When purchasing fruits and vegetables, look for those that are 'beautiful' - bright colored and unwithered - and yield slightly when pressed. However, don't be fooled by bright colors - highly colored fruit can still be 'green'. Some fruits, especially peaches and nectarines, are picked so underripe that they never will ripen, but will slowly rot from within. You can tell these fruits by their rock-hardness.
Refrigerate vegetables - except for garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and winter squash. Most fruit should be kept at room temperature for maximum flavor and aroma.
Apples: Don't buy apples that are bruised or shriveled. For eating out of the hand: Delicious McIntosh, Granny Smith, Jonathan, Winesap. For cooking: Gravenstein, Jonathan, Delicious Granny Smith, and other tart, dense apples. Store in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.
Apricots: Never buy green ones. Look for velvety skin.
Artichokes: Choose a good artichoke at the market. It should squeak when squeezed, feel heavy in your hand, have fleshy leaves, and look fresh. Brown or purple coloration near the base of the leaves, which indicates that the artichoke has been touched by frost, marks a prize - such artichokes are sweeter and tastier. Trim the stem and thorns from the outer leaves.
Asparagus: Choose fresh asparagus, without woody pores at the end of the stalk and with tight scales at the bud end. Break each stalk where it 'wants' to break to eliminate the tough ends.
Avocados: Press lightly with your thumb at the stem end. If the rind gives a little, the fruit is ripe. If the rind is hard and has sunken spots, it's over the hill. Avocados will ripen at room temperature in a closed paper bag.
Beans (green or snap): Buy crisp beans - you should be able to hear them break if you bend them. Don't buy bumpy beans - they will be tough.
Bananas - Partially green fruit will ripen at room temperature. After it is ripe you can store it in refrigerator, in spite of what Chiquita Banana used to say.
Blueberries - Look for a white bloom on the skin.
Broccoli - Choose broccoli that is dark green, with tight buds, and firm, blemish-free stems.
Cabbage- Heads should be firm, solid and heavy.
Carrots - Medium sized are the best. Don't buy hairy carrots or carrots with shriveled ends.
Cherries - Look for glossy, brightly colored fruit with stems that are bright green and attached. Don't buy cherries that have brown spots or are shriveled.
Citrus Fruit - Pick up citrus and feel its heaviness in your hand - the heavier, the juicier. Choose fruit with thin, smooth, flexible peels. Pointed fruit tends to have thick peels.
Corn - Freshness counts with corn, so buy it from a vendor who guarantees that it is picked the day it is sold. Ears should have fresh-looking green husks with young but plump and developed kennels. Silk should be shiny and yellow. If you can't use corn right away, husk it, warp each ear in plastic and store in the refrigerator.
Cucumbers - Yellow on the skin indicates over ripeness, excerpt in Kirby's cucumbers. Look for firmness and a svelte look - fat cucumbers are not as good as medium or skinny ones.
Eggplant - A shiny skin and green cap means eggplant is fresh. The lighter in weight, the fewer seeds.
Melons - Sniff the melon for ripeness. It should smell rich and fruity. Press the stem end - it should give a little. If the melon feels heavy in your hand for its size, it is probably ripe. Fore watermelons: Thump to see if it sounds hollow, a sign - not infallible - of ripeness; look for a yellowish patch (not dead white) on the bottom. For cantaloupes: choose those with an underlying creamy color. Honeydews should give slightly when pressed on the blossom end.
Peaches and Nectarines - Don't buy green tinged fruit. To ripen peaches, store them in a paper bag that is closed loosely.
Peppers - Look for bright, waxy skins. Wrinkles means old age, as does softness.
Pineapples - Smell them at the stem end for ripeness. Heft them in your hand - they should feel heavy. The rind should be tinged with orange. Also pull one of the leaves away from the fruit - it should come off easily. The leaves should be green and fresh-looking. Don't buy bruised fruit, or fruit that has soft, moist spots.
Raspberries - Look carefully for mold, and do not buy berries in boxes that have stains (an indication that the berries may be overripe)
Strawberries - They should be red all over, with no green or white parts. Check the carton to make sure that berries packed on the bottom are not green. Look for mold.
Summer squash - Buy shiny-skinned squash less than 7 inches long. Press on the ends- if ends are soft, they are probably too old.
Tomatoes - Tomatoes should be bright red and yield to slight pressure, but should not be too soft. Buy vine-ripened ones. To ripen tomatoes, cover them with a cloth and keep at room temperature.
KiyaSama is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers.
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