Is This Fruit Ripe?

Eating fruit is a beautiful and delicious way to get nutrients in your diet. However, choosing the perfect fruit at the grocery store can be a bit difficult. The best way to choose a fruit is by eating fruits when they are in season. But, there are many other tips to help you pick the most delicious and juicy fruits. Continue reading to learn how to pick fruit in the grocery store. You’ll never have a bad tasting fruit again. 

GENERAL TIPS

When you are buying fruits, there are a few things to keep in mind.

·        Looks aren’t everything: the fruit sold at grocery stores are made to look pretty. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean they taste good. An oddly shaped fruit may just be more delicious than the perfectly symmetrical one. 

·        Use your senses: simply looking at a fruit will not help you choose the best fruit. Pick up the fruit, feel it, smell it, and sometimes, give it a tap. Your senses will help you a lot when choosing fruits. 

·        Seasonal fruits: fruits grow in seasons. They will always taste best when they are in peak season. 

HOW TO PICK SPECIFIC FRUITS

The general tips can be used for most fruits, but each fruit is slightly different. This list covers the best way to pick common fruits when you are out shopping. 

Apples: the apple should feel solid, heavy, and have a smooth skin. Avoid apples with obvious bruising. 

Strawberries: when you pick up a box of strawberries, make sure they give off a strong smell. Its smell is a great indicator of its quality. The strawberry should also be red throughout, even up to the stem. If you can touch the strawberries, feel for a texture that is not too firm, but not too soft. 

Bananas: these are probably the easiest fruits to choose. Bananas should have a solid yellow skin, or with some freckles. If there are any cuts or bruises on the banana’s skin, don’t buy it. 

Blueberries: the main way to know if blueberries are good to eat is by their color. The blueberries should be a solid blue-purple color with a slight white covering. Look at the container to see if there is any juice. This means some of the berries are crushed, so you may not want to buy those blueberries. 

Lemons & Limes: these two fruits should have their signature bright color and be unblemished. Give them a light squeeze, and if they are mostly sturdy then they are perfect! You don’t want them to be as solid as a brick when you squeeze them, but they shouldn’t be soft either. 

Mangoes: picking mangoes depends on the experience you want. For ripe, sweet mangoes, look for mangoes with red skin. They should feel a bit soft when you give them a gentle squeeze. For unripe mangoes, they should be a lot firmer with green skin. 

Grapefruit & Oranges: the juiciest grapefruits and oranges will feel a bit heavy. Similar to the lemons, they should give a little when you squeeze them. Their skin doesn’t have to be blemish-free, but skip any that have rough skin. 

Grapes: for grapes, take a good look at their stems. The grapes’ color should not be brown at the stem. Avoid grapes that are wrinkly in texture. 

SUMMARY

Fruits make for an awesome snack, but it can be difficult to choose the right one. Hopefully, the tips mentioned in this post help you pick the best fruits on your next grocery run.