Choose in-season
fruits. Generally, the closer you are to the source and the season, the
fresher the produce and the better it tastes.
Select fruits that
feel heavy for their size. Heaviness is a sign of juiciness.
Smell fruits for
characteristic aromas. Fruits should generally have their characteristic
ripe scent but not smell overly ripe.
Test the texture. An
apple that feels mushy to the touch probably is too ripe.
However, an avocado
with a somewhat spongy texture is ideal.
Read the labels on
packaged fruits. Look for frozen fruits processed without added sugar.
Choose fruit canned in water or fruit juice.
Storing
Keep fruits at room
temperature to ripen them. Fruits such as bananas, pears, nectarines and
kiwi may be picked early and sold at grocery stores before they're ripe. To
ripen, leave the fruit out of the refrigerator for several days.
Store ripe fruits in
the refrigerator. The cool temperature slows the ripening process, giving
you longer storage times. The length of time you can store fruit depends on
the type of fruit and how ripe it is at the time of purchase.
Throw away produce
you've kept too long. Discard fruit that's moldy or slimy, smells bad, or is
past the "best if used by" date shown on the package.
Freeze fruits for
long-term storage. You can freeze many types of fruit for up to one year.
Grapes, cherries, berries and melon freeze particularly well. For best
results, cut larger fruit into smaller chunks and remove the skin of
peaches, apples and nectarines before freezing. Place in a single layer on a
cookie sheet and put in the freezer. Once frozen, take the fruit off the
cookie sheet and put into freezer bags for long-term storage.
Fresh fruit is best, but
frozen fruits with no added sugar and fruits canned in their own juice or
water are also excellent. If you're losing weight, use fruit juice and dried
fruits, such as raisins and prunes, sparingly because they're a concentrated
source of calories.
