FRUITS

APPLES

Choose firm apples of good color and flavor. Immature apples are poor in color and flavor and shrivel after storage. Overripe apples are mealy and poor in flavor. Brown tinted irregular area on surface is called scald. It is cased by gases given off by apples during storage. If slight, it affects quality very little.

APRICOTS

Are usually picked slightly immature. Best quality, tree ripened cannot be shipped so they are found only near growing areas. Select plump, firm uniformly colored fruit. Immature fruit is greenish yellow, hard and slightly shriveled; lacks flavor. Ripe fruit is very perishable; avoid bruised fruit.

AVOCADOS

May vary from spherical to pear shaped, 5 ounces to 3 pounds, thin smooth skin to thick rough skin, green to almost black. Shape, size and skin do not indicate quality. Select bright fresh looking fruit just beginning o soften; avoid bruised fruit. Light brown irregular marking does not affect quality. Decay indicated by dark sunken spots.

BANANAS

Have the best flavor if harvested green. Buy yellow rip or full ripe fruit. Good eating quality indicated by a full yellow or red color flecked with brown. Avoid soft, mushy fruit, blackened areas or mold. Bananas that have become too cold will not ripen properly and will be of poor flavor.

BLACKBERRIES, DEWBERRIES, LOGANBERRIES, RASPBERRIES

Should have a bright, clean, fresh plump appearance and solid full color. Overripe berries are dull in color, soft and leaky. Leaky berries stain the inside of the container. Adhering caps indicate unripe fruit.

BLUEBERRIES and HUCKLEBERRIES

Select plump, fresh looking, clean and dry berries that are free from trash. Deep full color indicates good quality; mold indicates decay. Moisture indicates breakdown of the fruit. Overripe fruit is dull and lifeless. Berries held long after picking are dull and shriveled.

CHERRIES

Select sweet cherries for eating and tart cherries for cooking. Bright fresh appearance, plumpness and good color indicate good quality. Unripe fruit is small, hard, poor in color, usually acid. Overripe fruit is soft, dull in color, shriveled and leaky. Avoid bruised fruit and fruit with small brown circular spots.

CRANBERRIES

Should have fresh, plump appearance, firmness and luster to indicate good quality. Avoid shriveled, dull, soft or moist berries.

FRESH FIGS

Choose fully ripe and soft figs. Color and size depend upon variety. Ripe figs sour and ferment quickly. Odor indicates souring. Avoid bruised fruit.

GRAPEFRUIT

Russet on fruit does not affect flavor. Should be firm and springy, not soft or flabby. Should be heavy for their size. Decay indicated by soft discolored area at button end.

GRAPES

Grapes to be served on the stem should be firm, highly colored and should adhere to the stem. For juice, ripeness is essential but compactness or shattering from stem are not important. Frozen grapes have poor flavor; indicated by dullness, stickiness, shattering from the stem. Decay indicated by mold, wet berries and stained containers.

LEMONS

Select heavy ones with smooth textured skins. Avoid decay at stem end or soft, spongy fruit.

LIMES

Select green, heavy fruit. Surface blemishes do not indicate poor fruit. Yellow fruit is not acid enough.

ORANGES

Select firm, heavy fruit. Surface blemishes fo not affect fruit. Avoid light, puffy fruit with badly creased skins.

PEACHES

Should be free from blemishes, firm, fresh appearing with whitish or yellowish ground color. Green ground color indicates fruit was picked too soon to allow ripening. Select overripe fruit only for immediate consumption. Worminess is shown by small holes from which gum exudes. Decay spreads rapidly.

PEARS

Firm, not hard, free from blemish, clean, not misshapen, wilted or shriveled. Soft at the base of the stem, for immediate consumption. Wilted or shriveled fruits have been picked too early and will never ripen or have good flavor. Avoid fruit with water soaked appearance.

PINEAPPLES

Are picked in slightly immature state. Ripe pineapple has a dark orange yellow color and a fragrant odor and the eyes are flat. Select fruit relatively heavy for its size. If picked when too immature fruit will not ripen, will be dull and lifeless, often yellow, eyes poorly developed or pointed. Avoid bruised fruit. Fruit loses moisture if held a long time, shrinks in size, color darkens. Decays rapidly; look for dark areas at the base or around eyes, sour odor, mold, moisture. Light colored areas on side indicates sunburn. Fruit will be hard dry and pithy if burnt.

PLUMS and PRUNES

Ripe fruit is plump and yields to slight pressure. Immature fruit is hard, shriveled, poor in color and flavor. Overmature fruit is soft, leaky and insipid. Brownish color on side indicates sunburn and the flavor is likely to be poor.

QUINCES

Good fruit is hard, free from blemish, greenish yellow. Immature fruit is green and lacks flavor.

RHUBARB

Choose fresh, firm, crisp, tender, thick stalks.

STRAWBERRIES

Choose bright, clean berries of solid red color and with caps attached. Small, misshapen berries have poor flavor and often have small hard green areas.

MELONS

CANTALOUPES

Scar at stem end should be slightly sunken and calloused. Do not depend on softening at stem end; repeated pressure will produce this on immature fruit. Pronounced yellowing indicates overripeness. Netting should be coarse, corky and grayish. Avoid bruised or flabby fruit. Decay shows as soft sunken spots, mold, or moisture at stem end.

CASABA

Select melon of yellow colored rind, softening at the blossom end. Immaturity is shown by firmness and greenish white color; decay by dark sunken areas.

HONEY BALL or HONEYDEW

Choose a melon with rind of light yellow which yields slightly to pressure. Dark sunken spots show decay. Flavor will be good if spots have not penetrated the rind. Greenish white color and hardness show immaturity.

WATERMELONS

Should be firm, symmetrical, fresh, good color, a bloom on surface, lower side yellowish. Immature melons are hard, unripe in appearance, underside is white or pale green. Over-mature melons are dull, lifeless, and feel springy to the touch. Misshapen melons are usually of poor quality. Worm injury is shown as healed punctures or burrows. Decay occurs at stem and spreads rapidly. Fresh cut stems are often painted with copper sulphate paste to prevent decay. Decay at blossom end is shown by a flat, dry, leathery spot. Dark, sunken watery spots on body of melon do not affect quality if flesh is not penetrated.