Picking and keeping the perfect produce. Here's what to know when you head to orchards this fall.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - When it comes to wholesome eating - this is the best time of the year.
The local orchards and farms are bursting with freshness but how do you keep it that way when you get it home?
The key is managing the moisture and how you do that is the trick.
The hillsides around Soergel's Orchard Store in Wexford are currently sending a cascade of tastiness into the shop.
"Moisture loss is the number one reason why everything goes bad," said Randy Soergel.
Soergel ought to know because his family has been at this for nearly 175 years so he knows his stuff, especially like keeping that fresh corn...well, fresh!
"Keep it in the plastic bag with a wet paper towel so you keep that moisture in there and keep it in the refrigerator that way," he explained.
He added that yes, you keep it in the bag with the wet paper towel husk and all and you can keep it that way for about "four or five days."
Many of the skin veggies show moisture loss on said skin. For example: eggplants.
"This one is kind of not-so-shiny and this one is a lot shinier, and that's because you can see the wrinkles because of the moisture," Soergel said.
And it's not just corn that will benefit from being left in a bag with a wet paper towel. Soergel said the game goes for green beans.
"When they're going to snap like that, then they're pretty fresh," he said. "But you might want to use them in a day or so."
Moving on to fruits, he said that people often mistake the softened end of melon for ripeness.
"You find a soft spot - that's a bruise - [that's] where it's starting to go bad," he explained.
However, when they're firm, they will last two or three days in the refrigerator. Soergel also said that you want to pick your peaches when they're firm as well because they will get more juicy as they ripen.
There is, of course, always the ever-present question of what happens if they don't ripen fast enough.
"[Put them] in a brown paper bag, if it's green, [it] will go ahead and open a little bit faster," Soergel said. "Be careful about how long you leave it in there, check it daily."
When it comes to tomatoes, Soergel said if you're looking for longevity, go for the ones with the fewest blemishes. He also cautioned against putting tomatoes in the fridge because they can soften. With tomatoes, you want to keep them cool, but not cold.
While tomatoes may only last a week or so, apples in the refrigerators are a completely different story.
"You can keep apples in the bin," he said. "They'll maybe soften a little bit but they can keep for a couple of months."
That said, not all apples are created equal. He explained that those that come in the beginning of September will not keep as well as the variety of apples that will ripen in October. He said that those apples can last until March.
For all the early Halloween decorators out there, pumpkins are expected to be in later this month and in order to make them last until Halloween, don't carve them until closer to the holiday and make sure that they're stored in a shaded dry place. Most importantly, avoid handling them because the oils from your hands can breakdown the skin.
Let's finish here, with the fruit that seems to go bad quicker than them all - bananas.
Soergel said to keep them in a cool, dry place because they'll discolor quickly in the refrigerator. While they'll still be usable, they'll look less appealing. The brown paper bag trick actually works with bananas, as well, because they give off the most ethylene, which is the gas that makes them ripen. You can even toss a banana in a paper bag with other fruits to help them ripen faster.