Waggin' Tails Miniature Dachshunds

Purchasing Food

Roadside Fruits & Veggies

• Harvesting roadside fruits for the table can be harmful since exhaust from vehicles not only settles on the plants but also in the soil and can be absorbed into the edible parts of the plant.

APPLES

• Don't buy more apples than you can use up in 3 weeks. After that length of time, apples begin to spoil quickly.
• Look for firm, crisp, well-shaped, and well-colored fruit, with color ranging from bright green to deep red, depending on the variety. Avoid apples that are shriveled, feel soft and mealy, or have brown, bruised spots.

APRICOTS

• Look for plump, juicy-looking orange-yellow fruit Ripe apricots should yield to gentle pressure on the skin. Avoid dull-looking, shriveled, or soft fruit

ARTICHOKES

• Artichokes are thistle plants of European origin, and are called French or Globe artichokes to distinguish them from the totally different Jerusalem artichoke.
• Look for compact, plump artichokes, heavy in relation to their size, with thick, tightly closed, blemish-free green leaves. Size is not an indication of quality. Avoid over mature artichokes with hard-tipped, spreading leaves.
• In selecting, look for bright green heads, tightly formed leaves, firm base, without black or brown blemishes. The leaves should have a crisp, fresh appearance. Small to medium-size heads are more tender than large ones, and brownish nubbins are too tough to serve, unless just heart, or bottoms are to be used.

ARTICHOKES, JERUSALEM

• Look for firm, mold-free tubers.
• Select firm unblemished tubers with no soft spots.
• Amount for 4 servings: 11/2 lbs.

ASPARAGUS

• Look for smooth, round, straight stalks with closed, compact tips and a bright green color along almost the entire length.
• Fresh asparagus have tightly closed tips. If the tips have begun to spread, the asparagus aren't fresh and have lost a lot of flavor.

 
AVOCADOS

• Firm avocados should ripen at room temperature in 3 - 5 days. They are ripe when they yield to gentle pressure on the skin. Avoid dark spots or broken skin. Irregular light brown skin markings do not affect quality.

BACON

• It is more economical to buy slab bacon and slice it as you need it. Slab bacon with the rind on is much cheaper than sliced bacon, and it keeps better.

BANANAS

• Buy bananas on the green side and let them ripen at home. They're one of the few fruits that improve after they've been picked green. The very yellow banana in the stores have often been artificially ripened by gas. They don't taste as good as those that ripen naturally and slowly in your own kitchen.
• Look for: solid yellow bananas speckled with some brown flecks if bananas are to be used immediately. Fruit with some green will ripen at home in a few days at room temperature. Brown skins usually indicate over ripened fruit

BEAN SPROUTS

• Fresh, long, crisp ivory-colored sprouts

BEANS, DRIED

• When you buy a package of dried beans, be sure they are of uniform size. Small beans cook faster than large ones.
• When shopping for dried beans, buy those which are bright in color and the most uniform in size. Bright color indicates freshness, while uniform size will promote even cooking.
  

BEANS, FRESH

• Look for crisp but tender beans without scars. Well-shaped pods with small seeds are the most desirable; the length is unimportant.
• Look for bright, good color; firm, crisp pods.

BEANS, LIMA

• Amount for 4 servings: 3 lbs (unshelled)
• Look for well-filled, tender, green pods; avoid dried, spotty or yellowing ones. Shelled beans should be plump, with green to greenish-white skins.

BROCCOLI

• Tender, firm stalks and tightly closed dark-greenflowerets.
• Look for firm, compact dark green clusters. Avoid thick, tough stems.

BERRIES

• Before purchasing, check the bottom of the berry container to make sure it is not badly stained from mushy or moldy fruit If stained badly, forget it; the berries aren't fresh.
• Look for plump, fresh-looking, uniformly colored fruit free of stems and leaves. Avoid berries that are moldy, crushed, or bruised, or that they have leaked moisture, staining the carton.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

• Look for firm, fresh bright-green (not yellow) sprouts with tight-fitting outer leaves free from black spots. Puffy or soft sprouts are usually poor in quality.
• Amount for 4 servings: 11/2 lbs

CABBAGE

• Look for firm heads with fresh, crisp-looking leaves. Green cabbage is often trimmed of its outer leaves and lacks bright green color, but it is satisfactory if not wilted or discolored. Savoy-type cabbage has finely crumpled green leaves and loosely formed heads; red varieties have a reddish-purple color.
• Amount for 4 servings: 1 head (about 11/2Ibs)

CABBAGE, CHINESE (or Chinese, Celery)

• Crisp, fresh-looking cabbage, free from blemishes.

• Look for fully ripened melons for best sweetness and flavor, heavy for their size. Avoid bruised or cracked fruit.
• When a cantaloupe is good and ripe, the skin should be tan, not green. Ends should be soft with plenty of aroma, which is easier to detect if the melon is not so cold.
• Here are the best ways to tell when the muskmelon is ripe: The surface netting should be coarse-looking and grayish and the scar at the stem end should be sunken in a bit. Also, there should be a slight softness at the blossom-end, and a sweet fragrance.
• A ripe muskmelon will keep its sweetness if it's chilled as soon as possible after being picked.
• Unripe muskmelons (cantaloupes) will never get very sweet
• This melon has a golden-or greenish-beige skin with thick, coarse netting. The scar at the stem end should be smooth, without any of the stem remaining. When ripe, cantaloupe has a pleasant aroma and salmon-colored flesh, and it feels tender but not mushy at the blossom end.

CARROTS

• Look for firm, well-formed, bright-colored carrots. Avoid flabby or shriveled carrots.
• If you can buy carrots with their leafy tops on, do so. They're more likely to be fresher than those wrapped in plastic bags. Remove the greens before storing.
• Amount for 4 servings: 11/ 4lbs.

CASABA MELON

• The casaba is round with a pointed end, chartreuse-yellow with lengthwise furrows and no netting; the flesh is cream-colored. When the fruit is ripe, the rind is a rich yellow and the blossom end yields to gentle pressure.

CAULIFLOWER

• Choose a firm, compact head with white or creamy-white unblemished florets. Leaves should be bright green and crisp.
• Look for clean, non-spreading curds (the white portion); green "jacket" leaves.

 
CELERY

• Look for fresh, crisp clean celery of medium length and size, pale green in color. Thin darker-green stalks may be stringy.

CHAYOTES

• Look for pear-shaped member of the squash family, with lengthwise furrows, about 3 ¬6 inches long, with celery-green color. Choose firm very young ones.

CHEESE

• If you find a good buy on cheese, keep out what you can use within a week or so, and freeze the balance. Again, store it in slices, cubes or shreds and remember to date it and rotate it.

CHERIMOYAS (aka Custard Apples)

• Look for large fruit, uniformly green with rough, petal-like indentations. Avoid fruit with cracks or dark-brown skin.

CHERRIES

• Look for plump, bright-looking cherries with color ranging from amber to red to purplish black, depending on the variety. Tart or sour cherries are best for cooking.
• Sweet cherries can be eaten fresh or used in cooking. Avoid fruit that is too soft or shriveled.

CHICKEN

• Never buy chicken on Monday. It is likely you'll get one that wasn't bought by the weekend.
• When you buy a whole chicken, count on 1/2 lb per person.
• Buy only the freshest birds, and freeze them as soon as possible after purchase. Unless you plan to cook chicken whole, cut it into convenient serving-size pieces or quarters and place enough in each package for one meal.
• Allow 3/4 - 1 lb of chicken per serving.

CHOCOLATE

• After holidays, shop for the half- and 1 lb solid chocolate bunnies, Santas, valentines, etc., when they go on sale for half price. Cut up for excellent chocolate chip cookies or a multitude of other chocolate uses and save more than double your money.

 
CLAMS

• When purchasing in shells: see that shells are tightly closed or close at touch, as this indicates that they are alive.
• Clams are purchased live in the shell, shucked or canned. To test the state of affairs within a tightly closed shell, tap it and the shell will close more tightly. Do not buy any open shells. Even soft shelled clams will react to disturbance, giving some indication that they are alive and well.
• Shucked clams should be plump, shiny and fresh-smelling.

COCONUTS

• When you're picking out a coconut, look for a heavy one that sounds full of liquid when you shake it
• Look for coconuts that are heavy for their size: the liquid should slosh around inside when the coconut is shaken. Avoid fruit with moldy or wet eyes.

 
CO FFEE

• To have more "kick" in your coffee, remember that every time you open a jar of instant coffee or a can of coffee, some of the aroma is lost Since the large jars and cans are more economical buy them and keep them in the freezer. Fill a small jar or can as needed and keep it tightly sealed in the refrigerator.

CORN

• Look for bright green husks, fresh looking silk, plump but not too large kernels.
• Look for medium-size ears with bright, plump, milky kernels that are just firm enough to offer slight resistance to pressure. Tiny kernels indicate immaturity; very large, deep-yellow kernels may be over-mature and tough.

CORNMEAL:

• Stone - or water-ground cornmeal is made from the whole corn (including skin and germ) and is more nutritious. But it doesn't keep as long, so buy it in small quantities.

CRABS

• Fresh crabs are sold live, cooked in the shell, cooked and frozen in the shell, or as fresh cooked or frozen crab meat
• Uncooked crabs should be lively; live soft-shell crabs should be a rich bluish gray. Cooked crabs should have bright-red shells. Cooked crab meat should be clear white with touches of pink and have little or no odor.

CRANBERRIES

• Look for plump, firm, glossy light to dark red berries. Avoid shriveled, discolored, or moist cranberries.

CRENSHAW MELON

• Glove-shaped and pointed at the stem end, with shallow furrows, the crenshaw melon has a gold-and-green rind that turns all gold when the melon is ripe; the pink flesh has a rich aroma; blossom end yields to gentle pressure.

CUCUMBERS

• Select straight ones with color good green without yellow blotches, otherwise they may be tough and pithy; cooked ones cause waste in peeling, however, these may be cheaper in price; thin ones have smaller seeds than those larger in circumference.
• Over mature cucumbers, generally seed, are dull or yellow and have an overgrown, puffy look.
• Smaller varieties are preferred for pickling.
• Long, slender seedless cucumbers are preferred for salad.
• When you buy cucumbers for pickling, be sure you avoid the large green ones which usually have a wax coating. It's impossible to get the wax off. Ask for pickling cucumbers.

CUSTARD APPLES (see Cherimoyas)

DUCKLING

• Allow 1 lb per serving.
• Duckling is sold fresh-chilled or frozen, whole and in parts.

EGGPLANT

• Select firm, smooth, heavy purplish-black eggplant with no soft spots, or flabby skin. The stem should be green.
• Look for smooth, firm eggplants of an even, dark purple.
• Select one which is free from blemish, with firm flesh and uniform dark color.
• Amount for 4 servings: 1 medium (about 1 1/2 lbs)

• Eggs are sold by grade and size. Grade is an indication of quality, with AA being the highest. Eggs range in size from jumbo to peewee, but the most commonly available sizes are extra large, large, and medium. Size is measured by minimum weight per dozen. Price is determined by the number of eggs available on the market. If there is less than a 7 -cent difference in the per-dozen price between two sizes of the same grade, the larger size usually is the better buy.
• When cheap, buy a lot and freeze them.

FISH

• How much to buy per person:
• Whole: 3/4 lb
• Dressed: 1/2 lb
• Fillets: 1/3 lb
• Portions: 1/3 lb
• Sticks: l/4 lb
• Canned: l/6 lb
• Fresh:
• Eyes: These should be bulging and bright with no cloudiness. Sunken, clouded eyes tell you the fish is probably old.
• Skin: Look for irridescent skin with distinct markings. The longer a fish is out of the water, the more the colors fade and the skin loses its shiny appearance. The scales, closed tightly to the skin, should shine as if they have just been bathed.
• Gills: One of the best signs of freshness - or age - is the color of the gills. When fresh from the water, gills are vividly red. As the fish ages, gills become duller in color until they are a muddy, slimy brown.
• Flesh: should be firm and springy to the touch ... .If your finger leaves a dent when you press the flesh, the fish is older than desirable. Also, the fish should have a fresh, mild scent, not a strong "fishy" odor.
• Cook the fish within 24 hours of its purchase; or if this is not practical, freeze it until you are ready to cook it.
• Frozen: fish should be tightly wrapped in moisture-proof material with little or no air space between the fish and its wrapping; the flesh should be solidly frozen, have a clear color, and be free of ice crystals, discoloration, or any brownish tinge. The odor, if any, should be mild. Breading on breaded fish should be crisp, not soggy.

FLOUR

• Flour keeps very well frozen, so go ahead and stock up when it's on sale.

GOOSE

• A 10 lb goose will serve 6 - 8 people. Don't buy a goose weighing under 8 lbs - most of this weight will be bone.
• Geese are sold fresh-chilled or frozen in sizes varying from 4 - 14 lbs. Allow about 1 - 1 1/2 lbs per serving.

GRAPEFRUIT

• Look for: well-shaped fruit that is firm and heavy for its size. Browned discolorations on the skin usually do not affect eating quality. Avoid fruit that is soft or discolored at the stem end.
• The thickness - not the color - of the skin tells you a lot about the quality of the fruit. Thin-skinned fruits are probably juicier than thick-skinned ones. Thick skinned fruits are usually pointed at the stem end and look rough and wrinkled.
• Buy lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit when cheap, wash thoroughly and shred or grate the rind, seal in plastic bags and freeze. Or dry the shredded peel on a cookie tray and grind it to a powder in a blender. Use the powdered fruit peels in desserts and baked goods.
• Squeeze the juice and freeze.

GRAPES

• Look for plump, fresh-looking fruit with individual grapes firmly attached to their stems. Avoid dry, brittle stems and shriveled grapes or ones leaking moisture.

GUAVAS

• Look for: fruit with green to yellowish-red skin, depending on the variety. Ripe guavas should yield to gentle pressure on the skin. Avoid cracked skins.

 
HERBS & SPICES

• Most stores have spices displayed in alphabetical order on the shelves. Sure saves time if a person knows about it.
• Whole Spices: Whenever possible, buy whole rather than ready-ground spices (allspice, cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves, nutmeg, pepper) and grate or grind them yourself. You can often use the blender for this, or a mortar and pestle, or a pepper grinder. you'll get much more pungency and flavor.
• The glass jars contain the higher quality products. Plastic jars and tins contain lesser quality grades of herbs and spices.

DILL

• The dill you buy to use in pickling must be mature and not young feathery dill. Ask for dill which has just gone to seed. This is most often sold dried. Young dill (the kind that's used for salads) won't give pickles the right flavor.

HONEY

• Try to buy raw uncooked honey in any of the many wildflower varieties. You'll find these in health food stores. Many commercial honeys are produced by sugar-fed bees and have been pasteurized. they're sweet, but don't have much flavor.

HONEYDEW & HONEYBALL MELONS

• Look for fully ripened melons for best sweetness and flavor, heavy for their size. Avoid bruised or cracked fruit
• A ripe and ready-to-eat honeydew melon has a light-yellow, velvety-feeling skin with a slight softening at the blossom end.
• The skin color should be yellow green to creamy yellow - not green.
• The "belly button" should be somewhat soft. If the melon is soft all over, it is probably overripe.
• It should give off a fragrance.
• To tell if Honeydew melon is ripe: hold to your ear and shake. If you can hear the seeds and juice sloshing around inside, it's ripe.
• To test for ripeness, snap thumb and third finger against the melon. If it says "pink" in a high, shrill tone, the melon isn't ripe. If you hear "punk" in a deep, low voice, the melon is ready to eat. A honeydew melon, if bought too green, will never ripen properly. Avoid any that are green, hard, and smooth.
• These melons are similar except that the honeyball is smaller. The rind is cream¬colored with patches of netting. When the melon is ripe, the skin should feel velvety and the rind should give slightly.

JUICE, FROZEN
 

• Buy a 32 ounce glass bottle of citrus juice .... not a can. Keep that wonderful wide-mouthed bottle when it's empty and put a small can of frozen juice in it. Measure the water and, with fingernail polish or tape, mark a line on the bottle. Cap and shake. Next time no measuring ... just fill with water to the mark

KIWI FRUIT

• Look for slightly firm fruit with fuzzy skin. When fully ripe, kiwifruit should yield to gentle pressure on the skin.

KUMQUATS

• Look for firm, glossy, bright-orange kumquats. Avoid blemished or shriveled fruit

LEEKS

• Look for a whitle bulb base with fresh green tops (leeks are larger and milder than green onions, and they give a different flavor to cooked foods.)
• Allow 1 bunch to serve 4 people
• Amount for 4 servings: 2 lbs

LEMON JUICE

• Keep those plastic containers shaped like lemons which get used up so quickly. Buy a 32 oz bottle of the reconstituted juice and fill it up again and again.

LEMONS

• Buy lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit when cheap, wash thoroughly and shred or grate the rind, seal in plastic bags and freeze. Or dry the shredded peel on a cookie tray and grind it to a powder in a blender. Use the powdered fruit peels in desserts and baked goods.
• Squeeze the juice and freeze.  
• Look for firm, bright fruits that are heavy for their size. Pale or greenish-yellow lemons usually indicate fruit of higher acidity. Avoid soft, shriveled, or hard-skinned fruits.
• When buying lemons, take the ones with the smoothest skin and smallest endpoints. Growers will tell you that round lemons are much superior to long ones when it comes to juice and taste.
• When lemons are in season and cheaper, freeze lemon juice in ice cube trays for later use. Be sure to grate and freeze the rind as well.
• Like oranges, lemons with smooth skins have more juice than rough, thick-skinned ones.
• The heavier lemons are, the juicier and meatier they are.

LIMES

• Buy lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit when cheap, wash thoroughly and shred or grate the rind, seal in plastic bags and freeze. Or dry the shredded peel on a cookie tray and grind it to a powder in a blender. Use the powdered fruit peels in desserts and baked goods.
• Squeeze the juice and freeze.
• Firm, bright fruits that are heavy for their size. Limes should be glossy skinned; irregular purplish-brown marks on skins do not affect quality. Avoid soft, shriveled, or hard-skinned fruits.
• Buy very green limes. These are the tart and tangy ones. Yellowish limes have less flavor.
• Like lemons, limes should be bought by weight. The heavier they are, the juicier and meatier they are.

LOQUATS

• Deep-colored orange-yellow fruit that yields to gentle pressure on the skin.

MANGOES

• Look for: plump, yellowish or orange, oval or round fruit, sometimes with speckled skin, and fresh aroma. Ripe mangoes should yield slightly to gentle pressure on the skin. (Unripe mangoes have very poor flavor.) Avoid soft or shriveled fruit and fruit with bruises or large black spots.

MEAT
 

• As you shop for meat, look for flecks of fat within the lean; this is "marbling". It increases juiciness, flavor and tenderness.
• Ribs and loins of high-quality beef, lamb and mutton are usually aged. Aging develops additional tenderness and characteristic flavor. 
• Look for meat that is firm and slightly moist, with bright, light to dark red color and fine texture. Bones should be red and porous. Don't judge quality by the color of the fat, which varies with the breed, age, and feed of the animal.

CORNED BEEF

• Corned beef should be reddish-gray in color from the cure that gives it its distinctive flavor.

GROUND BEEF

• When selecting ground beef, be sure it is fresh. It should be bright red with specks of white fat scattered throughout. Do not buy ground beef which has lots of white specks! It will be largely fat and will cook away to half as much as you thought you had bought
• Do not be concerned if the ground beef in a newly purchased package is rich red on the outside and somewhat brownish on the inside. The change in color doesn't mean the meat isn't fresh. The pigment that causes red color in meat is oxymyoglobin, a substance found in all warm-blooded animals. When exposed to air, this pigment combines with oxygen to produce the red color, which is called "bloom". Ground meat under the outermost layer does not have the red color since it is not exposed to the oxygen that produces the "bloom". Leave the meat unwrapped in the refrigerator for a short time and the bright color will be restored.
• These types can be used interchangeably. Keep in mind the difference in cost, fat content and shrinkage:
• Ground beef: Budget price. 20 - 25% fat. Some shrinkage.
• Ground chuck: Medium price. 15 - 20% fat. Less shrinkage.
• Ground round: Higher price. About 11% fat. Little shrinkage.
•  Hamburger or ground beef...what's the difference? Hamburger meat as we know it contains more fat than ground beef, but it's all ground beef.
• Hamburger meat is made from fat and lean trimmings of brisket, flank, shanks, and neck meat The beef used is of high quality but is not as tender as other cuts; therefore it is better when ground. Hamburger must not contain over 25% fat according to USDA regulations.
• Ground beef can also be trimmings. But probably it is made up of more expensive cuts which have been ground. Chuck and round steak are often ground and will cost more per pound than hamburger.

HAM

• When you buy a cured cooked ham ask your butcher to remove the rind and all but a very thick layer of fat
• Allow 1/4 - 1/3 lb per serving for boneless hams; 1/3 -1/2 lb for bone-in hams.
• Always buy ham from a refrigerated case, unless it is a small canned ham labeled to indicate that refrigeration is not necessary.
• Look for a label that indicates whether ham is ready-to-eat or cook-before-eating. Whole hams generally are identified when they leave the meat packer; however} the supermarket may remove the label, especially when hams are cut into halves or portions. If you're unsure whether a ham is fully cooked, prepare it as you would a cook-before-eating types.
• "Water added" on a label merely means that the ham has retained extra water from the curing process. This moisture gives a juicier ham.

PORK

• Buy pork chops about 1" thick Thinner ones tend to dry out during the fairly prolonged cooking pork requires.
• Buy cuts with a high proportion of lean meat to fat and bone. The lean part should be firm and fine-textured, and grayish pink to light red in color.
• Pork chops which are light in color are corn fed.
• Pork's delightful taste, ranging from the smoky goodness of hickory-cured ham to the delicate flavor of roast pork, is one reason for it's longtime popularity. The quality of fresh pork can be measured by the fat and the color of the meat High-quality fresh pork has an exterior well-covered with a fairly firm, half-inch layer of white fat Meat from your animals is grayish-pink; in older animals it turns to pale rose. But the meat is always well-marbled with fat and is firm and fine-grained.
• The best way to tell the quality of cured pork is to depend on brand name. Each meat packer has his own way of curing and smoking pork. To find the most appealing flavor and the most consistent quality, the products of several different meat packers should be sampled.

ROAST

• To prevent overdrying and to insure tenderness, buy a roast which weighs at least 4 lbs.

MUSHROOMS

• Select ones with short stems that are moist and firm, not soft nor dry.
• Read the labels before you buy fresh packaged mushrooms. Some brands have been sprayed with sodium bisulfide to keep them white. Sodium bisulfide may not be harmful, but when the sprayed mushrooms start to age they become slimy-looking, unlike mushrooms in their natural state.
• To be sure you're getting prime mushrooms buy only those with closed caps. The gills should not be showing.
• Look for creamy white to light brown caps, closed around the stem; if slightly open, gills should be light pink or tan.

NECTARINES

• Look for plump, rich-colored, smooth-skinned fruit The color should be reddish to yellowish. Slightly firm fruit should ripen well at room temperature. Avoid hard, soft, or shriveled nectarines or ones with a large proportion of green skin.

NUTS

• Buy nuts in the shell if you can, for breads, cakes, or just plain eating. they taste much better than shelled nuts and cost a great deal less. Nuts in the shell are in their natural state. Shelled nuts often have been chemically treated before packaging.
• Stock up on shelled nuts for impromptu baking bases. They freeze beautifully.

ONIONS

• Onions that show a bit of green spear growing out of them should be used at once. Otherwise they will spoil.
• You can still use an onion that's sprouted. If the onion is still firm, use it. Otherwise, discard the onion, but use the sprouts as you would a green onion.
• Look for firm, well-shaped onions with unblemished paper skins.
• Don't buy onions if they show any green sprouts. It means that at least one layer inside the onion has begun to go bad.
• 1/2 lb of onions will give about 2 cps sliced or chopped.
• 1 small onion, finely chopped, will give you 1/4 cup.

RED

• Red (Italian) onions usually have a lighter flavor and are not as tear-inducing as the yellow-skinned ones when you slice them. They're fine for serving raw in salads or on top of hamburgers, but they turn an unattractive blue-brown in cooking so use them raw.

WHITE

• White onions have a softer flavor than any others and are more delicate. They're best for a dish like creamed onions. They're also more perishable than other types. Keep them dry and refrigerated until you use them.

SPANISH

• The large Spanish (golden) onions are the best kind to buy when a dish calls for lots of onions. There's less work in peeling and slicing a large onion than several small ones. Spanish onions are also sweeter and are very good as a vegetable.

ORANGES

• Buy lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit when cheap, wash thoroughly and shred or grate the rind, seal in plastic bags and freeze. Or dry the shredded peel on a cookie tray and grind it to a powder in a blender. Use the powdered fruit peels in desserts and baked goods.
• Squeeze the juice and freeze.
• Look for firm oranges, heavy for their size. A slight greenish color or russeting on the skin does not affect the quality.
• The color of an orange is no indication of it's quality because oranges are usually dyed to improve their appearance.
• Pick a sweet orange by examining the navel. Choose the one with the biggest holes.
• When buying oranges for making juice, pick up each one and feel the weight of it. The heaviest fruit will be the juiciest
• Thin skinned oranges are usually the juiciest
• Oranges with very rough surfaces are thick-skinned and generally have less juice and meat inside. But they're preferable if you want orange sections.

• Papayas are ripe for eating when the skin is a deep yellow or orange and the flesh is slightly soft to pressure.
• To tell if papaya is ripe: Squeeze gently. If it feels "rubbery", it's probably ripe. But if it isn't when you open it, close it and leave it out of the refrigerator for a day or two.
• Look for greenish-yellow to almost-yellow fruit that yields to gentle thumb pressure. Avoid shriveled or bruised fruit

• Look for smooth, firm, well-shaped medium-sized parsnips. Avoid large, coarse roots or ones with gray or soft spots.
• Look for firm, nicely shaped, unblemished parsnips that are not too wide.
• Select small to medium size, fairly smooth and firm like carrots.

• The fruit is ripe and ready to eat when the skin becomes wrinkled.

• Raw pasta should be smooth and shiny. If it's dusty and brittle or crumbly, it's not fresh.
• Mueller's and Creamette are mushy. Search the labels for the words "durum semolina" and then buy by price. These will not get mushy.

• Look for flat, crisp, bright pods.

 
PEACHES

CANNED

• When you buy canned peaches, look for those whose labels list the drained weight instead of net weight you're more interested in the weight of the peaches than in the liquid or syrup.

FRESH

• Peaches that are hard and show a lot of green on their skins will never ripen properly. Avoid them.
• Look for fairly firm to slightly softened fruit with a yellow or cream color and, depending on the variety, a red blush. Avoid green, shriveled, or bruised fruit. The pulp of free-stone varieties is easily removed from the pit

• Look for well shaped, fairly firm fruit; the color depends on the variety. Ripe pears yield readily to soft pressure in the palm of the hand. Avoid shriveled, discolored, cut, or bruised fruit
• If a pear is soft at the base of the stem, use it right away - it won't keep.

• Look for fresh, young pods, light green in color, slightly velvety to the touch, and well filled with well-developed peas. Pods with immature peas are usually flat, dark green, and wilted; over mature pods are swollen, light and flecked with gray.

PEPPERS

CHILI

• Look for peppers that provide the right degree of "heat" for your recipe.

SWEET

• Look for well-shaped shiny, medium to dark green peppers with firm sides.
• Look for peppers that are firm, shiny, and thick fleshed, medium to dark green. Wilted or flabby peppers, with cuts or punctures, are of poor quality. soft spots on the sides indicate decay.
• When mature, peppers turn red. Yellow and purple varieties are also available. The pimiento is mild, sweet pepper.
• Many green peppers have a very little flavor. Try to pick ones that show a little yellow or even some red on them. These peppers are on their way to developing a taste.
• When green peppers are in season and on sale, select large ones, parboil a minute, stuff and half bake them. Take all but one out and finish baking it for your meal. Let the balance cool, wrap them individually, label, date and freeze. You have prepared a meat dish for many more meals with a little effort, at reduced cost When ready, thaw and they will finish cooking quickly.
• Green or sweet red peppers don't keep well, so don't buy them too far in advance.
• Red peppers are green peppers that have ripened.

PERSIAN MELONS

• Resembling the cantaloupe but larger, with finer netting, the Persian melon has a dark green background that turns lighter green when the fruit is ripe. The skin gives under slight pressure. The flesh is orange-pink, and the aroma is distinct.

PERSIMMONS

• Look for slightly firm, plump fruit with smooth, unbroken skin and the stem cap attached. Avoid bruised or too-soft fruit Oriental varieties are most common: smaller native persimmons are usually homegrown.

PINEAPPLES

• If one side of a pineapple is very much lighter in color than the rest of the rind, avoid it - it will be dry inside.
• If a pineapple hasn't ripened on the tree, it never will. It may get softer, but it won't get sweeter. Also, a ripe pineapple will smell sweet and fruity, and the sharp outer coat will have lost all green color.
• To tell if a pineapple is ripe and ready to eat, don't pull a leaf out of the crown; that does not indicate ripeness. Instead, smell it. A pineapple with no aroma will have little flavor; one with a fresh, sweet odor should be juicy and ripe; one with a fermented odor will be overripe.
• As a rule, the best ones to buy are squat rather than tapering type.
• Look for firm fruit, heavy for its size, with a distinct aroma and plump, glossy eyes. The color will depend on variety, but usually dark green indicates that fruit is not fully ripe (once picked, they will not ripen further).

 
PLANTAINS

• Look for large, firm, greenish-yellow to dark-brown fruit with some black spots. The skin of very ripe plantains is black and the fruit yields to soft pressure with the fingers.

PLUMS

• Look for plump fruit that yields to gentle pressure on the skin and is well colored. Color varies from bright yellow-green to reddish-purple to purple-black, depending on the variety. Avoid hard, shriveled, or cracked fruit.
• If fresh plums are brownish on one side, they're likely to have a poor flavor.

POMEGRANATES

• Look for fresh-looking fruit, heavy for its size. Avoid shriveled fruit or broken rinds.

POTATOES

CANNED

• Buy canned potatoes when they are on sale. They are great for many things. Heat them in the gravy and serve with your pot roast. Keep them in the refrigerator so they will be cold for a quick potato salad. They are great sliced and fried for breakfast, especially when camping.

FRESH

• Select firm, clean, unblemished potatoes with no deep cuts or green spots. Eyes should be shallow, dry and not sprouting.

PUMPKINS

• Look for firm, bright-colored pumpkins, free from blemishes.
• When cooking pumpkin select a sugar pie pumpkin. This variety of pumpkin is small and sweet, with dark orange-colored flesh. A 3-lb fresh pumpkin will yield approx. 1 cup of cooked pumpkin.

QUINCES

• Look for golden-yellow, round or pear-shaped fruit with rather fuzzy skin. Avoid small, knotty fruit and fruit with bruises.

RADISHES

• Look for uniformly shaped radishes that are free of blemishes, firm and bright, deep red or white, depending on the variety.

 
SANTA CLAUS MELON

• Available in December, this melon is a large, oblong fruit with yellow-green flesh and a green¬gold slightly netted rind that turns yellow when ripe. The blossom end will yield to gentle pressure.

• When fresh, either the large sea scallops or the smaller bay scallops should be practically free from liquor, creamy in color and have a slightly sweet odor.

• Shrimp should have mild odor, firm-textured meat.
• Shrimp vary in size and shell color. Depending on the variety, the shells can be light gray, brownish pink, or red. When cooked, shells become reddish and the meat turns pink.
• Available all year, shrimp come in the shell, or frozen, shelled, and deveined, uncooked or cooked. Frozen shrimp are also sold breaded, cooked or uncooked.
• One pound unshelled shrimp yields 1/2 lb cooked, shelled meat.

• Fresh, tender bright-green leaves. Avoid spinach that is yellowish and wilted.

• Choose squash, both summer and winter varieties, that are heavy for their size.

SUMMER

• Look for firm, well-shaped squash with shiny, smooth skins, no soft spots or blemishes. Should be heavy for size.

WINTER

• Select squashes with a dry,hard rinds that do not yield to thumb pressure. High¬quality squashes are heavy for their size.
• Look for good yellow-orange color, hard, tough rinds; squash that is heavy.
• Tender skin indicates immaturity and poor quality.
• Acorn squash should have a dark-green rind - a sign of good quality.

• Note: Yams are not botanically related to sweet potatoes and do not grow in the US. But in the US, canned sweet potatoes are often labeled yams.
• Look for smooth, even colored skins; potatoes that are firm and nicely shaped.
• Choose firm, fairly smooth, clean, regularly shaped sweet potatoes with no soft or wet spots or white mold.
• Sweet potatoes don't keep as well as regular white potatoes, so don't buy them for long storage. And they must be kept dry. They deteriorate rapidly in a humid atmosphere.

• Tangelos should have a bright orange color and be firm and heavy for their size; they peel and section easily, have few seeds, and are juicy.

• Tangerines that are deep yellow to deep orange in color and heavy for their size, often with loose skin that can be pulled away easily.

• Look for firm, plump, unblemished red or bright yellow tomatoes. Size does not indicate quality.

• Buy a large turkey when it's on sale and have butcher cut it in half. Each part still has white and dark meat and a cavity for stuffing.
• Instead of one large turkey, buy two small ones and you'll have a larger portion of the better cuts of meat. Also they will roast in much less time.
• Ready-to-cook turkeys are sold both frozen, stuffed and unstuffed, and fresh chilled.
• When buying whole, ready-to-cook turkey, allow about 1 1/2 lbs per serving; when buying stuffed turkey, allow 11/2 - 2 lbs per person. this will yield generous servings with leftovers for next day. When purchasing uncooked, boneless turkey, allow 1/3 - 1/2 lb per serving.

• Look for grapefruit-shaped citrus fruit, yellow with greenish splotches and wrinkled, bumpy skin.

• Look for fully ripened melons for best sweetness and flavor, heavy for their size. Avoid bruised or cracked fruit
• Look for large (usually up to 20 lbs) or "icebox-size" (about 8 lb) melons with red or yellow flesh; some are seedless. Melons should be firm, symmetrically shaped (round or oblong, depending on the variety) fruit; the side of the melon grown next to the ground will be yellowish or cream-colored, not pale green or white. The rind should have a velvety bloom, giving it a dull, not shiny appearance.
• Don't buy a watermelon if one side is pale green or whitish - a sign that it was picked too green. It will never develop into a tasty melon.
• To test a whole melon for ripeness, slap the melon side with the open palm of your hand; the sound should be deep and resonant A dull thud indicates that the melon is underripe; a hollow sound indicates that it is overripe and mushy.
• If you buy a cut piece of watermelon, the flesh should be firm, with a deep-red color; seeds should be dark brown or black; avoid melons with a hard white streak running through the flesh.

• Fresh compressed yeast is a light grayish-tan color. If it's dark and brownish, it is old and may not be fully viable.