Tips on selecting your best produce
- col-bobbie-randall
- August 16, 2021
- 849
Even though I didn’t fully appreciate it at the time, I fondly look back on the moments I spent with family picking green beans from our garden and preparing the beans for canning.
More recently, I’ve looked for ways to pass on those traditions by including my family’s younger generations in planting, picking and preparing produce. Although I don’t have much space for my own garden right now, I’ve discovered many sources of local foods to add into my family’s recipes. Fortunately, local food options are plentiful this time of year. Many fruits and vegetables are ready to harvest or will be soon. It’s helpful to know what’s in season, so if you’re unsure, check out the Ohio Farm Bureau’s What’s in Season? chart.
There are many benefits to buying and eating local foods. Michigan State University Extension highlights buying locally grown food supports the local economy and is full of flavor and nutrition. Local foods don’t have far to go to get to your plate and can be picked at peak ripeness rather than being harvested early for shipping and distribution. This means local, seasonal foods will likely taste better than foods that had to travel thousands of miles to reach your plate, and due to the shorter travel time between harvesting and eating, local foods also are less likely to have decreased nutrient value.
Plus, buying and eating locally grown food creates an opportunity to talk with friends, family or the producers themselves about where the food comes from, how it’s grown and how to add it into meals. Knowing how to select ripe produce makes the experience even better, so I thought I would share a few tips for selecting fresh produce adapted from University of Nebraska Extension and the Ohio Farm Bureau:
Bell peppers: Select firm peppers, heavy for their size, that have a deep shiny color. Avoid peppers that are wilted, bruised or have soft, pliable skin.
Blueberries: Blueberries should be plump and firm with a dark blue color and waxy, silvery “bloom.” A dull appearance or soft, juicy berries means the fruit is old.
Cantaloupe: Look for cantaloupes with cream-colored ridges that stick out. The stem end of the cantaloupe should be smooth and well rounded. When ripe, this stem end will give in to light pressure and have a sweet, musky aroma.
Cucumbers: Look for firm cucumbers that are well developed but not too large. Avoid shriveled or withered cucumbers, which are likely to be tough and bitter.
Green beans: Snap beans should be light yellow or green and smooth, firm and crisp. Avoid tough or wilted beans.
Peaches: Select firm or slightly soft peaches free from bruises. Peach ripeness is best indicated by creamy/golden undertones called “ground color.” The rosy “blush” on a peach is not a good indicator of ripeness. Avoid peaches with green ground color, which lack flavor and usually shrivel and become tough rather than ripen.
Sweet corn: Look for bright green husks. Ears should be filled with rows of plump kernels and free of insect and disease damage. Husks and ears should glisten with moistness. Corn is overripe if indentions have formed in the kernels or kernel contents are doughy when broken.
Summer squash: Look for squash no bigger than 8 inches long that’s tender yet firm, feels heavy for its size, and has an even color and slightly glossy skin. Avoid summer squash that looks dull, discolored, pitted or has a hard, tough surface.
Tomatoes: Select tomatoes that have shiny, smooth, firm skin; a rich, red color; and a fresh aroma from the stem end. Place unripe tomatoes in a warm area to help them ripen. Avoid tomatoes that are bruised, have cracks or are very soft.
Watermelon: Examine the spot where the melon rested on the ground. A yellow-white spot indicates ripeness, but white or pale green suggests immaturity. Scratch the surface of the rind with your thumbnail. If the outer layer slips back fairly easily showing the green-white under the rind, the watermelon is ripe. Scratching unripe melons only leaves a darker sunken line. Choose a melon with a smooth surface, dull shine and well-rounded ends.
Sara Meeks is an OSU Extension family and consumer sciences program assistant and may be called at 330-264-8722.