Supermarket hacks for a world where fruit and veg is always in season

The perils of under and over ripe supermarket produce rank high on the scale of first world problems: mushy brown avocados, floury apples, green potatoes, dry tasteless watermelon.

With the widespread use of cold storage and global importation, the concept of something being in or out of season is becoming increasingly alien.

So as the season slowly ticks over from our southern hemisphere winter chill, how do you avoid the pitfalls of buying inferior fruit and vegetables?

To provide us with some 'supermarket hacks' for those particularly treacherous fruit and vegetables, Foodstuffs' business manager Phil Whitehead has clarified what actually works when picking and prodding in the grocery aisle.

Key when choosing avocados is colour, with the dominant variety in New Zealand Hass avocados.

"Bright green fruit is likely a week or more away from being ready to eat at this time of year," Whitehead says.

"Olive green fruit is a few days away from being ripe. Brown green fruit will be firm ripe.

"Purple brown fruit will be soft ripe. Avoid avocados that are extremely soft with very dark skin, or with dented or flattened areas."

Mangoes also can be judged by colour, going from green to a deep golden yellow as they ripen, but a surer test is to squeeze them gently. The softer, the more ripe.

Mexican mango varieties, Kents and Keats, are available right now.

The more succulent Australian mangoes, Kensington Pride, R2E2s and Calypso, run from around September to January, and sell at a higher price.

"While it's not common for mangos to turn brown inside, it can happen as a result of overchilling," Whitehead says.

Foodstuffs business Manager for North Island produce, Phil whitehead gives tips on what to look for when choosing fresh produce. Photo / Focus

The best watermelons will feel heavy for their size, indicating juiciness, and will have dull skin.

Likewise, pumpkins should be firm and heavy for their size with dull skin: "It's likely a nice, firm and fresh pumpkin will have a hollow sound when tapped. Steer clear of any squash that has patches of soft skin, mould or decay."

Picking a ripe, sweet pineapple can be gauged by how easily the leaves pull out of the crown of the fruit, but that's not much help in New Zealand because MPI regulations mean they're imported without their crowns.

"Fragrance and firmness are trusted indicators for choosing a good pineapple," Whitehead says.

"Avoid fruit that is overly brown or has a glassy sheen."

Colour is again key when picking bananas, but the fruit is shipped green for the New Zealand market given our distance from the source.

"The greener and firmer, the less ripe they will be. Bananas flavour will develop their yellow colour and deeper flavour as they ripen," Whitehead says

With picking crisp apples, it's all a case of knowing the seasons.

"Biting into a crisp looking apple to find floury fruit is one of life's great injustices," Whitehead says.

"This is usually due to the apple degrading after long periods of storage. The surest way to avoid this is choosing apples that are in season - Eve and Fuji at the moment.

"A light tap on the side of a good apple will yield a hollow sound."

Garden to Table Trust chair Catherine Bell says because fruit and vegetables are imported to New Zealand to fill gaps, consumers think everything is in season all year.

"Fruit and veg that is grown locally and hasn't travelled far means its fresher and tastes better," Bell says.

"The longer a vegetable sits in storage, the more of its nutrients will be lost. It also costs a lot more to grow vegetables not in season.

"Vegetables will be twice the price because they're grown in hot houses. Out of season vegetables you will always pay a premium."