Picking Out the Best Fruit, what are your tips?

FitnessBeverlyHills

Fruit is so amazing and in season right now I thought it would be a fun topic to talk about secrets for picking out great fruit.

Today I am trying a Watermelon trick I read that talks about looking for the bee stings which is suppose to indicate a sweet melon. The bees are attracted to the sugar and when they sting the fruit a little of the sugar leaks and saps.


I'm also loving the cherries right now, the red and rainier cherries, I found the darker they are the sweeter. I'm also the women in the isle who samples the fruit, but I shop at Trader Joes and they actually encourage it. If they have something I've never tried they will even open a brand new one so I can try it, how awesome is that!

I would love tips on other fruits like cantaloupe, honeydew, papayas, ect.

NonnyMary

I say this - Go to the grocery store and pick out the fruit that makes your mouth water!

Maybe also try a new fruit, you might like it.

I'm about to try some new fruit that I see cooks feature on TV - like ugli fruit, and some very sweet tangelo-like oranges, and maybe some blood oranges. They really look good on that show. So Im going to experiment with one each.

CookNLift

Go for local grown fruits. That way you can never go wrong when they're in season. I like to go to the farmer's market and get a few of the best looking produce and use it throughout the week. I noticed that the organic locally grown cilantro lasted about 2-3 weeks in my fridge before wilting or turning yellow, wherein the stuff I bought from the grocery store lasted about 5 days before being completely wet and dark.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

Go for local grown fruits. That way you can never go wrong when they're in season. I like to go to the farmer's market and get a few of the best looking produce and use it throughout the week. I noticed that the organic locally grown cilantro lasted about 2-3 weeks in my fridge before wilting or turning yellow, wherein the stuff I bought from the grocery store lasted about 5 days before being completely wet and dark.

This!! Go for local and in season. Right now we have blackberries, melons and peaches.

vettech14

I just bought Watermelon, nectarines, blackberries. Peaches will be ready in a couple more weeks. I need to get more blackberries so I can freeze some. I had 2 gallons of strawberries frozen, but i have already used one of those up ... Raspberries didnt look the greatest around here this year. Grapefruit and all sorts of oranges will be shipped here soon, they are starting to show up and I can't wait.

JenniTheVeggie

I look, squeeze and smell fruit. For watermelons (my current favorite) I look for a yellow/white spot on it. I've heard that means it had time to sit in the field and ripen. I've been pretty lucky so far.

walleyclan1

I pick the ones that smell the yummiest

FitnessBeverlyHills

Go for local grown fruits. That way you can never go wrong when they're in season. I like to go to the farmer's market and get a few of the best looking produce and use it throughout the week. I noticed that the organic locally grown cilantro lasted about 2-3 weeks in my fridge before wilting or turning yellow, wherein the stuff I bought from the grocery store lasted about 5 days before being completely wet and dark.

Another thing I love about the local farmers markets is they usually have samples of the fruit they are selling so you know its ripe...and they also often carry fruits you cant find in the grocery store. I know one vendor who sells 6 different plum variations and they're amazing.

MsDrJuris

I smell pineapples--the ones that smell most "pineapple-y" are the ones I pick, because when you pick a pineapple, it does not ripen any more. So even if you buy an unripe one and set it on the sill, nothing will happen. Gotta pick the ripe ones.

ostrichagain

For cantaloupe, when you smell the rind it will smell like cantaloupe when it's ripe, especially at the stem end. My mom likes to shake the melon and if she hears a little water inside, she knows it's very ripe.

NonnyMary

I'm going to Michigan shortly and I hope there will be some fresh fruit grown there. southwestern michigan is famous for strawberries, blueberries and cherries (cherries in the spring).

kdeaux1959

for me, the cantaloupe and bananas that I buy from the fresh market is usually better than the store-bought variety... That being said, for watermelon, look at the stem... If it is green it is less ripe than if it is brown... I also like the thumping test... partially because I like to thump them... The sound becomes more "hollow" the riper it is, generally.

vec2013

I live in Washington State and besides the occasional banana, I love our local produce. local, local, local! That is my goal. Right now, that means berries, peaches, plums, pluots, apricots, rhubarb and cherries. I love summer! I smell everything and deal with local growers (who do the same).

FitnessBeverlyHills

I will definitely try the cantaloupe test. I bought one today because it smelled amazing so I'm hoping it taste that way too.

As for the watermelon, I just cut into mine this evening. I picked it because it was the only one with a little bee sting on it. It was delicious and sweet. I think this is an awesome little tip. I also read the heavier in proportion to its size, the juicier.