How to Choose Vegetables: 5 Life Hacks?

As summer approaches, store shelves are filled with a wide range of fresh vegetables and fruits, and of course this inspires us to supplement our diet with live vitamins. Around the choice of vegetables, several stable myths have formed, the most important of which we will now analyze.

Myth number 1:

Vegetables brought from far away undergo a thorough quality control at home

You can often watch how queues for cucumbers and tomatoes from Central Asia line up in supermarkets. And we want to believe that they were not processed in any way! But this is not so. For example, the shelf life of cucumbers is 7 days, so first of all pay attention to the manufacturer. A vegetable that has come from far away cannot look fresh and mouth-watering without chemical treatment. Therefore, when choosing cucumbers, it is worth giving preference to domestic producers. The same goes for tomatoes.

Myth number 2:

The refrigerator keeps fresh.

There is a standard: in stores, packaged tomatoes and cucumbers are stored in the refrigerator. But it is worth remembering that at low temperatures both cucumbers and tomatoes lose their aroma and taste. Therefore, if you have purchased fresh vegetables and want to keep their smell, do not put them in the refrigerator. It is better to eat them on the same day!

Myth number 3:

you should always focus on the smell

Smooth surface without dents, elastic peel - the main criteria for choosing a tomato. Black spots, which are a sign of the process of decay, are unacceptable on it. If tomatoes are sold on a branch, then it should not be dry, its color should be green. Vendors often put one cutaway tomato on the counter to demonstrate the quality of the product they sell. Take a closer look: at the cut, the seeds should be a uniform light yellow color. The seeds inside the tomato should never begin to sprout! However, if you do not trust the visual inspection, there is a way to find out about the freshness of a tomato for sure. Just smell it in the area of ​​the stalk: if there is a characteristic tomato smell, then the fruit is fresh.

Cucumber should not be soft and without black dots. You can ask to cut the cucumber along and evaluate visually: the cut of the fresh cucumber is light green, in no case yellow formations or yellowed seeds are allowed inside. If there is a flower on the cucumber, then it must also be fresh. Since the cucumber is 90% water, the characteristic smell that you should focus on is not.

Not only its freshness, but also its taste depends on the appearance of a tomato. If the tomato is brown, then its shelf life will be longer. But expect a brighter flavor from red tomatoes.

Myth number 4:

Natural vegetables - only with grandmothers in the garden

Often you have to come across the opinion that the vegetables sold by grandmothers in the markets are the most environmentally friendly and natural. Although there are concerns associated with such products. Firstly, a private farmer can use low-quality fertilizers that do not pass the necessary checks. Secondly, the unknown origin of the seeds can play a cruel joke and a fruit grown with love will not be healthy. Unfortunately, there have already been cases of sales of GMO seeds in the markets for summer residents.