Carolyn's Recipe Corner: Saving in the Grocery Store

How many times have you gone to the grocery store and wondered if you are picking the best produce for taste and quality? Many times the high priced fruits and vegetables are not the best nor are the cheapest. This blog is to help you in making decisions about quality and price for buying fruits and vegetables.

Appearance is not everything in buying fruits and vegetables however appearance and quality are closely associated in many respects, but fine appearance does not always denote fine quality eating. Often I have found the most attractive appearance may have relative poor eating quality because of some internal condition such as over maturity. On the other hand, produce with poor appearance due to poor color or superficial blemishes may have excellent eating quality. Buying on size alone does not necessarily give you the best bargain because size does not denote quality nor is size usually economical.

Look out for deterioration because produce declines rapidly in quality while on display. Frequently off-quality fruits and vegetables can be bought at a reduced price, but the waste may offset the price reduction. Buy only what you need and can properly store in your refrigerator even if the product is cheaper in buying quantity. Consider how and when you are going to use the produce so that you will get the optimum benefit from your selection.

When buying produce don't rough handle while you are making your selection. This causes spoilage and waste.

Here is a list of produce (beginning with fruits) in alphabetical order and some of the qualities you should look for in them:

Apples--Look for firm, crisp, well-colored apples. Avoid overripe apples (indicated by a yielding to slight pressure on the skin and soft, mealy flesh) and apples affected by freeze (indicated by internal breakdown and bruised areas). Scald on apples (irregular shaped tan or crown areas) may not seriously affect the eating quality of the apple.

Apricots--Look for apricots that are plump and juicy looking, with a uniform, golden-orange color. Avoid dull looking, soft, or mushy fruit, and very firm pale yellow or greenish-yellow fruit. These are indications of over maturity or immaturity respectively.

Avocados--If you are going to use the fruit immediately look for slightly soft avocados which yield to a gentle pressure on the skin. For use in a few days choose firm fruits that do not yield to the squeeze test. leave these at room temperature to ripen. Irregular light brown markings are sometimes found on the outside skin. These markings have no effect on the flesh of the avocado. Avoid avocados with dark sunken spots in irregular patches or cracked or broken surfaces. These are signs of decay. (An extra tip: When preparing avocados--to avoid the brownish color of avocado flesh when exposed to air--immediately place the peeled fruit in lemon juice until you are ready to use it.)

Bananas--Look for bananas which are firm, bright in appearance, and free from bruises or other injury. Avoid bruised fruit (which means rapid deterioration and waste); discolored skins (a sign of decay); a dull grayish, aged appearance (showing the bananas have been exposed to cold and will not ripen properly). Occasionally, the skin may be entirely brown and yet the flesh will still be in prime condition.

Grapefruit--Look for firm, well shaped fruits--heavy for their size, which are usually the best eating. Thin skinned fruits have more juice than coarse skinned ones. If a grapefruit is pointed at the stem end, it is likely to be thick skinned. Rough, ridged, or wrinkled skin can also be an indication of thick skin, pulpiness, and lack of juice. Grapefruit often has skin defects--such as scale, scars, thorn scratches, or discoloration--which usually do not affect the eating quality of the fruit.

Lemons--Look for lemons with a rich yellow color, reasonably smooth textured skin with a slight glow and those which are firm and heavy. A pale or greenish yellow color means very fresh fruit with slightly higher acidity. Coarse or rough skin texture is a sign of thick skin and not much flesh. Avoid lemons with a darker yellow or dull color, or with hardening or shriveling of the skin (signs of age), and those with soft spots, mold on the surface, and punctures of the skin (signs of decay).

Cantaloupe--Look for the three major signs of full maturity. 1) The stem should be cone, leaving a smooth symmetrical, shallow basin called a "full slip." (If all or part of the stem base remains or if the stem scar is jagged or torn, the melon is probably not fully matured). 2) The netting or veining, should be thick, coarse and like cork--and should stand out in bold relief over some part of the surface. 3) The skin color (ground color) between the netting should have changed from green to a yellowish-buff, yellowish gray, or pale yellow. But also look for signs of ripeness, for a cantaloupe will have a yellowish cast to the rind, have a pleasant cantaloupe odor when held to the nose, and will yield slightly to light thumb pressure on the blossom end of the melon. Most cantaloupes are quite firm when freshly displayed in retail stores. While some may be ripe, most have not yet reached their best eating stage. Hold them for two to four days at room temperature to allow completion of ripening. After conditioning the melons, some people like to place them in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving. Avoid over ripeness shown by a pronounced yellow rind color, a softening over the entire rind, and soft, watery, and insipid flesh. Small bruises normally will not hurt the fruit, but large bruised areas should be avoided, since they generally cause soft, water soaked areas underneath the rind. Mold growth on the cantaloupe--particularly in the stem scar, or if the tissue under the mold is soft and wet--is a sign of decay.

Oranges--oranges are required by strict regulations to be well matured before being harvested and shipped out of the producing state. Thus, skin color is not a reliable index of quality, and a greenish cast or green spots do not mean that the orange is immature. Often fully matured oranges will turn greenish (called re greening) late in the marketing season. Some oranges are artificially colored to improve the appearance of the fruit using gas. This practice has no effect on eating quality, but artificially colored fruits must be labeled "color added." "Russetting" is often found on Florida and Texas oranges (but not on California oranges). This is a tan, brown, or blackish mottling or specking over the skin. It has no effect on eating quality, and in fact often occurs on oranges with thin skin and superior eating quality. Look for firm and heavy oranges with fresh; bright looking skin which is reasonably smooth for the variety. Avoid light weight oranges, which are likely to lack flesh content and juice. Very rough skin texture indicates abnormally thick skin and less flesh. Dull, dry skin and spongy texture indicate aging and deteriorated eating quality. Also avoid decay--shown by cuts or skin punctures, soft spots on the surface, and discolored, weakened areas of skin around the stem end or button.

Pears look for firm pears of all varieties. Pears which are hard when you find them in the food store will probably ripen if kept at room temperature, but it is wise to select pears that have already begun to soften--to be reasonable sure that they will ripen satisfactorily. Avoid wilted or shriveled pears with dull appearing skin and slight weakening of the flesh near the stem which indicates immaturity. These pears will not ripen. Also avoid spots on the sides or blossom ends of the pear, which means that cork like tissue may be underneath.

Strawberries--Look for berries with a full red color and a brighter luster, firm flesh, and the cap stem still attached. The berries should be dry and clean, and usually medium to small strawberries have better eating quality than large ones. Avoid berries with large uncolored areas or with large seedy areas (poor in texture and flavor), a dull shrunken appearance or softness (signs of over ripeness or decay), or those with mold, which can spread rapidly from one berry to another.

Watermelons--Look for (in cut melons) firm, juicy flesh with good red color, free from white streaks; seeds which are dark brown or black. Avoid melons with pale colored flesh, and white streaks or "white heart," whitish seeds (indicating immaturity). Dry, mealy flesh or watery, stringy flesh are signs of over maturity or aging after harvest. If you want to buy an uncut watermelon, here are a few appearance factors which may be helpful (though not totally reliable) in guiding you to a satisfactory selection. The watermelon surface should be relatively smooth; the rind should have a slight dullness (neither shiny nor dull); the ends of the melon should be filled out and rounded; and the underside, or belly, of the melon should have a creamy color.

Asparagus--Look for closed, compact tips, smooth, round spears and a fresh appearance. A rich green color should cover most of the spear. Stalks should be tender almost as far down as the green extends. Avoid tips that are open and spread out, moldy or decayed tips, or ribbed spears (spears with up and down ridges, or that are not approximately round). These are all signs of aging and mean tough asparagus and poor flavor. Also avoid excessively sandy asparagus, because sand grains can lodge beneath the scales or in the tips of the spears and are difficult to remove in washing.

Beans (Snap Beans)--Look for a fresh, bright appearance with good color for the variety. Get young, tender beans with pods in firm, crisp condition. No large lumps. Avoid wilted or flabby bean pods, serious blemishes and decay. Thick, tough, fibrous pods indicate over maturity.

Broccoli--Look for a firm, compact cluster of small flower buds, with none opened enough to show the bright yellow flower. Bud clusters should be dark green or sage green or even green with a decidedly purplish cast. Stems should not be too thick or tough. Avoid broccoli with spread bud clusters, enlarged or open buds, yellowish green color, or wilted condition--signs of over maturity and over long display in the store. Also avoid broccoli with soft, slippery, water soaked spots on a bud cluster. These are signs of decay.

Cabbage--Avoid new cabbage with wilted or decayed outer leaves or with leaves turning decidedly yellow. Worm eaten outer leaves often indicated that the worm injury penetrates into the head. Store cabbage with the outer leaves badly discolored, dried, or decayed probably is over aged. Separation of the stems of leaves from the central stem at the base of the head also indicated over age.

Carrots--Avoid roots with large green sunburned areas at the top which must be trimmed and roots which are flabby from wilting or show spots of soft decay.

Cauliflower--Look for white to creamy white, compact, solid and clear curds. A slightly granular or a rice texture of the curd will not hurt the eating quality if the surface is compact. Ignore small green leaflets extending through the curd. If the jacket leaves are attached, a good green color is a sign of freshness. Avoid a spreading of the curd (a sign of aging or over maturity). Also avoid sever wilting or many discolored spots, on the curd. A smudgy or speckled appearance of the curd is a sign of insect injury, mold growth or decay and should be avoided.

Celery--Avoid wilted celery and celery with flabby upper branches or leaf stems. You can freshen celery somewhat by placing the butt end in water, but badly wilted celery will never become really fresh again. Also avoid celery with pithy, hollow, or discolored centers in the branches. Celery with internal discoloration will show some gray or brown on the inside surface of the larger branches near where they are attached to the base of the stalk.

Corn--Look for ears that are well covered with plump, not-too-mature kernels. Avoid ears with underdeveloped kernels which lace yellow color (in yellow corn), old ears with very dark yellow kernels with depressed areas on the outer surface. Also avoid ears of corn with yellowed wilted, or dried husks, or discolored and dried out stem ends.

Cucumbers--Look for cucumbers with good green color which are firm over their entire length. Good cucumbers typically have many small lumps on their surfaces. They may also have some white or greenish white color and still be of top quality. Avoid overgrown cucumbers which are large in diameter and have a dull color, turning yellowish. Also avoid cucumbers with whithered or shriveled ends--sighs of toughness and bitter flavor.

Greens--Avoid leaves with coarse, fibrous stems, yellowish green color, softness (a sign of decay), or a wilted condition. Also avoid greens with evidence of insects--especially aphids--which are sometimes hard to see, and equally hard to wash away.

Lettuce--Avoid heads of iceberg type which are very hard and which lack green color (signs of over maturity). Such heads sometimes develop discoloration in the center of the leaves (the mid ribs), and may have a less attractive flavor. Also avoid heads with irregular shapes and hard bumps on top, which indicated the presence of overgrown central stems.

Mushrooms--Look for young mushrooms that are small to medium size. Caps should be either closed around the stem or moderately open with pink or light tan gills. The surface of the cap should be white or creamy--or light brown from some producing areas. Avoid over ripe mushrooms (shown by wide-opened caps and dark, discolored gills underneath) and those with pitted or seriously discolored caps.

Okra--Look for tender pods (the tips will bend easily with very slight pressure) under 4 1/2" long. Avoid tough, fibrous pods, indicated by tips which are stiff and resist bending, or by a very hard body of the pod, or by pale, faded green color.

Onions--Look for hard or firm onions which are dry and have small necks. They should be covered with papery outer scales and reasonably free from green sunburn spots, and other blemishes. Avoid onions with decay. Also avoid onions with thick, hollow, woody centers in the neck or with fresh sprouts.

Peppers--Avoid peppers with very thin walls (shown by light weight and flimsy sides), peppers that are wilted or punctured through the walls, and peppers with soft watery spots on the sides (evidence of decay).

Potatoes--Look for (in general purpose and baking potatoes) reasonably smooth, well-shaped, firm potatoes free from blemishes, sunburn, and decay. These potatoes should be relatively free from skinned surfaces. Avoid potatoes with large cuts or bruises (they'll mean waste in peeling), those with a green color (probably caused by sunburn or exposure to light in the store), and potatoes showing any signs of decay. Also avoid sprouted or shriveled potatoes.

Squash (Summer)--Look for squash that are tender and well developed, firm, fresh appearing, and well formed. You can identify a tender squash because the skin is glossy instead of dull, and it is neither hard nor tough.

Squash (Fall and Winter)--Look for full maturity, indicated by a hard, tough rind. Also look for squash that is heavy for its size (meaning a thick wall, and more edible flesh). Slight variations in skin color do not affect flavor.

Tomatoes--Avoid over ripe and bruised tomatoes (they're both soft and watery) and tomatoes with sunburn (green or yellow areas near the stem scar) and growth cracks (deep cracks around the stem scar). Also avoid decayed tomatoes which will have soft, water-soaked spots, depressed areas or surface mold.

Carolyn's Recipe Corner

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