Tips on Finding and Preparing the Best Food – Vegetables (part 2)

When choosing fresh vegetables, avoid those that are limp and tired looking. “Old” vegetables cannot be revived by stir-frying, boiling, steaming, or baking. Although most of the common vegetables are available year round, in season they tend to have the best food value, flavor, texture, and price.

In general, vegetables are good sources of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and fiber. Most vegetables are composed mainly of water and carbohydrates. There is little or no fat in vegetables and, with the exception of legumes, they are low in protein. Most varieties of vegetables also are low in calories.

Yellow vegetables such as carrots and some varieties of squash provide valuable vitamin A (the deeper the color, the higher the vitamin content). Green, leafy vegetables, such as spinach and kale, are rich in vitamins A, C, K, and riboflavin, as well as iron, calcium, and fiber. Flowering vegetables, especially broccoli, are valuable sources of vitamins A and C, riboflavin, iron, and phosphorus.

Below are some common tips on how to buy the best vegetables.

Artichokes: Artichokes are best from March through May. Select heavy, tightly closed heads with green stems and firm, unblemished leaves. Spread-out, brownish heads may be tough.

Asparagus: Peak asparagus season is March to June. Choose spears with green color extending two-thirds down the stalk. Good asparagus is firm and green with tightly closed tips. Open tips generally mean a tough stark, while soft, wrinkled spears mean the asparagus is not fresh.

Beets: Beets are available year round, but they are best from June to October. Choose beets that are smooth, round, and firm. The small or medium-sized ones tend to be most tender. Beets should be deep red; leaves should be green and unwilted.

Broccoli: Broccoli is in season and available year round in most areas. Buy firm broccoli stalks with small, unwilted leaves. The best broccoli is topped with dark green or purplish flowerets that have compact and tightly closed buds. Avoid loose, yellowish buds because these usually are tough and old.

Brussels sprouts: The best season for Brussels sprouts is late fall and winter. Choose unblemished, tightly closed heads. The best Brussels sprouts are bright green. Avoid ones that are soft, dull-looking, or have a yellowish color.

Cabbage: Good cabbage is available year round. It comes in many varieties – smooth green, crinkly green Savoy, red, and Chinese. The best heads are crisp, firm, and heavy. Avoid heads with loose, yellowish outer leaves ind blemishes.

Carrots: Carrots are available year round. Buy carrots that are well-formed, firm, smooth, and bright orange. Smaller ones usually are tastier and easier to work with. Avoid carrots that are rubbery, grayish, or have a lot of cracks and greenish color at the top.

Cauliflower: The peak of cauliflower season is fall and winter. Choose heads that are crisp and white with compact, tightly closed flowerets. Outer leaves should be firm and bright green. A purplish tinge on the heads (caused by sunlight) will not affect taste. Avoid heads with brown spots, bruises, and spreading flowerets.

Celery: Good celery is available year round. The mildest celery is light green in color, while stronger-tasting celery is darker green. Buy firm, unwilted stalks with crisp leaves. Avoid celery that is flexible or split.

Corn: Fresh corn is available in the late spring, summer, and early fall, depending on the area of the country. Buy ears that have plump, yellow or white kernels that extend from top to bottom in straight lines and do not look dry. The best ears are those that are medium sized. Husks should be moist and bright green. Local corn, which has not spent much time in transport, is much tastier than corn that has been shipped from other parts of the country.

Cucumbers: Cucumbers are available year round, but they are especially good in summer. The best are firm and slender with uniform dark-green color. Avoid those with soft spots. Many people prefer cucumbers that are not coated with wax, although sometimes unwaxed cucumbers are difficult to find.

Eggplant: August and September are the best months for eggplant. Select the heaviest and firmest ones, with surfaces that are shiny and smooth. The most common variety is the large, gourd-shaped, purple eggplant; however, white eggplant and tiny purple eggplant are sometimes available.

Green and wax beans: These vegetables are available year round, but they are especially good in the late spring and summer. The best beans are those that are crisp, firm, and bright green or yellow. Beans should snap crisply when broken. Avoid beans that are limp, wrinkled, or have brown spots.

Greens (beet, collard, dandelion, kale, mustard, Swiss chard, and turnip) : Most greens are available year round, but they are especially tasty in the late summer and fall. Select greens with bright green, crisp, unwilted leaves. Avoid those with brown edges, variations in color, and thick stems.

Lettuce (iceberg, Bibb, Boston, garden, red-leaf, escarole, chicory, watercress, endive, romaine, arugala): Most types of lettuce are available year round. Iceberg, the most popular salad lettuce, should be large, compact, and heavy. In general the darker leaves of all types of lettuce will have a stronger flavor (and more vitamins and minerals) than the lighter leaves. Choose crisp lettuce that is fresh looking with a good green or sometimes reddish-green color.

Lima beans: Fresh lima beans are available in the spring and summer. They usually come in the shell, which must be broken before the beans are squeezed out. Select fresh, firm, bright green pods that are slightly flexible and have a velvety texture.

Mushrooms: Fall and winter are the ideal times for fresh mushrooms. Of the commonly sold variety, the best are firm, white, and velvety with caps closed around the stem. Avoid mushrooms that are dark, spotted, or soft. Some less common varieties, such as morels, may be available locally. Unless well trained in identifying mushrooms, people should eat only store-bought varieties. Some wild mushrooms are poisonous.

Okra: The okra season runs from May to October. Okra pods should be bright green, tender, and pliable. The best tasting pods are small – anywhere from two to four inches long.

Onions: All kinds of onions – yellow, sweet, Spanish, Bermudas, white, shallots, and scallions – are available year round. For bulb-type onions, choose ones that are unsprouted, very firm, and rounded with dry, thin skins. Select scallions with crisp, tender, bright green tops and firm, white bottoms.

Peas: Fresh peas are best in the spring and early summer. They are usually sold in the pod and, like lima beans, require shelling. Choose firm, bright green pods. It is difficult to determine the quality of peas without cracking open a pod and tasting a pea. It should be tender and sweet. Snow peas, also called sugar or Chinese peas, are eaten pods and all. Buy flat, bright green, firm snow pea pods.

Peppers (green bell, red bell, Italian, green chili, and red chili): Most pepper varieties are available year round. Choose peppers that have a good color and a natural shine rather than a waxed surface. The sides should be smooth, firm, and unwrinkled. Red bell peppers are sweeter than green bell peppers. Sometimes, orange and yellow ones are available. Italian peppers have thinner skin and a sweet, delicate flavor. Red and green chili peppers are extremely hot.

Potatoes: Most varieties of potatoes – Idaho, russet, red new, white new, sweet and yams – are in stores year round. The best potatoes are firm, smooth, round or oval, and blemish free. Avoid potatoes with sprouts, too many eyes (tiny buds in the skin), green blotches, large cuts, growth cracks, bruises, discolored areas, or a musty smell. Sweet potatoes and yams should have an orange color and be smooth and tapered at the ends.

Radishes: Radishes are available year round. Bunches usually are best because each radish can be inspected. Select dark red, hard radishes with fresh, green leaves. Prepackaged radishes should be inspected carefully, and bags with cracked, off-color, or soft radishes should be avoided.

Spinach: Spinach is available year round. Loose, bulk spinach usually is better than the spinach that is prewashed and prepackaged. Select leaves that are crisp and medium to dark green with small, tender stems. When buying packaged spinach, make sure the leaves are fresh and not too wet or too powdery.

Squash: Summer squash (yellow, zucchini, and pattypan) is available most of the year but is best from late spring to early fall. Winter squash (acorn, Hubbard, butternut, buttercup, green and gold delicious; banana, pumpkin, and spaghetti) is available in the fall and winter months. Select summer squash that is small, firm, and smooth with bright green or yellow, shiny surfaces. Winter squash should have a hard, possibly rough, surface with few blemishes.

Sprouts: Mung bean and alfalfa sprouts, the two most common varieties, are available all year. Choose sprouts that are fresh looking, resilient, and crisp. Avoid those that are wet and slimy with a moldy smell.

Tomatoes: The best tomatoes are available in July, August, and September, but tomatoes grown in hothouses are available year round. Locally grown, vine-ripened tomatoes provide the best taste, texture, and juice. Packaged hothouse tomatoes usually are pale with hard skins and mealy textures. Small cherry tomatoes, which also are grown in hothouses, may offer better flavor in the off season. Select firm, smooth, bright red tomatoes. Avoid those with soft spots, cracks, or breaks.

Turnips and rutabagas: White turnips are available year round, and rutabagas (also called yellow turnips) are available in the fall and winter. Choose turnips that are hard and round with smooth, unblemished skins. A coating of paraffin wax may mean that a turnip has been stored for a long time.

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Tags: tips, vegetables