Cheri Semple from ezmeals4u.com has a fantastic ezine called "Feeding Frenzy". One of her recent emails featured a great article on how to choose the best produce and I thought it would be great to share - especially now that I've shown you FridgeSmart!

Selecting the Best Produce (by Cheri Semple)

·  Look for the brightest colored vegetables, with clean, blemish free skins

·    Choose in season vegetables - you'll get the best quality and best quality.

·    Buy only what you plan to eat in the next few days - since most Farmers Markets are weekly events, just plan on enough to keep until next weeks market

·    Don't buy items even with small nicks and blemishes. This bit of damage can attract mold and contaminate a whole batch of vegetables when storing. You can make an exception if you know you will be eating the blemished item in the next day or freezing it.

·    Look for greens that are fresh and not wilted.

·        Please bear in mind that organic fruits and vegetables may not look as colorful or smooth as inorganically grown ones but they often taste better. As a general rule, try to avoid those that have any blemishes in them.

Given below are some of the common fruits and vegetables you use every day and the tips to ensure that you are picking up the good ones.

Broccoli
They should have dark green florets and should be crisp. There should be no yellow flowers.

Carrots
Always choose well-shaped, smooth, firm and bright. Don't pick up the ones with splits or wilting.

Cauliflower
Check whether there are any dark spots. If they have black spots then avoid those cauliflowers. Try to pick the ones with firm white heads.

Celery
Pick up the celery with light green crisp leaves.

Cherries
Dark sweet cherries are deep red and some are almost black. One of the bad things about cherries is that they bruise easily. Because of this you should ensure that you should consume it as quickly as possible. The fresh varieties comes to the market in May to August time period.

Corn
Choose the one with fresh husks, bright color and silk ends. They should be plump but not mature.

Cucumbers
Cucumbers will be having green to white green color when ripe. Shriveled ends yield bitter, tough taste and texture.  Place cucumbers on the top shelf of the refrigerator to keep them from partially freezing. Wrap fresh corn in a damp cloth and store it still in its husk on a shelf.

Garlic
Select the Plump ones with firm bulbs.  Onions, potatoes and garlic should be stored in a basket or wire bin in a dark place

Lemons and limes
For more juice, choose smooth skin and a thin peel that gives easily to hand pressure. For zest or slicing, choose firm, rough skinned fruit. Avoid the limes with yellow spots.

Onions
Choose brittle paper skin. There should not be any soft or moldy spots. Sprouting or woody center indicates spoilage. Onions should be stored in a dry place at room temperature other wise there is a chance of them getting spoiled fast.  Onions, potatoes and garlic should be stored in a basket or wire bin in a dark place

Parsley
Choose the ones that are fresh looking and not wilted. Trim and inch of the stem bottoms and store the bunched parsley in a glass of water in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.

Peas
Always remember that the peas are sweetest when plump. Choose full pods and pale green color. Fresh peas are available from February to September period.

Raspberries
Berries mold rapidly and crush easily. Prepare and use within a 24-hour period. Fresh raspberries are available from May to January.

Strawberries
Select the ones that have a deep bright color with full green caps.

Tomatoes
Color can vary depending on variety. Choose tomatoes that appear firm, plump, well shaped and smooth. They should not have any blemishes. To ripen them evenly, place in a closed paper bag.  Remember that a tomato is actually a berry. It should be stored on the countertop, stem side down and away from direct sunlight.