How to choose fruits ?
The general rule with fruits and vegetables is: “the fresher, the better”. The best are those picked straight away from the source, and eaten or cooked right away. But since not many have access to fresh produce, we pick what providers are supplying us with. The general guidelines to follow when shopping for fruits and vegetables are:
- Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season as this guarantees freshness.
- Buy the produce that is sourced closest to your physical location. Locally sourced and within closest proximity to your area/town/city… is always better than imported or travelled produce. If imported is a must, like the case of apples for instance that are not locally grown in Dubai, then the closest proximity to your location is the best. The furthest away the food source from you, the less the quality is. As this usually means that the food had travelled long distances before it reached you, which most of the times means that the food could have even been picked before its time to minimise deterioration by the time it reaches you and so you will end up with produce that is mostly tasteless and lifeless (not fresh)! Also shipping conditions may not always be spot on as they could be exposed to heat fluctuations or stored in conditions that are not ideal…etc. Also worthy of mention here that during long shipping most produce is frozen then thawed before being placed on display, this makes it easy to rot, meaning: once you buy it, two days later it will be spoilt and rotten!!
- Inspect the fruits and vegetables and check out every piece before you buy. Don’t just grab groups of vegetables or fruits, just because they look good on the top as that does not necessarily mean it is as good at the bottom. Hold your fruit or vegetable turn it around and check it all over. Why not even smell it?
- Always look for plump, crisp, and bright-coloured vegetables (relative to their colour), which look fresh to your eye and smell good (fruits and vegetables must smell like they taste. The ones that are fragrant {tasteful} are always better than the ones that have no aroma {tasteless}).