Upsides to the Down Economy/How to Buy Fruit

This is the second week in a row I have bought strawberries and half of them have gone bad in a day. I hate that! Barring picking through each and every one of them (or picking my own), I'm not sure how to avoid it but wanted to pass on another tip for picking good fruit. I told my 11-year old to grab some oranges in the produce section the other day. She asked how to pick them and I told her to choose the heaviest ones. An older lady in the produce section said "I never knew that!" If you pick up a lime, lemon, grapefruit, orange that feels light, it is sure to be less juicy because the liquid has left the fruit. For melons (another tough one), push on the button. If it gives slightly and smells good, it's ripe. For avocados (just picked one up from my aunt) when you are able to push it in slightly, put it in the fridge to stop it from ripening anymore. Of course, if it over-ripens, you can make guacamole! And, for most fruit, if it isn't ripe yet, leave it out of the fridge to ripen. A paper bag can speed up the process and NEVER put tomatoes in the refrigerator before you cut them. It ruins the flavor.