From the garden
Not all garden vegetables are picked at the same stage of maturity. Following are some common summer vegetables with their harvest techniques. Next week’s column will continue harvest techniques for summer squash, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes.
Beans. Snap beans, pole beans, and yellow beans are ready to be harvested when the pods just begin to have a noticeable bulge, when the pods are plumping up. This stage can happen quickly, so check pods daily. Pods will be brightly colored. Pods beginning to dull are fast going past optimum harvest; pods beginning to dry signal that seed inside the pod is maturing. These are past prime. Pods are cut from the bush or vine, never yanked as a good portion of the stem will come with the pod. Store refrigerated.
Cucumbers. There are several kinds of cucumber – Armenian, which are large striped; Israeli, which are smaller, smooth skinned; gherkins, which are small and warty; slicers, which are the common garden type. Regardless of the kind of cucumber, all should be firm, bright green. Seed cavities are moist, seed is small and soft. Fruit that has been left to long on the vine will begin to dull, lose brightness, seeds are hard. Store refrigerated.
Eggplant. These can be tricky, depending on the variety. Black Beauty types will be large, Asian types long, other novel varieties are small. Check seed packet or plant label for particulars. All should be harvested when fruit skin is shiny, bright, smooth. Fruit will be heavy for the size. The seed cavity will have tiny pale seeds; seeds that are brown indicate an older fruit. A sign that the fruit is mature is the skin becomes dull, loses its brightness, the blossom end will begin to show yellow or orange. Always cut fruit from the plant, leaving a portion of the stem. Store refrigerated.
Peppers. Harvest depends on pepper type and color of pepper desired. Many peppers are harvested green but will change color to red when mature. Banana peppers are yellow but can be left to mature into orange or red. Chile peppers can be harvested green but will mature to red. All can be picked at almost any stage but have the most flavor when allowed to develop into their mature size. Some can be plucked from the bush, others should be cut with a knife or pruners. Store refrigerated.
Ellen Peffley Harp, a retired professor of horticulture at Texas Tech University, writes about gardening for several Texas newspapers.
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