Selecting Your Produce

Selecting Your Produce

We all know that eating fresh fruits and vegetables is an important thing to do in order to achieve optimal health. We are also learning that drinking the juice from whole fruits and vegetables is important as well. Two thing that we have not touched on during our blog post are selecting and cleaning our produce. This week we will focus on selecting our produce and next week’s post will focus on cleaning our produce.

How to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables?

Shopping for fruits and vegetables can be confusing for some and very simple to others. There are different methods and different things to look for when choosing produce, depending on which fruit or vegetable you are selecting. Below we have compiled a list of common fruits and vegetables, and suggested ways to select them.

Fruits

Apple – great color (color dependent on type) and firm to touch

Bananas – yellow and firm. Slight brown or green marks are still OK

Blueberries – firm and brightly colored. Try to avoid those that are stained or have begun to leak

Cherries – round and plump with a dark red color

Grapefruit – firm and heavy. Avoid those that have soft and squishy spots

Grapes – firm and plump

Kiwi – when pressed, the fruit should give slightly. Avoid those fruits that are rock hard

Lemons/Limes – should be heavy and firm. Avoid those that are shriveled

Mangoes – slightly soft when pressed, avoid those that are rock hard

Oranges – heavy and firm with smooth skin. Skin should not be shriveled

Peaches – slightly soft and strong color

Pears – slightly firm, but should not be soft just below the stem. Note: Pears are sometimes picked before completely ripe, but you should still avoid those fruits with bruises

Pineapples – sweet smell and fresh green leaves for whole pineapples

Strawberries – strong red color without any yellow spots or leakage

Watermelon – firm and heavy with one yellow spot on one side (the side it sat on the ground)

Vegetables

Asparagus firm and smooth with brightly colored stalks

Beets – firm and fresh stems. Leaves should be fresh and not wilted

Broccoli – firm stalks and crisp green leaves. Avoid those that have begun to turn yellow

Cabbage – firm and heavy

Carrots – firm and smooth all around

Celery – firm stalks and green all over. Avoid yellow stalks

Kale – crisp and deeply colored leaves, without any yellow

Other leaves (Lettuce, Spinach) – green and fresh crisp leaves

Onions – firm and heavy. Avoid any with soft/squishy spots

Peppers – firm, heavy, and shiny

Sweet Potatoes – firm without any wrinkles

Tomatoes – heavy and vibrantly colored

These are just some of the common fruits & vegetables and suggested ways to select them. Please feel free to leave a comment or other suggestions for selections.

Thanks for tuning in this week and look forward to our future posts.