A Guide to Selecting Produce

Enjoying delicious produce starts in the grocery store, when you’re making a selection. Picking the wrong piece of fruit or a vegetable that hasn’t ripened yet will ruin your recipes and might turn you off from some nutritious options. When you go to the store to pick out fruits and veggies, keep these tips in mind to get the best produce every time.

Try Sniffing

Although most people start checking produce by looking at the color, the aroma may be a better indicator of quality. Some fruits and vegetables should have a slight fragrance, such as lemons, limes, mangos, and tomatoes. Herbs should also have a noticeable aroma. No aroma at all can mean that produce is not yet ripe enough, while strong, sweet, sticky smells indicate that produce is over-ripe and may even be rotten.

Avoid Bruising

Healthy produce doesn’t have to look pristine, and it’s normal to have a few markings on the skin. However, bruising is always something to avoid. If the skin is bruised on the outside, the inside flesh will also be damaged, and the area of damage may be larger than the area of the bruise you can see from the outside. Similarly, produce with wilting and shriveled areas of skin should also be avoided.

Consider Your Usage

Unless you’re planning to use the produce you get the day that you get it, then you will need to consider not only what it is like today but also what it will be like on the day that you plan to use it. If you want to hang on to your produce for several days, consider buying something that appears a little under-ripe now, so that it will be ready to go when it’s time to actually make use of it.

You’ll find the best produce as well as everything else on your shopping list at Villa’s Market in Nogales. Contact the store to learn more about their selection at (520) 281-9717.

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