- 1). Note the color. In most cases, green is a sign that the fruit has yet to ripen, while brown and black are signs of over-ripening and deterioration. Exceptions include bananas and avocados. Brown spots on a banana's skin are a sign of ripeness while an avocado is at the peak of ripeness when it is green.
- 2). Look for a waxy coating on the skin. It's a sign of ripeness, especially in the case of apples, cherries and citrus fruits. The fruit develops the coating to minimize water loss and protect the seeds.
- 3). Feel the fruit, or gently squeeze it. "Hard" usually means unripe. If the fruit is a type that ripens after picking, give it a bit more time before using it. If it's a cherry, orange, lemon, grape, pineapple, watermelon, or berry, though, it was picked too soon and won't ripen.
- 4). Hold the fruit in your hand and feel its weight. Oranges and other citrus fruits, as well as melons, feel heavy for their size when ripe because they are full of water. Give cantaloupes and similar melons a little shake. If they rattle, they are over-ripe.
- 5). Use your sense of smell. Ripe fruit gives off a pleasing aroma while over-ripe fruit smells too strong or pungent. This is one of the best ways to judge the ripeness of pineapples and melons. The smell of a ripe pineapple emanates primarily from its base while that of a ripe melon from the point where it broke from the stem.
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