Seasonal Touch: A Guide to Pick Fresh January Produce

Every vegetable and fruit has its season—a season when it is ripe and plentiful, when it tastes the absolute best, and costs the least.

Winter can be sparse when it comes to choices in fresh produce, but that is no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy a healthy meal. Beetroots, Brussel sprouts, and cabbages are still available along with carrots and mushrooms too. Those potatoes, cauliflower, and pumpkins are begging to be made into delicious warm bowls of soups or spicy curries by you.

No, you need not rely only on frozen foods in the winter season. There is plenty of fresh produce for you to choose from which is more healthy and nutritious. When it comes to fruits, it’s all citrus this season!

We have prepared a list of points to be kept in mind while you go to the market to pick your fresh January produce this time:

• Use your sense of sight: Don’t go for glossy or shiny produce. Size really doesn’t matter either. Medium-sized fruits & vegetables that are colourful but not like an edited image you see online are your best bet. Green leafy veggies should be a fresh green that is soothing to the eyes; without yellowing on the edges or outsides as it is a major sign of old produce. Also, spots that you see on certain produce are normal that just means your vegetables and fruits were grown as naturally as possible and are ripening naturally as well.
• Sense of touch will be a bonus: Firmness is the keyword here. Fruits & veggies like apples, tomatoes, bananas, and cabbage are all better when they are firm. You can check this by gently squeezing the product. Green leafy veggies should be crisp and springy to the touch. Fruit should be very firm, or tender in the case of fruits like pears. Melons, pumpkins, and other watery veggies like bottle gourd should ideally be heavy, with a kind of feeling that it will burst by its weight.
• Go for the sense of smell: This is probably one of the most important tests for checking the freshness of produce, yet it is a skill that takes time to develop. While it is easy to distinguish the smells of produce like bananas and coriander which have a very strong aroma; the same is less possible when you buy apples. However, the best and most feasible way should be to choose produce that has a fragrant smell – fresh in the case of produce like melons, and earthy in the case of produce like potatoes. Produce that has no significant smell or smells like it’s of packaging, is not the best option to buy.

Over to you:

Next time you go for your fruits & vegetable shopping, remember to always use your natural power of sight, touch, and smell. This way you can find fresh produce in the market which will provide you numerous health benefits and prevent any diseases.