Harvesting Your Garden Produce

LSU AgCenter, All, All

Tender, small okra.

Maturation processes occur in vegetables that permanently change their taste, appearance and quality if they are not harvested at the proper stage of maturity.

Texture, fiber, flavor and sweetness are greatly affected by stage of maturity. The stage of maturity at harvest, post-harvest handling and the time interval between harvesting and serving affect the quality of all vegetables. Some vegetables are more highly perishable than others. Standard (SU) sweet corn, okra and English peas are very difficult to maintain in a prime fresh state for even a short time, whereas some vegetables, like pumpkin and winter squash, have a much longer shelf life.

Even after harvest, respiration and other life processes continue, and in most cases a slowing of these processes will increase the shelf life of the vegetable. Lowering the internal temperature helps to slow these processes. This is one reason for harvesting vegetables early in the day before the heat from the sun (field heat) has warmed them. After harvest, most mature vegetables should be kept cool and out of direct sunlight until processed or consumed. Tomatoes are an exception; they should be kept cool but not refrigerated. Always serve them at room temperature for best flavor. If not fully colored, keep tomatoes in the light for proper color development.

The following table gives suggestions for determining the proper stage of maturity for harvesting many vegetables. Harvesting too soon may result in only a reduction in yield in terms of pounds harvested. Harvesting too late can often result in a poorer quality because of development of fiber and the conversion of sugars into starches.

Vegetable	Part Eaten	Too Early	Optimum	Too Late
Artichoke, Globe	Immature bloom	Flower buds small	When buds are 2" to 4" in diameter	Buds large with scales or bracts loose
Asparagus	Stem	Insufficient length , 1*	6" to 8" long; no fiber	Excess woody fiber in stem
Beans, Lima	Seed	Insufficient bean size	Bright green pod; seed good size	Pods turned yellow; ok for dried beans
Beans, Pole Green	Pod and seed	Insufficient size, 1*	Bean cavity full; seed ¼ grown	Seed large; pods fibrous; ok for dried beans
Beans, Snap Bush	Pod and seed	Insufficient size , 1*	Pods turgid; seeds just visible	Pods fibrous; seed large
Beets	Root and leaves	Insufficient size , 1*	Roots 2" to 3" in diameter	Roots pithy; strong taste
Broccoli	Immature bloom	Insufficient size , 1*	Bright green color; bloom still tightly closed	Head loose; some blooms beginning to show
Brussels Sprouts	Head	Insufficient size; hard to harvest , 1*	Bright green; tight head	Head loose; color change to green yellow
Cabbage	Head	Insufficient leaf cover , 1*	Heads firm; leaf tight	Leaf loose; heads cracked open
Cantaloupes	Fruit	Stem does not want to separate from fruit	Stem easily breaks away clean when pulled	Background color of melon is yellow; rind soft
Carrots	Root	Insufficient size , 1*	½" to ¾" at shoulder	Strong taste; oversweet
Cauliflower	Immature bloom	Head not developed , 1*	Head compact; fairly smooth	Curds open; separate
Celery	Stems	Stem too small , 1*	Plant 12" to 15" tall; stem medium thick	Seed stalk formed; bitterness
Collards & greens	Leaf	Insufficient leaf size, 1*	Bright green color; small midrib	Midrib large; fibrous
Corn, Sweet	Grain	Grain watery; small ; BABY CORN, 1*	Grain plump; liquid in milk stage	Grain starting to dent; liquid in dough stage
Cucumber	Fruit	Insufficient size , 1*	Skin dark green; seeds soft	Skin beginning to yellow; seeds hard
Eggplant	Fruit	Insufficient size , 1*	High glossy skin; side springs back when mashed	Seeds brown; side will not spring back when mashed
Lettuce, Head	Leaves	Head not fully formed , 1*	Fairly firm; good size	Heads very hard
Okra	Pod	Insufficient size, 1*	2" to 3" long; still tender	Fiber development; pods tough
Onions, Dry	Bulb	Tops all green	Tops yellow; ¾ fallen over	All tops down; bulb rot started
Peas, English	Seed	Peas immature and too small to shell ; EDIBLE PODS, 1*	Peas small to medium; sweet bright green	Pods yellow; peas large
Peas, Southern (green)	Seed and pod	Peas immature and too small to shell ; EDIBLE IMMATURE POD, 1*	Seeds fully developed but still soft; pods soft	Seeds hard; pods dry
Pepper, Green Bell	Pod	Pod thin and small, 1*	Tick walled and green to some red	Pod shrivels
Pepper, Colored Bell	Pod	Pods still light green and thin walled , 1*	Bright red/yellow etc. and firm	Pod shrivels
Potato, Irish	Tuber	Insufficient size, 1*	When tops begin to die back	Damaged by freezing weather
Potato, Sweet	Root	Size small; immature; 1*	Most roots 2" to 3" in diameter	Early plantings get too large and crack; damaged by low soil temperature below 50°F
Radish/turnip roots	Root	Size too small, 1*	Appropriate size for variety.	Pithy, strong flavor, hot taste, fibrous.
Soybeans, edible	Seeds	Seeds not developed	Pods thick; bright green	Pods yellowing/ dry; seed shatters out
Squash, Summer	Fruit	Insufficient size, 1*	Rind can be penetrated by thumbnail	Penetration by thumbnail difficult; seed large
Squash, Winter	Fruit	Rind soft but can be used as summer squash, 1*	Rind difficult to penetrate by thumbnail	Damaged by frost
Tomatoes	Fruit	May be harvested in three stages: Mature green – tomato firm, mature, color change from green to light green, no pink color showing on blossom end. Pink – pink color on blossom end half. These tomatoes, at room temperature, will ripen in 3-4 days. Expose to indirect light / don’t keep in the dark. Ripe – tomato full red but still firm. Should be used immediately or these tomatoes will store one to two weeks if kept 60 F. (Warm to room temp before using.)
Watermelon	Fruit	Flesh green; stem green and difficult to separate	Melon surface next to ground turns from light straw color to a richer yellow	Top surface has dull look

1* harvest younger than optimum is ok.

4/22/2005 1:38:33 AM

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