August brings the peak season for Colorado produce, and vendors at farmers' markets are strutting their stuff, offering quality pickings from local farms.

But when tables are stacked with rainbows of roots, leaves, fruits and flowers, who can tell if this pepper is better than that one? Or what a ripe-to-the-point-of-sinful cantaloupe looks like?

Just ask the judge, Larry Propp, and you'll get a quick lesson in selecting top produce. Propp, 57, has been judging entries at county fairs across the state for 10 years and at the Colorado State Fair for four.

"Taste is always a big factor in the quality of what you're picking," Propp says, "and color talks about the age of the vegetable, whether it's immature or overripe. But you have to know your particular variety, because some are unusual."

Ask to try a bite, he says, so you know what you're getting.

Besides color and flavor, feel the vegetable for peak freshness before buying.

"Cucumbers may look green and pretty, but if their middles are soft and spongy, or the rind is hard, they're overripe," Propp says.

If your vendor is reluctant to carve open a melon for you to taste, don't worry: With a few of Propp's tips, you'll be expert at selecting the best produce from the stands.

Corn

Sweet corn fans love the creamy yellow, pearly white and bicolor ears of this summer staple. Watch for the super- sweets, bred and coddled to be higher in sugar, for their candy-like quality.

Look for: ears filled to the tip with tightly packed, plump kernels, bursting with milky juice if lightly pressed. The silk should be a dark brown.

Avoid: ears with dry brown husks and indentations on the kernels; indicates the corn is old and the sugars have turned to starch.

Best uses: Lightly boiled, roasted or dried. Try slathering a grilled ear with butter blended with lime and chipotle powder for a zesty side to cooler entrees.

Tip: Super-sweets lose sugar quickly. If you're looking to freeze some, go with bicolors or yellows.

Tomatoes

Heirloom tomatoes pack plenty of taste in funky colors: striped, purple, even pink can be found. Their flavors are as exotic as their names: complex, smoky Black Prince; sweet, delicate Dr. Wychees; or rich, old-fashioned Pruden's Purple.

Look for: brilliantly colored, firm, glossy skin - the hallmark of a ripe tomato.

Avoid: traces of green; unless a quirk of the type, this indicates the fruit is immature, the flavor less satisfying.

Best uses: Savvy cooks savor unique varieties. Use them to their best advantage in salads, light soups or bold sauces.

Tip: If you're unsure, ask for a taste before you buy; good vendors will gladly oblige.

Beans

Green beans are best when picked young, cooled quickly and brought to market. Besides green, purple and yellow can be found, offering buttery flavor and texture.

Look for: snap beans that are slim, the seeds small and not swelling. Pods should be less than one-quarter-inch to one- eighth-inch around with bright color and an audible snap when broken.

Avoid: spindly, blemished or limp beans or those that are stringy when snapped.

Best uses: Steamed, parboiled and finished on the grill, or in casseroles.

Tip: Purple snap beans often lose their color when cooked, but are tender and tasty when shaved into fresh salads.

Eggplant

Slender Japanese eggplants are the first of the season, followed by the larger globes of the grocery store varieties. For sweeter flavor, try the small white or purple striped minis.

Look for: eggplant that's shiny, uniformly deep in color with a bright green cap.

Avoid: dull color, green tinge or brown discolorations - all signs of bitter or old fruit.

Best uses: Roasted and puréed, it gives depth to tomato sauces. Use for eggplant Parmesan, in dips such as Baba Ghanoush, sautéed and tossed in pasta, or grilled and served with basil-flavored oil.

Tip: Becomes bitter if stored too long, so eat soon after purchase, or store it in the fridge for up to a week.

Cantaloupe

These melons can be found in melt-in-your-mouth variety. Smaller French types are ideal for dessert; Rocky Ford types are big enough to feed a crowd.

Look for: well-defined, gray-yellow netting over tan skin. Pick up the cantaloupe and shake it - the seeds will rattle when ripe. You want the blossom end to give slightly to pressure.

Avoid: spongy, wrinkled or moldy rinds - a sign of overripe fruit.

Best uses: Best for fresh eating, in chilled soups and cubed for salads.

Tip: Follow your nose when choosing cantaloupe. Ripe ones smell like melon.

Peppers

While bells are the best-known sweet peppers, sweet bananas and Italian bull's horn types add thrill to the grill and fresh salads. Long and lean, these may look like their chili cousins, but they don't have the spice.

Look for: peppers with deep, rich color that feel heavy for their size.

Avoid: those with thin walls that give when pressed.

Best uses: Fresh sweet peppers are excellent sautéed or lightly grilled, in salads or relishes.

Tip: Some bull's horn types have thinner walls and are lighter but very sweet. Choose those that are wrinkle-free and sleek.

Carol O'Meara, a local gardening expert, can be reached at omearacarol@comcast.net

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