Tips on Buying Fresh Fruit
Whether you like fruit in your meals or on their own, here are a few tips on buying fresh fruit.
- Buy in season – in season fruits come from closer to home and generally offer much better flavor
- Buy fruits in open bins – so you can select the exact items you want. Fruits in a bag often include some damaged goods.
- Smell the fruit – they’ll usually smell sweet when ripe or sour if beginning to spoil
- Feel for a tender texture – fruits that don’t have a thick skin will have a little bit of give when ready to consume
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What color should a mango be to eat right away and what color should it be to leave it to eat in a couple of days? Thanks!
Hi Barb, great question! If you’re checking ripeness by color, it depends on the type of mango. Some are ripe when they’re bright red or yellow, others remain completely green! The best ways to check are by touch and smell. If you squeeze gently and there’s a little give, you can be almost certain they’re ready to go. The greatest tell could be the heavenly sweet aroma you smell from a really ripe mango. Really ripe mangoes have a very strong, sweet smell. Use them within a few days or they may become overly soft.
Bear in mind that for some of the mango recipes you’ll find on this site, you’ll want to use the mango when it’s almost ripe, rather than fully ripe. Make sure to check what the recipe requires before incorporating. A very ripe mango will turn a vegetable salad into a fruit salad. An unripe mango will make your key lime pie or martini more sour than sweet. Good luck!
I’m from New York and love Caribbean food and praise Chef Irie for his Television program on Create TV. Hurrah, and thank you for sharing your recipes.
Thank you so much! Happy New Year to you!