How to Pick the Best Summer Fruits and What to Make With Them

July 26, 2017

It’s blazing hot and summer is in full swing. Even in the scorching heat, summer is still the best! I mean, what’s better than lazy days by the pool, late nights bonfires and mouthwatering food!

I’m talkin’, sweet summertime melon, juicy berries and sticky peaches.

Now-a-days, you can pretty much get whatever fruit you want all year long. However, in-season fruits are still the freshest (and the most delicious). 

That being said, picking the best fruits can be hard!

Luckily, there are a few tricks you can use to make sure you are picking the tastiest ones

1. Get handsy

Don’t be afraid to pick up the fruit to learn more about it. Press the top of melons right where the stem is. If it’s soft, it’s ripe! Be careful to not bruise pitted fruits such as peaches, apricots, plums, cherries and nectarines. Once you’ll feel it you’ll know…ripe ones are noticeably softer.

2. Take a whiff

You’ll know when melons (and most fruit) are ripe if they smell sweet. Put your nose right up to the container of berries. I know you want to!

3. Listen

One of my favorite tips: tap on watermelons. If you hear a hollow sound, it’s ripe! 

4. Eye it

Tomatoes (yes, they are a fruit!) are ready when their color is an intense red. The redder they are the more ripe. The same goes for the yellow varieties. Watermelons, on the other hand, are better when their undersides are yellow. Strange, but true.  

5. Talk to them 

Not to your fruit! Ask the vendor for help. They spend their whole day around produce so they are bound to know their stuff. Plus, if they give you bad advice, you won’t buy from them again.

Want more? We loved this comprehensive guide to picking ripe fruit.

Dessert…for dinner!

Now that you’ve picked the best of the bunch, it’s time to get cooking! There are so many ways to cook with fruit, so you never need to limit your fruit consumption to just desserts and snacks. 

So get creative and surprise your friends and family with a pop of fruit when they least expect it!

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