CUISINE & CULTURE
In last week’s column were harvest techniques for beans, cucumber, eggplant and peppers. Today continues alphabetically with summer squash, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes.
Summer squash. The term summer squash is a broad term for yellow crookneck and straightneck; green, gray and golden zucchini; eight ball, which are round zucchini; and Cocozelle (Italian). All except the eight ball, which is round and the size of a large billiard ball, should be harvested when 6 to 8 inches long. Fruit is firm, glossy, shiny, and skin can be easily pierced with a thumbnail. Always cut from the vine with sharp pruners or knife leaving a piece of stem on the fruit. Fruit will shrivel and rot without the stem piece attached.
Sweet corn. Check the ears daily. The pale yellow silks begin to dry and turn brown when the kernels are mature. Husks that were bright light green lose some of their brightness but harvest before the tops of the husks dry. Ear should have filled out and feel plump. The kernel test is reliable – gently peel back the top of the husk, exposing a few kernels. stick thumbnail into a kernel; a milky substance should drip. Ears are cut with sharp knife or pruners early in the day. Chill immediately.
Sweetpotatoes. Sweet potatoes are a long season crop, often 100 days or more. Vines remain green while the roots are still sizing up. When vines begin to yellow and before a hard freeze, harvest by digging them up with a fork. Dig 6 to 12 inches away from the vine and dig deeply under the roots. sweet potatoes will spread outwards. If they are dug too closely to the vine, there is a good chance the roots will be damaged. Gently lift the roots in a clump. Several roots will be attached to the vine. Cure in warm, dark, dry conditions. Store dark and dry.
Tomatoes. Probably the most commonly grown vegetable. For the most flavor and vibrant colors, let tomatoes ripen on the vine. Fruit will be firm, skin bright, and glossy. They can be picked green if they have reached what is called the green-ripe stage: skin will be green but beginning to show color at the blossom end. Store on table top or in a drawer. Never refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.
Ellen Peffley Harp, a retired professor of horticulture at Texas Tech University, writes about gardening for several Texas newspapers.
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