How to make sure you select the ripest produce every time

Apples are easy because they are ripe when they are picked, and when kept cool, they’ll stay that way for about six weeks. Just avoid buying any apples that are bruised or have brown spots.

When it comes to avocados, the darker the rind, the riper the fruit. So bright green ones aren’t even close, dark green is almost there, and purple is perfect. If your avocado is so dark purple that it’s almost black in color, you’ve missed your chance.

This one’s pretty well known. Green bananas are a couple of days away from being ready, yellow bananas with brown specks are good to go, and brown bananas are best used for breads, muffins, and cookies. If you don’t feel like baking, peel and freeze the brown bananas for later.

Blackberries aren’t delicate like raspberries, so be sure they feel firm and aren’t soft or shriveled up. Ripe blackberries are deep purple or black in color, so you should only buy ones with this appearance, as the color won’t continue to change more with time.

As the name suggests, you want your blueberries to be blue. Any remaining red should be considered a red flag that they’re not totally ripe, and blueberries don’t continue ripening after they are picked. If there’s no mold in the package, buy it, and don’t wait too long before digging in. If you need more time, freeze them! Formerly frozen blueberries are still great in smoothies, pancakes, and oatmeal.

Don’t be shy around the cantaloupes, and grab a pair of these melons the next time you’re at the supermarket. After all, you’ll need at least three of your senses here. Ripe cantaloupes should smell sweet at the stem, but not sickly sweet. They should also give a little when squeezed and feel heavier than they look (hence the need to compare). Finally, give them a tap—if they sound hollow, they’re ripe.

You want cherries that are dark red, firm and have their stems still attached. Give them a gentle squeeze to check the firmness. If they’re lighter red in color, soft, or stemless, then keep looking.

When it comes to the rind, green is not good. Look for a creamy yellow hue instead. You’ll also want a smooth and waxy texture, not a gritty one. Finally, feel the end opposite of where the stem was, and push your finger in. You want semi-soft or springy, not hard or mushy.

Ripe kiwis will be an evenly colored brown on the outside. More importantly, they’ll give when squeezed. If you can press your thumb in just a bit, they’re ready. If not, leave the kiwis on the countertop to ripen, and transfer them to the fridge once ripe. (Or eat them!)

Limes get lighter in color as they ripen, so avoid dark green ones. The skin should be smooth, and when squeezed, it should give under slight pressure. For lemons, size is actually one of the most important indicators of ripeness, as the color can vary based on the particular variety. They should be between two and three inches long and feel firm—not hard or squishy.

Ignore the color. If you want to know if your mango is ripe, sniff it near the stem. It should smell a little sweet. Then press a finger into the exterior. If you can see an imprint from your finger, it’s ready!

If the oranges are hard, they’re not ripe yet. If they’re squishy, they’re past their prime. If they give just a little bit, they are ripe and ready. Store them in the fridge and they’ll keep for two to three weeks.

Peaches are ripe when they’re picked, so they should be ripe when you buy them. Just pass on the especially hard ones. Firm is fine, and you can put them in a brown paper bag to make them softer and juicier.

You may think pears are like apples: ripe as soon as you buy them, and generally unchanging after that. That’s not the case. Instead, they’re more like mangoes, in that you’ll want the stem end to give a little when you push your finger in, and they might smell a little sweet, too.

We love the sweet scent of pineapple, so it’s fortuitous that sniffing them is part of the process for determining ripeness. No smell? Not ripe. Vinegar smell? Too ripe. The pineapple should feel a little heavy, too.

Avoid overly soft plums. Instead, they should be firm and heavy, but still give it a little bit, especially on the end opposite the stem. If they’re too hard, use the paper bag method!

Raspberries stay ripe for about four minutes, so you gotta eat them right away. (Okay, maybe it’s more like four days.) When buying a carton, avoid any containing moldy or squished berries. If the color is starting to run on the paper towel inside the container, go with a different package.

Strawberries may have an even shorter shelf life than raspberries, so make sure your pack doesn’t have any soft, squishy, or moldy specimens. You’ll also want bright red flesh and dark green leaves, but most importantly, go by the scent. If they smell sweet, they are! If they smell sour, they won’t taste very good either.

Tomatoes are fruit, which makes sense, as, unlike vegetables, there are tricks to determining their ripeness. First, if the tomato feels a bit heavier than you might expect, that’s a good sign. Heavier equals juicer. You’ll also want them to be firm, but not hard. You should be able to give them a little squeeze and make an indentation without squishing them. 

Knock knock. Who’s there? A hollow-sounding watermelon, which is what you should be looking for—or listening for—when buying one. Also, feel for a heavier melon, and give it a sniff, as you’ll want a slightly sweet smell.