How to Pick Ripe Fruit This Summer

The summer season is primetime to enjoy from the bounty of fruits of the season. Since orchards, farmers markets, local outdoor vendors, and grocery stores abound with the season’s best picks, your opportunities abound to enjoy the freshest, juiciest, and most satisfying selections. If your neighborhood or city has frequent farmer’s markets, consider spending a day trying new and exotic fruit available; you will be surprised at what is out there! Still, even basic fruit does requires some mindful picking; use this guide to select the most ripe and luscious fruits of the season, and enjoy from just one of nature’s gifts this year.

Be sure to always wash and prepare all fruit to the best of your ability; consider a fruit cleansing spray for hand-pickings, as this will reduce your risk of food-borne illness and bacteria. Most fruit can be stored in the refrigerator, but do make note of those that will become overripe quickly after being cut.

Apples: Apples should always be bright in luster, firm, and crispy. If they are soft and can be bruised easily, they are overripe and will barely last a couple of days. Apples are preserved best in the refrigerator during the summer months in particular, and organic varieties offer even more flavors and textures to sample from.

Strawberries: The best strawberries are full, bright colored, and only slightly soft. Firmer strawberries are usually unripe, and will not taste juicy and full-flavored. Instead, opt for medium to soft varieties with strong colors. Store them in airtight but moist containers, ideally in the refrigerator.

Cantaloupe: This is often a difficult fruit to pick adequately, but it can be done! Pick a cantaloupe with a firm texture and one that is fair-rounded. You’ll need to leave it to ripen for an additional 2-3 days, and can cut up and store it for between 3-5 days. If it becomes too ‘mushy’ discard it; it has likely exceeded its expiration date!