Nutritious Fruit: Tips On How To Choose The Freshest

Fruit is an excellent addition to your daily diet since it contains the vitamins you need for good health. Use these tips to choose the freshest fruit for your table.

 

Fruit: Strawberries

You want bright red color, a natural shine, and a fresh green cap. They should be plump, but not too soft, with no sign of mold. Wash them in cold water before you eat them. Keep the cap on so the juice stays inside the berry. They don’t ripen once they’re picked, so the longest they’ll keep in your fridge is about 7 days.

Fruit: Apples

Apples stay ripe for up to 6 weeks if you keep them refrigerated. Look for firm, smooth skin and stay away from ones with soft spots.

Kiwi

Leave it on the countertop to ripen. It’s ready when it gives a little after a soft squeeze.  Room temperature is best for ripening. After that, refrigerate it and it will stay ripe for up to 3 weeks.

Cantaloupe

A few days at room temperature is all you need. It’s ready when it starts to have a strong smell of cantaloupe. Thereafter, you can keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days before it starts to go bad.

Fruit: Pineapple

Choose one that’s fully ripe. It’s ready if it’s slightly firm with a sweet smell, yellow skin, and deep green leaves. Pineapples last for about one week in the fridge.  Choose to store it with the top on, or peel, slice, and place it in a covered container.

Bananas

Buy them when green. When the peels turn yellow with hints of brown, they’re ready. They’ll be fragile and bruise easily when they’re ripe. If you hang them in a cool area of your kitchen, they should stay fresh for up to a week. If you have overripe ones, freeze them. You can make them part of your next batch of ice cream, banana bread, or muffins. You can also use them to flavor up a smoothie.

Fruit: Oranges

The best ones have shiny, thin skin and give a little when you squeeze them. Oranges and other citrus fruits will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Raspberries

Like blueberries and blackberries, they stop ripening right after they come off the plant. The ripest ones are plump with a deep, rich color. If their color stains the bottom of the container, they are overripe. Most berries should last up to 4 days in the fridge.

Fruit: Mango

You have to let it ripen at room temperature. It’s ready to eat when it’s slightly soft with a strong, sweet smell. Once ripe, it will stay ripe for up to 4 days in the fridge.

Fruit: Pomegranates

These usually are ripe when you buy them. For the best flavor, look for larger ones that are brightly colored with unbroken skin. They should last up to 2 months in the refrigerator.

Nectarines and Peaches

Most are ripe when picked. However, sometimes they can still be quite hard and should be avoided. Put the firm ones in a paper bag at room temperature and they’re ready to eat in a couple of days. Ripe ones should thereafter be refrigerated and they will last an additional week.

Fruit: Pears

They aren’t completely ripe when picked. Leave them out at room temperature. When the stem-end of the fruit has a little give to the touch, they’re ready to eat. After that, refrigerate them to stay good for about 5 more days.

Fruit: Cherries

Like berries, they stop ripening once they’re picked. The best ones are plump with their stems still attached.  Put them in a covered container in your fridge and they should last for up to 2 weeks.

Fruit: Apricots

These should be plump and golden orange. Avoid them if they’re pale yellow or greenish-yellow, or if they’re shriveled or bruised. Soft apricots have the most flavor, and they taste best at room temperature. You can pop them in the fridge to keep them from going bad, but they’ll start to dry out after a couple of days.