Harvesting Tips

By William J. Dagendesh:

Harvest supply kit

Children’s old backpacks and giveaway canvas tote bags make a handy harvest kit. Fill with a knife, plastic bags, scissors, & other handy harvest supplies.

Bubble wrap

Bubble wrap is invaluable for harvesting fruit that can bruise or split. Line the inside of baskets and buckets, and between layers of fruit when filling a container.

For small, ripe fruit-laden trees, such as cherries, shake the fruit down onto the bubble wrap. For bush fruits, lay a piece of bubble wrap on the ground near and drop the berries directly onto the wrap. Then transport the fruit-filled wrap indoors. Bubble wrap is easily cleaned with a garden hose shot of H2O.

Homemade harvest baskets

A metal, plastic or wood dish drainer makes a convenient harvest basket. Remove drainer from the dishwasher, load it with garden produce, place it in the sink, rinse your veggies, and return to its proper place for drying.

Also use old Easter and wicker baskets: shallow and wide for collecting leafy greens, deep and sturdy for holding tree fruits, potatoes, etc. Ensure it’s durable enough to withstand the weight of damp and dirt.

Drying racks

Before placing garlic, onions and potatoes on the dining table, the produce must be dried in a warm, well-ventilated, sunlight-free area. Homemade portable drying racks work best because they allow produce to dry during the day and be brought indoors to keep dew from building up at night.

Old screens set on bricks or a stack of patio stones also make great drying racks, as do cookie, baking, and oven racks, barbecue grills, inverted wicker laundry baskets.

The kitchen oven can be used to dry fresh-picked produce. Set the temperature at its lowest heat and place the produce on large, flat metal trays on top of the oven’s racks. Heat distributed evenly dries produce faster and allowing produce to retain color, nutrients and texture. About five minutes drying time is all that is needed.

William J. Dagendesh is a writer and photographer with Pikes Peak Newspapers. He and his wife enjoy landscaping, flower and vegetable gardening, and are always seeking ways to improve their gardening techniques.