For healthy eaters, a trip to the farmers’ market during the summer is like walking through a nutritious wonderland. Crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, strawberries glistening like rubies—there’s a colorful bounty to discover at every turn. But the crisper in your refrigerator is a notorious graveyard for summer produce, serving as an unpleasant reminder of all the beet salads, peach pies, and baked eggplant you really did have every intention of making.
An avocado doesn’t come with an expiration date, but it would be helpful to know when exactly produce goes bad. That way, you can plan your cooking accordingly, reaching into the crisper before the fruit or vegetable you’re craving has turned to mush. Fortunately, registered dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN, is here to help with a handy little chart she posted to Instagram that explains how to know when popular summer fruits and veggies have gone bad—and when you still have time to use ’em.
Avocados, for example, are still good when they’re mushy, Jackson Blatner points out. But if they’re black, it’s time for the compost bin. When it comes to greens, they’re still fair game if they’re droopy, but if they’re wet or slimy, toss it. Same goes for cucumbers: if they’re soft, it’s okay, but if it’s wet and squishy, it’s not good anymore.