Q: Now that it is almost summer, I want to choose the best fruit. How do I know which to choose, and what is the best way to store them? Martha S. of Red Bank
A: Ranging from blueberries and melons to plums galore, organic fruit is your best bet, according to Angelo Gallo of the produce department at Whole Foods Market in Middletown.
“Organics really have the best produce,” Gallo said. “They have great quality, and the taste is excellent. There also is a lower use of pesticides.”
Specific organic fruits Gallo recommends are grapes, strawberries and other berries. One downside to organic fruit, Gallo mentioned, is that it often molds more quickly than nonorganic fruit.
Gallo said June is the month to take home plums, pluots, blueberries and grapes. Moving into July, buy peaches, nectarines, melons and apricots through August.
Gallo said to pick up the fruit and look it over carefully to ensure the best quality. Fruit should be firm and have no bruises or blemishes.
“You want to make sure nothing is too soft or mealy,” he said.
If you see people tapping on a watermelon like a bongo drum, Gallo says, that’s a technique for testing how ripe the popular summer fruit really is.
“If the bottom is a lighter color than the rest of the watermelon, and you hear a hollow sound with a little bit of a pitch after knocking on it, it will be overripe on the inside,” he said.
As for color, Gallo says darker is better for many fruits, such as berries, pluots and plums.
When picking grapes, he said to make sure the stems are green.
Melons such as cantaloupes should have a lighter color inside the exterior webbing, Gallo explained. Other melons, such as honeydew, should have yellow streaks on the skin, which indicate ripeness.
Use your sense of smell as well when picking the best summer fruit, Gallo said.
“Smell for something sweet around the navel,” he said. “You will always get a good melon that way.”
Last but not least, Gallo encourages the public to find produce that is as local as possible. Whole Foods puts up signs to indicate produce that is grown locally.
He explained that when produce is local, residents are supporting their community, and they know the conditions in which it was grown.
Gallo says for storage purposes, if fruit won’t be consumed within two days of purchase, put it in the refrigerator shortly after you get home. There is no need to wrap or seal it.
Also, Gallo said not to wash fruit before putting it in the fridge. Before it’s consumed, wash the fruit in cold water.