Fruit

Buying in season

Whenever possible, buy home-grown fruit in season. Why? Taste for starters - food that has been grown and harvested in its natural season and environment will have a depth of flavour and texture that can't compare to something that has travelled far or grown outside its traditional season. Cost is another factor. A couple of weeks into a product's season, prices fall.

Less obvious are hidden costs such as food miles (the measure of the distance a food travels from field to plate). This travel adds substantially to the carbon dioxide emissions that are contributing to climate change - which is why food miles matter. Purchasing locally grown, in-season vegetables can greatly reduce the impact on the environment, and helps support local producers and rural communities. Even more importantly, by knowing where our food comes from, we gain a sense of control over what we choose to eat.

For more information, read our food miles article.

Buying organic

Although there are safe levels of pesticides to which producers must adhere, routine tests sometimes find levels that exceed them. Apples, for instance, may have been sprayed up to ten times before reaching the supermarket shelves. The Food Standards Agency advises that washing fruit thoroughly (to remove surface dirt) and peeling may help remove residues of certain pesticides. Nevertheless, other pesticides are systemic (found within the fruit).

Artificial fertilisers and pesticides are banned from organic agriculture, so organic farmers use traditional methods such as crop rotation and natural fertilisers. The high price of organic food is its main disadvantage - and the fact a large percentage of organic produce sold in Britain is imported. So check what you're buying and where it comes from and try to buy locally wherever possible.

The bigger supermarkets have specific organic sections and most stores offer not only the basics, but also prepared fruit salads, speciality fruits and frozen organic fruits. Several specialist organic shops and health-food shops sell fresh organic produce, and many smaller British growers sell to the public through box schemes and farmers' markets. To find your nearest scheme, contact the Soil Association. When buying organic produce always look for the Soil Association or other certifying bodies' logos.

For more information, read our article on buying organic food.

Visit the Soil Association's website.

A perfect piece of fruit in season is a joy - and as fast as 'fast food' gets. We're treated to a huge variety of tree and stone, citrus, soft, berry, exotic and dried fruits, which can be enjoyed in their natural state or turned into sensational sweet or savoury dishes, drinks and preserves.

Organic food is generally more expensive then non-organic produce and the majority of organic produce sold in Britain is imported, adding to the environmental impact of 'food miles'. So make sure you know what you're buying and buy local organic wherever possible.

The bigger supermarkets have specific organic sections; most stock prepared salads, speciality fruit and frozen organic fruit, as well as the basics. Many specialist organic shops and health-food shops sell fresh organic produce, and hundreds of smaller British growers sell direct through box schemes and farmers' markets. Contact the Soil Association for details of your nearest scheme. When buying organic, look for the logo of the Soil Association or other certifying bodies.

Fruit varieties

Fruits can be divided into the following groups:

Tree and stone fruits which includes all apples, apricots, cherries, damsons, greengages, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, quinces and sloes

Citrus fruits which include clementines, grapefruits, kumquats, lemons, limes, mandarins, oranges, pomelos, satsumas, tangerines and ugli fruits

Soft fruits and berries which include bilberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, gooseberries, loganberries, mulberries, raspberries, redcurrants, rhubarb, strawberries, white currants

Exotic fruits which include bananas, cranberries, dates, figs, grapes, grenadillos, guavas, kiwi fruit, loquats, lychees, mangoes, mangosteens, melons, papayas, passion fruits, persimmons, physalis, pineapples, pomegranates, prickly pears, rambutans, star fruits and tamarillos

Tips on buying

Fruit should look fresh and appetising. Smell is often a good indication of ripeness too. Another way is to gently apply pressure to the fruit; there should be some give. Choose fruit that's plump, firm, heavy for its size and unwrinkled. Soft fruit should look dry and full; avoid any that have signs of mould or wetness. Make sure the skin isn't bruised, split or broken and look for signs of insect damage.

Don't be put off buying odd-looking or uneven-shaped fruit - sometimes they taste even better than the picture perfect ones selected by the supermarkets.

Storing and freezing fruit

To speed up ripening, pop fruit in a brown paper bag and store at room temperature. Adding an apple or banana will help because these emit a harmless gas that speeds ripening.

Soft fruit deteriorates quickly, but sometimes will keep for a couple of days in the fridge. Stone fruit and most exotic fruits should be chilled and eaten within a few days. Citrus fruits, apples and the harder varieties of pears keep well for a couple of weeks in a cool room. The skins of citrus fruits will wrinkle after about a week; so if you want the zest, use it within a few days. Softer varieties of pear are best eaten within a few days.

Fruit with even the slightest bruise will rot, and the rot will quickly spread to neighbouring fruits, so throw out any bad ones or eat them straightaway.

Most fruits freeze well and can be stored frozen for up to a year. Spread the fruit on a tray in a single layer to freeze; transfer it to polythene bags once frozen. Alternatively, if you're planning to use the fruit for puddings or jam, you can toss the prepared fruit in a little sugar, transfer to a freezer bag, extract the air, tie securely and freeze. The sugar will absorb juice that runs from the fruit and will become syrupy on defrosting. Soft fruit and apples freeze well, as do fruit purees and stewed fruit. Stone fruits usually become very soft once thawed. If you freeze strawberries, you'll end up with strawberry mush when you defrost them.

Preparing and puréeing fruit

Many nutrients in fruits are found just beneath the skin, so it's worth eating the peel if it's edible (after washing it to remove possible pesticides). Apples, pears and citrus fruits are often coated with edible wax. Washing in plain water, or water with a little mild detergent and rinsing thoroughly, removes some of these treatments but if you're concerned, buy organic produce.

Fruit purées and sauces make appetising additions to desserts and even savoury dishes. For purées and some sauces, place the fruit in a roomy saucepan over gentle heat so it cooks evenly. Stir constantly then either mash the fruit with a fork and sieve or whizz in a blender. For coulis (usually made with soft or stone fruits), the fruit can often just be mashed or blended in a food processor and then sieved before serving.

Other methods of cooking fruit

Boiling is too fierce for delicate fruits, but gentle simmering preserves their texture. For soft and stone fruits, the fruit should simply be warmed through in the liquid. Poach fruit in a single layer so the heat can reach all the pieces evenly - use a deep frying pan rather than a saucepan.

Fruit poaches well in most liquids, from plain water to dense sugar syrup to wine - as in poached pears in red wine with ginger sauce. A standard method for poaching is to bring the liquid to a simmer then gently place the fruit in with a spoon. Reduce the heat immediately so the liquid is barely bubbling, and cook until tender. Stewing is a similar method, often using a covered saucepan and just enough liquid to cover the fruit and keep it moist.

The fierce heat from a grill or barbecue concentrates the sugars and can cause the fruit to blacken before it's cooked through, so you'll need to keep an eye on it - but the results can be a revelation. Thread small pieces of evenly sized fruit on to skewers to stop them falling through the barbecue rack or grill large slices of fruit such as pineapple or mango.

Preserving fruit

Fruit can be made into jams, jellies, pickles and chutneys, or can be bottled whole. The most suitable method of preserving depends on the type of fruit and its quality and ripeness. Under-ripe fruit is fine for chutneys, jams and jellies but over-ripe fruit is only good for making chutney and shouldn't be used for making jam.

Drying is also a delicious way of preserving fruits and intensifies their flavours and most fruits can be dried effectively.

For more information go to the Cook's Guide section on Preserves.

Juices and smoothies

Fruit juices and smoothies are a great way to enjoy a fruit fix. Smoothies are best thickened using banana, milk or yoghurt whereas fruit juices can be enjoyed purely as they are, or with a dash of soda water or lemonade to add sparkle. Experiment with different combinations of your favourite fruits. Smoothies can be made in a jug blender. To make juices you'll need a special juicer which are widely available, although you can juice citrus fruits by hand.

Recipes

Caramelised peach melba with raspberry coulis by Sophie Grigson (video recipe)

Meringues with chantilly cream and berries by Paul Merrett (video recipe)

Power shake by Celia Brooks Brown