Eating fruits and vegetables is a great way to get the most nutrition out of your calories. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients. Choosing fresh produce that is in season will help insure the best tasting and highest quality produce. Proper food storage helps maintain food quality by retaining flavor, color, texture and nutrients, while reducing the chance of contracting foodborne illness.

Fruits & Vegetables – Selection and Storage:

Select produce in season

Examples of produce in season during summer include bell peppers, blueberries, cantaloupe, corn, cucumbers, grapes, peaches, strawberries, watermelon, and zucchini. Fall produce includes broccoli, cauliflower, cranberries, pears, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and turnips. During winter look for dates, kiwi, Brussels sprouts, oranges, tangerines, kale, and squash. Produce in season during spring includes

apricots, artichokes, asparagus, mango, pineapple, and snow peas.

Buy fresh fruits and vegetables

When buying fresh produce, buy only what you will use within a few days. Purchase produce that is not bruised or damaged. When selecting pre-cut produce, such as a half a watermelon or bagged salad greens, choose only those items that are refrigerated or surrounded by ice. Bag fresh fruits and vegetables separately from meat, poultry and seafood products when packing them to take home from the grocery store.

Store produce safely

Storing fresh produce properly helps prevent foodborne illness. Store perishable fresh fruits and vegetables (such as strawberries, lettuce, carrots, and mushrooms) in a clean refrigerator at a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit (F) or below. Refrigerate pre-cut or peeled produce to maintain quality and safety. Wash produce thoroughly with clean, cool, running water just before they are to be prepared or eaten. For produce with thick skin, use a vegetable brush to help wash away hard-to-remove microbes. Refrigerate all cut, peeled, or cooked fruits and vegetables within 2 hours (within 1 hour if temperatures are above 90 degrees F).

Separate for Safety

Keep fruits and vegetables that will be eaten raw separate from other foods such as raw meat, poultry or seafood and from kitchen utensils used for those products. Wash your hands with hot soapy water before and after preparing food. To avoid cross-contamination wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counter tops with soap and hot water between the preparation of raw meat, poultry and seafood products and the preparation of produce that will not be cooked. If you use plastic or other non-porous cutting boards, run them through the dishwasher after use.

The potential benefits associated with eating more fruits and vegetables stack up quickly, and reducing your risk of certain chronic diseases is only the beginning.

(Source: Healthy Bites June 2014

By: Lisa Franzen-Castle, PhD, RD Extension Nutrition Specialist)

RED, WHITE AND BLUEBERRY FRUIT SALAD

(Source: Allrecipes.com)

1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered

1 pint blueberries

cup white sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 bananas

Mix the strawberries and blueberries together in a bowl, sprinkle with sugar and lemon juice, and toss lightly. Refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes. About 30 minutes before serving, cut the bananas into 3/4-inch thick slices, and toss with the berries.