Sensory, sweet, saucy, and (when sun ripened and fresh) utterly irresistible – these are but a few ways to describe fruit. Botanically, a fruit is the ripened ovary of a flowering plant consisting of one or more seeds and surrounding tissue. Grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds are fruits with skins that become hard and dry when mature.
The succulent fruits, in contrast, consist of a ripened ovary with soft, fleshy skin; this description includes the gourd family of cucumbers, squash, and melons as well as what fills our fruit bowl. Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, which we think of as vegetables, are also fruits, technically speaking.
Storage: Refrigerate citrus fruit or store in a cool pantry. Do not keep in plastic bags; plastic draws moisture from the fruit and quickens spoilage. When fruits are not fully ripened, place them in a closed, roomy paper bag at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. Turn the fruits daily to assure even ripening. Placing an apple or banana in the bag facilitates ripening. Remove any fruit that shows signs of leaks, bruises, mold, or spoilage, as one bad fruit quickly taints surrounding fruit. Wash fruit just prior to using. Once a fruit is cut or peeled, refrigerate it in a tightly covered container, and use quickly.
from Rebecca Wood's The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia |
