Top 10 Tips for Choosing the Freshest and Tastiest Fruits

Nowadays, many people still have the habit of choosing fruits according to the season. Because each type of fruit usually tastes best in its season, watermelon is no exception. In the North, watermelon is usually harvested in the summer. Conversely, in the South, you can find watermelon at any time of the year, as they are available year-round. Ripe watermelons (signs for sweet, red watermelon) often have small and dried stems. Meanwhile, unripe watermelons still have fresh green stems, making it hard to shrink, indicating that the watermelon is harvested early. The bottom of the watermelon is the part that touches the ground during its development. Therefore, you should choose the bottom part of the watermelons with yellow (or cream) color, as it indicates that the watermelon is very delicious.

The watermelon has thin skin and red flesh, so you need to select watermelons with round, tight, and shiny skins, especially the black stripes (on the watermelon body) are clearly visible. Sometimes, you will encounter cases where there are brown spots or bee stings on the watermelon body, so don't worry too much before using a knife to cut the watermelon! Because this is a sign that the watermelon is very sweet, as bees have contacted the pollination parts of the flowers before they turn into fruit. In addition, when pressing lightly on the skin, it feels firm, not soft, and when tapping the watermelon, it makes a “thump, thump” sound. All these factors indicate that you have chosen a delicious watermelon! If the watermelon is heavier than its original size, it indicates that the watermelon is very juicy. For example, holding a small watermelon in your hand, feeling heavier than other small watermelons of the same size, or heavier than a large watermelon, indicates that the watermelon you are holding is very juicy and delicious.

Choose mangosteens with dark brown color, beautiful peel, feel around the peel for good elasticity, not crushed if you want to eat immediately. In case you buy a lot, then choose ones with green color but already have red spots on the peel. Green fruit with red spots means it's ripe but not too ripe yet, so you can buy and after 2 to 3 days it will be ready to eat. Many people say that mangosteens with yellow resinous spots on the outside are delicious, but according to the orchard owner, those are just resin spots of the fruit, not indicating anything delicious. Don't choose fruits that are too big because they have thick peel and little flesh. Choose round fruits, the size of a golf ball is just right.

You should choose fruits at the bottom with a flower-shaped pattern, as many petals as many segments. You can rely on this to choose fruits with more segments, which will be better to eat. Use your fingers to lightly press around the mangosteen peel. If the peel is uniformly soft, the mangosteen is ripe and good to eat immediately. If you feel the mangosteen peel is hard, then the fruit is still young and not ready to eat. Or the mangosteen fruit is corky or has spongy parts, which are not edible. A partially corky mangosteen fruit may be due to when picking, the fruit falls to the ground causing the peel to cork, making the segments spongy. It's very simple, isn't it? With just a few characteristics like above, you have chosen delicious mangosteens.

When choosing mangoes, opt for those with uniformly yellow skin, firm texture, smooth without wrinkles, and without dark spots or blemishes. The flesh of the mango lies above a firm stem, not soft or mushy, and the stem may slightly sink into the flesh. Avoid mangoes with uneven color, shriveled stems, or black spots on the fruit as these are signs of overripe or chemically ripened mangoes, lacking the natural sweetness of tree-ripened ones and often tasting sour or bland. For green mangoes, choose ones that are firm, with a white powdery coating on the skin, and deep green color as these are the tasty ones. Soft green mangoes are harvested prematurely for longer storage. They tend to have a bland taste, lacking aroma, and mushy flesh.

Naturally ripened mangoes without preservatives have a sweet, fragrant, deeply scented stem. Ripe mangoes exude a pure, gentle, distinctive aroma that is extremely familiar and enticing, making you want to eat them immediately. Avoid mangoes that lack aroma or have an unnatural chemical smell as they are not tasty. Lightly squeeze the mango, naturally ripe mangoes will have a certain firmness, feel solid when held, not mushy when pressed, with elastic flesh and a stiff stem. Avoid mangoes that are too soft and mushy, not firm to the touch, as they are overly ripe and lacking in crispness, making them less delicious to eat.

Depending on the variety, grapes come in various shapes. Choose grapes that are not too large, slightly soft, with shiny, smooth, unwrinkled skin. Fresh grapes will have a powdery layer on the skin. Avoid grapes that are soft, mushy, have a strange smell, or have spots or blemishes on the skin, as these are likely to be infested or chemically treated. Each type of grape has a characteristic color like green grapes, red grapes, purple grapes… Choose grapes with natural colors. If the grapes feel rough, the skin is not taut but the grapes are very large and still taste sweet, do not buy them. These are not good grapes and may have been treated with chemicals to enhance sweetness.

If grapes are left for too long, the stems will turn brown-black and wither, losing the characteristic sweetness of the fruit. Therefore, choose grape clusters with green, firm stems. These are freshly harvested grapes with delicious aroma. Choose grapes with a sweet and tangy taste. These are naturally ripe grapes. Avoid buying grape clusters with a strong sweet taste as they may have been treated with chemicals. Remove any crushed grapes and carefully wrap the entire cluster in newspaper. Put the grapes in a box with a tight lid and store them in the refrigerator. This method will help the grapes maintain their fresh flavor for about 1 - 2 weeks.

When purchasing, go for jackfruits that are uniformly round without any dents. Those with dents or hollows are prone to pests, hardness, or excessive fibers. Opt for fruits that feel heavy when lifted. If buying a whole fruit, gently press the skin; if it yields to pressure, it's ripe. A firm, spiky exterior indicates an unripe jackfruit. Naturally ripe jackfruits have larger openings between the 'eyes' and less sharp spikes compared to unripe ones. Similar to selecting a watermelon, lightly tapping the jackfruit should produce a deep sound, indicating ripeness. The aroma

Ripe jackfruits emit a distinct fragrance that can be smelled from a distance. Chemically treated jackfruits lack this aroma or might have none at all. Observing the stem helps in choosing a ripe jackfruit. For example, for 'tố nữ' variety, opt for those with stems 0.5 cm long, while 'tây' variety ones should have stems 1 - 1.5 cm long. When cutting, if there's little latex and no white latex, it's a naturally ripe jackfruit. Conversely, chemically treated ones often ooze white latex from the core due to premature harvesting and chemical exposure. The flesh of naturally ripe jackfruits is glossy yellow, with thick, sweet, fibrous segments; whereas, artificially ripened ones may have a deeper yellow hue but feel mealy and less fibrous.

To determine if an avocado is ripe, look at the stem. Nearly all common avocado varieties follow this method. If the stem is green, the avocado is unripe. If the stem is brown, the avocado is overripe, even mushy. If the stem is slightly yellow, it indicates the avocado is perfectly ripe and delicious; opt for these. However, if you're buying multiple avocados for later use, choose a few that are fully ripe and the rest slightly underripe to avoid overly ripe avocados, which may not taste as good and could be unusable.

Typically, avocados with green, shiny skin are unripe and not ready for consumption. Avocados with a transition to brownish-purple skin, rough to the touch, mean they have started to ripen. However, some avocado varieties exhibit minimal color changes when ripe, such as water avocados. Therefore, it's essential to familiarize yourself with common avocado varieties in the market. When selecting avocados, hold the fruit and gently squeeze around. If it feels heavy, firm, and yields slightly when squeezed, it's ripe. Additionally, shaking the avocado and listening to the sound doesn't always guarantee its quality. A faint rattling sound indicates an overly ripe avocado, while a hollow, loud sound suggests an unripe avocado.

Oranges with lots of juice often have plump skins. If an orange has thick skin, it means it's low in juice and less tasty. Therefore, to choose delicious, juicy oranges without preservatives, opt for ripe ones with yellow spots, no discoloration, thin skin, medium size, and firm to the touch. Ripe oranges are deep yellow with uniform color and may have been artificially colored. Fresh oranges have stems, and when touched, the stem feels firm and is hard to detach by hand. The leaves may be wilted but still cling to the stem. These are freshly picked oranges from the orchard, ensuring they are flavorful and safe. Choose oranges that are still fresh and exude oil when gently squeezed. Oranges have a distinctive aroma, free from the smell of chemicals.

Choose oranges that are round, firm to the touch, not overly large, with a yellow bottom indicating maturity and ripeness. If the stem is slightly sunken compared to the surrounding area, it indicates juiciness. If the orange falls off the stem naturally but the peel remains fresh, you can also buy it. Note that the detached stem should be a fresh yellow color, and the yellow fruit indicates ripe and mature oranges, not detached due to other reasons. Avoid oranges with spots or bruises as the quality of the fruit will be affected, possibly housing mold or rot. For Valencia oranges, choose those with a straight, symmetrical shape, not bent or uneven, with a fresh dimple. The peel around the stem is thick and tall, and the center of the navel is deeper than the surrounding area. It feels firm when held. If it feels light when held in the hand, the fruit is low in juice, spongy, and dry…

When choosing a pineapple, observe its color first. The pineapple's crown is where you can gauge its sweetness. If the pineapple has vibrant yellow color from the crown to the base, or some parts are slightly green, it's ripe and sweet. Even yellow color indicates higher sweetness. Avoid pineapples with uneven coloring, dark brown spots, coppery yellow, or reddish hues, as they are overly ripe. Avoid selecting green pineapples as they won't ripen after purchase. Short pineapples (round shape) usually have more flesh than long ones (cylindrical shape). Choose a fruit with large and sparse pineapple 'eyes' to ensure thick fleshy portions after removal.

To check for freshness and ripeness, smell the base of the fruit. Opt for those with a sweet, fresh aroma. Lack of scent or a faint smell indicates unripeness. Conversely, overly ripe pineapples emit a slightly fermented, vinegar-like odor, or an overly sweet smell. Overripe pineapples feel soft to the touch. Overripe ones often have wrinkled skins. Fresh, ripe pineapples won't be too hard or too soft, and pressing a finger into the skin shouldn't leave an indentation. Signs of spoilage include mold, oozing sap, or cracks in the skin. The green crown of a pineapple is always favored. Overripe pineapples typically have a dry crown and brownish leaves falling off.

The aroma of ripe durians intensifies as the fruit matures. Its scent spreads vigorously even from a considerable distance. Opt for durians with such strong, fragrant aroma. Durians treated with chemicals often have a faint or even no smell, and their scent is typically unpleasant to the senses. Sound is a factor in assessing the quality of durians. When buying durians, gently shake the fruit or tap lightly on its shell with a durian opener. If the fruit emits a 'thud thud' sound or a hollow sound, it indicates that the fruit is firm and its flesh is thick. However, if the sound is dull like 'clunk clunk,' it likely means the fruit is seed-laden and not tasty.

Pay attention to durians with fresh, slightly green, and firm stems, and when pressed with a fingernail, they feel slightly moist. Durians left for a while will have shriveled and wilted stems. As for chemically treated durians, pressing a fingernail into the stem will not produce any moisture, and if left for a long time, the stem will rot. Ripe durians have a slightly mossy green or slightly yellowish hue. If touching the shell reveals yellowish cream-colored powder, it indicates chemically ripened durians. Durian shells may crack, and through those cracks, gently press the flesh to determine if the durian is ripe or not; if ripe, the flesh will be yellow, soft, and fragrant.

Choose ripe bananas with uneven color, featuring black spots or dark pink hues. Avoid uniformly ripe bananas with deep yellow skins. Naturally ripened bananas will certainly ripen along the stem and body of the fruit. If the stem is green but the banana is uniformly yellow, it's likely chemically ripened. You can also taste-test when buying bananas. Naturally ripe bananas will have a sweet, natural aroma and a uniformly soft texture. Chemically ripened bananas will taste slightly bitter and slightly firm, with a slightly sour taste. Additionally, if you're more cautious, you can buy green bananas; when placed in a cool place, they will ripen naturally.

If you want to buy bananas for immediate consumption, choose bunches with both green and yellow fruits. Chemically ripened bananas will ripen uniformly across the bunch, so this is a very important factor in selecting safe bananas for your family. Choose bananas with black spots (commonly called 'cow dung eggs'), wrinkled skin, yellow skin with pink spots, and occasional black stripes on the skin. Naturally ripened bananas will ripen evenly across the stem and body of the fruit. If the beautiful golden ripe banana still has a green stem and tip, it's certain that the seller has used ripening chemicals on the banana.