Ripe produce matters. It contains more nutritional value and it has built up a delicious sugar content and delightful aromatic nature for heightened flavor that makes it taste just as satisfying and intense as it was meant to be.

When perusing your fruits and vegetables for purchase, implore all your senses, looking for telltale signs of ripeness…listening for the right sounds, feeling to check with a gentle squeeze that they are not too hard to the touch and smelling your way to mouthwatering ripeness. Here are a few specific tips to ensure that your produce is ripe upon its purchase:

Bananas are ripe when they turn from green to yellow and before they become brown.

Berries should be deeply colored with none crushed at the bottom of the container, as that may begin to spoil the rest.

Citrus should be somewhat soft, heavy and brightly colored. Brown spots will indicate that fruit is overripe.

Melons emit a lovely fruity smell near the stem when they are ripe. Specifically, watermelons sound hollow when you tap them, honeydew turns from greenish white to creamy yellow and ripe cantaloupe yields a tan, wrinkly exterior.

Ripe peaches will smell sweet with just a little “give” to the touch and no dark spots.

Ripe pears are not hard and yield a little at the stem. They should emit a floral scent and lack blemishes.

Squash are firm, heavy and glossy when ripe and tomatoes are plump, firm with no wrinkles or cracks.

You can also purchase your fruits and vegetables at various levels of freshness so that they ripen at the perfect time for you!