Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
All heat-loving vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant,
and cucumbers will keep producing over several weeks if you con-
tinue to harvest the fruit. The exception to this is corn. Each stalk
will produce one or two cobs and that is all. Before you harvest corn
you want the cob to be filled out and firm to the touch. Gently pull
away some of the husk and see if the kernels are a bright yellow
(some varieties are white or a mix of yellow and white). If they look
fully formed and are a good color gently prick the kernels with your
fingernail. If a milky liquid shoots out they are ready to be harves-
ted.
Storage Tips
You cannot buy vegetables with the kind of flavor and nutrition that
you get from growing and harvesting your own. Since most people
garden only seasonally, it is really great to be able to have some of
our vegetables in the off-season. If you have enough veggies for
your immediate smoothie needs, and if you want to feed your family
with your fresh veggies all year long, it is important to start at the
planning stage. Make sure you estimate how much you will eat fresh
and how much you would like to store, freeze, or can, and then plant
accordingly. The natural course is for the vegetables eventually to
rot, so it is important to store them properly to slow down the aging
process. The next step is learning how and where to store and how
to preserve these veggies.
Some vegetables like salad greens have a very short life and need
to be refrigerated until you're ready to use them in a smoothie. They
will last for only a week at the most, whereas other vegetables like
winter squash, potatoes, and onions, if cured properly, will store for
several months.
