When can it be said that fruit or vegetables are ripe?!
When can it be said that fruit or vegetables are ripe?
Can they ripen without being connected to the 'vine'. Does 'ripe' mean that the food has a full count of nutrients.
Answers:
Yes they can ripen off of the vine but do not refrigerate, one you do that it halts the ripening process. You can usually tell if they are ripe by smell and feel. Just sniff where the fruit/veg was attached to the vine/stem..it smells ripe it probably is, if there is little or no smell it probably needs to ripen a little more. Most fruits/vegs will ripen if you just leave them out at room temperature. Also by feel, if you give them a gentle squeeze they shouldn't be too hard. (Tomatoes will ripen quicker if you put them in a sunny window.) Ripe means it is fully mature and at it's peak flavor.