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"Vegetables Artichokes (spring): Compact, plump, heavy, with thick, green, tightly closed leaves. Avoid if leaves are dry, spreading, or hard-tipped. Asparagus (spring to early summer): Straight stalks with closed, compact tips and full green color, except for white ends. Avoid if shriveled or have spreading tips. Avocados (all year): Shiny green or mottled purplish-black (depending upon variety); yield to gentle pressure. Ripen in a paper bag at room temperature. Beans, green and wax (all year): Firm, crisp, bright color without blemishes. Beans, lima and fava (late summer and early autumn): Firm, crisp, smooth skins without blemishes. Beets (all year, but best from summer to late autumn): Firm, small to medium-size, bright colored, smooth skins; preferable with fresh green tops attached. Avoid if bruised, soft, or overly large. Broccoli (all year): Dark green, firmly clustered buds on firm, but not thick, stalks. Broccoli rabe (all year): Perky leaves, with thin green stalks and small bud clusters. Avoid stalks with yellowish leaves. Brussels sprouts (autumn through early spring): Firm, tightly wrapped green heads free of black spots. Cabbage (all year): Firm, heavy for its size, with brightly colored (green or red) outer leaves and no black blemishes. Carrots (all year): Firm, straight, with bright orange color, preferably with fresh green leaves attached. Avoid if limp or cracked. Cauliflower (all year): Firm heads with tightly packed creamy white clusters and fresh-looking green leaves. Avoid those with blemishes or black spots. Celery (all year): Crisp, pale green stalks with fresh-looking leaves. Avoid stringy, bruised, or limp stalks. Chayote (all year, but best in summer): Small, firm, unblemished. Corn (late spring through summer): Medium-size ears with plump, milky kernels, smooth green husks, and soft silk ends. Cucumbers (all year, but best in summer): Medium to small, with bright green color. Avoid any with soft ends, blemishes, or wax coatings. Eggplant (all year, but best in summer): Firm, glossy purple or white with fresh green cap, heavy for its size. Avoid if soft, wrinkled, or very thick-skinned. Endive (all year, but best autumn through spring): Small, compact, snowy white leaves edged in pale green. Avoid wilted leaves. Fennel (autumn to early spring): Firm, unblemished white bulbs with fresh looking feathery fronds attached. Garlic (all year): Firm, unblemished heads with tight, compact cloves. Papery skin should be soft, not brittle. Kohlrabi (spring through late summer): Small, young bulbs with fresh-looking stems and leaves. Leeks (all year, but best in autumn): Firm, unblemished white base with fresh-looking green leaves. Lettuce, greens (all year): Crisp, unblemished leaves; color depends upon variety. Avoid brown edges. Mushrooms (all year, but peak for wild mushrooms like oyster or shiitake depends on variety): Firm, plump, unblemished with tightly closed caps and fresh-looking stems. Select carefully, avoiding mold. Best bet: Buy exotic mushrooms from a good gourmet produce store. Okra (spring through early autumn): Young, firm, tender green pods. Onions (all year, but certain varieties best in late spring or early summer): Clean, dry, firm with papery husks, and no sprouts or soft spots. Parsnips (all year, but best in late summer): Firm, smooth, small to medium-size. Avoid overly large roots (a sign of age) and any with gray, soft spots. Peas, green (spring through early summer): Firm, bright or light green, with well-filled pods. Avoid swollen, wrinkled, or immature dark green pods. Peppers (all year): Firm, shiny, thick-fleshed with bright color, green, red, orange, or yellow (depending upon variety). Avoid blemishes, soft spots, or darkened stem ends. Potatoes (all year): Firm, smooth skinned, well shaped, with no sprouts or blemishes. Radishes (all year): Firm, smooth, bright color, red or white, with fresh-looking leaves. Avoid blemishes or black spots. Rutabaga (autumn and winter): Large, heavy with no soft spots. Usually coated with a thick protective wax. Also known as yellow turnip. Spinach (all year): Bright green, fresh, tender leaves with no yellowing or wilted ends. Squash, summer or soft-skinned, such as zucchini, yellow, straight neck, patty pan (all year, but best in summer): Smooth, bright skin, bright color, green or yellow (depending on variety), heavy for its size. Squash, winter or hard-skinned, such as acorn, butternut (all year, but best in autumn): Unblemished, rich color, green, white, yellow, or gold (depending on variety), heavy for its size, with hard skin and stem end intact. Sweet potatoes (all year, but best in late autumn): Firm, uniform shape with even color and no blemishes. Avoid very large ones (sign of age). Tomatoes (all year): Firm, plump with unblemished skin; color and size depends on variety. Turnips (all year, but best in autumn and winter): Firm, unblemished, heavy for their size with fresh-looking tops.  Fruits Apples (all year, but best in autumn): Firm, crisp, full color with no bruises, soft spots, or shriveled skins. Apricots (June and July): Golden yellow to orange-yellow, plump, and firm enough to yield only slightly to pressure. Avoid soft, shriveled, or dull-looking fruit. Ripen in a paper bag at room temperature. Bananas (all year): Solid yellow or lightly flecked with brown. If soft and with spotted or brown skin, mash and use for baking. Ripen hard green fruit in a paper bag at room temperature. Blueberries (June through August): Plump, firm with dusky blue color. Cantaloupes (all year, but best in summer): Pleasant perfumelike aroma; heavy for their size; no stem at end. Rind should yield to gentle pressure. Ripen at room temperature; they&amp;#039;re ripe when skin beneath webbing has turned from green to beige. Cherries (June and July): Plump with bright color \u2014 red, purplish-black, or golden with a pink blush (depending upon variety); fresh stems (not discolored or dry). Coconuts (all year, but best in late autumn): Heavy for their size, with lots of juice that sloshes when fruit is shaken. Avoid moldy or wet &amp;quot;eyes.&amp;quot; Cranberries (October through December): Plump, shiny, firm with bright to dark red color. Figs (summer to early autumn): Smooth and yielding to gentle pressure, but not soft. Harvested ripe, thus very perishable. Color correlates with variety. Grapefruit (all year, but best in winter): Firm and heavy for their size, with no discoloration at stem end. Grapes (all year, but best from late summer to late autumn): Plump, colorful, from deep purple to pale green; smooth, firmly attached to fresh-looking stems. Avoid shriveled or discolored fruit. Honeydew melons (late summer to early autumn): Firm, creamy white, smooth surface; slightly soft at blossom end; heavy for their size. Ripen at room temperature; they&amp;#039;re ripe when they smell perfumed. Kiwifruit (all year): Slightly firm, fuzzy, yielding to gentle pressure. Ripen at room temperature; they&amp;#039;re ripe when they smell fruity. Kumquats (winter): Small, bright orange, with shiny green leaves. Avoid blemished or shriveled fruit. Lemons (all year): Firm, shiny, heavy for their size. Avoid shriveled or hard fruit. Limes (all year): Firm, shiny, heavy for their size. Avoid shriveled or hard fruit. Mangoes (all year, but best in spring and summer): Yellow-orange to reddish skin that may be slightly mottled, yielding slightly to gentle pressure. Avoid bruised or shriveled fruit. Ripen at room temperature. Nectarines (summer): Plump, rich-colored yellowish to reddish skin, with slight softening on stem end. Avoid shriveled, rock-hard, or bruised fruit. Ripen in a paper bag at room temperature. Oranges (all year, but best in winter and early spring): Firm and heavy for their size. Avoid spongy or dry-looking fruit. Papayas (all year, but best in spring and summer): Greenish-yellow to yellow and smooth; yield to gentle pressure. Avoid shriveled or bruised fruit. Ripen in a paper bag at room temperature. Peaches (May through September): Yellow or creamy color with red blush (depending on variety), slightly fuzzy; fairly firm, but yield to gentle pressure. Avoid shriveled or bruised fruit. Ripen in a paper bag at room temperature. Pears (all year, but best in late summer to early winter): Color depends on variety; no discoloration at stem end; firm, but yield to gentle pressure. Avoid bruised or overly soft fruit. Ripen in a paper bag at room temperature. Pineapples (all year): Firm fruits, heavy for their size, with fresh-looking leaves; plump and glossy eyes; fragrant aroma. The color will depend on variety, but usually dark green indicates that fruit is not fully ripe (once picked, they will not ripen further). They&amp;#039;re ripe when you can pull out a leaf with a gentle tug. Plantains (all year): Always eaten cooked. Green to near-yellow fruit is starchy and usually boiled. Very ripe plantains have dark brown to black skin and are good for saut\u00E9ing and baking. Plums (summer): Bright color, green to red to purple (depending upon variety); plump, slightly firm, but yield to gentle pressure. Avoid shriveled or overly soft fruit. Ripen at room temperature. Pomegranates (September through December): Fresh-looking fruit that is heavy for its size. Avoid shriveled fruit, any with broken peel, or fruit with soft spots. Raspberries and blackberries (summer and early autumn): Plump; dry, rich color, from red to black. Select carefully and avoid moldy or mashed fruit. Rhubarb (April and May): Firm, crisp, fairly thick stalks that range in color from pale pink to deep red. Avoid soft stalks. Leaves are poisonous. Strawberries (all year, but best in early spring through summer): Firm with bright color and fresh-looking leaves and stems. Select carefully, and avoid moldy or mashed fruit. Tangerines (late autumn to early spring): Bright orange color; heavy for their size. Avoid bruised or overly soft fruit. Watermelon (May through September): Smooth skin; rich red or yellow flesh, with no brown or black seeds; heavy for its size. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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