Picking prime produce: Don’t be afraid when choosing fresh fruit at the supermarket

There's nothing like biting into your favorite fruit in summer. Fruit is available year round, but there are times when you can take advantage of the best produce money can buy, and often at better prices than you think.

Whether it's a tangy cherry or juicy watermelon, now is the time to be sure you are making the most of the fruit season.

The tomato scare may be a concern, as was the spinach concern a couple of years ago, but most Americans recognize the need for good food and produce is a healthy part of their diet. On the front lines in providing fresh, safe produce are produce managers Sandy Kasson, Skagway South; Sindy Horn, HyVee; and Cory John, Super Saver.

Picking good produce is no secret, as there are tips available for choosing every fruit and vegetable.

Take soft fruits such as plums, peaches, nectarines and apricots, for example. Have you ever selected a bagful at the market, only to find they weren't ripe when you got home? You're not alone.

 John is a veteran of more than 20 years in the grocery business and has been Super Saver's produce manager for four years. His advice? Select fruit that is soft to the touch. Color is not important.

Horn, who has been with HyVee for 19 years, said her store is so serious about its produce that it stocks a brand name to reflect its values. "Ripe and Ready" is a grower with which the store associates. If you choose that brand, produce should be ready to eat as soon as you get home.

Horn said that right now, peaches, nectarines and plums are the pick of the crop. The store also carries sweet candy cantaloupes and breakfast melons.

Kasson encourages customers to try the fruit that is in season.

"That's usually the best to buy," she said.

For example, peaches, plums and cherries are in season at this time of year. For peaches, Kasson suggests going by the smell. Ripe ones will have a peachy smell, she said.

With other fruits, it depends on an individual's taste, Kasson said. Some people like their fruit soft and ripe, while others like it firmer.

"It's all a person's own preference," she said.

Kasson said Skagway is always willing to give customers a sample taste of the fruit to help them decide.

She said Skagway likes to buy its produce locally whenever possible. That includes buying melons, squash and other produce from the St. Libory area and sweet corn from local farms.

Skagway also bought tomatoes from a "hot house" in O'Neill. "We were really fortunate to find some so close," she said.

Most produce is available year round, but certain times of the year are best for certain fruits. For example, apples are at their peak in the fall. John said there are more varieties and better quality of apples available at that time of year because they are freshly harvested then. At other times of year, you will probably end up with a Chilean apple to ensure freshness.

So what if you need fresh fruit that isn't in season? It will probably still be available, but expect to pay more and don't expect the qualilty that in-season fruit brings.

"The higher it (price) is, the lesser the quality," John said.

Beyond the basics, supermarkets are stocking more types of exotic fruits, John said. To choose the best, consider:

-- Mangoes are the biggest fruit seller in the world, but not in America, although their popularity is on the increase. When choosing mangoes, color is important. They lighten up as they ripen. They also should be slightly soft to the touch.

-- Asian pears resemble apples in picking: try to find a firm one. If a Bosc pear is getting wrinkled around the top, it is nearly ready. Most pears are sweetest when soft.

-- Don't buy a coconut with no liquid inside. It is too old if it has no liquid.

-- Papayas need to be soft to the touch. If they are green and firm, they are not ready. Some of them look ugly, but taste wonderful because they are ripe and somewhat soft.