By Rose Kreller of Medi-Waste Disposal
Being able to choose the freshest
and tastiest vegetables takes just a bit of knowledge. Don’t hesitate to ask farmers and shop owners
for advice and use your senses! Here are
some tips for choosing fresh produce:
Asparagus – Choose firm, smooth
and brightly colored stalks with compact tips.
Avoid limp stalks. Choose stalks
of equal thickness to ensure even cooking times.
Avocados – Choose ones that feel
slightly soft to the touch. Firmer
avocados may be ripened at home, but avoid rock hard ones.
Broccoli – Choose broccoli with
firm stalks, tight florets and crisp green leaves. Avoid yellowed or flowering florets.
Cabbages – choose firm compact
heats that feel heavy for their size.
Check that the stems are also fresh and compact.
Cauliflower – Choose heads with
tightly packed, creamy white florets.
Avoid yellow, spotted or flowering florets.
Corn – Choose corn with bright
green husks and moist but not slimy silk.
Peel back the husk to ensure the kernels are plump and not dry.
Eggplants – Choose eggplants that
have smooth, naturally shiny skin and feel heavy for their size. When gently pressed, flesh that gives
slightly and the bounces back indicates ripeness. Unripe flesh will not give, while overripe
flesh will remain indented. Also,
smaller eggplants tend to have fewer seeds and be less bitter.
Green Beans – Choose slender beans
that snap rather than bend. Avoid
bulging or dried pods.
Kale – Choose crisp, deeply
colored leaves. Avoid yellowed
leaves. Smaller leaves tend to be more
tender.
Onions and shallots – Choose dry,
firm bulbs that feel heavy for their size.
Avoid any with soft spots or green sprouts.
Peppers – Choose firm, naturally
shiny peppers that feel heavy for their size.
Potatoes – Choose firm, smooth
potatoes. Avoid bruises, green spots and
sprouts.
Rhubarb – Choose firm pink or red
stalks. Green stalks tend to be stringy
and sour.
Scallions – Choose scallions with
crisp, green tops and firm white bulbs.
Summer Squash – Choose squash with
naturally shiny, taught, unblemished skin.
Avoid squash that appear dull or have soft spots.
Tomatoes – Choose tomatoes what
are fragrant, smell earthy at the stem end and feel heavy for their size. Avoid wrinkled skins.
Midwest Medical Waste, Inc.
PO Box 416
Manhattan, KS 66505
Manhattan, KS 66505
