This time of year gardeners of all ages get to enjoy the literal fruits of their labor. Most of the towns across the state have kicked off their seasonal farmers markets and fresh produce has filled numerous paper sacks across the country.
Over the past decade there has been a renewed interest in growing vegetables at the home by some of the population that did not grow up with a garden.
This can be troublesome at times but there are plenty of seasoned veterans out there willing to lend a hand and share some knowledge.
The first part of gathering tasty and nutritious vegetables is to harvest in a timely manner. One must always keep in mind that the quality of vegetables does not improve once they are harvested.
Therefore, harvesting them at the correct maturity can lengthen the nutritional value and time of freshness.
This can pose a problem when it comes to size. Most gardeners would take size over quality when in reality the biggest is oftentimes not the best.
Whether you are harvesting out of your own garden or selecting fresh fruit and vegetables from a farmers market always be careful and avoid damaging or bruising the product.
When pulling vegetables form a vine there can be occasions where cracks and breaks will occur and allow diseases to enter and develop.
To limit the amount of damage done use a sharp knife or scissors to remove vegetables.
Hand place vegetables rather than toss them and package them in a way that will help them stay stable in transport.
When your produce arrives at your house you begin to think of all of the great dishes that you can make with the fresh vegetables.
For those that won't make the table within the next couple of days we must think of storage and preservation.
There are many different ways someone can store vegetables but the most common are canning and freezing.
When using the canning method be sure that you have vegetables that are at the peak of their freshness to avoid any disasters down the road.
If you would like more information on canning give the Extension office a call at 662-887-4601.
Freezing is another method that is super quick and easy to store produce. Some can be placed directly in the freezer and some require an additional step called blanching.
No matter where your produce comes from take the extra step to protect its longevity so that you can share the fruits of your labor with friends and family even when it is not gardening weather.
