The benefits of fruit are beyond doubt. Please see here some little-known facts about fruit. Below are the secret tips for fruit merchants to pick fruit. Learn from them.
Mango:
Mango varieties: Egg Mango (as it's called in Fujian), with a rich fragrance and an oval shape, the flesh is orange, about the size of a small egg, super sweet and fragrant, suitable for juicing, the juice is very thick, can be mixed with some light honey water; slightly inferior to the Egg Mango is the Yao Mango, shaped like a pig's kidney, the flesh is yellow, some are pale yellow, the pit is very thin, this mango is very sweet, but not as fragrant as the Egg Mango; there are also Ivory Mango and Guifei Mango, which can be a bit astringent and sour when not fully ripe. Additionally, there is a green mango, the Green Mango, which is sweeter than the yellow ones.
Selection: When choosing a mango, be sure to pick one that is plump, round, not too soft or too hard, with a pure yellow color. You should be able to smell its fragrance from a distance. It should have no spots (spotted ones are rotten from the inside). Smell the fragrance and choose one that is about 80% ripe, it will ripen in a day or two and be ready to eat. For mangoes that are ripe and ready to eat, you can check the stem; it should be clean and not leaking fluid, and the skin should not be wrinkled, as that means it has lost its moisture.
The juice of mangoes contains a component that is not good for the skin, so it's best to cut it into small pieces when eating, and avoid letting it touch your skin and lips.
Orange, Tangerine, Orange:
"Choose tall oranges, flat tangerines, and smooth-skinned mandarins." Oranges should be tall, tangerines should be flat, and mandarin peels should be shiny. When picking mandarins, regardless of variety, the one with a ring in the middle is the "female" and is usually sweeter, while the one with a dot is the "male" and not as sweet. Choose those with thin, elastic skin. Early-season mandarins are juicy and sweet, while late-season ones are rougher and have more fibers. For pomelos, tangerines, and oranges, pick the heavier ones. The skin should be smooth like a baby's skin; avoid the rough, pockmarked ones. However, the popular "sugar mandarins" in winter have very rough skins, and the smooth ones are not good. When buying oranges, it's best to buy ones with a ring at the bottom, the "butt". For navel oranges, buy the one where the "navel" indentation is sunken, as it's sweeter. For pomelos and honey pomelos, the firmer the better. The heavier one of the same size is better. Press it with your hand; the firmer the better. If it doesn't press down, the skin is thin, and the thinner the skin, the better. The skin of a honey pomelo should be smoother, the color more even and more golden-yellow. Such pomelos have juicy flesh, high sweetness, and a better flavor.
Watermelon, Hami Melon, Muskmelon:
When picking a watermelon, choose one whose rind pattern looks like it's stretched apart, with a small opening where the stem was, and a sunken "navel". The surface should not be smooth, but uneven. The color should be a deep green. Lift it with one hand and tap it lightly. The sound should feel a bit hollow, and the hand holding it should feel a slight vibration. This indicates a sandy-textured melon with loose flesh inside. If it's unripe, the sound will be dull.
When picking a white muskmelon, choose a smaller one. The larger end should have no navel, but a little green. This type is the first fruit from a vine, so it's small and easy to pick. Also, choose one with a navel; the larger the navel, the better. Press the navel; it should be soft. Smell the "butt" of the melon; a fragrant one is a good, sweet melon.
When picking a Hami melon, choose one with coarse, dense netting and a strong fragrance.
When buying any melon, the end that is not attached to the vine should be indented; this means it's ripe, good, and sweet.
Apple:
Fuji apples should be chosen for their streaky appearance, yellow with a hint of red. These usually have yellow flesh, are crisp, sweet, and slightly sour with a very authentic flavor. Never pick the ones that are green with a hint of red; they are usually bland in taste. While they might be juicy, they won't be sweet. Authentic Fuji apples are always lopsided on a table, never straight. If they are perfectly shaped, they are not authentic. The color shouldn't be bright red, but rather pinkish-red with streaks, not a solid red. Choose the one with many red streaks and a deeply sunken "navel." Those with many freckles on the skin, when tapped lightly with a finger, will make a crisp, echoing sound, and are both sweet and crisp.
When buying apples (mainly Fuji), it's best to choose those with red stripes (called "striped red") and some yellow mixed in. These apples are crisp, juicy, and very fragrant.
Durian:
Choose a durian with a strong fragrance and a slightly cracked shell, revealing soft, but not wet, golden-yellow flesh that is relatively long and plump. The shell of a plump durian is usually thinner, and there will be more flesh segments. The elongated ones generally have a thicker shell and thinner flesh. When selecting, a shell that is yellowish-green is best.
Litchi:
When choosing litchis, pick the ones with a rough, uneven skin and deep lines; these usually have small pits. The smooth, flat-skinned ones generally have large pits. Not only should the skin be reddish, but it should also feel full and elastic when squeezed. If it's soft and feels empty, it has been stored for a long time. You can also gently press the tail of the litchi. If it feels soft and you don't feel a hard object, the pit is generally small. If you can feel a hard object, it's a large pit.
Pear:
Pears should be "female" ones, which are delicate, juicy, and sweet. A "female" pear has an even number of lobes at the top, a deep navel, a round area around the navel, and a thick stem base.
Grape:
Grapes should be chosen in full, tightly packed clusters. First, smell them; only buy those with a strong fruity fragrance. If buying grapes in winter, be sure to buy fresh ones. Don't look at the berries; look at the stems. Fresh grapes have hard, fresh, bright green stems. When the stems turn dark brown and are soft, they have been picked for a long time. Although the berries might look firm, this is just the result of cold storage, not true freshness. This is especially important for "Muscat" grapes, as these small fruits are not easy to preserve.
Banana:
Don't pick bananas with green ends, as they have been treated. Also, don't pick ones that are too large; smaller bananas are better. They should be round, not angular, and a normal yellow color, possibly with a few freckles.
Kiwi:
When choosing kiwis, be sure to pick the ones with a pointed end, like a little chicken's beak, not the flat ones like a duck's beak. The "duck's beak" type has been treated with hormones, while the "chicken's beak" type has little to no hormones. A truly ripe kiwi is soft all over. When selecting, choose one with a slightly darker color, with skin approaching a tan color, which is a sign of sufficient sunlight exposure and thus sweeter.
Kiwis should be chosen with a fresh green color at the stem attachment, indicating freshness. The entire fruit should have a consistent firmness; if one spot is soft, it's rotten. A darker color around the stem attachment also indicates sweetness.
Peach:
When choosing peaches, the most important thing is to smell them; the more fragrant, the sweeter. They usually don't look very good on the outside. Choose one that is not too soft and has a small point at the top.
Cucumber:
Never buy a cucumber that is large at the bottom and has a small stem; this one has been treated with hormones.
Cherry:
Check if the stems are fresh. Fresh stems are green, while old ones turn black. Then, check if the skin is wrinkled; wrinkling means the fruit has been picked for too long and has lost moisture.
Tomato:
Don't choose the ones with sharp corners or the ones that feel very light when held, as these are treated with ripening agents. Buy the ones that have a light, powdery feel on the surface, and the stem end must be round. If the stem also has a light green tint, it is the meatiest and sweetest. Don't buy ones with sharp points or a high bottom. Choose the ones that look smooth overall; the pointed ones have been over-treated with fast-ripening agents in the spring. Choose tomatoes that are pinkish-red, round, and have small white dots on the skin.
Fruit Vendor's Experience Sharing:
It's recommended to eat fruit according to the season. For example, eat watermelons when they are in season, and peaches when there are plenty of them.
Choose fruits of a moderate size. Very large ones are likely to have been grown with hormones or expanders. In short, it's best not to buy anything too large, whether it's fruit, crabs, fish, or shrimp from the river!
Fruits from the South sold in the North are mostly ripened with all sorts of strange chemicals because ripe southern fruits are difficult to transport. They have to be shipped unripe and then artificially ripened. Therefore, eating local produce whenever possible is a good method.
The general rule is: one smell, two looks, three squeezes. First, smell it for the fragrance it should have, and also check for any strange smells. Second, look for any black or rotten spots. Third, give it a squeeze—this one needs no explanation. There is a secret to picking fruit: no matter what kind of fruit, the deeper the indentation at the stem, the sweeter it is. The principle for choosing fruit is that it should look good and have a lustrous color, and you should also check if the bottom of the fruit is indented enough and if there is a ring. If there is, it's a "female" fruit, and female fruits are sweeter.