Vegetable+Storage+and+Selection

= Grading Vegetables =

Most grading for fresh produce is voluntary since its quality declines too quickly for grading. Grading is based on color, shape, size, uniformity, and freedom from blemishes and defects. New laws require USDA grading for the twenty most commonly consumed fresh vegetables (Brown, 2011). These vegetables are: potatoes, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, sweet corn, broccoli, green cabbage, cucumbers, bell peppers, cauliflower, leaf lettuce, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, green onions, green (snap) beans, radishes, summer squash, and asparagus (Agricultural Marketing Service, n.d.). USDA grading services ensure that the consumer gets the quality they expect. (Fancy) || The highest grade for canned or frozen vegetables. They are most tender and flavorful and have the best color for type. || (Extra Standard) || The majority of canned or frozen vegetables fall in this category. They are not as tender or as well-colored as U.S. Grade A || (Standard) || These canned or frozen vegetables are usually more mature, less tender, and not uniform in shape or color. Frequently used in stews and soups. || (substandard) || Lowest quality for canned or frozen vegetables. || Grading based on appearance and uniform shape. || appear fresh and tender, have good color, and skin free of blemishes. || Table taken from //Understanding Food Principles and Preparation.// = Selecting Veg﻿etables & Fruits =
 * ==Vegetables== || ==USDA Grade== || == What the Grade Means ﻿ == ||
 * **Canned or Frozen** ||< U.S. Grade A
 * ||< U.S. Grade B
 * ||< U.S. Grade C
 * ||< U.S. Grade D
 * **Fresh** ||< U.S. Fancy || Best quality; minor amount of vegetables are packed in this grade.
 * ||< U.S. No. 1 || Most common grade for fresh vegetables. Grade given to those that
 * ||< U.S. No. 2 || Intermediate quality ||
 * ||< U.S. No. 3 || Lowest quality for fresh vegetables. Commonly used in sauces and soups. ||

Choose fresh vegetables that are in season to insure you are selecting the best tasting and highest quality produce. If you're shopping at a farmer's market, go earlier in the day to avoid purchasing foods that have been sitting out all day. Purchase loose product rather than packaged to ensure that you are selecting the best quality. Avoid selecting produce with defects like mold, bruises, or cuts (ADA, n.d.). The list below offers some specific tips as to what to look out for when you buy fresh vegetables (Brown, 2011): ﻿ || // Photos courtesy of fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org, fruitsinfo.com //
 * [[image:asparagus.jpg width="116" height="84" caption="Asparagus"]] || * Look for compact; closed tips. The stems should be a bright green color and firm.
 * Avoid asparagus that have spread out, moldy, or decayed tips. Avoid spears that are limp or ribbed. ||
 * [[image:broccoli.jpg width="114" height="91" caption="Broccoli"]] || * Stalks should be firm and the tops should have tight clusters of small flower buds. Choose broccoli that is a solid dark green color.
 * Avoid broccoli with enlarged buds or a yellowish-green color (this is a sign of age). ||
 * [[image:bell_peppers.jpg width="110" height="99" caption="Bell Peppers"]] || * Look for peppers that are shiny, unblemished, and wrinkle free. Try to pick peppers that are heavy for their size.
 * Avoid wilted peppers, or peppers with thin walls. Check for soft spots because this is a sign of decay. ||
 * [[image:arugula.jpg width="108" height="83" caption="Leafy Greens"]] || * Look for long, firm, crisp leaves that are rich in color.
 * Avoid greens that have holes, tears, or yellowing around the edges as they are signs that the greesn are past their prime. ||
 * [[image:celery.jpg width="112" height="96" caption="Celery"]] || * Look for firm, unblemished ribs. Leaves should be crisp and green.
 * Avoid celery that is flaccid with yellow leaves or stalks. ||
 * [[image:cucumber.jpg width="118" height="107" caption="Cucumbers"]] || * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Choose cucumbers with firm, dark green skin with no wrinkles or soft spots. They should be well developed, but not too large.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Avoid extremely large cucumbers with dull or yellow color. Wrinkled cucumbers are likely to be bitter. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[[image:tomato.jpg width="117" height="93" caption="Tomatoes"]] || * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Select tomatoes that are deeply colored and firm, with a little give. They should be free from defects.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Avoid tomatoes that are bruised, have cracks, or are overly soft. Tomatoes that have soft spots are usually decayed. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[[image:carrot.jpg width="121" height="77" caption="Root Vegetables"]] || * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Including turnips, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, etc.: Root vegetable should feel heavy.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The skin should be smooth, not wrinkled. They should smell fresh and have an attractive color. Smaller ones are usually tastier. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[[image:potatoe.jpg width="127" height="95" caption="Potatoes"]] || * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The skin should be unwrinkled. Green skin is a sign of poisonous solanine. Cutting off the green won’t remove all of the solanine.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Dirt on potatoes can be a sign of freshness, because they are usually washed before storage. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[[image:onion.jpg width="129" height="74" caption="Onions"]] || * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Should be heavy and hard, with dark skins and no sprouting. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[[image:garlic.jpg width="132" height="81" caption="Garlic"]] || * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Old garlic will also start to sprout.
 * [[image:grapes.jpg width="135" height="99" caption="Grapes"]] || * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Lift up the package and look from underneath. As grapes ripen, they fall off the bunch so a lot of loose grapes means they are very ripe. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[[image:strawberries.jpg width="140" height="86" caption="Strawberries"]] || * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Look for firm strawberries and without too strong a smell. Always sort strawberries as soon as you get home to avoid a rotten berry ruining the bunch. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[[image:citrus-fruits.jpg width="143" height="90" caption="Citrus Fruits"]] || * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">like lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines: look for a fresh smell and no soft spots.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Brown surface scratches don’t affect the fruit. Green spots are also usually fine. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[[image:watermelon.jpg width="142" height="92" caption="Watermelon"]] || * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Tap it. If you hear a hollow sound, it’s ripe. Also, lift it up and look underneath: the peel there should be yellow or ripe ||

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=<span style="color: #2c6213; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> Storing Fruits and Vegetables =


 * Fruits:** Storage of fruits can depend on many factors, such as weather the fruit can continue to ripen after harvesting or not.Non-climacteric fruits cannot while Climacteric fruits can.


 * Climacteric Fruits** – usually these types of fruits are best stored at room temperature because they are harvested prior to ripening.If refrigerated immediately these fruits could possibly never reach the full ripening potential.Refrigeration after fully ripened can however extend the life of these fruits.Some of these fruits are:
 * Apples
 * Avocado
 * Bananas
 * Cantaloupes
 * Plums
 * Tomatoes

Some of these fruits are:
 * Non Climacteric Fruits** – usually these types of fruit will need to be refrigerated immediately as they have fully ripened at harvesting.If kept out on the counter at room temperature they can go bad quicker.So to extend life its best to keep them refrigerated.
 * Grapes
 * Cherries
 * Melons
 * Strawberries
 * Blueberries
 * Grapefruits

Moisture loss can affect the life of vegetables so to keep them fresh it is important to keep some vegetables moist as they are no longer able to replace lost water on their own. This can be done either by misting (as seen at the grocery store) or even keeping them in small amounts of water. Respiration is another factor in keeping vegetables fresh. Some respire at higher rates than others and these vegetables should be kept in the refrigerator as this slows down the process. Other respire at a slower rate and these vegetables can be kept out of the refrigerator usually out of direct sunlight.
 * Vegetables: **

§ ** Apples **. Store them on the kitchen counter. In the fridge, keep them in plastic wrapping to prevent strong smelling foods from transferring their tastes. § ** Broccoli **. Wrap it loosely in a plastic bag, and keep it in your refrigerator's vegetable bin. A tight wrap can spoil its firmness and flavor. § ** Berries **. Don't wash before you store! Moisture encourages a harmless — but unappealing — white mold. For cherries, keep the stems in tact until you're ready to eat. § ** Celery **. Place unwashed celery in an upright container filled with an inch of water. § ** Garlic **. Dried bulbs can be kept for several months in a dark, dry cool room with good ventilation. Fresh garlic must be kept in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and should be used quickly before moisture gets in the bag and causes it to spoil. § ** Lettuce **. Wash and dry thoroughly before refrigerating it in plastic. A salad spinner works best. Any leftover moisture will spoil lettuce prematurely. § ** Mango and pears **. Store them, unwashed, at room temperature. § ** Tomatoes **. Green tomatoes will do well on the kitchen counter as long as they're out of the sun. Sunlight changes tomato skin texture, and refrigeration spoils its taste. § ** Zucchini **. They breathe through their skins, so plan to refrigerate these quickly in a perforated bag in your refrigerator.
 * Here are some great tips on storing fruits and vegetables:** (revolutionhealth.com)

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">** Carrots ** will not last long at all outside of a fridge; they lose moisture and go wrinkly and dry, and eventually soft. Not much of the taste is lost in carrots during refrigeration. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">** Potatoes ** are best stored away from light to avoid them turning green and sprouting. Salad potatoes should not be stored in the fridge it encourages the conversion of starches to sugars, and gives them a very sweet taste. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">** Bananas ** help other fruit to ripen. When they ripen, bananas produce a gas called ethylene, which is involved in the ripening process of many fruits. This ethylene gas in turn speeds up the ripening process in fruit, so if you want to ripen some fruit quickly, put them in a paper bag with some bananas. On the contrary, keep bananas away from fruits such as apples that will spoil quickly due to the ethylene gas. Some **citrus fruits** in particular suffer from chill damage, including mandarins and lemons and limes. When this occurs, the internal structure of the fruit is damaged and the metabolic reactions necessary for ripening are no longer able to take place. In citrus fruit it is usually shown by a dulling of the skin and a drying out of the fruit inside. <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">** Mushrooms ** should be stored unwashed, in a paper bag, in a warmer zone of the refrigerator. It is not a good idea to store them in plastic, which traps moisture and leads to slime.
 * Tomatoes ** really shouldn't be stored in the fridge. If they're fresh, they'll last for up to a week in the fruit bowl, and they shouldn't be kept any longer than that. The tart taste of tomatoes is due to a chemical called Linolenic Acid converting to Z-3-Hexenel, and this reaction is disrupted by cold. If it’s essential that you store tomatoes, bring them out of the fridge for at least an hour before eating to let them warm to room temperature.
 * Onions ** should be kept in a dark, dry, well-ventilated place. Store them away from potatoes, since they can absorb the potatoes moisture and spoilage-inducing ethylene gas.

When storing fruits and vegetables in the fridge, use your crisper drawers if possible. Crisper drawers contain more humidity than the rest of the refrigerator and can help extend the life of your fruits and vegetables. It is recommended that you use one drawer for fruit and one drawer for vegetables and herbs. To store partially used or cut vegetables use storage containers with tight-fitting lids, plastic bags or plastic wrap. Do not use aluminum foil; this has the potential to alter the taste of the fruits and vegetables it comes in contact with. Specifically acidic foods like citrus.
 * <span style="font-family: Times,helvetica,sans-serif;">Keep in mind: **

media type="youtube" key="eIU45mBqwmw" height="390" width="480" = References =

Brown A. Understanding Food: Principles & Preparation, Fourth Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning; 2011, 277-284, 292-293, 320-321

Walmart. (2010, June 01). How to Select Tomatoes. [video file]. Retrieved from []. (2011, February 16).

Revolution Health Group (2007, December 11), Sandra Foschi, P.T., C.N.S, C.D.N []

Expertvillage, (2008, February 01). How to Store Food: How to Store Cucumbers. [video file]. Retrieved from [] (2011, February 16)

Fresh Food central. Web. (February 16, 2011) []

American Dietetic Association. (n.d.). Produce: Keep your produce safe to eat with proper food preparation and storage. Retrieved from []. (2011, February 16).

Produce For Better Health. (2010). Fruit & Vegetable Nutrition Database. Retrieved from []. (2011, February 16).

Agricultural Marketing Service. (n.d.). Home and Garden Bulletin Number 258: How to Buy Fresh Vegetables. Retrieved from []. (2011, February 16).