When summer is at its height, so is the time for fresh, ripe produce. You may already have visions of your favorite veggies and fruits or a dish that you always make come warm weather. But even if you have a favorite, you may also want to try something entirely different this year. Regardless of what you want, learn how to properly buy, prepare, and store summer produce to get the flavor-packed dishes you want.
Berries
Is summer really the summer without fresh berries for breakfast or in a delicious dessert? Probably not. So whether you love blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, or something else, here are some tips on how to buy, prepare, and store them.
What to Buy: Look for berries that are bright in color and plump that also have a fresh smell to them while avoiding shriveled or dull-colored berries.
How To Prepare: Regardless of what type of berries you’re using, make sure that you wash them in cold water and pat them dry. This will ensure that they’re ready for cooking or eating without harming the flavor.
How To Store: Pop your unused berries into Tupperware or another type of sealed container to maintain freshness.
Cherries
Whether you love to eat them by themselves or throw them in a pie, nothing signals summer like fresh, ripe cherries. Just make sure to follow these tidbits to enjoy them all summer long.
What to Buy: Plump, shiny cherries are the sweetest and ripest; cherries with the stems still attached keep longer than those that don’t.
How To Prepare: If you want to make a sweet or savory dish, leaving the pits in the cherries can impart better, more potent flavor. However, eating the cherry raw without cooking requires you to remove the pits, which is easily done by a paper clip or a cherry pitter.
How To Store: You don’t need to wash your cherries until you eat them! To store them, puncture some holes in a plastic bag or use a perforated plastic container to maintain freshness.
Watermelon
What to Buy: The more cylindrical a watermelon is when you buy it, the better the flavor. Avoid ones with flat sides or bruises. Moreover, tap the watermelon. If it sounds hollow, it’s ripe for the picking.
How To Prepare: While most people just like a slice or cubed watermelons, cutting away the rinds beforehand can get rid of some of the bitterness near the edge. Cooked watermelon is more of a preference, but searing both sides to produce a watermelon steak gives the fruit an almost tuna-like consistency.
How To Store: Always wrap cut watermelons in plastic wrap before putting it in the freezer. If you haven’t sliced into the watermelon, you can keep it at room temperature for about seven to 10 days.
We may not supply all these fruits at DLJ Produce, but we still like to give you tips relating to produce and every day life. For grapes, peaches, cherries, plums, and many more delicious fruits look for our label at your local grocer.
One Final Note About Summer Produce
Now that you know what to look for, how to prepare, and how to store your favorite summer produce, the last step is figuring out where to buy it. That’s when you should consider a local grower or seller.
When you buy your produce here, you support local businesses and local farmers and help the environment all in one purchase. And with the added flavor of locally grown produce, you also might have the dish that’s the talk of your next barbecue, dinner, or gathering. At DLJ Produce we take pride in providing the finest, freshest produce nationwide. Contact us to discuss our products or to learn more about us.
