With summer here, it's the perfect time to indulge in nature's candy: fresh fruit.
The tasty, healthy treats can be found almost everywhere you turn in the South, with produce stands and farmers markets flourishing on long, sunny days.
"Watermelons always remind me of summer," said Luke Farmer, a junior in political science. "Growing up as a kid we would always eat them when it got hot."
From blueberries to peaches, the sweeter the better, but many often do not understand how to tell if a fruit is good and find their sweet-tooth unsatisfied with unripened fruit.
Many do not realize there is actually a significant difference between organically grown fruit and what can be found in a grocery store or super center such as Walmart.
"(Customers) expect the apples to be shiny but they don't look like that," said Claire Cooper, a sales associate at Dayspring Natural Foods. "They're actually smaller and more dull."
In this local organic store, many find fruits in conditions they do not recognize as ripe. The size, shape or feel can be different.
"There are chemicals and enhancements used in what you'll find in stores," Cooper said.
Many still enjoy their store bought fruit the same, appreciating what the majority of farmers work to produce and their reasonable prices.
"I prefer what's cheapest," Farmer said. "As long as it tastes sweet, it's good."
Although organic fruits are a bit different from what many find in grocery stores, the characteristics of ripeness are still the same: color, firmness and smell.
For the sweetest blueberries, Cooper said to look for larger ones and to make sure they are plump and have a deep blue color with only a few wrinkles, if any.
With bananas, Cooper said to buy them with a little green in order for them to last longer as they ripen to a bright yellow, but to be sure to separate them and refrigerate them to keep them fresh longer.
Cooper said peaches are a bit harder to decide when they are perfectly ripe, but to look for a firm fruit.
One of the most difficult fruits to find ripe in stores is a watermelon. It's an American staple, but too often people take home this giant fruit and find it to be no good.
"My dad usually knocks on the side with his knuckles," Farmer said. "I don't know why though."
In this technique, it is important to listen to the fruit itself, not feeling for what's inside.
"Listen to the thump," said Karen McCoskey, a sales associate at Mr. Fresh's Farmers Market. "You want a hollow thump as opposed to a deep thud."
McCoskey said it is also helpful to look on the outside of the fruit for signs of ripeness.
"On the bottom where they sit you can find certain colors," McCoskey said. "If it's white put it back, but it's good if it's yellow."
If all else fails, take the advice from David Griggs, the manager of Mr. Fresh's Farmers Market who is considered to be Mr. Fresh himself.
"Bite into it and see for yourself," Griggs said.
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