Picking the best of the produce aisle can save you money in the end. It’s more than just finding the best price. It’s about finding the best products so you can use them before they go bad. Here are a few tips that will help you use what you pay for.

Some Caveats

Dirty produce is not bad produce. Food grows in dirt. You are going to wash your produce before you prepare it anyway. Right? Just make sure the dirt is not hiding any defects.

Don’t think shiny is clean. The produce may look clean but it may have just been rolled across the floor by a rambunctious five year old and then put right back on the display. Markets keep the produce moist to preserve it, not to clean it. Once again, we are going to wash everything before we use it.

Avoid packages where you cannot see the food. If you have a choice, always pick from loose produce which gives you a chance to examine the whole product. Bagged potatoes, onions and salads are the general exception to this rule.

A good buy is only good if you use the entire product. Only purchase as much as you are going to use in a week. The exceptions to this rule are garlic, onions, shallots & potatoes. They will store for quite a while in your pantry.

Take home only the best
Many produce items were cut from a plant or root section before coming to market. Examine the location of that cut: be it the stem or just the bottom of the item. The cut should look solid but not too brown, dried out or old. Old or dried out cuts indicate that the item was not recently harvested and may have passed its peak in freshness and taste.

Don't expect every item to get better once you get home. Some things like avocadoes, tomatoes and bananas will develop more flavors and ripen with age. Peaches, apricots, apples and oranges have developed as much sweetness and flavor at the point they were picked. Use your nose to make sure you are getting the sweetest of the lot.

Using your hands more than your eyes to check the produce, feel each item. They should be the same consistency; no soft spots. Only select the items with the best overall consistency. Don't feel embarrassed checking a lot of items to insure you are getting your money’s worth.

Avoid produce with bruises and cuts in the flesh. You will end up with less usable product and it will go bad faster. Some items, like bananas, will have some normal discoloration when they ripen. Don't ever pay for brown produce unless it is supposed to be brown!

Here are some quick tips for specific items:

• Leafy vegetables should be crisp with no discoloration or wilting. This includes lettuce, endive, chicory, kale, chard, spinach, etc.
  
• Apples and pears should be firm and smell sweet.
  
• Melons & squash should be firm and sound a bit hollow when you thump them.
  
• Berries should be plump and smell fresh.
  
• Citrus should be firm and bright in color.
  
• Grapes may have a whitish appearance, but that is ok. Make sure they do not smell sour.
  
• Peaches, apricots and plums should not be hard. If they are hard, it means they were likely picked early and they will not be as sweet as you expect.
  
• Peppers should be bright with tight skins.
  
• Avocados will ripen at home so feel free to pick the firm ones.

Storing
Make a mental note of where each piece of produce was stored in the grocery store and try to store them in a similar environment. There are a few exceptions. Some items like apples, oranges and avocadoes do well at room temperature even if they were stored in the cold section at the market.

Take everything out of the plastic bags unless they came prepackaged (like bag salads or bean sprouts). With loose items like mushrooms and green beans, roll the bag down so they are contained, but not enclosed. You want to insure that air can circulate around the produce so that mold will have no chance to take hold.

Some items, such as onions, garlic, shallots and potatoes should be stored at room temperature and in the dark. If you leave them in the sun, they will start to grow and as they grow, they consume themselves. Potatoes also develop a bitter, green alkaloid under their skins when exposed to sunlight. Make sure you keep your onions separate from your potatoes. The onions release a gas which will cause the potatoes to deteriorate quickly.

Many fruits will do better on the counter. They will last longer in the fridge, but they tend to lose flavor when kept cold. Check you fruit bowl often and always add fresh additions to the bottom of the bowl.

Make sure you use a 'first in, first out' method. Use the older carrots before you use the newer ones. Taking the time to examine your veggie drawers at least once a week will help you avoid any nasty disasters.

Don't wash your produce until you use it. When you do, always wash using cold water. Some leaf greens like dandelion and spinach need to be briefly soaked in a bowl of lightly salted water. This cleans much better than washing under running water.

When in doubt?
You can always ask the produce manager. She will know the best way to store everything in the isle and might even have to tips on how to best prepare things you have never tried. The market wants your return business so your questions should always be welcome.