Berries are known for their powerful antioxidants and for
being vitamin-rich. Popular in low-carb
diets, fresh summer berries are the perfect addition to any diet.
With strawberries,
pick only the cartons with the reddest, plumpest berries. Strawberries that still have patches of
green or white are not yet ripe.
Once strawberries are picked from the vine, they will not continue
to ripen.
Select
cartons of blueberries that are wholly blue. Blueberries with a reddish tone will
taste overly tart in those classic blueberry pancakes.
Choose
raspberries that have a rich berry scent.
Raspberries that still have green stems on them are not ripe. Raspberries can be especially expensive,
so be discriminating.
There
are many different varieties of cherries: Bing (very common), Lambert,
sour cherries, Royal Ann, etc.
Select sweeter varieties like Bing when they still have a stem and
are firm. When choosing sour
cherries for a tart pie, a gentle pull of the stem should indicate whether
they will be suitable. If the stem
pulls of easily – the cherry is ripe and flavorful.
Choosing Crisp Apples
When I was little, it was my job to select the apples for my
family. I would grip my hand around a
Red Delicious and try to make an indent with my thumb. If the flesh under the skin of the apple seem
hard or created a small “crisp” sound, that apple went into our shopping
cart. Apples that felt softer under the
pressure of my thumb tended to be mealy.
Most apples can be picked by this method except for perhaps Yellow
Delicious, which tend to feel softer to the touch. The skins and the flesh of Yellow Delicious
apples are springier. For Braeburn,
Granny Smith, and Pink Lady varieties – crispiness is essential to a savory
flavor.