HOME & GARDEN CONSUMER GUIDE

Select The Best

It’s beginning to look a lot like summer at the grocery store and farmers market. Fresh, local produce is available in abundance and the only problem is how to choose.

Start by picking fruits and vegetables in season. Getting produce soon after it’s been picked is one way to find good quality.

Although fruits and vegetables with good color, shape and size are usually of the best quality, produce doesn’t always have to look perfect to be good. Bananas, for example, have the most flavor when their yellow skin is lightly flecked with brown. Produce with deep color – especially dark green and orange – are usually richer in vitamins and minerals.

When picking produce, keep in mind that too soft usually means too ripe and that too hard can mean too under-ripe.

Summer fruits, such as peaches and melons, give off a strong flowery aroma when they are ripening properly. Avoid produce that is bruised, wilted or showing signs of decay. Such damage can affect not only flavor but also nutritional content.

This is a good time of year to look for sweet, tender sugar snap peas to add color, texture and variety to meals. These very sweet peas are a cross between the English peas and snow peas. They are entirely edible, including the pod. They are usually served raw or only briefly cooked to retain their crispness.

Look for sugar snaps in plump pods with firm, smooth and crisp skin. Their color should be medium to dark-green, and the peas should be 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. Avoid peas with soft, limp pods or blemishes or those that are so big they almost burst from the pod.

Minted Snap Peas with Pepper

• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 sweet red pepper, cut into strips
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb. snap peas, strings removed
• 1/2 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth (for vegetarian, use vegetable broth)
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat oil until hot.

Add the red peppers, mint and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes, or until the peppers are soft.

Stir in the snap peas, broth and black pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 4 minutes, or just until the peas are tender.

Makes 5 cups, or 10 standard servings.

Per serving: 34 calories, <1 g. total fat (0 g. saturated fat), 4 g. carbohydrate, 1 g. protein, 1 g. dietary fiber, 35 mg. sodium.

Courtesy of AICR
AICR offers a Nutrition Hotline (1-800-843-8114) Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, a free service that allows you to ask a registered dietitian questions about diet, nutrition and cancer. The American Institute for Cancer Research is the only major cancer charity focusing exclusively on the link between diet, nutrition and cancer. The Institute provides a range of education programs that help millions of Americans learn to make changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S. The Institute has provided more than $65 million in funding for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR’s Web address is www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.