Make the Most of Your Fruit!
We all get excited when we start seeing that succulent summer fruit arrive at our local stores. Often that translates into purchasing before we know exactly how and when we are going to enjoy the recently arrived bounty. To help you to know the best way to keep and enjoy our finest summer fruit, please note the following tips.

Testing for Ripeness
Place fruit in the palm of your hand and squeeze gently. If it has some "give" and it smells sweet, it is ready for you to enjoy ... on its own or as part of your favourite recipe. However, quality does not depend on softness. Even firm peaches will ripen to juicy perfection at home. Once they become soft and sweet, you can store this fruit in the refrigerator until use.

Ripening Fruit
Place unripe fruit into a paper bag, loosely close the top and keep it at room temperature for a day or two. As nectarines, peaches and plums ripen, they give off a natural hormone called ethylene. The paper bag traps the ethylene, encouraging the fruit's natural maturing process. A plastic bag, however, will trap moisture and air, which will cause premature spoilage, so always use paper bags.

Storing Fruit
Storing unripe fruit in the refrigerator will cause internal breakdown. This will cause the fruit to taste mealy and dry. Once the fruit has achieved proper ripeness, it requires refrigeration to maintain freshness. Store different varieties of fruit separately, as storing them together will encourage spoilage. In fact, a bowl filled with lovely colours of fruit will spoil far more quickly than almost any other storage method!

Washing Fruit
Don't wash fruit prior to storing it. Washing will strip away some of the natural protections in the skins which will allow the fruit to store longer. Once you are ready to eat the fruit, wash it under clean, running tap water -- even if you won't be eating the fruit's skin.

Now, go out and enjoy all those luscious summer fruits - knowing exactly how to get the most for your fruit-buying dollars!

Crop Detail Analysis
The Niagara Peninsula accounts for 98% of Ontario's peach crop and 81% of Canada's peach harvest. Peaches are our largest crop accounting for approximately 70% of our production. Nectarines are quickly becoming a large percentage of our crop as new orchards start to come into production.

The Truth About Waxing
In nature, a protective wax shield covers most plants, flowers and fruits. While the peach or nectarine is still on the tree, it develops a coating of this type of plant wax.

When peaches and nectarines are picked for human consumption, they are washed in a soap and water bath at packinghouses in preparation for the market. Unfortunately, that bath also strips away the natural wax protection that the fruit needs to remain fresh and appealing. This necessitates replacing the original, natural protection.

The wax put on to restore their coating is derived from vegetables and is completely edible and safe. Probably the first man-made application of wax to fresh fruits and vegetables occurred on citrus, but the Chinese were experimenting with waxing processes as far back as the 12th century. Also, most apples, citrus, rutabagas, cucumbers, many tomatoes, melons and sweet potatoes are waxed. While there is admittedly a cosmetic effect, the principal function of the wax is to prevent and retard shrivelling and dehydration of the product, as many of these items are composed of 85-95% water.

All waxes on fruits and vegetables have been approved by Agri-Food Canada as completely safe and edible materials, non-toxic to humans! This is policed assiduously.