Instructions: Tips for enjoying juicy, sweet fruit as the California harvest peaks:

Fruits you buy fully ripe: berries, cherries, watermelon and citrus. All except berries can be refrigerated without losing flavor.

These fruits will soften and develop more complex flavors (though not more sweetness) after picking: apricots, most melons, figs, peaches, nectarines, plums and persimmons.

Store them at room temperature until ripe as you want. After that, refrigeration will extend their life though it will mute the flavor.

Refrigerate fruits such as apples, ripe pears and ripe mangoes as soon as you buy them with no ill effects.

Stone fruit and pears that are hard will ripen if stored at room temperature

In a closed paper bag. Adding an apple to the bag will speed the process.

Fruits can be "cooked" without heat. Sugar draws the water out of the cells, collapsing them and softening the fruit. For this reason, whenever you use sugared fruit in a recipe, either use it immediately after sugaring or be careful to drain off the liquid before adding it.

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