Harvesting and Storing

Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs

Wendy Hanson Mazet

Helpful links and

resources

Getting Started with a Vegetable

Garden

www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files

/ho/2010/fs1015.pdf

Searching for Fact Sheets?

www.extension.org

www.growyourownnevada.com

Onions Garlic• Harvest when the leaves lose

color and the tops begin to fall

over.

•Onion bulbs varies to each variety –

in general 2 to 4‖ in diameter.

•Pull all onions when the tops fall

over.

•Allow harvested onions dry for a 1 –

2 days with the tops on

•Then clip 1 inch above bulb before

storing them in a cool, dry place.

Green Onions

•Harvest green onions when they

are 6 to 8 inches tall.

Peas• If the peas will be shelled,

harvest the pods when they are

shiny green and fully developed.

• Overly mature peas are of poor

quality.

• For the edible pod varieties,

harvest when the pods are fully

developed (about 3 inches.

Spinach• Harvested when the large

leaves are 4 to 6 inches long.

• Pull the larger, whole plants or

harvest the older leaves and

allow new growth to develop.

Greens - Swiss

Chard

• beet

greens, collards, dandelions, kale,

mustard greens, turnip greens, and

others.

• Break off the outer leaves when

they are 6 to 10 inches long and

before they start to yellow.

• Avoid wilted or flabby leaves.

Rhubarb

• Only the long, thick leaf

petioles, the ―stalks,‖ are edible.

• Wait until the second season, or

the third season if the plants were

started from seed.

• To pick, hold the stalk

firmly, pull, and twist.

Root Crops

Radishes• Harvest radishes when they

are about 1 inch in diameter.

Jerusalem

artichoke:• Dig the tubers after early fall

frosts or in very early spring

before the new growth starts.

Beets• Pull early beets when they are

about 2 inches in diameter. If

they are allowed to get much

larger, they become

woody, especially in warm, dry

weather.

• For late-crop beets, remove all

but about 1½ inches of the

tops.

Carrots• Carrots are ready to be

harvested when they are small

and succulent.

• Do not let them get over about

1 inch in diameter.

• Always pull the largest carrots

in the row.

Potatoes

• Mature tubers can be

harvested after leaves have

dried or when tubers have

reached full size.

• For Irish potatoes, a good

harvest size is 2 to 3 inches in

diameter.

• Harvest ―new‖ potatoes at any

size, but generally do not dig

before they are 1¼ to 1½

inches in diameter, 7-8 weeks

after planting.

• Let the potatoes dry several

hours in garden after digging

them.

Cucumbers• Harvest them when fruits are

bright, firm.

• A rule of thumb: harvest sweet

pickles at 1½ to 2 inches long;

• Harvest dills when they are 3

to 4 inches long, bright

green, and less crisp.

• Avoid yellowed

cucumbers, unless it is a

lemon cuc.

Beans• Harvest these beans when the

pods are well filled but have

not begun to yellow.

Beans—snap:

• For maximum

tenderness, harvest snap

beans when the pods are

almost full size but before the

seeds begin to bulge.

Winter Squash

Winter Squash

• when the fruits are full size.

The rind is firm and glossy and

bottom (portion touching soil)

of fruit is cream to orange

colored.

• Light frost will not damage

mature fruit.

Pumpkins:

• Pick pumpkins when they are

full size, the rind is firm and

glossy, and the bottom of the

fruit is cream to orange

colored.

• Harvest before frost or when

rind resist fingernails

scratches. Leave a 2 to 4 inch

stem with the fruit.

Honeydew:

• These do not slip from the vine

when ripe.

• When the bottom is yellowish

to creamy white.

• The rind should be slightly soft

at the blossom end and have a

faint, pleasant odor.

Muskmelon (cantaloupes):

• Lift and twist – if ripe it will easily slip off the stem

• The outer rind should not have any green color.

Watermelon:

• Harvest watermelon when the fruits are full size and have a dull surface and a cream-colored ground spot.

• The Thump Test

– If it’s a dull sound , similar to tapping your forehead, it’s not ripe. A hollow sound, similar to tapping you chest means it’s ripe.

Melons

Summer Squash

• Harvest squash when it is 4

to 6 inches long for yellow

crookneck squash, 6 to 8

inches long for yellow

straight neck, and 3 to 4

inches in diameter for white

scallop.

• A glossy color indicates

tenderness.

Corn

• Watch corn for signs of ripeness for earliest harvest.

• Corn silks darken and dry out as the ears mature.

• As the kernels fill out toward the top, the ends become more rounded instead of pointed.

• Pick sweet corn in the milk stage, when a milk like juice exudes from the kernels if crushed with a thumbnail.

Peppers

• Harvest bell peppers when they are full and have well-formed lobes.

• Immature peppers are pale, soft, pliable, and thin fleshed.

• Mature peppers turn orange or red; this does not mean that they are hotter.

Eggplant

• Harvest eggplants

when the fruits are

near full size—but

still firm and bright in

color.

• Older fruits become

soft, seedy, and dull

colored.

Tomatoes

• Harvest tomatoes when they are fully colored but still firm.

• Harvest red tomatoes for eating fresh, cooking, or canning.

• Do not can overripe tomatoes!

• If necessary, pick mature green or slightly pink tomatoes and ripen them at room temperature, out of direct sunlight.

Indeterminate vs. Determinate

Pip FruitsApples

• Pick ripe apples from the tree by pulling fruit upward and outward while rotating the fruit slightly.

• Frost will not sweeten or mature apples or other fruit. Sugars accumulate with bright, warm (not hot) days and cool nights regardless of frost.

Pears

• Pears picked when slightly

immature will ripen with

better quality than pears

that are over mature when

picked.

• Most mature, ready to ripen

pears will usually detach

when "tilted" to a horizontal

position from their usual

vertical hanging position.

Stone Trees

Peach/ Apricot/ Nectarine

• As fruits ripen, the flesh softens and

the skin changes from green to

purple, red, orange.

• To test ripeness by applying pressure

(the flesh should yield to gentle thumb

pressure.)

• To harvest without hurting the fruit buds

for next year’s crop, twist the fruit

slightly while pulling.

• harvested without the stems attached

Stone fruits include peaches, plums, cherries, and apricots: all have a hard pit

Cherry

• Fruit maturity can be

determined by color

• sweet cherries are hand-

harvested leaving the

pedicels intact.

• Harvest with stems

attached

ShrubsCane Fruit

• Ready to pick when they

easily separate from the

receptacle or core.

• Blackberries do not separate

from the core, so ripeness

should be judged by color

and taste.

• All bramble fruit are

extremely perishable &

should be harvested

frequently.

Gooseberry

• Can be picked when they

reach full size, but are not

fully ripe. (At this stage, the

fruit are green, tart, and still

quite hard.)

• Pick when ripened to a

pinkish color and sweeter

flavor.

Grapes

Grapes

• Color, size, sweetness, and flavor are the most useful indicators of table grape maturity.

• Berry color will change from green to blue, red, or white as the different grape varieties approach maturity.

• Color alone should not be the sole basis for harvesting grapes. The berries of many varieties change color long before they are fully ripe.

Strawberries

• Strawberries are fully ripe when uniformly red.

• Pick the berries with the cap and stem attached to retain firmness and quality.

• When harvesting, pinch the stem off about 1/4 inch above the cap.

Currants

• Fully ripe currants are

slightly soft, juicy, and

develop the

characteristic color of

the variety.

• Most currant varieties

are red at maturity, a

few are white.

• Harvest currants by

picking the fruit clusters

from the plant then

stripping individual

berries from the stem.

•The time of day and time of season

can affect the quantity of oil present

in the leaves of your herbs. The oil

present in the leaves can determine

the flavor intensity of the herb and its

nutritional content or medicinal

value.

•Harvest your herbs before the

plants flower.

•Remove any flower heads from the

plant to ensure it keeps producing as

many leaves as possible.

•For more information on herbs:

www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horti

culture/components/M1223.pdf

Herbs

Preserving

Food Safety

• Your life depends on it!

• Only use fresh, clean

food

• When canning, know the

pH and your altitude

• Maintain proper

temperatures, avoid the

―danger zone‖

• Label everything with

name & date to ensure it

is consumed within its

shelf life

Cold Storage

Refrigerated, 33°to 38°

• Vegetables:

– All Veggies except

tomatoes

– Keep a high relative

humidity

• Use crisper drawer

• Perforated plastic bags

– Root Vegetables should

have the greens removed

to a ¼‖ and the tap root cut

off

Cold Storage, 39° to 50°

• Squashes, Onions & Potatoes– Must be

washed, dried, and cured before storage

– Onions can be stored in mesh bags

• Apples (store away from other vegetables and fruits as they emit ethylene gas)– Must be kept humid to

prevent shriveling

Storing Vegetables at Home - Fact Sheet A1135

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/store/wisc_vegetables.pdf

Freezing temperatures 20°- 30°

Vegetables

• Most should be blanched

prior to freezing;

blanching is immersing in

boiling water then quickly

cooling. Time varies with

the vegetable

• Vacuum sealing, freezer-

specific plastic bags and

boxes, and glass canning

jars best

Preserving Food: Freezing Vegetables

Complete information on freezing food at home, Pub # FDNS-E-43-5

The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension

http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/pubs/fdns/FDNS-E-43-05.pdf

Meats & Dairy

• Meats should be

repackaged into freezer

paper or vacuum sealed if

they are purchased in

plastic wrapped

styrofoam containers

• Cheese should be

packed in freezer paper

or vacuum sealed

Freezing temperatures 20°- 30°

Feb. 2011

Dehydrating

Meats & Dairy

• Must be temperature

controlled. A minimum of

160° required to ensure

safety.

Fruits & Vegetables

• To prevent browning dip

fruits in lemon juice.

• Some fruits need to be

blanched before drying

Resources

National Center for Home Food Preservation

www.nchfp.uga.edu

Ball / Kerr

www.freshpreserving.com

Canning Pantry

http://www.canningpantry.com/

Happy Harvesting