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When Purchasing Fruits:

• Look for fruits that are free from blemishes.
• Berries should be plump, juicy and of great color.
• Citrus fruits are best if the skins are not too thick and should be free of green splotches on the surface.
  When buying individually, look for citrus that is comparibly heavy with vivid colors.
• Apples will have good color to them without dents or soft spots, and free from obvious bruising.
• Look for bananas without green at the tips. Avoid those bunches with damaged, cut or broken-skin bananas.
• Kiwis are best when firm but yield slightly to a soft touch. Avoid those fruits that are rock hard or are overly soft.
• Avoid green mangos. Popular varieties of ripe mangos will usually have "sunset" colors (red, yellow and orange).
• Passion fruit has a dimpled skin when ripe, and is purple-brown in color.

Storing and Serving Fruits:

• Soft berries (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, loganberries, Marionberries, mulberries, blueberries) should be used within a couple days of purchasing them.
• Grapes, if kept dry and chilled, can be kept stored for much longer periods.
• Bananas are full flavored when the skins become speckled with brown. When cooking on the stovetop with bananas though, use them slightly underripe. When baking, the opposite holds true: bananas are great used when they are fully ripened and skins have become brown and flesh soft.

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When Purchasing Vegetables:

• Root vegetables should be firm and uncut.
• Lettuce and greens should be wilt-free with firm leaves and/or stalks.
• Look for tomatoes that have firm skins, without tears, punctures or soft spots.
• Onions, shallots and garlic: all should be firm without shriveled skins or soft spots.
• Green beans should be crisp with a bright color.
• Look for peppers with thick walls or sides to them (no soft or thin sides).
• Corn's silk tops should not have any decaying parts and the bottom part shouldn't be dried out.
  Kernals should be even and plump.
• Look for cucumbers with an even, deep color free from soft spots.
• Eggplants should be unwrinkled and glossy in color.
• Winter squash: hard, unblemeshed skins.
• Summer squash: firm flesh with a soft skin. Avoid those with blemishes and soft spots.

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When you purchase them is an indication of the quality: buy them in season. Througout the year, look for these fruits in vegetables in the selected months for peak seasons. The seasons may change depending on where you are located.

• Fruits:
• Strawberries—May through July
• Apples—Fall Months
• Blueberries—July
• Kiwi Fruit—Winter Months
• Pineapple and Rhubarb—Spring Months
• Persimmons, Quince and Pears—October and November 
• Plums, Peaches and Apricots—July
• Vegetables:
  • Green Beans—Late Summer
  • Broccoli—July and September
  • Peppers and Chilies—July and Late Summer
  • Tomatoes—August
  • Summer Squash—Late Summer
  • Winter Squash—Late Fall
  • Cucumber—July