A Matter of Taste

When you are choosing vegetables at the market, use all your senses to examine them. Check for vivid color and no rotten spots with your eyes, for the right texture and heft with your hands, for sunny fragrance (such as in tomatoes and herbs) with your nose, and even “scrunchiness” with your ears (a good indication that chard and other greens are really fresh). If you are lucky enough to encounter a vendor offering tastes, those bites are the perfect indicator if what is being sold is truly ripe.