Fruits: when to buy, and when not to buy

April 17, 2008

On Weekend TODAY this past Saturday, Lester and I talked about the basics of buying and storing produce ... a lot of our viewers sent emails and wanted more detail – so here’s the 101 on buying fruit!

Remember that my best recommendation – for taste, nutrition and price – is to always buy the fruits that are in season. Most of the fruit we buy at the supermarket that's not marked as local (or in season) was picked before ripening to avoid shipping damage in shipping and to make sure that its ripe when it is put out on the shelves. But picking before its ripe means that the fruit didn’t have time to develop all its nutritive and taste benefits, which is why sometimes when you bite into a bright red strawberry in the middle of January, it doesn't taste the same as it would in July.

The evolution of a piece of fruit is simple – as they ripen they typically change from a muted colored, hard and sour plant to a intense-colored, sweet, juicy and aromatic fruit: and its these attributes which will give us the clue as to what to buy. Color: As the acidity of the fruit changes, the green chlorophyll breaks down. Color is an perfect indicator of ripeness for bananas, apples, tomatoes, red berries, and cherries.

Aroma: Hold the fruit to your nose and sniff! Especially when you are trying to find that perfect melon or orange. Sniff the blossom end of the fruit (no the stem end) and buy the fruit with a full and fruity aroma.

Squeeze: As fruits ripen, the fruit become softer and softer. The hemicelluloses and firm pectin substances break down and which makes a squeeze a good test for ripeness for stone fruit, pears, kiwis, and avocados.

So what if you've bought fruit that isn't ripe yet? Speed-ripen!

You can do at home what produce shippers do to those fruits that are grown thousands of miles away which they've had to pick before their ripe to ship. These companies use ethylene gas to speed ripen certain fruits or change its color to appear ripe.

Some fruits like tomatoes, avocados, bananas, cantaloupe and apples naturally give off this ethylene gas. Warm the fruit by setting it in a warm location or best bet is in a sunny window. Then, put it in a paper bag with a couple of ripe apples and close loosely. Never use a plastic bag; as you want the ethylene concentrated in the bag, but a paper bag will allow oxygen to get in to speed ripening.

Remember, fruits (and vegetables) are loaded with great nutritive powers – so be sure to eat at least 9 servings a day to make sure you get some of nature’s best healing powers ... and as we move closer to the warmer weather it's the perfect time to head to those fruit stands and enjoy some of the best tasting foods on Earth.

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