How to buy fresh vegetables?
In the beginning, buying vegetables is a daunting task for everyone. Vegetable buying requires special skill and this is acquired by experience. Nowadays, vegetables can also be bought online through Big Basket, Amazon, Natures Basket and many more.
Buying fresh organic vegetables is always considered healthy. Now you may wonder, what are organic vegetables? Well, organic vegetables are those that are grown using biological fertilizers and are pest controlled using animal or plant waste. The best economic way is to grow vegetables in the kitchen garden and use it when required. But whatever the case may be knowledge of choosing the vegetables is required. So here we go…
All vegetables are best when they are fresh as soon as they are plucked from the plants (if grown). Next comes the vegetables from the farmers. This is followed by vegetables from the vendor. Vegetables got online are not often fresh always as it depends on the time of purchase and how far your place is.
The common rule for all vegetables is they should be bright in colour, dry and rigid. They should not be bruised or damaged nor emit foul smell. To make things easier let us delve deeper for some common vegetables.
Onions
Fresh onions(Buy these)
They are firm and dry. You can check the area where sprouts appear. This place should be dry. The scales of the onions should be smooth
Old onions(Do not buy these)
They are wet and soft and become soggy. You can check the area where sprouts appear. If it is wet here then the onions will get spoilt easily. Do not buy such onions. Older onions also give a rotten smell.
Sprouted onions are older so avoid buying them.
Tomatoes
Fresh Tomatoes(Buy these)
They are rigid and firm. The colour is bright red for ripe tomatoes and red with yellow/green spots for unripe tomatoes depending on how ripe they are.
Older ones(Do not buy these)
They are soggy (that is, soft and wet). The wetness usually is seen on the scar. (the place where the stem is attached to the tomato) Sometimes they have wrinkles. The older ones emit a rotten smell and liquid oozes out. If they are much older they also develop moulds.
Green Chillies
Fresh ones(Buy these)
They are firm and the colour is uniform throughout. They are dry.
Older ones(Do not buy these)
They are soft and wet. The liquid oozes out in older ones and sometimes the shape changes as one end is firm and the other end will be soft.
Ginger
Fresh ones(Buy these)
Ginger should be rigid and dry enough such that they are brown in colour as shown in the picture.
Older ones(Do not buy these)
They are soft and wet and they look shrunken. The drier ones are lighter brown and very hard.
Garlic
Fresh ones (Buy these)
They should be rigid and intact. When you move your fingers around them there should be no major depressions.
Older ones (Do not buy these)
They are drier and some may have major depressions.
Potato
Fresh ones (Buy these)
The potatoes that are brown in colour uniformly are the best. The skin should be soft and the eyes(a small ridge as shown in the picture above) should be intact. They should be rigid. There should be no sprouts.
Potatoes covered with mud are better than clean ones and will tend to last longer.
Avoid potatoes with two varying shades, for example green and brown.
Older ones (Do not buy these)
They tend to become soft. Some may also become soggy. (both soft and wet) and the liquid oozes out.
Sprouts appear.
Cauliflower
Fresh ones (Buy these)
They are uniformly white in colour with no black/brown spots. The flower heads should be intact and close to each other.
Older ones (Do not buy these)
The flower heads tend to move apart from each other and black /brown spots develop.
Carrot
Fresh ones(Buy these)
Carrots should be bright orange in colour .They should be soft and smooth.
Older ones(Do not buy these)
Colour fades and they tend to be harder and the ridges are seen distinctly. They are more dry.
Some may also tend to release liquid .
Brinjal (eggplant)
Fresh ones (Buy these)
The stalk head (the green portion) is big and broader. Brinjal is lighter in weight.
Older ones(Do not buy these)
Wrinkles appear and the brinjal tends to shrivel up.
Okra/Ladysfinger
Fresh ones(Buy these)
They are dark green in colour(uniformly),soft and on pressing the edge should break easily.
Older ones(Do not buy these)
They are lighter greeen, harder and do not break easily when pressed on edges.
Bell peppers
Fresh ones (Buy these)
They are rigid and dry. The colour should be uniform throughout. Dark green and bright ones are the best.
Older ones (Do not buy these)
They tend to get shrunk and wrinkles appear. Some maybe wet.
Hope this helps. Don’t forget to eat more vegetables and stay healthy!! 🙂
