"Rule No. 1 about buying produce: If it doesn't look good, don't buy it," writes Janet Keeler in the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times. "Any fruits or vegetables you buy should look like they might in the field or grove."

Buying "in season," she adds, doesn't mean much anymore because so much produce is available year-round, imported from South and Latin America and even New Zealand. "Just because you can buy nectarines in February, though, doesn't mean they will be tasty. Fruits that come from faraway fields tend to suffer the most because they are picked long before ripe. Vegetables hold up better over the miles."

There you have it. No quick-pickin's! If your nearest produce retailer calls wilted spinach ?fresh,? leave it and go to the next store. Choose local produce when you can, it lasts longer, and you support your local farmers.