[Durian-buying tips for Norm (and the rest o' y'all)

[Guest guest]

hi eric and all,

 

> Durian-buying tips for Norm (and the rest o' y'all)

eric rote;

>Remember

> to look for cracks/splits and the yellow/golden hue!

 

i'm assuming this is a sign of ripeness. the first durian i purchased was a

special order and was split wide open on all segments and i thot that

someone 'started' it for me. <snicker>

 

below are some more tips on picking fruits. if anyone else has any tips on

picking fruit, please post them and i'll consolidate them and post a page on

in the files section at the rawseattle site. we could also put

recopies there (I'm anxious to 'taste' eric's famous tahini dressing).

 

norm )~

 

" ......Time is never wasted, listening to the trees, watching

butterflies or enjoying the fragrance of wild flowers........ "

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tips for picking Quality:

( #14)

 

 

· CITRUS: A thinner rind indicates HIGHER QUALITY

 

· CITRUS: Top quality citrus has five points at the calyx (stem end).

 

· PEARS: A boxy shape is better.

 

· STONE FRUITS: A split pit indicates poor quality and mineral

insufficiency.

 

· GRAINS: Dry grain QUALITY is relative to unit weight, i.e., if you weighed

bushels of 2 equally dry wheats, the heavier bushel is HIGHER QUALITY. For

instance, top quality wheat from mineral-rich soil can be 70+ pounds per

bushel. On the other hand, mineral poor wheat can be as little as 60 or less

pounds per bushel. The grain elevators pay meaningful premiums when they can

find higher quality wheat or other grains.

 

· VEGETABLES: A natural waxy coating is good. Packers, processors, and

stores try to duplicate this effect by mechanically waxing poor quality

vegetables.

 

· VEGETABLES: Any hollowness indicates a mineral deficiency (probably

boron).

 

· POTATOES: Sunken eyes signify lower quality (probably short on manganese).

 

· ANY ITEM: Bright pure color, whether in cut flowers or cut watermelons

suggests higher quality.

 

· ANY ITEM: Slime or mold can be washed off the surface, but it has grown

throughout the item. Reject such food. Remember that high brix produce will

not rot in storage, therefore rotting in storage is a sign of poor quality.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

cantaloupe;

Quality Defects and Pack Specifications [for Cantalope]

 

External indices of quality for cantaloupe include a well-shaped,

nearly spherical melon, uniform in appearance, with an absence

of physical injuries (e.g., scars, sunburn, bruising, abrasions). Melons

 

should be firm, feel heavy for their size, and exhibit a smooth stem

end with no adhering peduncle (stem attachment), which suggests

premature harvest.

 

The concentration of soluble solids (sugars) is the most reliable

index to internal quality (sweetness and flavor). The current

acceptable standard for determining soluble solids is a calibrated

refractometer that measures °Brix (equal to percent sugar).

 

U.S. grade standards for cantaloupe are Fancy, No. 1, Commercial

and No. 2. Distinction among grades is based predominately on

external appearance and measured soluble solids. Federal standards

specify a minimum of 11 percent soluble solids for U.S. Fancy,

10 percent for U.S. No. 1 and Commercial, and 9 percent for

U.S. No. 2. According to USDA inspection procedures, the

sampling plan for determining soluble solids content in a car lot

of cantaloupe is to select seven melons at random for testing.

[...]

Most buyers will accept only cantaloupe equivalent of U.S. No. 1

or higher. They may have their own sampling plan for determining

soluble solids content in the melons....

 

From...

 

http://www.ces.uga.edu/pubcd/b1179.htm

--------------------------

 

" Buyers " refers to the wholesale level, but my goal is to have retail

buyers checking brix and demanding higher quality. Quite frankly, while

" U.S. Fancy " (11 brix) probably won't hurt you, it's not all that good.

Cantalope starts talking at 13 brix, sings at 15, and TRANSCENDS at 18.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

lemons and tomatoes;

look for 5 bumps at the

stem, and six lines at the bottom with one looking

like it is split into two lines which intersect the one large wide bump on

the top side. After slicing you should see 5 ribs

from the outside intersecting towards the middle.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

honeydew and honeyloupe:

look for color and run your hand over the melons feeling for stickiness.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

watermelon:

look for good color and feel the ends of the melons for firmness. pick up

the firmest

melons and thump them with you knuckle, listening for a ring or tone rather

than a thud.

[Guest guest]

Wow! This is very helpful! Thanks, Norm!

 

Sweetly yours---Linda

 

> " kelpguy " <kelpguy

> RawSeattle

> Sat, 7 Jul 2001 07:19:40 -0700

> RawSeattle

> [RawSeattle] Re: [Durian-buying tips for Norm (and the rest o' y'all)

>

> hi eric and all,

>

>> Durian-buying tips for Norm (and the rest o' y'all)

> eric rote;

>> Remember

>> to look for cracks/splits and the yellow/golden hue!

>

> i'm assuming this is a sign of ripeness. the first durian i purchased was a

> special order and was split wide open on all segments and i thot that

> someone 'started' it for me. <snicker>

>

> below are some more tips on picking fruits. if anyone else has any tips on

> picking fruit, please post them and i'll consolidate them and post a page on

> in the files section at the rawseattle site. we could also put

> recopies there (I'm anxious to 'taste' eric's famous tahini dressing).

>

> norm )~

>

> " ......Time is never wasted, listening to the trees, watching

> butterflies or enjoying the fragrance of wild flowers........ "

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> Tips for picking Quality:

> ( #14)

>

>

> · CITRUS: A thinner rind indicates HIGHER QUALITY

>

> · CITRUS: Top quality citrus has five points at the calyx (stem end).

>

> · PEARS: A boxy shape is better.

>

> · STONE FRUITS: A split pit indicates poor quality and mineral

> insufficiency.

>

> · GRAINS: Dry grain QUALITY is relative to unit weight, i.e., if you weighed

> bushels of 2 equally dry wheats, the heavier bushel is HIGHER QUALITY. For

> instance, top quality wheat from mineral-rich soil can be 70+ pounds per

> bushel. On the other hand, mineral poor wheat can be as little as 60 or less

> pounds per bushel. The grain elevators pay meaningful premiums when they can

> find higher quality wheat or other grains.

>

> · VEGETABLES: A natural waxy coating is good. Packers, processors, and

> stores try to duplicate this effect by mechanically waxing poor quality

> vegetables.

>

> · VEGETABLES: Any hollowness indicates a mineral deficiency (probably

> boron).

>

> · POTATOES: Sunken eyes signify lower quality (probably short on manganese).

>

> · ANY ITEM: Bright pure color, whether in cut flowers or cut watermelons

> suggests higher quality.

>

> · ANY ITEM: Slime or mold can be washed off the surface, but it has grown

> throughout the item. Reject such food. Remember that high brix produce will

> not rot in storage, therefore rotting in storage is a sign of poor quality.

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>

> cantaloupe;

> Quality Defects and Pack Specifications [for Cantalope]

>

> External indices of quality for cantaloupe include a well-shaped,

> nearly spherical melon, uniform in appearance, with an absence

> of physical injuries (e.g., scars, sunburn, bruising, abrasions). Melons

>

> should be firm, feel heavy for their size, and exhibit a smooth stem

> end with no adhering peduncle (stem attachment), which suggests

> premature harvest.

>

> The concentration of soluble solids (sugars) is the most reliable

> index to internal quality (sweetness and flavor). The current

> acceptable standard for determining soluble solids is a calibrated

> refractometer that measures °Brix (equal to percent sugar).

>

> U.S. grade standards for cantaloupe are Fancy, No. 1, Commercial

> and No. 2. Distinction among grades is based predominately on

> external appearance and measured soluble solids. Federal standards

> specify a minimum of 11 percent soluble solids for U.S. Fancy,

> 10 percent for U.S. No. 1 and Commercial, and 9 percent for

> U.S. No. 2. According to USDA inspection procedures, the

> sampling plan for determining soluble solids content in a car lot

> of cantaloupe is to select seven melons at random for testing.

> [...]

> Most buyers will accept only cantaloupe equivalent of U.S. No. 1

> or higher. They may have their own sampling plan for determining

> soluble solids content in the melons....

>

> From...

>

> http://www.ces.uga.edu/pubcd/b1179.htm

> --------------------------

>

> " Buyers " refers to the wholesale level, but my goal is to have retail

> buyers checking brix and demanding higher quality. Quite frankly, while

> " U.S. Fancy " (11 brix) probably won't hurt you, it's not all that good.

> Cantalope starts talking at 13 brix, sings at 15, and TRANSCENDS at 18.

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>

> lemons and tomatoes;

> look for 5 bumps at the

> stem, and six lines at the bottom with one looking

> like it is split into two lines which intersect the one large wide bump on

> the top side. After slicing you should see 5 ribs

> from the outside intersecting towards the middle.

>

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>

> honeydew and honeyloupe:

> look for color and run your hand over the melons feeling for stickiness.

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> watermelon:

> look for good color and feel the ends of the melons for firmness. pick up

> the firmest

> melons and thump them with you knuckle, listening for a ring or tone rather

> than a thud.

>

>

>

>

>