Picking out fresh vegetables
Jan 01, 2009
VEGETABLES are part of our daily meals. Vegetables and fruits supplement the body with vitamins and minerals in order for one to get healthy.
By Aidah Nanyonjo
VEGETABLES are part of our daily meals. Vegetables and fruits supplement the body with vitamins and minerals in order for one to get healthy.
In our cookings, vegetables are part of the ingredients. However most people do not know how to choose fresh vegetables and end up buying poor quality.
How can you tell if a vegetable is fresh? Which non-organic vegetables are loaded with pesticides and which ones are not? Phoebe Nabulime a vegetable seller in Nakasero Market gives shoppers some clues.
Carrots
Check for firmness and freshness. Vegetables should be firm when you gently squeeze them. The freshest, most tender carrots still have the green tops attached.
Tops deteriorate quickly, so it is easy to tell they are fresh. Avoid tops that are slimmy and wilted. Packaged carrots without the stems are more readily available. Carrots should be firm, not flabby and show no signs of splitting.
Cauli flower
Inspect heads closely and avoid purchasing those with any tiny black mold spots.
Lettuce, Spinach and Leafy Greens
Examine each vegetable individually. Sometimes there will be a single rotten piece mixed in with a good group. Be selective. Look for bright colour.
Darkened colouring and browning is a sign of age in vegetables and means that your shelf life at home will be shortened. Buy organic lettuce and spinach to avoid high levels of pesticide residues.
If you buy organic leafy greens, you can safely eat the outer leaves, which contain the most vitamin C. Avoid greens that show signs of wilting, as well as lettuces with brown spots.
Spinach deteriorates quickly: inspect packaged spinach closely. Loose spinach has a strong odor when it starts to deteriorate.
Examine ears of corn by pulling off the husks in the store. Corn husks should be fresh and succulent with good green colour. Avoid ears with under-developed kernels, and old ears with very large kernels.
Fresh sweet corn can be purchased from farmers market. Sweet corn converts sugar to starch very quickly and should be cooked as soon as it is picked. Frozen corn retains its sweetness, is a good value and contains a few pesticides.
Onions
Look for firm, dry onions with no signs of soft spots or green sprouts.
Pepper
While sweet bell pepper is loaded with nutrients, they are also loaded with pesticides. Try to buy organic. Consider growing your own, as organic pepper can be very expensive.
Potatoes
Buy organic potatoes and don’t peel them before cooking — the skins are high in antioxidants. You should avoid potatoes that have decay, blemishes, are green, or have too many cuts in the skin. While decay can be cut from potatoes, you want to avoid excessive waste.
Squash
Choose pumpkins and winter squash with the stems still attached. This prevents rotting at the stem end. Pick a winter squash that feels heavier than its same-size counterpart: it will have a higher amount of edible flesh.
Summer squash should be firm with no soft spots or shriveling, however a few scratches or bruises won’t hurt. Smaller summer squash are preferred as they have fewer seeds; if large, their skins may be too tough.
String Beans
Avoid beans that feel limp or those that are pitted with brown spots. Larger beans plump with seeds may be too old and tough — look for slim, brightly-coloured pods.
Tomatoes
Buy smaller — preferably organic - tomato varieties such as grape, cherry or plum tomatoes, which have a higher proportion of skin to pulp.
Mushrooms
Choose young mushrooms that are small to medium size. Caps should be mostly closed round the stem and white or creamy, or uniformly brown if a brown type.
Broccoli
On the market they sell both the broccoli heads (the florets) and the broccoli with stem. There is little difference in price between broccoli florets and broccoli with stems. It is caused by the health values.
You may decide to buy broccoli with stems but they don’t contain as many nutrients as the florets. Thin stems are always more tender. Broccoli florets should have tightly-packed buds with no signs of yellow flowers beginning to merge.
Most people like to buy organic foods, because of the health precautions associated with conventionally-grown foods.
Vegetables with the highest levels of pesticides were sweet bell peppers, celery, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. Those with the lowest pesticide levels are onions, sweet corn asparagus, sweet peas, cabbage and broccoli.
In the middle ground (ranking from highest to lowest pesticide residues) were carrots, green beans, hot peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash and cauliflower.
However organic vegetable prices are slightly higher than conventionally grown vegetables.
VEGETABLES are part of our daily meals. Vegetables and fruits supplement the body with vitamins and minerals in order for one to get healthy.
In our cookings, vegetables are part of the ingredients. However most people do not know how to choose fresh vegetables and end up buying poor quality.
How can you tell if a vegetable is fresh? Which non-organic vegetables are loaded with pesticides and which ones are not? Phoebe Nabulime a vegetable seller in Nakasero Market gives shoppers some clues.
Carrots
Check for firmness and freshness. Vegetables should be firm when you gently squeeze them. The freshest, most tender carrots still have the green tops attached.
Tops deteriorate quickly, so it is easy to tell they are fresh. Avoid tops that are slimmy and wilted. Packaged carrots without the stems are more readily available. Carrots should be firm, not flabby and show no signs of splitting.
Cauli flower
Inspect heads closely and avoid purchasing those with any tiny black mold spots.
Lettuce, Spinach and Leafy Greens
Examine each vegetable individually. Sometimes there will be a single rotten piece mixed in with a good group. Be selective. Look for bright colour.
Darkened colouring and browning is a sign of age in vegetables and means that your shelf life at home will be shortened. Buy organic lettuce and spinach to avoid high levels of pesticide residues.
If you buy organic leafy greens, you can safely eat the outer leaves, which contain the most vitamin C. Avoid greens that show signs of wilting, as well as lettuces with brown spots.
Spinach deteriorates quickly: inspect packaged spinach closely. Loose spinach has a strong odor when it starts to deteriorate.
Examine ears of corn by pulling off the husks in the store. Corn husks should be fresh and succulent with good green colour. Avoid ears with under-developed kernels, and old ears with very large kernels.
Fresh sweet corn can be purchased from farmers market. Sweet corn converts sugar to starch very quickly and should be cooked as soon as it is picked. Frozen corn retains its sweetness, is a good value and contains a few pesticides.
Onions
Look for firm, dry onions with no signs of soft spots or green sprouts.
Pepper
While sweet bell pepper is loaded with nutrients, they are also loaded with pesticides. Try to buy organic. Consider growing your own, as organic pepper can be very expensive.
Potatoes
Buy organic potatoes and don’t peel them before cooking — the skins are high in antioxidants. You should avoid potatoes that have decay, blemishes, are green, or have too many cuts in the skin. While decay can be cut from potatoes, you want to avoid excessive waste.
Squash
Choose pumpkins and winter squash with the stems still attached. This prevents rotting at the stem end. Pick a winter squash that feels heavier than its same-size counterpart: it will have a higher amount of edible flesh.
Summer squash should be firm with no soft spots or shriveling, however a few scratches or bruises won’t hurt. Smaller summer squash are preferred as they have fewer seeds; if large, their skins may be too tough.
String Beans
Avoid beans that feel limp or those that are pitted with brown spots. Larger beans plump with seeds may be too old and tough — look for slim, brightly-coloured pods.
Tomatoes
Buy smaller — preferably organic - tomato varieties such as grape, cherry or plum tomatoes, which have a higher proportion of skin to pulp.
Mushrooms
Choose young mushrooms that are small to medium size. Caps should be mostly closed round the stem and white or creamy, or uniformly brown if a brown type.
Broccoli
On the market they sell both the broccoli heads (the florets) and the broccoli with stem. There is little difference in price between broccoli florets and broccoli with stems. It is caused by the health values.
You may decide to buy broccoli with stems but they don’t contain as many nutrients as the florets. Thin stems are always more tender. Broccoli florets should have tightly-packed buds with no signs of yellow flowers beginning to merge.
Most people like to buy organic foods, because of the health precautions associated with conventionally-grown foods.
Vegetables with the highest levels of pesticides were sweet bell peppers, celery, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. Those with the lowest pesticide levels are onions, sweet corn asparagus, sweet peas, cabbage and broccoli.
In the middle ground (ranking from highest to lowest pesticide residues) were carrots, green beans, hot peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash and cauliflower.
However organic vegetable prices are slightly higher than conventionally grown vegetables.