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Picking Produce
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shellyindallas
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May 10, 2008 08:06AM
Do any of you have any tips about how to pick produce. I always have a hard time w/ oranges (hit or miss; usually buy the dry ones), cucumbers (always make me nervous), melons (are you seriously supposed to thump?), and plums (can be too tart).
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I can help with plums & nectarines. We have a farmer's market in Pleasanton on Saturdays, and I was looking at nectarines when the helpful young lady selling them told me to buy the ones with the little dots on the skins. She said those are sugar spots and indicate that the fruit is sweet (the more dots the better).Honestly, I pick up the oranges and melons and smell them. If they smell like what they are, they are usually ok.
Sometimes when it comes to produce, I depend more on the store than the actual fruit. For instance, I've had really bad luck with oranges from our big chain grocery, but good luck (always) from Whole Foods, so I tend to buy some things from the big one (avocados, cukes) but most from WF (which also helps with buying organic). I can't say I've ever had problems buying cukes - as long as they're firm, they've been fine for me.
I don't usually buy plums (or nectarines) for the very reason Shelly mentioned, but I'm going to try Michelle's tip and see if I have more luck.
One great thing they've started doing at our big grocery is having samples for a lot of the fruit. That way you can taste before you buy, and I have to admit that I'm much more likely to buy an unusual fruit if I've tasted it and know that it's ripe/good.
yeah, good point Val, samples are always good.and, yeah, whole foods is always a safe bet for fresh produce.
the thing is, and this is what sucks about things and life in general, not everyone can afford the good stuff. i saw a piece on PBS recently about how the wealthier you are, the healthier you are. or at least you have a longer life span. poor, or poorer communities don't have the options middle and upper class communities do as far as food options go. And there are always way more fast food chains in the hood. also, processed food is less expensive than natural food. so even when they go to the store their lack of funds determines their menu decisions. and then we wonder why so many little ones are obese. or, we blame their parents (usually parenT).
i remember after i left whole foods the next time i shopped there i got to the checkout counter and was stunned at my total! didn't realize just how much i needed that discount.
anyway, now that i've successfully turned the pop tart thread into a political discussion i'll shut up.
mmmm. pop tarts.
oops. this isn't the pop tart thread. mmmm. fresh produce.
Great great tip for plums and nectarines! That will be so helpful - I think I have dismissed the ones with spots in the past.Cantelopes I smell where they came off the stem. Watermelons are hard - but if you lightly punch they are supposed to sound like knocking on an oak door - a very slight reverb.
You're right, Shelly. I've read the same things that you have about the availability/affordability of fresh produce for people with lower incomes. It can't be easy doing your grocery shopping at the local White Hen. I hope I didn't come off as being too blasé when I said that I just shopped at Whole Foods. I recognize it for the luxury that it is.Occasionally this winter, I took my little girl to McDonald's to take advantage of their indoor playland. I was always struck by how lunch for the two of us (including drinks) was about $7.00. It not only makes you wonder what they're putting in their food*, but it's also saddening to think about people who rely on that as one of their main food options.
*I've read Fast Food Nation, so please don't tell me what's in there. I already know (shudder).
A few years ago a politico (senator? governor?) spent a week or 2 on food stamps and says he existed on Ramen and Campbells soup. He tried to make it as healthy as he could, but it was next to impossible.Valerie - those indoor playlands rock for the little ones, when you're tired or the weather outside is bad. You are excused!
I believe it. A good book about a novelist who took low-wage jobs and then wrote about her living and work experiences is Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.
Lori: thanks for the McDonald's excuse. I have to admit that I also occasionally need the Chuck E Cheese excuse, as well :)
Ugh Chuck E Cheese - I started wearing earplugs whenever we went! lol My kid loved it there, especially that ball tower thingy.I don't know how it happened, maybe I actually rubbed off some health notions on Jake, but he has no inclination to eat at McDonalds, it's "crap food." *gasp* There's hope, Valerie!
That's funny - my daughter doesn't like McDonald's food either. She'll get a Happy Meal with nuggets and a milk, and prefers the apples to the fries. Then I have to make her eat a nugget because I want to make sure she's had enough to eat... then I stop and think, why am I forcing her to eat this stuff?And then I remember below zero WI winter days three months in a row and the indoor playland.
We had every do McDonalds. My kids don't like it much. I'm a vegetarian. I think my kids think they're supposed to like McDonalds more than anything. My kids get the same exact happy meals, Val...
Ah...McD's...I don't miss those days. My teens are finally at the "Yeck, let's not eat there" stage. Yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel. On picking fresh produce, I agree with smelling the melons. I smell the stem for the strongest indicator. Oranges are a bit tricky. I'd love a good suggestion for selecting only the juiciest ones.
Cucumbers are ripe as long as they are firm and do not have soft spots. I select squash and tomatoes the same way.
I've never had a bad batch of lemons or limes. It didn't seem to matter whether they had thin or thick skin. There's probably a book out there that explains the differences in vegetable species and selection...
What is it about oranges? Nobody seems to know! I don't buy them much myself - hate pulp, but I'm at a loss when I buy them for my son or friends.
Here's a page from Martha Stewart Living. It also has a printable guide that you can bring with you to the grocery store (yeah, right!). Had some good info, though:http://www.marthastewart.com/the-secr...
An excerpt from the link, discussing oranges:
Grapefruit and Oranges: Heavy for their size. Navel oranges: Avoid severe bruises and soft spots. Juice oranges and grapefruit: taut, shiny skin. Through skin, you should be able to feel the sections inside.
