6 April 2018 - Shop Local. Shop Seasonal.

Guidelines for Buying Fresh Fruit

"Fresh fruits are available in fairly good supply in our stores through most of the year, but quality is usually higher and prices more reasonable if you make it a point to buy a particular fruit in its most abundant season."

Buying fruit when it is in season is always best. You want to get produce at it's peak for optimum flavor and quality.

The USDA has a Seasonal Produce Guide.

Our Almanac even suggests reading the newspaper for clues to see when fruits will be available in which season.

Here are some tips on buying fresh fruits:

Low Prices

Low prices means that the item is in abundance. Don't go too crazy when prices drop! You could end up throwing out food you didn't eat. So don't waste your money when the sales come.

Don't Buy by Size Alone

Large-sized fruit doesn't really meant that it is the best quality. Select fruit that is best suited for your needs.

Appearances can be Deceiving

Sometimes a fruit can look good on the outside.

Can you see the differences in these strawberries?

The top is a farm fresh strawberry. The bottom is a store bought variety.

The reason the store bought strawberry looks so white is because it is picked before it is ripe so it won't spoil before reaching the store.

Now there are some arguments about this because some strains of strawberries do look different. However, it is true of most store produces that they need to have some form of shelf life. To achieve this most fruits and veggies are harvested before they ripen.

Don't Pinch!

Don't treat your produce rough. Unless you are both into it. Seriously though, dropping, tossing, and mishandling can cause your produce to spoil faster.

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So there you go!

I would just really suggest that for the best quality produce, find a farmers market. Visit local farms. Support your local farmer. Most small local farms will be organic and family run. They need our support now more than ever!

Most American farms rely on trade exports to sustain them.

Recently, China declared tariffs on some items that American farms export for extra profits.

With tariffs looming over them, they will have to rely more on local sales to sustain their way of life.

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