Tips for Buying and Storing Blueberries, Peaches, Squash, and Tomatoes
Blueberries
Look for dark blue blueberries that have a slight white-silvery bloom on them. Avoid purplish or green. Refrigerate fresh blueberries, either in their original plastic pack or in a covered bowl or container. Do not rinse or wash blueberries until you’re ready to use them – the moisture will shorten their storage span considerably!
Peaches
Buy ripe or nearly ripe peaches. If they’re very hard, they are likely picked green and won’t develop the right taste or texture. A split or bruise means the peach will go bad quickly and ruin any peach it touches. Eat or preserve these right away. Peaches can be stored touching other peaches, but they shouldn’t touch other types of fruit. Put the peaches until a paper bag until they are soft enough to eat. They should give to very gentle pressure. Remove from bag and store in the refrigerator.
Tomatoes
Fresh tomatoes should have taught, shiny skin that is a uniform red color. The skin should give a little when squeezed, but not feel mushy. Choose a tomato that is heavy in comparison both to its size and to other tomatoes. Ripen at Room Temperature, do not refrigerate
Squash
Look for squash that are tender and well developed, firm, and fresh-appearing. You can identify a tender squash, because the skin is glossy instead of dull, and it is neither hard nor tough. Avoid stale or over mature squash, which will have a dull appearance and a hard, tough surface. Also avoid squash with discolored or pitted areas.