11 Fall Fruit Tips That Can Change the Way You Shop — Tested and Confirmed

In the fall, store shelves and market stalls are filled with apples. There’s no need to spend extra on the most expensive varieties: a well-known name doesn’t guarantee high-quality fruit. First, gently press the apple. If it feels soft around the stem and the skin is sticky, there’s a good chance it will be bland and watery.

Another important detail is the stem. A green stem indicates that the apple was picked recently and will most likely be juicy. Apples without stems are best avoided — they may no longer be fresh.

I bought some apples from an elderly woman at the market. She praised them, like, “Sweet as honey, they’ll melt in your mouth!” I brought them home, set the bag on the table, and stepped away to the bathroom.
When I came back, I looked in the bag, and half the apples were gone! What was going on? I looked around and started laughing. Our dog was sitting in the corner, finishing off an apple. He’s usually indifferent to fruit like that.
I tried one myself, and sure enough, the apples were exceptionally delicious.

Whatever variety you find at the store, every pear should have a pleasant, slightly sweet aroma. If the fruit has no scent, it was picked too early and will not ripen even at home. A slightly tart smell may indicate that the pear is already overripe.

Unlike apples, pears should not be overly firm: this indicates that the fruit was not allowed to ripen. As a result, it certainly will not become juicy and sweet.

I spotted pears on sale at the store. Yellow and bright — they were practically glowing. There I am, my mouth watering, filling up a bag. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed an elderly woman sidle up beside me, lean over my bag, take a sniff, and start taking out the pears.
I was puzzled, and then she suddenly said, “Sweetheart, they don’t smell like anything at all! Take the ones next to them instead. They may not look like much, but what an aroma! They’re sure to be sweet!”
I decided to take her advice and bought the less attractive pears. And sure enough, they were juicy.

Some kiwi varieties are covered not with hairs but with a fine fuzz. They can be hard to find in stores, but if you come across them, don’t hesitate to pick them up: they’re juicy and sweet.

However, if the hairs grow unevenly and the kiwi has bald patches, the fruit was most likely stored improperly and has already spoiled. A white or gray coating on the fuzz is another sign of this. Dark spots on the skin, wrinkles, and dents mean the fruit is already overripe and won’t taste really good.

Color isn’t a reliable guide when choosing lemons, since it differs depending on the variety. The weight, however, indicates how juicy a lemon is. If a lemon feels too light, it has likely dried out inside. There’s no need to avoid lemons with especially thick peels. They retain their juiciness longer than thin-skinned lemons.

Depending on the variety, figs can come in different colors and shapes, so it’s best not to rely on those features. Instead, gently feel the fruit. Avoid figs that are too firm — they most likely aren’t ripe yet and won’t ripen once you get them home. On the other hand, overly soft fruit may not even make it home and could spoil on the way.

The smaller the fig, the juicier and sweeter it tends to be, so you can leave very large ones at the market. Keep in mind that even figs in perfect condition last only a couple of days, so it’s best not to buy them by the pound.

If you buy an unripe pomegranate at the store, you’re unlikely to enjoy its flavor. Unfortunately, these fruits don’t ripen after they’re picked from the tree, so they won’t become sweet. It’s best to look for a ripe one instead. The “crown” at the top of the pomegranate (where the flower once was) can help you with this.

A greenish, closed “crown” means the fruit didn’t have enough time to ripen on the tree. A dry, shriveled one may indicate that the pomegranate is already overripe and may have partially dried out. So, it’s best to choose fruits with a fully open, dark-red “crown.”

Unripe persimmons aren’t particularly enjoyable to eat: they’re too firm and leave an astringent feeling in your mouth. Of course, you can let the fruit ripen at home, but sometimes you want to enjoy a persimmon right away. In that case, look for fruit that is soft yet springy, richly colored, with brown spots and streaks along the sides.

Another sign of a ripe fruit is a dry brown stem, slightly lighter around the edges and darker in the center. If the leaves are soft and green, the persimmon is not yet ripe and won’t be sweet.

Underripe mandarins are more likely to be tart than sweet, and their flavor may be slightly watery. If a fruit feels firm and doesn’t give when squeezed, it likely reached the store shelf too early. Ripe fruits spring back slightly when pressed, and there is a bit of empty space beneath the stem.

It’s also worth taking a close look at the stem. A green stem indicates that the mandarins were picked recently and therefore most likely haven’t had time to dry out. A darkened or torn-off stem is not a good sign. Either the fruit was picked improperly, or it sat in a crate for too long. The flavor of such fruit is unlikely to be good.

Juicy, fully ripe melons won’t have any green spots, and at first glance, the melon’s color will appear yellow and even. As they ripen, melons also develop fine ridges that are easy to feel when you run your hand along the side of the fruit. However, not every variety develops this net-like pattern. So the best approach is simply to press the rind with your finger.

For most varieties, the rind is fairly thin and softens as the melon ripens. If it gives slightly when you press it but quickly springs back, the melon is ripe. If the rind is too firm, the melon will not be sweet. And if it is too soft, the melon is already overripe.

If you spot grapes with small dark brown dots, there’s no need to worry. These marks indicate that the berries are already ripe and will be sweet and juicy. Brown spots near the stems that make the fruit look cloudy, on the other hand, suggest that the grapes have already started to spoil.

Sticky juice coating the bunch is another sign of this. If the grapes look wet and the berries are sticking together, it’s best not to buy them. They’ll most likely end up in the trash quickly, and they won’t taste as good either.

I bought some gorgeous grapes at the store — big, ripe, with every seed visible when held up to the light. I bring them home, and Mom looks at them and says, “Well, maybe we can at least make some jam!” Why? They looked like perfectly good grapes!
I started turning the bunches over in my hands, and Mom simply pointed to the dark spots near the stems. Sure enough, the flesh inside had already turned cloudy. I tried a couple of grapes — she was right, they were overripe. But at least the jam turned out delicious.

A ripe mango is sweet and delicate, and it just melts in your mouth. Unfortunately, most mangoes have to finish ripening while being transported, so stores usually sell fruit that isn’t fully ripe. No problem — mango ripens beautifully at home, the main thing is not to buy fruit that has gone bad.

You can tell a good mango by its aroma. If it has a sweet, floral scent, you can confidently choose it. Some mangoes have only a faint aroma, noticeable only near the stem.

But you shouldn’t rely on the fruit’s color. Some varieties retain green spots even when fully ripe. You can simply leave underripe fruit in a paper bag for a couple of days, and it will ripen. Most importantly, don’t put the fruit in the refrigerator. Low temperatures interrupt the ripening process.

Our local fruit shop just got a shipment of fresh mangoes. The price was whopping, but they looked so delicious. I picked out a couple and put them on the scale when some man stopped beside me and said, “I tried them, they have no flavor at all!”
I thanked him, but I still bought the mangoes because I could tell from the smell alone that they’d be sweet. Usually, mangoes at the store don’t smell like anything, but these had such an amazing aroma coming from the stem end that my mouth was watering. The man probably picked unripe ones and didn’t wait for them to ripen.