Help and Advice from the Master Gardeners of Contra Costa's Help Desk
Client's Request:
I'm growing a lot vegetables and fruits this year. I'm expecting that many of these plantings will come ripe at the same time, I'd like to get the maximum value out of all this effort. At this time I'm especially interested in advice on storage for maximizing flavor.
Help Desk Advice and Recommendations:
The flavor of fruits and vegetables are influenced by maturity and quality at harvest and by how they are stored afterwards. To maintain the freshness and flavor of the produce you buy at the market or after all that work growing them in your garden, you are right to use the appropriate methods to store them at home. UC has some published some great straight-forward advice on this scenario… see the chart below:
You can click the picture and you may get a bigger view … or you can go to http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/datastore/234-1920.pdf to read and/or download and/or bookmark this easy-to-read and very informative two page guidance document from UC. (Thanks to Farmer Fred for reminding me of this very informative UC guidance….)
Good luck on your tasty garden harvest. Please do not hesitate to contact MGCC Help Desk again if you have further questions.
Master Gardeners Contra Costa's Help Desk
Note: The Master Gardeners of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/