Fruits and vegetables should be free of bruises, mold, brown or soft spots, and pest damage. They should be plump, not shriveled. Any attached leaves should be unwilted.
Since it is usually not possible to examine produce until it has been delivered to the restaurant or bakery, one way to ensure quality is to buy according to grade. Grading is based on USDA standards. Lower-grade items, particularly fruits, may be used successfully in prepa- rations such as baked pies and puddings, where appearance is not a factor.
Most produce has a noticeably better quality and fl avor the closer it is to its source. Fruits that have been shipped, such as apricots, peaches, and strawberries, for example, may require special handling that can drive up their cost, despite continued efforts to develop strains that combine good shipping qualities with superior fl avor.
More and more vegetables are being grown hydroponically; that is, in nutrient-enriched water rather than soil. Hydroponic growing takes place indoors under regulated temperature and lighting conditions, so any growing season may be duplicated. Hydroponically grown let- tuces, spinach, herbs, and tomatoes are all readily available. Although they have the advan- tage of being easy to clean, these products may have less fl avor than conventionally grown fruits and vegetables.
With a few exceptions (including bananas, potatoes, tomatoes, and dry onions), ripe fruits and vegetables should be refrigerated. Unless otherwise specifi ed, produce should be kept at a temperature of 40° to 45°F/4° to 7°C, with a relative humidity of 80 to 90 percent.
Keep fresh produce dry; excess moisture can promote spoilage. Likewise, most pro- duce should not be peeled, washed, or trimmed until just before use. The outer leaves of lettuce, for example, should be left intact; carrots should remain unpeeled. The exceptions to this rule are the leafy tops on vegetables such as beets, turnips, carrots, and radishes: They should be removed, and either discarded or used as soon as possible, because even after harvesting, these leaves absorb nutrients from the vegetable and increase moisture loss.
Fruits and vegetables that need further ripening, notably peaches and pears, should be stored at room temperature, 65° to 70°F/18° to 21°C. Once the produce is ripe, refrigerate it to keep it from overripening.
Apples
The most commonly available apple varieties include Golden and Red Delicious, McIntosh,
Granny Smith, Rome Beauty, Fuji, and Gala. There are, however, hundreds of other varieties
grown in orchards throughout the country.
Multipurpose apple varieties, good as table fruit, in baking, for sauces, and for freezing, include Red and Golden Delicious (fi rm, sweet, and aromatic), Granny Smith (tart, extremely
crisp, and fi ne-textured), McIntosh (sweet and very juicy, with a crisp texture), Rome Beauty (fi rm fl esh with a mild tart-sweet fl avor), and Winesap (fi rm, tart-sweet, and aromatic).
Baking varieties include Greening (mild, sweet-tart fl avor; good for pies and sauces; also freezes well), Jonathan (tender, semitart fl esh), and Northern Spy (crisp, fi rm-textured, and juicy, with a sweet-tart taste).
Fresh apples can be held in climate-controlled cold storage for many months without sig- nifi cant loss of quality. This makes it possible to get good fresh apples throughout the year.
Pears
Pears, like apples, are grown in many varieties, the most common being Bartlett, Bosc, Comice,
d’Anjou, and Seckel. Because the fl esh of pears is extremely fragile, they are picked for shipping
before they have fully ripened. The fruit continues to soften at room temperature. In addition to being eaten out of hand, pears are often poached whole or used in sorbet and tarts.
ASIAN PEARS are apple-shaped fruit with a smooth skin that ranges in color from green to yellow-brown. The white fl esh has a juicy, mildly sweet fl avor.
BARTLETT PEARS, also known as Williams pears, have green skin that turns yellow as the fruit ripens. Red Bartlett pears have a brilliant scarlet-colored skin.
BOSC PEARS have a long neck and dark, russeted skin that turns brown when the fruit is ripe.
COMICE PEARS are round with a short neck and stem and a greenish-yellow skin, sometimes with a reddish blush. They are very sweet and juicy.
D’ANJOU PEARS have green skin that becomes yellow as they ripen and may have brown scarring.
SECKEL PEARS are small and crisp, with green skin and a red blush. They are usually eaten fresh.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Red d’Anjou pear, green d’Anjou pear, Bosc pear, Asian pear, Forelle pear, Granny Smith apple, Golden Delicious apple, McIntosh apple, Red Delicious apple, Gala apple
Berries
The season for fresh berries varies from region to region, though many berries are widely available as imports from other regions or countries at virtually any time of the year. But even with improved handling and shipping methods, some specialty berries are still only available fresh in season from local purveyors. A variety of processed forms are also available: frozen (individually quick frozen, or IQF, with or without sugar), purées, concentrates, and dried.
With the exception of cranberries, fresh berries are highly perishable and are suscep- tible to bruising, mold, and overripening in fairly short order. Juice-stained cartons or juice leaking through the carton is a clear indication that the fruit has been mishandled or is old.
Berries (except for cranberries) can be eaten fresh. All can be used in baked items, syr- ups, purées and sauces, cordials, jellies, jams, and syrups. Some classic berry preparations include strawberry shortcake, fresh berry cobblers, pies, jams, jellies, and ice creams.
BLACKBERRIES, also known as bramble berries, resemble raspberries in form but are deep purple in color. Their peak season is mid- to late summer.
BLUEBERRIES are bluish-purple berries with a dusty silver-blue bloom. Typically, smaller ber- ries have a sweeter, more intense fl avor than larger berries.
BOYSENBERRIES are a hybrid of the raspberry, blackberry, and loganberry.
CRANBERRIES are shiny red (some have a white blush), fi rm, and sour.
CURRANTS are small round berries that may be red, black, or white. The red are generally the sweetest.
ELDERBERRIES are small and purple-black. They are typically used in cooked applications, as they have a very sour fl avor.
GOOSEBERRIES have a smooth skin and a papery husk that may still be attached when they are sold. They can be green, golden, red, purple, or white. Some have fuzzy skins.
GRAPES are shiny, smooth skinned, and range in color from green to deep purple and in fl avor from very sweet to sour. Dried, they are known as raisins. Dried seedless Zante grapes are known as dried currants.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries
RASPBERRIES are actually clusters of tiny fruits (drupes), each containing a seed; red, black, and yellow (golden) or white varieties are available.
STRAWBERRIES are red, shiny, heart-shaped berries with their tiny seeds on the exterior. They are available year-round, but their peak season is late spring to early summer. Generally speaking, small berries have a sweeter, more intense fl avor than the larger berries.