly golden husk. Not overly green. Pull on leaves. They should pull out crisply if it's ripe.

Corn on the cob: peel back the husk enough to see the tip (don't strip the thing down to its waist! Jeez!). Tip should have plump kernels, not shriveled.

Brussels Sprouts: If they contain molecules, walk away.

Peaches: D_H is right. Flip a coin. If it lands on its edge, the peaches are ripe but not too ripe.

Chocolate: If it's in a dollar store, it is scary old. Walk away.

I can't imagine buying any food at at a dollar store :yuck:.

 

[DaveC426913]

I can't imagine buying any food at at a dollar store :yuck:.

Correct. But some people need to experience things for themselves at least once to get the hint.

 

[Moonbear]

Pineapple: should be mostly golden husk. Not overly green. Pull on leaves. They should pull out crisply if it's ripe.

Corn on the cob: peel back the husk enough to see the tip (don't strip the thing down to its waist! Jeez!). Tip should have plump kernels, not shriveled.

NO NO NO NO NO!

With pineapple, it should be golden, and should smell nice and sweet at the stem, and no sign of mold or rot on the stem (the bottom, where it was cut from the plant, not the spikey top). Don't pluck the pineapples!

And peeling back the husk on corn tells you nothing. It just ruins it for the next person who knows how to pick corn. All you need to do is feel down the outside of the husk. There shouldn't be any spaces or gaps...you'd feel them...and that would tell you the corn is missing kernels. No soft spots with bugs. And the husk should be green, not turning yellow. The silk can be a little brown at the end, but you should still see yellow silk nearer the ear of corn, otherwise it's getting old.

 

[DaveC426913]

NO NO NO NO NO!

With pineapple, it should be golden, and should smell nice and sweet at the stem, and no sign of mold or rot on the stem (the bottom, where it was cut from the plant, not the spikey top). Don't pluck the pineapples!

Isn't this what I said?

I thought the 'no mold' might have gone without saying...

And peeling back the husk on corn tells you nothing. It just ruins it for the next person who knows how to pick corn. All you need to do is feel down the outside of the husk.

I thought I'd addressed the 'don't peel the corn' thing. I only pull it back enough to see, not enough to ruin it for the next person.

Feeling with your fingers on the husk wil not tell you whether the tip is undeveloped. I don't find corn with random kernels missing, I find corn with the first dozen rows unformed.

 

[WhoWee]

I can't imagine buying any food at at a dollar store :yuck:.

They sell 3 Liter Grape Soda for $1.00 - if the grape isn't dusty it's a no-brainer - squeeze but don't shake.

 

[WhoWee]

In Southeast Texas, we have to watch out for black spots. Everything molds here! Sometimes mold is patently obvious, other times it is sneaky and is hiding under the paper. Mold loves the root end.

Other things that mold just loves: raspberries, strawberries, grapes, garlic, zucchini, ...

That's a VERY good point. If you purchase a basket of any such items - inspect the bottom items.

 

[Andre]

Don't the grocers get peeved when you abuse their fruits and veggies?

At farmers' markets, it is expected and encouraged by the honest folks.

careful though, I observed in Italy that produce is not to be touched at all, you have to put on plastic gloves first before handling them.

And of course there I was, doing the groceries in the old fashioned Dutch way experiencing how colorful Italians can scold.

 

[GeorginaS]

Brussels Sprouts: If they contain molecules, walk away.

I don't know what that means.

Corn on the cob: peel back the husk enough to see the tip (don't strip the thing down to its waist! Jeez!). Tip should have plump kernels, not shriveled.

I admit to doing bad things with corn on the cob. I peel back the husk just enough to expose the first plump kernel. (An unformed tip means nothing other than it wasn't quite finished growing yet.) I poke the kernel with my fingernail and taste the juice that squirts out onto my nail. If it tastes sweet and not overly starchy, it's good corn. I buy with relative impunity from there. Relative, because I do pull back the husk. I've grown corn before. You can't feel worms or various black bugs; you have to look. I don't need uniform rows or kernel size, just decent flavour and no bugs and rot. If I pull back the husk, odds are I'm keeping it. If someone else has already pulled back the husk and discarded it, it's because there's something basically wrong with the thing and it drying out isn't the worst thing that's happened to that ear of corn.

 

[Monique]

What's wrong with pulling back the husk?

 

[physics girl phd]

QUOTE=DaveC426913;2378542]
Brussels Sprouts: If they contain molecules, walk away.

I don't know what that means.[/QUOTE]

I think it means that brussels sprouts are just plain bad. I don't agree with this opinion (especially if they're pan cooked with butter)... and I recently found out that our middle child is okay with them too (a rarity, since he seems to dislike most veggies). I'll have to remember to start getting these on our menu.

I admit to doing bad things with corn on the cob.

Now this thread is starting to sound kinky. I think that's why the produce section is deemed a great place to "pick up" someone.

 

[turbo]

What's wrong with pulling back the husk?

It's unnecessary, and it's less likely that another person will buy the corn if you have done that - not good for the seller to have a bunch of partly shucked ears of corn lying about.

How do you check corn? As others have said, you can feel the ear through the husk, to see if the kernels are well developed. Also, fresh corn will have a sweet smell and the husks will squeak a bit, when rubbing against one another. If these conditions are satisfied, buy it.

 

[Monique]

It's unnecessary, and it's less likely that another person will buy the corn if you have done that - not good for the seller to have a bunch of partly shucked ears of corn lying about.

How do you check corn? As others have said, you can feel the ear through the husk, to see if the kernels are well developed. Also, fresh corn will have a sweet smell and the husks will squeak a bit, when rubbing against one another. If these conditions are satisfied, buy it.

Never in my life have I seen a corn on the cob that was fully encapsulated by the husk. What would be the problem with pulling back the husk to look inside, you're going to remove it anyway before you cook it right?