How to Pick Ripe Fruit

Fresh fruit is an integral part of a well-rounded diet. Before you pick any fruit, either at the store or from a tree or bush, you should review these tips to recognize whether it's ripe.

Instructions

1. Know what color the fruit should be. Ripe bananas are totally yellow with brown spots at their peak. Strawberries are ripe when they are bright red with green tops. Color is a very important indicator for some fruit, but for others such as peaches, it is not.

2. Squeeze the fruit to feel if it is the right amount of firmness. A ripe apple will be hard. A ripe mango should give into pressure a bit.

3. Look at the stem. Press the stem of a pear to make sure it is not rock hard. A cantaloupe should be soft around the stem if it is ripe. The area around the stem of a mango should be plump and round.

4. Smell the fruit. A ripe peach will have a distinctly sweet aroma. A cantaloupe's fragrance will strengthen as it ripens also.

5. Choose fruit that has a shiny luster to it. Ripe fruits often take on a shiny or waxy appearance when they are ripe. This is especially true of apples, cherries, and most citrus fruits.

6. Avoid buying fruit that is unripe with the hope that it will ripen at home. With the exception of pears, this usually does not work. If it is picked from the vine or tree or bush unripe, it will generally stay that way.