Selecting Produce: Tips for Buying Fruits & Veggies

[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?

 

[DaveC426913]

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.

You put it back - none the worse for wear!

I agree, people are terrible with corn. They tear it open, then throw it back. But itcan be done without harm, if you care.

 

[GeorginaS]

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.

Aha. Okay. I assumed, given this venue, that when Dave said "contains molecules" he was referring to some new hybrid of mould or laboratory devised, odd ancillary growth I'd not yet heard of. I allow a ton of leeway, here, for people knowing way more stuff than I do and frequently miss the obvious such as referring to a thing's actual existence.

Poor Dave. I'm always picking on him.

 

[Moonbear]

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?

When they are picked off the stalk, they are fully encapsulated by the husk. Once it's peeled back, the exposed part starts to dry out quickly. And, if you want to grill it, you don't want to remove the husk first. I don't even know what people think they're looking for when they peel the corn and throw it back. It would have been fine if they hadn't stripped it.

 

[turbo]

My wife and I buy corn from an organic grower, and we never shuck the corn to look at it. Feel it from outside the husks and smell it - that's about it. When we buy a dozen ears, she always tosses in an extra ear or two for good measure. I don't think that she would feel compelled to do that if we partially peeled and rejected a few ears, nor do I blame her. She loads the back of her pickup early in the morning and parks at a turn-out by the river, just trying to make a few bucks. It's always much fresher, sweeter corn than you can get in supermarkets.

 

[Monique]

The corn that you guys are accustomed to buying must be really young, here they only sell corn that is fully grown like this:

 

[Saladsamurai]

What's wrong with pulling back the husk?

This ...

<snip>


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. <snip>

Then you come along and buy/eat the corn that Georgina dug her grubby fingernails into leaving behind god-knows-what kind of germs, dirt, boogers, and possibly a DNA sample.

(nothing personal Georgina ... I am sure you are very clean )

 

[turbo]

The corn that you guys are accustomed to buying must be really young, here they only sell corn that is fully grown like this:

That corn is "gone by" to use our local parlance - it is too mature for our standards, and will have starchy, chewy kernels. Our local growers pick corn when the kernels at the tip are still developing. Once an ear of corn is fully filled out, the sweetness suffers.

 

[Monique]

That corn is "gone by" to use our local parlance - it is too mature for our standards, and will have starchy, chewy kernels. Our local growers pick corn when the kernels at the tip are still developing. Once an ear of corn is fully filled out, the sweetness suffers.

So that must be a cultural difference.

I'm actually surprised that you guys have never (or almost never) been to staffed behind-the-counter grocery stores. Growing up I used to get the fruit and vegetables from the vegetable-man, the bread from the bakery, the meat from the butcher, poultry from the poultry-store, fish from the fish-store, you name it.

Now I just order all my groceries online I was actually surprised of the quality of the produce that I get that way. Now I can get my zucchinis booger-free (the ones in the stores invariably have holes pocked into them from people's fingernails).

 

[turbo]

We buy from small specialty vendors, too. During harvest season (and after) there are farmer's markets in most fair-sized towns with vendors selling produce, breads, baked goods, meats, jams and jellies, etc.

The corn in the picture you linked is what one would expect to find in the produce section of a large supermarket, and it would not go over well in a farmer's market. Large commercial growers like harvesting and wholesaling over-mature corn because it increases yield (though at the expense of quality).

Same thing with green beans - the local growers pick them when they are young and not fully filled-out, and the ones in the supermarket tend to be larger and tougher.

One great improvement in supermarket produce is in tomatoes. Backyard Farms opened a huge greenhouse a few miles from here, and they supply produce departments with fresh vine-ripened tomatoes all year long - both full-sized varieties and clusters of patio-sized tomatoes. We get them free from time to time from friends because BackyardFarms does not refrigerate their tomatoes, and when the have an excess of ripe tomatoes, they let employees take them home. Out-of-state commercial growers pick their tomatoes before they are ripe, ship them, and "ripen" them artificially by gassing them. They are generally hard and tasteless.

They have another greenhouse in the works, and intend to branch out into green peppers and cucumbers, too. I've heard no word on chilies, but that would be nice - the imports are old and lacking in heat, for the most part. The greenhouses employ a lot of local people, so that's really nice. Also, a small local trucking company owned by a friend of mine does all their shipping. His drivers LOVE it. Short runs, reliable schedules, no long layovers, and most can be back home in their own beds every night. Pretty sweet deal for guys that used to have to commit to long-haul schedules.

http://www.backyardfarms.com/

 

[GeorginaS]

This ...



Then you come along and buy/eat the corn that Georgina dug her grubby fingernails into leaving behind god-knows-what kind of germs, dirt, boogers, and possibly a DNA sample.

(nothing personal Georgina ... I am sure you are very clean )

Except for the fact that I purchse the one I poked notwithstanding its quality. The flavour quality just determines whether I buy more than one.

Edited to add: But that's me, and I do take your point, Saladsamurai. However, that's also true of all produce for sale in the supermarket (or anywhere) where people fondle the stuff, and sneeze on it, and heavens-knows-what else without buying it.

 

[Proton Soup]

pineapple is just fine if there is a little mold on the stem. what you want is one that isn't green, but turning gold, and smells sweetly of pineapple. avoid fruits that show signs of decay, either by feel (soft spots) or smell. also, i don't think perfection is necessary. it's better to have a pineapple that is sweet and on the edge of being overripe and simply trim a bit of brown off where it got bruised. these things are a tradeoff. you could just buy a harder green one and wait for it to ripen.

the best peaches are the ones you pick off the tree. the best plums are the ones you pick up off the ground.

 

[DaveC426913]

pineapple ... you could just buy a harder green one and wait for it to ripen.

False.

A pineapple is at its sweetest immediately upon being picked. It will not get sweeter with time.

A piece of trivia I picked up somewhere.
Wikipedia seems to disagree with me. Wish I could remember my source.

 

[Proton Soup]

False.

A pineapple is at its sweetest immediately upon being picked. It will not get sweeter with time.

whatever. actual sugar content may be the same, but it will not taste so until it ripens fully.

 

[DaveC426913]

whatever. actual sugar content may be the same, but it will not taste so until it ripens fully.

My claim is that it will not ripen once picked.

Unfortunately, I can't back up my claim.

 

[Evo]

False.

A pineapple is at its sweetest immediately upon being picked. It will not get sweeter with time.

A piece of trivia I picked up somewhere.
Wikipedia seems to disagree with me. Wish I could remember my source.

According to this, they don't ripen.

http://www.hawaii.edu/ur/University_Report/URJuly/pineapple3.html

I disagree, I often let the pineapples ripen a bit after I buy them because I like them sweet. It seems that it's not supposed to be noticeable. I guess the "official" definition of ripening is if the fruit's sugar content increases, which they say the pineapple doesn't. I know that the flavor changes noticebly for me, so maybe I get freak pineapples? Or maybe, more likely, I'm a freak

In mexico, they love the fungus that grows on corn, it's called huitlacoche, also known in English as "corn sdmut"

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/mushrooms/Corn_smut_P7200179.JPG

 

[lisab]

According to this, they don't ripen.

http://www.hawaii.edu/ur/University_Report/URJuly/pineapple3.html

I disagree, I often let the pineapples ripen a bit after I buy them because I like them sweet. It seems that it's not supposed to be noticeable. I guess the "official" definition of ripening is if the fruit's sugar content increases, which they say the pineapple doesn't. I know that the flavor changes noticebly for me, so maybe I get freak pineapples? Or maybe, more likely, I'm a freak

In mexico, they love the fungus that grows on corn, it's called huitlacoche, also known in English as "corn sdmut"

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/mushrooms/Corn_smut_P7200179.JPG

Evo, that corn pic is so disgusting! Looks like really bad warts...ugh.

 

[DaveC426913]

According to this, they don't ripen.

http://www.hawaii.edu/ur/University_Report/URJuly/pineapple3.html

Awesome! Thanks!

I disagree, I often let the pineapples ripen a bit after I buy them because I like them sweet. It seems that it's not supposed to be noticeable. I guess the "official" definition of ripening is if the fruit's sugar content increases, which they say the pineapple doesn't. I know that the flavor changes noticebly for me, so maybe I get freak pineapples? Or maybe, more likely, I'm a freak

If I had to guess, I'd say the pineapple begins to break down, making its sugars more accessible.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I seem to recall that you can even buy cans of corn smut in Mexico. There must be some dish that it goes in. Can't imagine it would be good on it's own.

 

[lisab]

I seem to recall that you can even buy cans of corn smut in Mexico. There must be some dish that it goes in. Can't imagine it would be good on it's own.

I intrepidly Googled "Mexican corn smut," and carefully looked at what came up through half-squinted eyes.

Apparently, to make it sound more appetizing than "smut", they renamed it "http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/huitlacoche.htm" "...ahahahah...

Edit: from the link,

The Aztec named this dark growth found on corn huitlacoche which translates (rather bluntly and literally) to "ravens excrement".

 

[DaveC426913]

I intrepidly Googled "Mexican corn smut," and carefully looked at what came up through half-squinted eyes.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I intrepidly Googled "Mexican corn smut," and carefully looked at what came up through half-squinted eyes.

That is a risky one.

Nice to know that you can get your smut right over the internet nowadays. We used to have to drive all the way to Mexico to get it.

 

[turbo]

That is a risky one.

probably not as risky as "Mexican porn smut"

 

[lisab]

Nice to know that you can get your smut right over the internet nowadays. We used to have to drive all the way to Mexico to get it.

Ah yes...the smell of Tijuana back-alley in the morning...good times.

 

[Proton Soup]

According to this, they don't ripen.

http://www.hawaii.edu/ur/University_Report/URJuly/pineapple3.html

Ripening a Pineapple at Home

Do you sometimes buy an under-ripe pineapple anticipating that it will ripen at home? Don't bet on it.

Duane Bartholomew, dean of the University of Hawaii agronomy and soil science department, says a pineapple is ready to eat when harvested. The flavor of one that is harvested too early will change only slightly if left to ripen at home.

Some fruits such as bananas, peaches and pears do ripen when kept at room temperature for a few days because they contain starch that is converted to sugar during the ripening process. But not pineapple.

As the pineapple sits on your kitchen counter, its shell will gradually turn yellow beginning at the base of the fruit. If left standing for a few days, the fruit will become completely yellow. But there will be no increase in sugars as would occur if the fruit had been allowed to ripen in the field.

This is the University Report, I'm Tracy Orillo Donovan.

his tongue is broken. and i got to wonder too if the ones picked for consumption locally are picked later than those shipped to the mainland.

 

[GeorginaS]

If I had to guess, I'd say the pineapple begins to break down, making its sugars more accessible.

That would be my guess, too, if they don't "ripen" in the actual sense of the word.

I've purchased two pineapples at the same time that were mostly dark greenish on the outside and cut one up right away. The fruit had a hard texture and really tart flavour. The other I let sit on the counter until the skin was more yellow and, when cut, the fruit was more tender and sweeter tasting. Now, maybe the second pineapple was just like that the whole time, but, my experience with yellowish skinned pineapples has yielded consistent results. I don't cut up the really green ones because I didn't enjoy the one that I did. Given the small sample size, it could have been simply a hard, tart pineapple that wouldn't have changed over time. I don't know.