We tend to want fast-food fruit – buy it now, eat it now. Many kinds of fruit, however, need that final stage of ripening, and that takes place in your home. If you know the secrets, your neighbors will be amazed at how you always pick out the perfect peach or nectarine and the most magnificent melon.
Let's start with peaches and nectarines. Ripening actually begins when you purchase the fruit. The more mature the fruit, the better it will ripen. So find peaches and nectarines that are very heavy for their size. Look at the stem end. If the background color (the color behind the red blush) is yellow to dark yellow, that's a mature piece of fruit. I have found the best place to ripen them is gently laid in a shoe box, covered and put in my laundry room. In a few days, they are juicy and sweet.
Melons do not “ripen” once they have been picked, but you can improve their flavor. Set the melon out on the counter at room temperature. Keep it covered with a newspaper to help prevent dehydration, and keep it out of direct sunlight. As the melon softens, some of the acids in the fruit dissipate, leaving a sweeter-tasting melon.
Bing cherries
Washington
$2.99 - $3.99 a pound
As fast as they came, they will be gone, so don't wait to enjoy them.
Figs
Fresno
$3.99 - $4.49 a basket
If these are flat on one side, they've been sitting around too long.
Eggplant
Fresno
$1.19 - $1.49 each
The hottest part of the summer is when we get the best eggplants.
Walla Walla onions
Washington
$1.49 - $1.99 a pound
The last of the spring sweet onions are here. Handle them gently.
