The harvest in September and October yields a plethora of homegrown fruits such as apples, autumn berries and pears. In addition to these, local stores and supermarkets also offer a variety of global fruits including tropical varieties and avocados.
However, the colourful display of these fruits isn’t necessarily an indication of them being ripe. Distinguishing a ripe melon from an underripe one may prove challenging without knowledge of certain clues.
One must be on the lookout for a few general pointers : colour and aroma. A ripe fruit will typically exhibit a pronounced colour and a fragrant aroma. For more specific crops, there are specialized techniques and strategies. The ripeness of an array of produce – from avocados, bananas to pumpkins and pears – can be determined using these guidelines.
Apples, categorised as “climacteric” fruits, produce ethylene during the ripening stage and continue to mature even after being harvested. This property is unique to certain members of the fruit kingdom and is not observed in vegetables like carrots. To ascertain whether a harvested apple is ripe, Franco Fubini, the founder of Natoora, advises paying attention to the fruit’s colour. One should preferably choose apples that lie mostly in the spectrum of yellow or red, with minimal green on the skin, unless it is naturally a green variety.
Fubini also suggests performing a light tap test – flick the apple lightly with your fingers. If the sound that resounds is akin to hitting solid wood, it indicates a ripe fruit with a crispy texture. However, a dull thud suggests an underripe, floury apple which may not taste as good.
Given the season, you may find fresh apples in your local market sitting beside others that have been stored for a considerable time and travelled great distances. Most imported apples, harvested earlier, undergo an artificial ripening post-pick. Guy Barter, Chief Horticulturist at the Royal Horticultural Society, shares, “Apples sourced from New Zealand or South Africa are generally ripened during their voyage by employing controlled atmospheric conditions with low oxygen and the addition of ethylene.”
Having an apple tree grants the convenience of an easy ripeness check. Barter explains, “Ripe apples begin to fall off the tree, so you lightly lift each one. An easily detached apple is perfectly ripe, while the one requiring a minimal pull is nearly ripe, and if you have to wrestle with it, it’s best left on the tree as it’s not yet ripe.”
As per avocados, it’s popular knowledge that you can percept the ripeness by dislodging the tiny stem’s tip and assessing the colour underneath- green for ripe, yellow for underripe and brown indicates overripe. However, Sarah Johnson, Head of Pastry Development at Spring in London and author of ‘Fruitful’, suggests a more accurate method is to press gently. “It should offer a soft resistance,” she says, “If it’s rock hard and unyielding, it’s underripe.” For those feeling wary about pressing fruits in a public market – as it’s usually an effective ripeness test – Johnson advises, “To check firmness, I usually examine the fruit’s base to avoid bruising or browning it when sliced open, or spoiling it for other customers.”
As for bananas…
Bananas are renowned as a climacteric fruit, producing large quantities of ethylene that can cause surrounding fruits to mature rapidly. Superports usually sell bananas that are harvested while still green, allowing for maturation during delivery and additional ripening once purchased by the customer. Johnson advocates for buying bananas when they are yellow. He prefers to store green ones in a permeable brown paper bag located in a storage cupboard that he accesses frequently, inspecting them every few days to watch for ripening.
In terms of cherries, they should have a solid colour depth that isn’t overly intense. Fubini also recommends that they have a healthy, rounded shape and a glossy appearance. Cherries, as with other non-climacteric produce types such as strawberries, grapes, and lemons, do not mature further once harvested, so their freshness is paramount – they can only degrade. According to Johnson, the stems of cherries should be flexible and green as an indication of maturity and freshness. If the stems start to become dry, discoloured or brittle, they’ve likely been sitting too long, causing them to become overripe.
With coconuts, their external texture does not provide much indication of their quality. As Fubini explains, shaking the fruit can reveal the amount of water content and cavity space, with a fruit containing less water counting as more mature. However, detecting a small amount of water suggests optimal freshness.
The ripeness of a pineapple can be indicated by a variety of factors, including a shift towards a darker colour and the condition of the spiky leaves at the top. Food writer and chef, Rowley Leigh, suggests that the ability to remove the central stalk is a sign of readiness. Additionally, Leigh uses the scent test, as a mature pineapple will have a potent aroma emanating from the base, whereas an immature one will lack any scent.
Regarding citrus fruits, nothing is specified.
While most lemons you buy in your local grocery store tend to be at the right stage of ripeness, this is not always the case. Fubini recommends checking for two key signs; absence of skin dehydration, often beginning at the ends, and a firm, but not overly hard texture.
Ripe, flavour-packed lemons usually harbour an abundance of citrus oils within their rind. To release this pleasant scent, lightly brushing the surface with your fingernail is suggested by Johnson. He notes that during peak citrus season, you may even visually detect these oils on the surface. A quick sniff should thus reveal a refreshing pearlescent citrus mist.
When it comes to figs, the desired state is a jam-like centre that is dark, moist and not at all desiccated, states Johnson. This, however, isn’t always evident just from the skin. The best way to ascertain this is through a gentle squeeze. A ripe fig should yield soft, even to the point where its skin may begin to tear slightly, signalling that the fruit is softening.
Mangoes, being fruits with high water content, should feel heavy for their size, says Fubini. This is generally a good rule of thumb for any produce, as it is indicative of a dense texture. A strong scent can be another good indicator, albeit occasionally deceptive. As many mangoes sold in the UK have to be harvested well before reaching full ripeness in order to withstand their journey, not all pass the test. However, Johnson suggests that mango enthusiasts acquaint themselves with the different mango varieties and their respective seasons in order to track down the choice picks.
As for watermelons, Johnson recalls a childhood tip: giving the watermelon a slight tap, it should resonate with a bit of a hollow sound. Much like mangoes, weight-to-volume ratio is a good measurement of ripeness. Light watermelons are generally unripe.
Determining the ripeness of melons, such as other varieties, largely depends on their weight. Beyond that, smell is the next reliable feature to rely upon.
Barter explains that while the hue of most fruits alters somewhat as they mature, the change in scent, particularly in melons, is a much more reliable indicator of ripeness. This is particularly true when at room temperature where their aroma is more detectable. The part that should be sniffed is known as the blossom end, which is opposite the stem.
The ripeness of a kiwi, as pointed out by Fubini, is trickier to determine due to their thin skin. Ripening them is quite a challenging task. The key factor is their firmness, out of the ordinary softness signifies that they are overripe. Furthermore, if the skin has started to wrinkle, it indicates that the kiwi is past its optimum ripeness.
Fruits like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and currants, which Fubini classifies as non-climacteric, should ideally be harvested when they are ripe. The prime determinant of a strawberry’s readiness, aside from its colour, is the shade of the top area around its leafy cap, which Fubini refers to as the ‘shoulders.’
However, in the UK, as the cold season approaches, strawberry lovers may need to reconcile with the fact that the season is nearly over. Supermarket strawberries during the British summer are far superior in quality to the winter variety that is typically imported from Spanish greenhouses. Also, Barter warns that home-grown strawberries lose their freshness rapidly, turning mushy in a matter of days, whereas commercial varieties grown in Mediterranean countries and the US for easier transportation are often hard and devoid of flavour.
Pears, on the other hand, are unique as they are purposefully harvested before maturity. Following that, Fubini explains, is a procedure named ‘finishing’ where they are kept in a chilled room for a few weeks to complete the maturing process off the tree.
Johnson suggests that when purchasing pears, one should consider their ripeness level. Supermarket-bought pears often need a few more days to mature to their optimal edible state. For effective ripening, she advises placing them upside down on a plate, covered with a breathable fabric or a kitchen towel. Equipped with a knife, a ripe pear should be effortless to cut with no force required.
Selecting ripe grapes can be slightly more challenging due to the difficulty of determining ripeness by colour alone. Barter, however, indicates that lifespan can be prolonged by leaving them on the vine. Optimally, place the stalk in a water-filled bottle, which helps them stay fresh longer. Sugar from leaves is essential for further ripening.
Lychees present a different set of characteristics. According to Fubini, ripe lychees should display plumpness and softness. Despite the skin being inedible, its texture can hint at the level of ripeness. Over time, skin toughness and separation from the fruit suggests the lychee is drying out.
When it comes to squashes and pumpkins, ripeness is often easier to identify says Barter. Their developed colour and hard skin complemented by the hollow sound produced when tapped are good indicators. Unlike other fruits, squashes found in stores are usually perfectly ripe and store-friendly due to their long-lasting ripeness that can extend up to three months or more in some cases.
Lastly, peach ripeness is largely subjective, with some preferring them just on the brink of overripeness. Johnson amusingly labels such peaches “kitchen sink” peaches because they are so juicy that you would need to eat them over a sink to avoid a mess.
“She has a preference for some stiffness in fruits. For her, stiffness signifies the fruit’s freshness. She asserts that a fruit that’s too ripe begins to lose its perfect amalgamation of tartness and sweetness, akin to an overripe peach.
A firm peach can be ripened effortlessly at home, with room temperature being sufficient. To determine if it’s ripe, all one needs to do is apply a modicum of pressure. She advises to apply the pressure towards the base of the fruit, which should yield slightly under this touch, as revealed by Johnson.
The process of pressing fruit to ascertain its ripeness seems inevitable, but it doesn’t necessarily equate to mishandling.
Johnson recounts her time at Chez Panisse, a noteworthy restaurant in Berkeley, California, where fruit identification was her first learning. She recalls the necessity to handle fruits with utmost care, pressing them repeatedly but gently until they reached the ripe stage. According to her, this process never jeopardised the quality of the fruit, provided it was done delicately.” – Guardian