Well shaped, smooth skinned fruit that is free of bruises. Brownish freckled areas do not affect flavour. Store in perforated plastic bags in the refrigerator crisper. Cold, humid storage ensures that apples maintain their crispness, juicy texture and full flavour. Apples soften 10 times faster at room temperature. Rinse and eat. To prevent browning, coat cut surfaces with lemon juice.

Firm, firm, plump, blackberries Keep in the fridge for 1 to 3 days Wash them with water and pat dry

Melon with a deeply netted, yellow-gold rind. Ripe fruit yields slightly to gentle pressure and has a musky fragrance. Refrigerate cut or ripe fruit in a sealed container for up to five days. Ripen at room temperature, loosely covered. Rinse, halve and scoop out seeds. Scoop out flesh or peel and cut as desired.

Soft clementines that are free of blemishes and wrinkles, and have even colouration. Store clementines in a ventilated container. They can be kept in a refrigerator or some other cool, dry place for up to a month (or at room temperature for two or three days). Clementines are usually eaten fresh or as a salad topping. They can also be incorporated into a number of sauces, cakes and other desserts.

Evenly coloured custard-apples which yield slightly when pressed. The ridges of the fruit may be slightly tinged with brown, but the fruit should not appear black, pulpy or withered. Avoid small (under 300g) and dark green fruit. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Custard-apples are soft when ripe and can be eaten plain or with cream and sugar.

Plump grapes that are firmly attached to green stems. Avoid wrinkled or sticky fruit. Cover, refrigerate unwashed for up to five days. Rinse just before serving.

Firm, green or yellow, free of blemishes. Cover and refrigerate ripe fruit for a day or two. Ripen at room temperature, out of direct sun until yields to gentle pressure. Cut in half crosswise and scoop out flesh or peel and thinly slice. Use in desserts and fruit salad. Fragrant flesh contains edible pips and tastes sweet-tart.

Plump fruit without green background colour that yields to gentle pressure. Avoid soft, brusied or shrivelled fruit. Ripen fruit uncovered at room temperature. Cover, refrigerate ripe fruit for up to three days. Rinse. Score skin in four sections and peel like a banana or cut in half and remove pit. Fruit clings to pit so slice as much as possible from it.

Firm fruit, heavy for size with smooth skin, free of soft spots. Keep at room temperature for up to one week or refrigerate for up to one month. Room temperature fruit yields the most juice. Rinse, peel and eat. Squeeze thin skinned oranges for juice.

Fruit with smooth unblemished. Ripen firm fruit at room temperature in a loosely closed paper bag. Cover, refrigerate ripe fruit for up to one week. Rinse, cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Scope out flesh or peel skin and cut as desired.

Large plump, fruit with sweet fragrance and crown of deep green (not brown) leaves. Colour is not an indication of ripeness. Use immediately or refrigerate uncovered for two or three days. Rinse, discard crown and bottom end. Remove end on strips from top to bottom. Slice and core as desired.

Large pomegranates, heavy for size. Keep at room temperature for a few days or refrigerate for 1 to 2 weeks. Seeds and juice can be frozen. Slit skin and carefully pull away skin and pith (note: the juice stains). Only seeds are edible. Pomegranates are juicy with a sweet tart flavour. Sprinle over salads, desserts or crush seeds in blender and strain to make juice for drinks, sauces and jellies.

Firm, plump berries that are fully red with bright green caps. Strawberries do not ripen once picked. Arrange unwashed on paper towel in shallow pan. Loosely cover, refrigerate unwashed for up to two days or freeze for up to one year. Gently rinse, pat dry, then remove caps.

A firm symmetrical melon with fully rounded sides and a yellowish underside. If cut, select a melon with bright red flesh. Whole melons will keep for 7 to 10 days at room temperature. Store them too long, and they’ll lose flavour and texture. After cutting, store wrapped watermelon in refrigerator for 3-4 days. Rinse, cut melon into wedges or scoop out flesh.

Well shaped, smooth skinned fruit that is free of bruises. Brownish freckled areas do not affect flavour. Store in perforated plastic bags in the refrigerator crisper. Cold, humid storage ensures that apples maintain their crispness, juicy texture and full flavour. Apples soften 10 times faster at room temperature. Rinse and eat. To prevent browning, coat cut surfaces with lemon juice.

Firm, unblemished bananas. Yellow with brown speckles indicates a sweet tender fruit. Keep at room temperature until desire ripeness. For longer storage, once ripe, refrigerate. The peel will darken but remains fresh. Peel and eat. To prevent browning, coat surface with lemon juice. Use over ripe bananas in baking.

Firm, firm, plump, blackberries Keep in the fridge for 1 to 3 days Wash them with water and pat dry

Melon with a deeply netted, yellow-gold rind. Ripe fruit yields slightly to gentle pressure and has a musky fragrance. Refrigerate cut or ripe fruit in a sealed container for up to five days. Ripen at room temperature, loosely covered. Rinse, halve and scoop out seeds. Scoop out flesh or peel and cut as desired.

Plump grapes that are firmly attached to green stems. Avoid wrinkled or sticky fruit. Cover, refrigerate unwashed for up to five days. Rinse just before serving.

Firm, green or yellow, free of blemishes. Cover and refrigerate ripe fruit for a day or two. Ripen at room temperature, out of direct sun until yields to gentle pressure. Cut in half crosswise and scoop out flesh or peel and thinly slice. Use in desserts and fruit salad. Fragrant flesh contains edible pips and tastes sweet-tart.

Plump fruit without green background colour that yields to gentle pressure. Avoid soft, brusied or shrivelled fruit. Ripen fruit uncovered at room temperature. Cover, refrigerate ripe fruit for up to three days. Rinse. Score skin in four sections and peel like a banana or cut in half and remove pit. Fruit clings to pit so slice as much as possible from it.

Firm fruit, heavy for size with smooth skin, free of soft spots. Keep at room temperature for up to one week or refrigerate for up to one month. Room temperature fruit yields the most juice. Rinse, peel and eat. Squeeze thin skinned oranges for juice.

Fruit with smooth unblemished. Ripen firm fruit at room temperature in a loosely closed paper bag. Cover, refrigerate ripe fruit for up to one week. Rinse, cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Scope out flesh or peel skin and cut as desired.

Large plump, fruit with sweet fragrance and crown of deep green (not brown) leaves. Colour is not an indication of ripeness. Use immediately or refrigerate uncovered for two or three days. Rinse, discard crown and bottom end. Remove end on strips from top to bottom. Slice and core as desired.

Large pomegranates, heavy for size. Keep at room temperature for a few days or refrigerate for 1 to 2 weeks. Seeds and juice can be frozen. Slit skin and carefully pull away skin and pith (note: the juice stains). Only seeds are edible. Pomegranates are juicy with a sweet tart flavour. Sprinle over salads, desserts or crush seeds in blender and strain to make juice for drinks, sauces and jellies.

Firm, plump berries that are fully red with bright green caps. Strawberries do not ripen once picked. Arrange unwashed on paper towel in shallow pan. Loosely cover, refrigerate unwashed for up to two days or freeze for up to one year. Gently rinse, pat dry, then remove caps.

A firm symmetrical melon with fully rounded sides and a yellowish underside. If cut, select a melon with bright red flesh. Whole melons will keep for 7 to 10 days at room temperature. Store them too long, and they’ll lose flavour and texture. After cutting, store wrapped watermelon in refrigerator for 3-4 days. Rinse, cut melon into wedges or scoop out flesh.

Plump, bright, coloured fruit. The deeper the colour the sweeter the fruit. Avoid very soft or shrivelled cherries. Arrange unwashed on paper towel in shallow pan. Cover and refrigerate for up to three days. Rinse. Remove stems and pits. Eat raw.

Bright even coloured skin without too many blotches. A just ripe fruit will yield to slight pressure. Leave on the counter if you plan to eat in a few days. Otherwise store in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator. Prepare like a kiwi. Cut in half and use a spoon to separate flesh from skin.

Evenly ripe fruit, free of mold or soft spots that yield to gentle pressure Refrigerate ripe fruit covered for up to two weeks. Ripen at room temperature uncovered out of direct sunlight. Rinse. Eat with or without skin.

Firm, well shaped, fruit. Use fully ripe fruit for immediate use. Minor scars and blemishes do not affect flavour. Cover, refrigerate unwashed ripe fruit for up to three days. Ripen firm fruit at room temperature in a paper bag until it yields to gentle pressure at stem. Rinse. To prevent browning, coat cut surfaces with lemon juice.

Firm, plump, dry, dark coloured blueberries with a powder blue bloom. Arrange unwashed on paper towel, in shallow pan. Cover, refrigerate for up to ten days. For longer storage, freeze berries for up to one year. Rinse. Remove damaged berries. Eat raw. Good in baking.

Plump, bright, coloured fruit. The deeper the colour the sweeter the fruit. Avoid very soft or shrivelled cherries. Arrange unwashed on paper towel in shallow pan. Cover and refrigerate for up to three days. Rinse. Remove stems and pits. Eat raw.

A whole coconut that you can shake it up and down a little to see if there is water inside the coconut. If you do not hear anything, the coconut is too ripe and may taste soapy. Store a whole coconut in the fridge for up to two months. Once opened, the coconut meat can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 7 days. Eat coconut meat plain, or grate it for use in a variety of dishes.

Bright even coloured skin without too many blotches. A just ripe fruit will yield to slight pressure. Leave on the counter if you plan to eat in a few days. Otherwise store in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator. Prepare like a kiwi. Cut in half and use a spoon to separate flesh from skin.

Evenly ripe fruit, free of mold or soft spots that yield to gentle pressure Refrigerate ripe fruit covered for up to two weeks. Ripen at room temperature uncovered out of direct sunlight. Rinse. Eat with or without skin.

Firm, well shaped, fruit. Use fully ripe fruit for immediate use. Minor scars and blemishes do not affect flavour. Cover, refrigerate unwashed ripe fruit for up to three days. Ripen firm fruit at room temperature in a paper bag until it yields to gentle pressure at stem. Rinse. To prevent browning, coat cut surfaces with lemon juice.

Plump, evenly coloured specimens. All dates have a single long seed. The fruit should not look dry or withered and no crystals should appear on the exterior of the date. Fresh dates can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Date fruit can be eaten raw or dried. Include it in an assortment of desserts.