Corn.—Good-quality fresh corn has husks that are fresh and green. The ears are well filled with plump, firm, milky kernels. Immature ears of corn have small, undeveloped, watery kernels. Overmature ears have very firm, large, starchy kernels, often indented.
Cucumbers.—Choose firm, slender cucumbers for best quality. Avoid yellowed cucumbers and those with withered or shrivelled ends.
Lettuce (head).—Select heads that are green, fresh, crisp, and fairly firm to firm. Head lettuce should be free from rusty appearance and excessive outer leaves.
Onions (dry).—Size and color do not affect flavor or quality of dry onions. Clean, hard, well-shaped onions with dry skins are usually of good quality. Moisture at the neck may be a sign of decay. Mild-flavored onions, which are often large, may be elongated or flat. Stronger-flavored onions are usually medium size and globe shaped.
Peas and lima beans.—Select pods that are well filled but not bulging. Avoid dried, spotted, yellowed, or flabby pods.
Potatoes.—Best-quality potatoes are firm, smooth, and well shaped. They are free from cuts, blemishes, and decay. To judge quality more easily, look for potatoes that are reasonably clean. Avoid potatoes with wasteful deep eyes. Potatoes with green skins may be bitter. If you plan to buy a large quantity of potatoes, buy a few first to see if they are the kind you want. Early-crop potatoes, harvested in spring and summer, tend to be less mealy when cooked than those harvested later.
Root vegetables.—Choose smooth, firm vegetables. Very large carrots may have woody cores; oversized radishes may be pithy; oversized turnips, beets, and parsnips may be woody. The size and condition of the tops on root vegetables do not necessarily indicate the eating quality.
Sweetpotatoes.—Choose sweetpotatoes that are clean, smooth, well shaped, and firm. Damp or soft spots may indicate decay. There are two types of sweetpotatoes. The moist type has soft, moist, orange-colored flesh and bronze or rosy skin. The dry type has firm, dry, somewhat mealy, yellow-colored flesh and yellow or light-brown skin.
Tomatoes.—Choose tomatoes that are plump, firm, and uniformly pink, red, or yellow in color. They should be free from growth cracks, scars, and bruises. The best flavored tomatoes are ripened on the vine.
For more information, see Home and Garden Bulletins 141, “How to Buy Fresh Fruits,” and 143, “How to Buy Fresh Vegetables.”