Purchasing the best and freshest veggies and fruits from the sabzi market is quite challenging, particularly in this competitive and contaminated market. Fruits and vegetables, in general, do not carry an expiry date like other packaged food items, making it difficult to determine if the fruits and vegetables are fresh. There are certain techniques and tactics that will help you understand the quality of fruits and vegetables without even cutting them, allowing you to choose the best ones from the market. It is advised to consume fresh veggies when cooking sabzis or fruits on a regular basis to reap all of the health advantages.
There are very simple tricks and signs to pick the best quality of fruits and vegetables from the market. These tricks will help you to choose the best quality fruits and vegetables from the market and you can always eat fresh.
So, today in this article we will be looking at the simple tricks and hacks to check the quality of the fruits and vegetables that we buy on a regular basis from the market. For this article, we went on to talk with various vegetable vendors and consulted experienced homemakers to bring out these simple tricks. Read this article once and you will enter the fruit cum vegetable market like a pro.
Simple tricks to check fruit and vegetable quality in Indian markets
1. Onions
So let’s start with onions, which are one of the most common and significant elements in Indian curries. In Indian marketplaces, there are two sorts of onions: one that is deep purple in color and the other that is somewhat pinkish. Purple varieties have a greater taste and thick layers. When opposed to the pinkish ones, they have a more pungent flavor. Pinkish ones with thin layers are used in salads.
Check if the onion’s end is correctly closed after cutting it off to see if it’s fresh. A fresh onion’s concentric rings are never visible. Weighing the onion is another skill. The lighter the onion, the better. Heavy onions contain a lot of moisture and have a lower shelf life. Also, if the onion’s outer layer is still intact, go ahead and eat it.
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2. Ginger
Ginger is another significant component that is frequently used in Indian curries. Ginger increases the taste of every dish, whether it’s ginger garlic paste or ginger as a spice in curries.
When you see someone selling ginger that is overly clean and sparkly, go away. Ginger is cleaned by washing it with chemicals and then polishing it. Eating such gingers will have more negative effects on your health than positive effects. Instead, choose ginger that is dirty and does not shine. Always use dry ginger instead of moist ginger. Take a piece of ginger and cut it open. If you detect any threads coming out, they are completely fresh.
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3. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are also available in two types in Indian marketplaces. One is round in form, while the other is oval. The round one, which is often sour in flavor, is what we use on a regular basis. The oval tomatoes, on the other hand, are hybrid tomatoes with a sweeter taste.
Looking at the color of a tomato is an easy method to judge its quality. The more red a tomato is, the better. In addition, a round tomato is always preferable to a hybrid tomato. Always smell the stem of a tomato. If the scent is intense, it is unquestionably fresh. If a tomato has a vine still attached to it, don’t buy it since it was picked too early.
4. Pineapple
Have you ever wondered why you can’t seem to find the ideal pineapple? Few people are aware that pineapple comes in two varieties (the king and the queen pineapple). They are so-called because of their form. The king pineapple is drum-shaped, whereas the queen pineapple is cone-shaped. The king apple has a greenish hue, whilst the queen pineapple has a yellowish hue. But which one should you purchase?
Without a doubt, opt for the queen pineapple. When compared to king pineapples, queen pineapples have a considerably sweeter flavor. To determine the quality of pineapple, always smell the base. If the scent is strong, the pineapple is almost certainly fresh. You may also use your finger to push the base. The pineapple tastes better with a softer foundation. King pineapples are less expensive and may be found at most juice bars.
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5. Grapes
Grapes come in three varieties in Indian marketplaces. The first is round, the second is oval, and the third is tall and narrow. The sweetest grapes are the tall ones. Round grapes have less sugar.
When purchasing grapes, carefully inspect the color of the grapes. The grapes that are somewhat yellowish in color, tastes sweeter. The tip of the grape should not be stained. Grapes should not fall off when handled in a cluster. If they do, they are past their prime.
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6. Watermelon
Watermelon is regarded as the ideal summer fruit due to its numerous health advantages. The field spot is a discolored spherical area on every watermelon. This is usually the location where the watermelon rested before being plucked. Always choose a watermelon with a beautiful yellowish spot (the discolored spot needs to be golden-yellowish in color). The whiter the shade, the worse the quality.
The watermelon can also be pressed. It is not over-ripe if it yields only slightly. Also, look at the watermelon’s tail. If the tail is still green, it is not yet ripe. It is ripe if the tail has dried up. The watermelon may also be tapped. It is completely fresh if it makes a hollow sound.
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7. Potato
Potatoes are something we just cannot live without. Potatoes are typically spherical in form, but can sometimes be long. Round potatoes have a sweeter taste than long potatoes, making the longer ones the better choice for cooking. When compared to long potatoes, round potatoes have a higher moisture content. There are also red potatoes, which grow in steep places and are significantly more costly than the other two.
Always purchase a medium-sized potato with an even surface and no green markings.
8. Corn
Choosing the correct corn makes a big impact. It’s also incredibly simple to select the proper corn.
Uncooked corn should be whitish-yellow rather than dark-yellow. Using your nails, prick the corn. This is the one you’re searching for if it can be readily pierced and a milky liquid flows out. Overripe corn has a yellowish hue and is hard to touch.
9. Bottle gourd
Bottle gourd is low in calories and high in nutrients. It should be consumed more often throughout the warmer months.
Prick your nails when purchasing a bottle gourd. Go for it if your nails readily puncture it and a liquid flows out. Furthermore, the color of the bottle gourd should be light green rather than dark green.
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10. Lemon
Lemon is the most helpful fruit in India throughout the warm months.
Lemons should not have thick skins; rather, the thinner the rime, the juicier the fruit. Lemons should be uniformly yellow in color, not green. Avoid the bigger ones since they have been hybridized. If you press a lemon, it should not yield. It is underripe if it is excessively firm. Before purchasing a lemon, always smell it. The stronger the aroma, the fresher it is.
11. Cucumber
Nothing puts a damper on a good mood like the taste of a bitter, dry cucumber. Cucumbers are mostly offered in two types in Indian marketplaces. The first is the English cucumber, which is dark green in color and has a smooth, spotless surface. It is a non-local variety that should be avoided. Another option is the green-yellowish local variation.
When a cucumber becomes overripe, it loses moisture from the sides. So, when purchasing a cucumber, make sure the sides are firm and not dried up. Green with a whitish-yellow color is preferable than green with a dark yellow color. Smaller cucumbers are juicier and contain fewer seeds. If a cucumber becomes thin in the middle and then thickens towards the end, this cucumber is a good choice.
Conclusion
So these were some of the dependable tips and tricks to check for when buying quality fruits and vegetables in the Indian markets. Make sure to use these tips to check the quality of a fruit or vegetable before actually buying one from the market.
1 Comment
Great article! thanks for posting and Appreciate you to for taking time for writing such a great article.thanks for post