Stores tend to frown upon taking bites of produce. But it's not a bad approach to take a nibble of things like herbs. With enough practice and maybe some read

Stores tend to frown upon taking bites of produce. But it's not a bad approach to take a nibble of things like herbs. With enough practice and maybe some reading, you can learn to evaluate a fruit or vegetable pretty well by touch, sight, and smell. Ripeness is the biggest thing I look at. Generally the more ripe the fruit or veg, the softer, and more fragrant, and deeper the color it will be. So I try to buy firm, light, less smelly produce, but eat it when it is just begun to soften and give off an aroma. I also look for bruises, cuts, blemishes, or other signs of damage during shipping. For things like melons, I recommend reading up on how to evaluate them. Watermelons and musk melons in particular have a staggering flavor difference that can see, felt, and smelled, but they don't follow the same "rules" as other produce.