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1. Answers To Canning And Freezing Questions
By Alice Henneman, UNL Extension Educator
Looking for a safe recipe for canning pickles? Want to know how to acidify
tomatoes when canning them? Need to know how long to blanch vegetables when
freezing them? For answers to these and more questions, check the links at the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension Food: Safety, Preparation & Preservation website.
Home Food Preservation: Canning, Freezing & Vacuum Packing
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2. Summer Fruits & Veggies Q & A
By Alice Henneman, UNL Extension Educator
Whether you grow them or purchase them, fresh fruits and vegetables are an important part of the summer scene. Salads, fresh fruit smoothies, and cold veggie soups are some of the flavors of summer. Health experts recommend eating five or more servings a day of a palette of colorful fruits and vegetables.
The following four tips can help you enjoy fruits and vegetables at their most flavorful. Recipes at the end can add to the enjoyment, too!
A. Which Fruits Continue to Ripen After They're Picked?
Apricots, bananas, cantaloupe, kiwi, mangoes, nectarines, peaches, pears, plantains and plums continue to ripen at room temperature after they're picked. To speed their ripening, put them in a loosely closed brown paper bag or ripening bowl at room temperature. (NOTE: Ripening bowls are sold at many stores that sell home kitchen supplies.) Plastic bags don't work for ripening. Once fully ripened, fruits may be stored in the refrigerator to lengthen their storage time.
Though the outside skin of a refrigerated banana will turn dark brown, the inside will remain light-colored.
Fruits that should be picked or bought ripe and ready-to-eat include: apples, cherries, grapefruit, grapes, oranges, pineapple, strawberries, tangerines and watermelon.
B.
What Is the Best Place to Store Tomatoes: The Kitchen Counter or the
Refrigerator?
Don't give tomatoes the cold shoulder. Store them at room temperature
(above 55 degrees F) until they have fully ripened. This will allow them to
ripen properly and develop good flavor and aroma. A ripe tomato is red or
reddish orange, depending on variety, and yields to slight pressure.
The Florida Tomato Committee recommends storing tomatoes with their stem
end up. According to the Tomato Committee, "The shoulders are the softest
part of the tomato; leaving them stem-side down will almost always result
in bruising of the product."
"Try to store tomatoes out of direct sunlight, because sunlight will cause
them to ripen unevenly," advises the National Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention 5 A Day program. "If you must store tomatoes for a longer
period of time, place them (after they're fully ripened) in the
refrigerator. Serve them at room temperature."
C. Can I Freeze Bell and Sweet Peppers Raw?
If you've picked a peck of peppers and have too many to eat, try freezing them.
Peppers are one of those foods that can be quickly frozen raw without
blanching them first. The National Center for Home Food Preservation
(NCHFP), hosted by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service,
offers these guidelines on freezing bell and sweet peppers raw:
Select crisp, tender, green or bright red pods. Wash, cut out stems, cut in
half and remove seeds. If desired, cut into 1/2-inch strips or rings. Good
for use in uncooked foods because they have a crisper texture, or in cooked
foods. Package raw, leaving no headspace. Seal and freeze.
NOTE: To make it easier to remove only the amount of frozen bell or sweet
peppers needed at one time, freeze sliced or diced peppers in a single
layer on a cookie sheet with sides. Transfer to a "freezer" bag when
frozen, excluding as much air as possible from the bag.
D. Can Tomatoes Be Frozen Raw?
Like peppers, tomatoes can be frozen raw. Frozen tomatoes are best used in
cooked foods such as soups, sauces and stews as they become mushy when
they're thawed.
The National Center for Home Food Preservation offers these guidelines for
freezing tomatoes:
Select firm, ripe tomatoes with deep red color. Wash and dip in boiling
water for 30 seconds to loosen skins. Core and peel. Freeze whole or in
pieces. Pack into containers, leaving l-inch headspace. Seal and freeze.
Use only for cooking or seasoning as tomatoes will not be solid when
thawed.
TIP: Dip just a few tomatoes at a time into the boiling water or the water
temperature may be lowered too much to remove the skins without overheating
the tomatoes. Place hot tomatoes in a colander and rinse under cold water
to make them easier to handle. A knife with a serrated edge works best for
cutting tomatoes.
E. Finally, Here's a recipe where you can use your fresh garden produce:
GAZPACHO
Makes 6 servings
6 large tomatoes
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium-sized red onion, minced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (to taste)
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped or 2 teaspoons dried basil
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Tabasco sauce to taste
To peel the tomatoes, submerge them in boiling water for 15 seconds. Place
in a colander and rinse under cold water. The skins should slip right off.
Core the tomatoes and gently squeeze out the seeds. Chop half of the
tomatoes coarsely and puree the other half in a food processor. Combine the
puree and chopped tomatoes in a large mixing bowl. Blend the remaining
ingredients with the tomatoes. Cover and refrigerate for several hours
before serving. Serve chilled; garnish with herbed croutons if desired.
NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS PER SERVING: Calories, 99; Fat, 5 g; Cholesterol, 0
mg, Fiber, 3 g; Sodium, 20 mg.
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-National Center for
Chronic Disease Control and Health Promotion
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3. Harvest Guide For Fruits & Vegetables
By Mary Jane Frogge, UNL Extension Associate
While some fruit and vegetables show unmistakable signs, the proper time to harvest many crops require a little more knowledge and experience. Guidelines for harvesting various fruits and vegetables are listed below.
| Eggplant |
Harvest when the fruit is firm and a glossy purple to black in color and 3 to 5 inches in diameter. |
| Muskmelon |
The fruit of muskmelon or cantaloupe are mature when the stem slips easily from the melon with slight pressure. The melon is not ripe if the stem has to be forcibly separated from the fruit. Other indicators of maturity are based on touch, appearance and aroma. The flower end of the melon, the end opposite the stem, should be slightly soft. The skin between the netting will turn from green to yellow. A ripe melon will produce a strong musky aroma. |
| Peach |
Ground color is the best guide for maturity. Harvest when ground color or the color of the fruit's skin changes from green to yellow. Disregard the areas that have turned red, because it is not a reliable index of maturity |
| Pear |
Harvest when the ground color changes from dark green to a yellowish green and before the fruit is tree ripe. An additional guide may be when the fruit separates from the twig with an upward twist of the fruit and when the lenticels (spots on fruit surface), which are green on immature fruit, becomes brown. |
| Pumpkin |
Harvest pumpkins when they are fully colored and skins have hardened enough to resist puncture by thumbnail. Harvest before killing frost. |
| Raspberry |
Harvest when the fruit is full color and separates easily from the center. |
| Spaghetti Squash |
Harvest spaghetti squash when the fruit changes color from ivory white to golden yellow. |
| Summer Squash |
Zucchini and scallop squash should be harvested when young and tender. Harvest zucchini, crookneck and straight neck squash when 2 inches in diameter and 4 to 8 inches long. Scallop types are best harvested when the are 3 inches in diameter. |
| Sweet Potato |
Harvest in late fall after first light frost. |
| Tomato |
For peak quality, harvest 4 to 6 days after fruits are fully colored. They will lose firmness if overripe. |
| Watermelon |
Harvest when the melon is full sized and the underside of the melons turns from a greenish white to a buttery yellow or cream. This color change is more noticeable on the dark green skinned varieties. In addition, the fruit tends to lose its slick appearance on the top and become dull when ripe. Thumping or tapping the melon is generally not a good indicator of ripeness. The browning of the curled tendril attached to the vine near the melon is also not reliable. In some varieties the tendril may turn brown 7 to 10 days before the melon is ripe. |
| Winter Squash |
Squash are mature the skin is firm and glossy. A thumbnail will not easily penetrate a mature fruit. The portion of the fruit resting on the ground will be cream to orange in color. |
For more information refer to:
NebGuide G271, When To Harvest Fruits and Vegetables
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4. Storing Vegetables
By Mary Jane Frogge, UNL Extension Associate
After a successful garden season, you may have vegetables you would like to store until you are ready to use them. Storing your vegetables properly will insure that you will have good quality produce to enjoy in the months ahead.
Here are suggestions to help you store your vegetables properly.
| Carrots |
Trim carrot tops to one inch. Layer unwashed carrots in a container of moist sand. Carrots can be stored in a cool place, 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit for 4-5 months. |
| Onions |
Store cured onions in a dry location at 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. |
| Potatoes |
Cure fresh dug potatoes 1 to 2 weeks in a dark, dry location at 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Store cured potatoes in a dark location at 40 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 to 6 months. |
| Sweet Potatoes |
Cure fresh dug sweet potatoes at 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 days. Store cured sweet potatoes in a dry, dark location at 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 to 6 months. |
| Turnips |
Trim turnip tops to one inch. Layer unwashed turnips in a container of moist sand. Turnips can be stored in a cool place, 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 to 5 months. |
| Winter Squash |
Cure vine ripen winter squash for 10 days at 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit and high humidity. Store mature, cured winter squash in a dry location at 55 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 to 6 months. Acorn squash will keep well in a dry place at 45 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 to 40 days. Do not cure acorn squashes before storing them. |
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5. Harvesting & Storing Apples
By Sarah Browning, UNL Extension Educator
Harvesting apples at the proper stage of development is the first step toward ensuring high quality garden produce that tastes great and stores well. If picked prematurely, apples are likely to be sour, tough, small and poorly colored; if picked overripe, they may develop internal breakdown and store poorly.
To harvest apples correctly, you must be familiar with the term "ground color." Ground color is the color of an apple's skin, disregarding any areas that have become red. In red-fruited cultivars, observe the portion of the apple that faces the interior of the tree. When the ground color of red cultivars changes from leaf green to yellowish-green or creamy, the apples are ready to harvest. In yellow cultivars, the ground color becomes golden. Mature apples with a yellowish-green background color are suitable for storage.
Apples that will be eaten immediately may be ripened on the tree. Apples that are to be stored, should be picked when hard but mature: i.e., showing the mature skin color but with a hard flesh. Therefore, storage apples will be harvested before fresh eating apples. Most apple cultivars have brown seeds when ready for harvest. However, seeds may become brown several weeks before proper picking maturity. When harvesting, do not remove the stems from apples that will be stored. Be sure to store only apples without bruises, insect or disease damage, cracks, splits, or mechanical injury.
Many cultivars of apples store moderately well under home storage conditions for up to six months. Late maturing varieties are best suited to storage. These apples can be stored in baskets or boxes lined with plastic or foil to help retain moisture. Always sort apples carefully and avoid bruising them. The saying ‘one bad apple spoils the barrel’ is true because apples give off ethylene gas which speeds ripening. When damaged, ethylene is given off more rapidly and will hasten the ripening of other apples in the container.
Because of their sugar content, apples can be stored at 30-32°F without freezing the tissue. In general, apples ripen about four times as fast at 50°F as at 32°F, so they should be kept as close to 32°F as possible for long-term storage. When stored at this temperature, apples may last for up to 6 months.
Apples often pass their odor or flavor to more delicately flavored produce and the ethylene given off by apples can accelerate ripening in other crops. When possible, store apples separately from other fruits and vegetables.
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6. Harvesting & Curing Onions
By Sarah Browning, UNL Extension Educator
Onions should be harvested when about two-thirds of the tops have fallen over and dried, and
the “necks” of the onions have started to dry. A common misconception among gardeners is
that if they bend over the onion leaves, while they are still green and growing, it will prevent the
leaves from growing so much and “send more energy to the bulbs”, resulting in larger onions.
It’s also thought that this practice will make the onions mature faster. Unfortunately, it only
succeeds in reducing bulb growth since the leaves, which manufacture carbohydrates stored in the bulbs a
nd increase bulb size, are killed. Research has shown that optimum flavor and sweetness is achieved if onions
are harvest when 80% of the foliage has died back. However, once your onions reach this stage, don’t wait
more than one or two weeks to harvest; the bulbs may begin to rot, or grow again and go to seed.
Careful handling is essential during harvest to avoid bruising the onions, which helps prevent storage rot.
Onions can be lifted by gently pulling the foliage or by pushing them up with a garden fork inserted below the
bulbs. Gently brush remaining soil off the bulbs with a soft brush or gloved hand. After harvest, the bulbs must
be “cured” if they will be stored for any length of time.
Curing can be done either in the field or in a protected location away from rain. Field cure onions after harvesting by placing them in rows with the leaves partially covering the bulbs. This helps prevent sunburn or greening. Leave the onions in the field until the outer leaves and neck are completely dry and papery. After curing the onion leaves may be left on and braided, or cut off leaving at least one-inch of the top for storing.
If rain is predicted during the harvest period, onions can be cured in a warm, dry, well-ventilated location out of direct sun. After harvesting and removing excess soil, trim away the foliage, leaving a one-inch section of stem at the neck. Place the onions in single layers, in large, flat trays. Simple trays can be made with lathe strips, leaving one half inch between strips to allow for adequate air circulation. Mesh or burlap bags may also be used. Leave the onions in the trays or bags until the outer leaves and neck are dry and papery.
Only firm bulbs should be kept for storage. Onions that are bruised or have a thick neck should not be stored, but used as soon as possible. Do not store other fruits or vegetables with onions and garlic. Keep the onion storage area temperature between 32-36 ° F, with 60% or less relative humidity for longest storage.
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7. Bitterness in Zucchini & Cucumber
By Sarah Browning, UNL Extension Educator and
Dr. Laurie Hodges, UNL Vegetable Specialist
A common problem found in zucchini and cucumber is bitterness, and it can be very frustrating to gardeners who find the vegetables too bitter to eat! Both cucumber and zucchini are members of the Cucurbit family, which also includes pumpkins, melons, squash and gourds.
All cucurbits produce a group of chemicals called cucurbitacins, which cause the vegetables to taste bitter, and the higher the concentration of cucurbitacin the more bitter the vegetable will taste. In commercially cultivated cucumbers and zucchini, the amount of cucurbitacin is in such a low concentration that it usually cannot be tasted and, side from bitterness, this chemical does provide other attributes such as the musky scent of cantaloupe.
Mild bitterness is fairly common in cucumbers resulting from higher levels of cucurbitacin triggered by environmental stress, including high temperatures, wide temperature swings or too little water. Uneven watering practices (too wet followed by too dry), low soil fertility and low soil pH are also possible stress factors. Over mature or improperly stored cucurbits may also develop a mild bitterness, although it is usually not severe enough to prevent gardeners from eating them.
However, occasionally a gardener will find a zucchini growing in their garden that is extremely bitter, as was the case in 2003 for one Dodge country, Nebraska gardener. Eating these vegetables caused severe stomach cramps and diarrhea that lasted for several days. These symptoms are similar to twenty-two cases of human poisoning by bitter zucchini reported in Australia from 1981-1982, and in Alabama and California in 1984. The variety of zucchini grown in Dodge County was ‘Black Beauty’ and the variety implicated in Australia was ‘Blackjack.’ In each case, very small amounts (3 grams) of the bitter zucchini were ingested. Extreme bitterness has also been documented in summer squash.
Of 12 zucchini plants grown by the Dodge county gardener only 1 plant produced very bitter fruit. Since all plants in the garden originated from one seed packet, were planted in the same location and received the same amount of water, simple environmental stresses could not be the culprit. In fact, unlike cucumbers, extreme bitterness in zucchini and summer squash is not influenced by the environment, but is genetically controlled by one dominant gene.
So how do these plants with extremely bitter fruits happen? Large amounts of cucurbitacins are still present in wild cucurbits, such as buffalo gourd, making them inedible to humans and most animals. Since cucurbits are pollinated by insects, especially bees, cross-pollination of cultivated plants by wild cucurbits (in the form of weeds growing near a seed production field) can cause problems when seeds are harvested, sold and planted in a home garden the following year. Only seeds resulting from cross-pollination with a wild cucurbit or gourd would carry the gene for extreme bitterness, but plants grown from these seeds could express the dominant gene for extreme fruit bitterness. Rarely, mutations in seed-production fields could also result in seeds that carry the dominant bitterness gene.
What should you do if you find extremely bitter zucchini in your garden? Well, you’re unlucky since these plants are rare, but don’t eat them and don’t give them to your neighbors! Discard them. Finally, don’t save seed from plants that produced extremely bitter fruits. If you like to save your own seed, be sure to harvest fruits only from flowers that have been isolated to ensure that pollen came from other domesticated, non-bitter squash and not from gourds or wild cucurbits.
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8. Storing An Emergency Water Supply
By Sharon Skipton, UNL Extension Educator
Taking a little time now to store an emergency water supply can prepare for all types of disasters. If your water supply is disrupted, you will be able to provide for your entire family and possibly others. Effective methods of preparing water for storage include disinfection with chlorine and storing at room temperature, disinfection with chlorine and freezing, or canning.
Because water is the most important nutrient for the human body, availability of adequate drinking water is critical. In addition to drinking water, supplies for food preparation and hygiene are needed. In general, store at least one gallon of water per person per day. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Emergencies and Disasters Web site recommends storing at least a three-day supply. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and American Red Cross publication "Food and Water in an Emergency" recommends storing at least a two-week supply of water for each member of your family.
One option is to purchase bottled drinking or distilled water at the time of need or for storage and future use. Another option is to safely prepare and store water from your daily drinking and cooking supply. For detailed directions, see NebGuide G04-1536, Drinking Water: Storing an Emergency Supply
The publication describes how to store water by chlorination followed by shelf storage or freezing. It also describes how to can water.
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