Produce 101 - Winter Squash



Produce 101 - Winter Squash

Picking the best

When selecting winter squash (hard squash), the shell should be intact and show no decay. Winter squash seeds are expected to be hard and inedible and are scooped out before or after cooking. Avoid squash that shows any soft or watery areas.

Storing

Winter squash should be stored at room temperature, refrigeration will change the flavor and texture. Squash properly stored should keep up to a month or more. Cut squash should be tightly sealed in a plastic bag or wrap up to a week.

Produce 101 - Cauliflower



Produce 101 - Cauliflower

Picking the best

Cauliflower is a member of the cabbage family and a first cousin of the broccoli in which they are both served practically the same way. When selecting cauliflower look for ivory white heads and avoid spotted, speckled or bruised heads. Size of heads may vary but this bears no relation to the eating quality.

Storing

Refrigerate cauliflower in an open plastic bag unwashed to maintain freshness. Cauliflower will last up to four days refrigerated and unwashed, wash cauliflower only when ready to be prepared

Produce 101 - Cucumbers



Produce 101 - Cucumbers

Picking the best

When selecting cucumbers look for firm, heavy and dark green color skin. The color of the cucumber is very important, as the older ones will turn yellow or dull green. Baby cucumbers and green house cucumbers (English cucumber) will have fewer seeds and milder in flavor.

Storing

Cucumbers can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator unwashed. Sliced or cut cucumbers should be stored in a sealed container refrigerated and used within a day or two.

Produce 101 - Eggplant



Produce 101 - Eggplant

Picking the best

Eggplant comes in a variety of colors including white, purple, purple-black, yellowish-white, red or striped. Most eggplants that are cultivated are the dark purple, egg shaped variety, but skinny long Japanese eggplant is popular as well. When selecting eggplant look for glossy, dark color skin that covers the entire fruit. Heaviness and firmness is also important in selecting eggplant. Eggplants with a diameter of three to six inches will have fewer seeds and firmer texture.

Storing

Store eggplant in the refrigerator unwashed and in a sealed plastic bag for up to a week.

Produce 101 - Fennel



Produce 101 - Fennel

Picking the best

When selecting fennel (also known as finocchio), the stocks should be fresh, clean, crisp and solid. The bulbs should be firm and clean with stocks still intact.

Storing

Store fennel in refrigerator unwashed for up to four days

Produce 101 - Green Beans

Produce 101 - Green Beans

Picking the best

When selecting green beans look for long, straight beans that are free of decay and rust spots. Green beans should snap easily when bent.

Storing

Store unwashed fresh green beans in a resealable plastic bag for up to 4 days. Wash just before using, removing strings and ends if necessary.

Produce 101 - Grapes



Produce 101 - Grapes

Picking the best

When selecting grapes, choose those bunches that are well formed and look fresh. Color is a good guide to ripeness; fully ripened grapes are fairly soft to the touch and tender to the taste. Unlike other fruit, grapes will not ripen in color, sugar content or quality after they are harvested from the vine

Storing

Store grapes unwashed in an open plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. Freezing grapes is a simple but useful way to store grapes, simply wash and pat dry the grapes, and then arrange individual grapes in a single layer on a sheet freeze and then transfer to an airtight container or plastic freezer bag.

Produce 101 - Cabbage

Produce 101 - Cabbage

Picking the best

When selecting cabbage look for well-trimmed, reasonably solid heads that are heavy for their size and show no discolored veins. Cabbage comes in a variety of types including green, red, savoy, bok choy, and napa cabbage. Although bok choy and napa cabbage is a different species altogether, they are still a part of the brassica family.

Storing

Cut cabbage should be used within two days of processing and to protect it from discoloration spray a little lemon juice on the shredded cabbage. Whole cabbage will last up to four weeks depending on type and variety. Green and red cabbage will last the longest, while the looser heads of the savoy, napa and bok choy will not last as long. Like most vegetables store unwashed to retain freshness and will last the longest in an unsealed plastic bag.

Produce 101 - Lemons and Limes



Produce 101 - Lemons and Limes

Picking the best

A easy rule in selecting citrus fruit is that they should feel firm and heavy for their size. Good color, shiny peel and a fresh appearance are also important. Avoid fruit that is misshapen or obviously damaged. Thinner-skinned fruits tend to be juicier than those with thicker skins.

Storing

Refrigerate limes and lemons up to three weeks. At room temperature and away from direct sunlight lemons and limes will last up to a week. When sliced they should be refrigerated immediately.

Produce 101 - Brussell Sprouts



Coupon 101 - Brussell Sprouts

How to pick

Brussels sprouts look like miniature cabbages and received their name from the Belgian city of Brussels, where they were first grown in the 13-century. When selecting brussel sprouts look for firm, compact, fresh, and good green color. When possible, select sprouts of uniform size for uniform cooking.

Storing

Refrigerate brussel sprouts in an open plastic bag unwashed to maintain freshness. Broccoli will last up to four days refrigerated and unwashed, wash broccoli only when ready to be prepared

Produce 101 - Grapefruit



Produce 101 - Grapefruit

Pick the best

When selecting grapefruit like any other citrus fruit look for heavy, firm and smooth texture, with a well rounded or flattened shape will indicate a juicy grapefruit. Avoid grapefruit that is coarse, puffy and rough. Since grapefruit is three quarters liquid heaviness is a good indication of juice content. Do not worry about color when selecting grapefruit; color can range from pale yellow to russet or bronze. Brightly colored fruit is naturally more appealing but it does not mean it is going to be juicier or taste better. Minor surface blemishes do not affect the eating quality, although the presence of a bad bruise may indicate some internal breakdown.

Storing

 Store grapefruit at room temperature up to a week and four weeks in the refrigerator.

Produce 101 - Garlic



Produce 101 - Garlic

Picking the best

When selecting garlic look for garlic bulbs that are large with a few layers of husk around the bulb Heavier the bulb fresher the garlic will be and bulbs that are light for their size usually indicate that they are older. Elephant garlic is similar to regular garlic in appearance with a milder flavor. Elephant garlic is not a true garlic at all, but is actually a type of leek.

Storing

When selecting garlic look for garlic bulbs that are large with a few layers of husk around the bulb Heavier the bulb fresher the garlic will be and bulbs that are light for their size usually indicate that they are older. Elephant garlic is similar to regular garlic in appearance with a milder flavor. Elephant garlic is not a true garlic at all, but is actually a type of leek.

Produce 101 - Cantaloupe



Produce 101 - Cantaloupe

Picking the best

Look for a smooth, rounded, depressed scar at the stem end. This indicates melon was picked at full maturity and separated easily from the stem. Avoid bruised or damaged fruit.

Storing

Ripe melons should be refrigerated for a few days while a watermelon should be stored at room temperature for five to seven days. Once a melon is cut it needs to be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator up to five days.

Produce 101 - Broccoli



Produce 101 - Brocolli

Picking the best

Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family and a first cousin of the cauliflower in which they are both served practically the same way. When selecting broccoli look for plenty of green coloring of the heads as well as the leaves and stems. Size of heads may vary but this bears no relation to the eating quality. Broccoli floret buds should be dark green or purplish-green with tight and compact buds. The more yellow the floret the less desirable and fresh the broccoli is.

Storing

Refrigerate broccoli in an open plastic bag unwashed to maintain freshness. Broccoli will last up to four days refrigerated and unwashed, wash broccoli only when ready to be prepared

Produce 101 - Oranges and Nectarines



Produce 101 - Oranges and Nectarines

Picking the best

When selecting oranges the simple rule for choosing citrus fruits is that they should feel firm and heavy for their size. Good color and a fresh appearance are also important. Avoid fruit that is misshapen or obviously damaged. Thinner-skinned fruits tend to be juicier than those with thicker skins. Tangerine is another name for the Mandarin orange variety

Storing

Oranges will keep at room temperature for three or four days and up to two weeks if refrigerated. Mandarins and tangelos are more delicate and should not be kept at room temperature for more than a day or two, and will last up to a week in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.

Produce 101 - Green Onions



Produce 101 - Green Onions

Picking the best

When selecting green onions, they should have good, green-colored tops and white, bleached stems up to about three inches from the root. Also referred to as scallions, green onions have long, delicate stalks and small white bulbs. They are milder tasting than large-bulb onions, and are sold in bunches.

Storing

Store green onions in a plastic bag in the refrigerator up to five days. Store produce and other foods away from green onions in witch they may absorb the odor of the onion.

Produce 101 - Cranberries



Produce 101 - Cranberries

Picking the best

When selecting cranberries look for glossy, firm, plump and red berries. Cranberries that are shriveled, dull in appearance, softness or stickiness, is undesirable.

Storing

 Storing cranberries is as easy as placing the sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to two months. Freezing cranberries is also simple; place sealed plastic bag in freezer for future needs for up to a year.

Produce 101 - Lettuce



Produce 101 - Lettuce

Picking the best

When selecting lettuce it should be fresh looking, free from damage or blemishes. Heads should be “spring-firm” and give slightly to gentle pressure. Avoid hard, heavy heads, which are likely to be over mature and bitter. They have overdeveloped cores, which yield less usable lettuce.

Storing

Store all lettuces in the refrigerator away from ethylene gas producers like apples to avoid brown spots on their leaves. Do not wash lettuce until ready for use and tear leaves by hand. Metal knives will cause browning on the leaves.

Produce 101 - Mushrooms



Produce 101 - Mushrooms

Picking the best

Avoid withered mushrooms, since this is a sign of age. Mushrooms that look bright and attractive are generally a good sign of being fresh. An open “veil” around the base of the cap is also a sign of old age, but not necessarily a bad choice. Open “veil” mushrooms are usually richer in flavor and are good sautéed and in sauces.

Storing

Fresh mushrooms should be stored unwashed in the refrigerator where they can be kept for two or three days. Mushrooms should be kept in a brown paper bag instead of a plastic bag where the moisture can be trapped and make them slimy

Produce 101 - Coconuts



Produce 101 - Coconuts

Picking the best

When selecting coconuts look for those that are heavy for their size and in which the coconut water swishes around when shaken

Storing

Coconuts can be stored at room temperature for two weeks without loss of quality.