OK so it's the fruit salad season but nothing could be worse than to cut up all this fruit and it's not ripe and sweet, or it's overly ripen and taste fermented. Here are some tips on picking the right ripe fruit.
With every fruit (and vegetable for that matter) you want to use your eyes first. Does it appear to be too green? Does it appear mushy? Does it appear patchy or have little holes in it. If the answer to any of these questions is "yes" keep it moving. You want to look for produce that overall looks healthy.
Next, touch them. Once again, does it feel mushy or too soft? Does it feel too hard? These might be signs that the fruit is too ripe or not ripe at all.
Then you want to smell it. Smell it real good! Does it smell like awesome fruity deliciousness and make you want to bite into it right then? Or does it smell like fermentation or like it is turning into wine? Maybe you can smell anything at all..
Certain fruit are a bit more difficult:Pineapples:
Look for a golden color, not Green.
Smell the bottom, does it smell pineapple-y?
Pull at the leaves on the top of the fruit, if they come out easily, it is RIPE! and READY TO EAT! (be careful not to poke yourself with the leaves)
Watermelon:
Look for a nice color, not patchy. It will have a whitish to yellow patch on it somewhere from where it was laying on the ground.
Knock on the Watermelon. Typically the more hollow-sounding the riper it is..Cantaloupe:
Ripe cantaloupes should be heavy for their size Smell them, they should be very fragrant.
They should also be slightly soft at the blossom end.
Check the skin, it should be uniform with no soft spots or bruises and the netting should be well defined.
Honeydew:
Ripe cantaloupes should be heavy for their size
Smell them, they should be very fragrant.The blossom end should be a bit soft and the stem end should be slightly springy.
Look for a creamy yellow/cream color.
Mangoes/ Kiwis
Feel it for it's softness. It shouldn't be too firm or too soft. Just slightly soft with a bit of a spring.
