• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Rethinking CAncer

Alternative Cancer Therapies

Header Right

Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Therapy
Non-Toxic Biological Approaches to the Theories, Treatments and Prevention of Cancer
2023
Our 52nd Year
  • Resources
    • Articles
      • A Different Concept of Health and Disease
      • Balanced Diet
      • Food as Medicine
      • Detoxification
      • Emotional Healing
      • Understanding Body Function
      • Adjunctive Therapies
      • Miscellany
      • Long-Term Recovery: Case Histories
    • Cancer Forum Magazines
    • Audio Presentations
    • Video Presentations
    • Bioprepair & Cancer FAQ
    • Recipes
      • Drinks & Shakes
      • Breakfast Ideas
      • Hors d’Oevres
      • Soups
      • Dressings, Sauces & Dips
      • Salads
      • Entrees
      • Vegetable Side Dishes
      • Desserts & Snacks
      • Miscellaneous
    • Book Reviews
    • Recommended Reading
    • Research Studies
    • Books
  • News
    • Foods of the Week
    • Spice of the Month
    • Rethinking Cancer Newsletters
  • Film
    • The Bio-Repair Patients
    • The Physicians
    • Filmmakers
    • Rethinking Cancer Film Credits
  • Practitioner Directory
  • About Us
    • About Biorepair
    • About FACT
    • About Ruth Sackman
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Shop
  • Cart
  • Resources
    • Articles
      • A Different Concept of Health and Disease
      • Balanced Diet
      • Food as Medicine
      • Detoxification
      • Emotional Healing
      • Understanding Body Function
      • Adjunctive Therapies
      • Miscellany
      • Long-Term Recovery: Case Histories
    • Cancer Forum Magazines
    • Audio Presentations
    • Video Presentations
    • Bioprepair & Cancer FAQ
    • Recipes
      • Drinks & Shakes
      • Breakfast Ideas
      • Hors d’Oevres
      • Soups
      • Dressings, Sauces & Dips
      • Salads
      • Entrees
      • Vegetable Side Dishes
      • Desserts & Snacks
      • Miscellaneous
    • Book Reviews
    • Recommended Reading
    • Research Studies
    • Books
  • News
    • Foods of the Week
    • Spice of the Month
    • Rethinking Cancer Newsletters
  • Film
    • The Bio-Repair Patients
    • The Physicians
    • Filmmakers
    • Rethinking Cancer Film Credits
  • Practitioner Directory
  • About Us
    • About Biorepair
    • About FACT
    • About Ruth Sackman
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Shop
  • Cart
Alternative Cancer Therapy

What is Ripe?

May 7, 2020 //  by RethinkingCancer//  Leave a Comment

ripe-fruit1

Are you one of those people who looks for the guy in the produce department to tell you whether the pineapple or melon you”ve picked out is at the peak of ripeness? Are you a little in awe of those humans who, with a surgeon”s precision — a little pinch here or sniff there — can know if an item has reached its prime? Do you believe that some individuals are simply born with this special “ripeness sensibility” and that you are destined to look to them to verify your produce choices?

If these kinds of thoughts run “round your head, rest assured, you are not alone. However, enlightenment is in sight. Anyone can learn how to judge ripeness. You just have to take the time to get to know what you”re looking for. Sometimes it”s about color, other times, touch or smell. Here are some tips to help you become a fruit ripeness expert (note: a fruit is a seed-bearing structure that develops from the flower of the plant; vegetables are all other parts, like roots, leaves, stems):

  • Pineapple. Look for golden brown, without much green at the base. A sweet scent indicates ripeness; no scent means it”s not yet ripe.  But if it has a slight vinegary smell, it”s overripe and best avoided.
  • Peaches. Ripe peaches turn a reddish and yellowish color. The part of the peach that was in direct contact with the sun becomes red; the part facing away (or closer to the ground) turns yellow. You want to be sure there”s not green tint around the stem. When perfectly ripe, a peach will give slightly to touch and smelly peachy, just like the taste.
  • Eggplant. Every part of this fruit gives clues to its ripeness. If the stem and cap are bright green, the eggplant is fresh. But if it”s beginning to turn yellow or brown, it”s past prime. The skin should be deep and dark in color and free of scars or blemishes. When you hold the eggplant in the palm of your hand and gently squeeze it with your fingertips, the skin should be tight and elastic. If indentations remain from your fingertips, it”s either not ready yet or perhaps it”s been sitting around too long.
  • Watermelon. A ripe watermelon is heavy, indicating that it”s full of water. To check for ripeness, tap on the melon. If it sounds hollow, it”s ripe. You can also check the underside of the melon. If it has a yellow or light spot on the bottom, it”s eating ready. If the stripes of the melon are found all around the melon, it needs more time to ripen.
  • Cantaloupes. A ripe melon feels heavy and smells subtly sweet. If it smells very sweet it”s probably overripe. The best test of ripeness is to slightly push at the stem end; if it gives a bit, then it”s ready to eat.
  • Mango. There are many types of mango, so color is not a good indicator of ripeness. The only way to know if it”s ready to eat is by touch. It should give slightly when touched, if it”s ripe. Sometimes the mango will give off a fruity aroma at the stem end when ripe. If it”s mushy or uneven to the touch, it”s not a good choice.
  • Corn. The husk is the key. If the husk is green and hasn”t dried out, the ear of corn is still ripe and juicy. The silk threads are also good indicators. They should cling to the kernels and the kernals should be plump.
  • Strawberries. The scent is everything. They should smell exactly like you want them to taste. If there”s little if any discernible smell, they”re probably not going to taste like much. (It”s very hard to find really ripe commercial strawberries because they”re picked so early, way before they”re allowed to ripen on the vine; wild strawberries are the most flavorful, if you”re lucky enough to find them.) The berries should also be bright red and free of blemishes.
  • Honeydew melon. Unlike cantaloupe, you can determine ripeness of honeydew by the appearance of its skin. It should be waxy and smooth with a golden — not yellow — color.
  • Oranges. The skin should look bright and firm. If it looks pale, it”s unripe. If it the skin looks leathery, it”s overripe.
  • Tomato. Touch is a better indicator here than color. After all, tomatoes come in many shades: red, orange, yellow, green and purple. The touch test is the best indicator. If it yields slightly to the touch, it”s at optimal ripeness. Any more than that means it”s past ripe and lacking in flavor. If there”s no give at all, the tomato needs a few more days to ripen.
  • Avocados. Color is not a good ripeness indicator as different avocado varieties do not look the same when ripe. Hass, for instance, turns dark purple, while others remain light green. To test, hold the avocado in the palm of your hand, not your fingers. It should give slightly to the touch if ripe. Don”t use fingers — you may bruise the fruit.
  • Plums. Don”t judge a plum by its color. Some varieties are deep purple whether just starting to grow or ripe. Touch determines quality. You want a slightly soft and smooth skin. Avoid any that are wrinkled, hard or mushy.
  • Coconuts. Press your thumb against the three “eyes.” Compared to the hard shell, they should feel slightly soft and dry in a mature fruit. When you gently shake it, you should also be able to hear liquid sloshing around inside.

Sources:

Video: “How to tell when fruit is ripe” — Whole Foods Market
“Tell If It”s Ripe or Not” by Yumi Sakugawa
“Is it Ripe?” by Tessa Miller
“12 Tricks for Buying the Ripest Summer Produce” by Julie R. Thomson”
Video: “How to Tell If Eggplant is Ripe”

Category: Miscellany

Previous Post: « What’s in a “Moo”?
Next Post: Tegison: Would You Take This? »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Watch Our Movie

Rethinking Cancer The Movie

Newsletter Sign-up

Amazon Smile Rethinking CAncer

E-book Editions

detoxification

Available to buy on:
Amazon | iTunes | B&N

triumph over cancer

Amazon | iTunes | B&N

healing cancer

Amazon | iTunes |
B&N

Featured Posts

  • Being Smart With Your Smart Phone
  • Bentonite Clay — The Gentle Cleanse
  • A Really Good Brownie
  • Rethinking Cancer Newsletter #78
  • Healthy Ginger Snaps Recipe

Footer

F.A.C.T.

Established in 1971, the Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Therapy (FACT) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization that supports non-toxic, biologically sound alternative cancer therapies. FACT is the creator of the documentary film Rethinking Cancer and rethinkingcancer.org.

Contact Us

FACT
PO Box 1242
Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY 10113

info@rethinkingcancer.org.

twitter facebook youtube

Amazon Smile Rethinking CAncer

Menu

  • Alternate cancer therapy Resources
  • News
  • Film
  • Alternative Cancer Therapy Practitioner Directory
  • About FACT
  • Donate to Rethinking Cancer

Copyright © 2023 Rethinking Cancer - Alternative Cancer Therapies · All Rights Reserved · Web Design by Conceptstore.co.uk