Is ‘ripen at home’ fruit the supermarkets’ idea of a joke?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

I can’t be the only person who has become deeply distrustful of “ripen at home” fruit and veg. I’ve tried many varieties – peaches, pears, avocados – but either they stay rock-hard for weeks or they turn overnight and I find them oozing in the fruit bowl. When and how did we start having to pay extra for produce we can actually eat? Graeme McIntyre, Edinburgh

Post your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published next Sunday.