Simply put, moldy fruit has got to go

With all the wonderful fruit in season it can be hard to keep up. Before you know it, one overripe apricot in the basket can infect everything else with mold.

Sarah Allegretti, a registered dietician and graduate student in nutrition at the University of Idaho, says it’s best to overcome your guilt and just toss the moldy fruit. Some fruit molds produce mycotoxins that can cause liver damage or even cancer. Others can cause allergic reactions or breathing problems, she said in a news release.

Don’t sniff the fruit or carve out the moldy spots, Allegretti says. Sort out the spoiled fruit, put it into a paper bag or plastic wrap and toss it into a covered garbage can. You should also wash your hands thoroughly and scrub the counter, bowl or refrigerator shelf where the moldy fruit touched. Carefully check the other nearby fruits to see what you can salvage.

Here are some of her tips for avoiding the problem:

• Don’t buy more fruit than you can use within a short time.

• Inspect fresh fruit closely for signs of molds or bruises before you buy.

• Move ripening fruit from your countertop to your refrigerator as soon as it’s ripe.

• Refrigerate cut fruit within two hours of serving.

• Keep the humidity of your home at or below 40 percent.

Another problem with overripe fruit can be fruit flies. A single forgotten piece of fruit can breed thousands of them, Allegretti says.

To avoid bringing the pesky little buggers into your house follow the tips above. You should discard spoiled fruit right away and take the garbage out immediately to eliminate any fruit fly attractants.

Baby watermelon

If you haven’t noticed these mini melons in the grocery store, check them out. Dulcinea Farms has introduced new miniature seedless watermelons. About the size of a large cantaloupe, these “personal” melons are billed as easier to carry, cut and store than traditional watermelons. The producer says they also look, taste and smell better.

At $4.99 a pop (most weigh between four and six pounds) I thought they were a little on the spendy side. You can usually find traditional watermelon for less than 50 cents a pound. But the grocery-store sample I had was juicy and quite tasty.

These little watermelons can easily go where their bigger cousins cannot (like the bottom shelf of my refrigerator or the picnic cooler). But they’ve got nothing on the farmers in southern Japan where they are growing square watermelons. Well, they have price … the square watermelons sell for $82 each.

Find out more about the Dulcinea miniature watermelons at www.dulcinea.com.