5 Photos
In a complete reversal of recent trends, more and more of us are growing our own vegetables and fruits.
The media has been full of articles about edible landscapes, fruit tree sales are through the roof, there are reports of vegetable seed sales being up as much as 30 percent just this year and in many areas of the country garden centers have been reporting sellouts of “starts” or cell packs of vegetable plants.
But now it’s that time of the year when it’s hot and humid and the enthusiasm for getting out into the garden is faltering. The mildew on the verbena is beyond control. The crabgrass is as thick as the bluegrass and the lawn just refuses to slow down at all. Ah, but over in the vegetable garden and in the orchard it’s a whole ‘nother story. Here the seeds have been sown and the plants grown, the weeds pulled, the roots watered, and the harvest is starting to come in at full force, but is there a right time to pick the fruits and veggies and, once picked, is there a best way to store them?
There are two schools of thought about this subject. One recommends that vegetables be harvested just before using while the other says that they should be harvested only in the coolest part of the day. I go by both methods with a few exceptions.
Many vegetables can be harvested in the cool of the morning and then refrigerated until used later in the day or evening. Lettuce, for example, if picked in the morning, will probably remain crisp and firm if refrigerated, while the same variety might very well wilt and be useless if picked when the sun is high and putting the plant through its period of maximum stress anytime before the shade and coolness of dusk sets in. Always remember that the fruits and vegetables of your garden are living things; thus, they are always changing and although we cannot stop this change, we can prolong the produce’s usefulness with proper storage temperatures.
Temperature is the most important tool we have to extend the storage life and quality of fresh vegetables, followed by humidity. Every increase of 18 degrees above the freezing point accelerates the deterioration and increases the rate of loss in nutritional quality by two to three fold. Each fruit or vegetable has its own ideal storage temperature, but most fall into one of two ranges. The non-chilling, sensitive vegetables are stored best in the cooler range (35 to 37 degrees) of the refrigerator, including cauliflower, celery, corn (see end note), lettuce, peas, radishes, spinach, and turnips. Chilling sensitive varieties store best in a warmer location (40 to 57 degrees) either in a special refrigerator compartment (or at the top of the refrigerator which is the warmest spot) or in a root cellar. These vegetables include snap beans, cucumbers, eggplant, muskmelons, okra, peppers, squash, tomatoes and watermelons.
There are also some special procedures and treatments that will prolong the life of many vegetables. First, sort and use any with wounds or bruises and also sort by ripeness and, of course, use the more ripe or slightly blemished fruits first. Remove all dirt, dust and residue of chemicals and such by washing. Chlorinated tap water seems to help reduce bacteria and permits a longer storage duration. A word of warning, though: be careful to remove the excess water after washing to prevent wilting, especially in lettuce. We thought the gift of a lettuce spinner used in drying the crop after washing was a useless bit of kitchen clutter until we used it.
The maturity of the fruit when harvested influences not only the nutritional quality, but the storage life as well. Just about all vegetables achieve peak nutritional and eating quality when ripened on the plant. For example, studies have shown that when tomatoes are picked table ripe, they contain 19.2 milligrams of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) per 100-gram sample, but when picked green and allowed to ripen at 68 degrees, the milligrams of vitamin C dropped to 12.3 per 100-gram sample.
Now for the truth about corn. In my book “local” corn means it’s been grown close enough to the final point of sale that it can be picked and sold the same day. Therefore, Jersey corn is rarely local, though that’s what you get in most stores during June through mid-July. I doubt if you’ve ever really tasted sweet corn unless you’ve actually seen it picked or grown it yourself or gotten it at a local farm stand just off the tractor and popped it into the water or microwave within a hour. Second best is same day harvested corn, especially when purchased at a local farm stand. By the way, did you know that corn has the lowest amount of sodium of all commonly available vegetables? And what’s up with all these people who shuck their corn right in the market or buy bags of corn pre-shucked? The greens on the outside are the best protection against flavor deterioration until you’re ready to cook. Even then, I cook ours in a closed microwave dish, greens still on, for 3.5 minutes per ear.
Cucumbers should be picked when they reach their mature size. This is always stated on the seed packet or label that came with the transplants. As a general rule, pickling cukes are picked at 2 to 6 inches in length while the slicing types go to about 8 inches. They should always be firm and crisp. When yellow and dull they are over ripe. Keep picking and the vines will keep producing.
Bell peppers can be harvested at any size, but are usually left until mature. This is easily noted when the colors change from green to a sweeter mellow yellow or red depending on the variety. Don’t rip the peppers off the plant though. Use either a sharp knife or crosscut pruner to keep from damaging the stems.
Summer squash such as zucchini and yellow crooked neck are harvested 6 to 8 inches in length or less and an inch or 2 in diameter. Remember that squashes mature rapidly and in the blink of an eye you can end up with useless baseball bats, so watch your blooms and look to harvest six to 10 days later.
Carrots are a tough call, but watch for an orange shoulder at the soil surface and you can always pull one out every day or so to test. Broccoli is picked when the main head is tight, green and compact leaving the side shoots to develop. Don’t let your green beans yellow, pick cabbage when the heads are tight and not split and get the corn when silks brown, but before the raccoons and squirrels put up the “READY” sign.
As for melons, honeydews should be picked when yellowish to creamy white with a soft velvet feel. The rind should be slightly soft at the blossom end and have a faint, pleasant odor. Muskmelons (they are NOT cantaloupes if grown here) are harvested at three quarters to full slip. When the stem separates readily from the fruit under moderate pressure and leaves a circular depression, the full slip or ripe stage has been reached. For watermelons, wait until they’ve reached full size (read the label or catalog) and have a dull surface and creamy colored ground spot underneath.
For other fruits, the aroma of apples change as they begin to ripen and they change color. It’s very important to know what variety you have because some can stay on the tree for weeks while others need to be picked as they ripen. Some will store for up to six months and some are poor keepers. Most pears, on the other hand, are picked before they are tree-ripe, but harvesting too early will result in poor flavor and shriveling in storage. Harvest just as the pear flavor and aroma can be detected and the small spots on the surface of the fruit change from white to brown. Pears will continue to ripen after harvesting and some have a storage life of up to three months. Late crop and everbearing raspberries should be picked daily and if harvested in the morning, can be kept in the refrigerator for three to five days. Keep growing, and harvesting.
Andrew Messinger has been a professional horticulturist for more than 30 years. He divides his time between homes and gardens in Southampton, Westchester and the Catskills. E-mail him at: Andrew@hamptongardener.com. The Hampton Gardener is a registered trademark.
