Fruit Care Guide

• Place your fruits in a brown brown paper bag with an apple, kiwi or banana.
• Surround your fruits with uncooked rice.
  Place unripe fruit on your countertop or at room temperature.
• Blanching your fruits will make it softer and less bitter.
  Cover the fruits with a cotton cloth.

• Watermelon
  
  To tell if a watermelon is ripe, look for these signs:
  APPEARANCE: the stem is dry and brown
  SKIN: If it has a matte and dull skin instead of a shiny exterior, that’s another indication that your fruit is ripe
  SOUND: When you tap it, it produces a deep and hollow sound. If it’s dull, it may be overripe or unripe.
  WEIGHT: It will feel heavier than it looks, which means that the watermelon is juicy and full of water

• Custard Apple
  
  To tell if your Custard Apple or Atis is ripe.
  Try pressing the fruit lightly.
  If it’s too hard, it’s not still ripe and not ready to eat.
  If it easily gives or succumbs to light pressure when you press it, the fruit is most probably ripe.
  Chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, then serve.

• Avocados
  
  To tell if your Avocados are ripe:
  Gently squeeze the avocado with the palm of your hand.
  If it’s very firm, the avocados are not yet ready to eat.
  If you find it seems OK like in the middle of soft or firm, pop off the stem cap at the top with your fingernail. If it pops off easily and is green underneath, it's ready to eat.
  If it's very soft, the avocados are overripe

• Pineapple
  
  To tell if your Pineapples are ripe, look for these signs:
  
  COLOR: If the spiny exterior has a greenish tint, the pineapple is underripe.
  FIRMNESS: When pressed, it should feel slightly soft. Avoid pineapples that are rock hard to the touch.
  SMELL: Turn the pineapple upside down and give it a sniff. If it smells sweet and fruity, then it’s just rightly ripe. If it's funky, then it's overripe.

• Papaya
  
  To tell if your Papayas are ripe, pay attention to their color and smell.
  
  If the skin is almost fully yellow from green and soft to touch, and if they smell sweet and slightly musky, the papayas are ripe and ready to eat.
  If it’s still green, the papayas are still underripe.
  If the skin is too yellow and mushy when you press them, the papayas are overripe.

• Mangosteen
  
  To tell if your Mangosteens are ripe, pay attention to their color and feel:
  
  If the rind is dark purple, it’s ripe and ready to eat.
  When it’s too sturdy, it’s still underripe.
  When it feels just a bit heavy in your hand, yields slightly when pressing and if the outer peel is smooth, it’s ready to eat.

• Japanese Melon
  
  To tell if your Japanese melons are ripe, look for these signs:
  WEIGHT: If the skin turns from green to yellow as the melon matures, it’s ripe and ready to eat.
  SMELL: If it produces a strong aroma, it’s ripe and ready to eat
  COLOR: If the weight feels extra heavy, it’s ripe and ready to eat.

• Hami Melon
  
  To tell if your Hami Melons are ripe, look for these signs:
  WEIGHT: If the melon is too heavy for its size, it’s ripe and ready to eat.
  COLOR: If it displays a vibrant yellowish color with thin green lines, it’s ripe and ready to eat.
  TEXTURE: If it has a smooth texture, it’s ripe and ready to eat.
  FIRMNESS: If it is firm but not too hard when pressed, it’s ripe and ready to eat.
  APPEARANCE: If the melon easily separates from the vine, it’s ripe and ready to eat.
  APPEARANCE: If the stem area of the melon shows a subtle seam or crack, it’s ripe and ready to eat. Additionally, the opposite end, known as the blossom end, should yield slightly to gentle pressure. Avoid melons with spots near the stem or overly soft blossom ends.
  

• Please refrigerate these fruits immediately upon receiving them to lengthen shelf life and avoid spoilage.
• All kinds of berries - berries when exposed to heat/room temperature for a long time may cause them to go bad faster

· Grapes

· Cherries

· Pomegranates

• These fruits are not as sensitive and can be stored at room temperature until it is ripe and ready to eat:

· Apples

· Oranges

· Watermelons

· Grapefruits

· Melons (refrigerate when ripe)

· Avocados (refrigerate when ripe)

· Pineapples

· Papayas

· Peaches

· Plums

· Pomelos