K-State Research and Extension

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Tag: Fresh Produce

Storing Fresh Produce

Posted on by djbechard

Eating fresh local produce is always a treat and one of the best things about summer! Here are a few tips on maintaining the quality and safety until you are ready to eat it.

Store in the Refrigerator: Apples (>7 days), apricots, berries, cherries, cut fruits, grapes, herbs, mushrooms, green beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cut veggies, leafy greens, summer squash, sweet corn

Ripen on the counter, then store in the refrigerator: Peaches and pears

Store at room temperature: Apples (<7 days), bananas, citrus fruits, watermelon, muskmelon, basil (in water), *cucumbers, *eggplant, **garlic, **onions, *peppers, **potatoes, pumpkins, **sweet potatoes, tomatoes, winter squash.

*Cucumbers, eggplant and peppers can be kept refrigerated 1-3 days if they are used soon after removal from the refrigerator.

**Store garlic, onions, potatoes, and sweet potatoes in a well-ventilated area in the pantry.

Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program

Posted on by djbechard

Low-income Kansas seniors may be eligible for a program that provides checks to purchase fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables and honey at farmers markets in selected counties throughout the state.

The Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (KSFMNP) is providing low-income seniors who meet age and income requirements with $35 in checks to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and honey from authorized farmers at local participating farmers markets, June 1 through November 1, 2022. Checks are available in $5 increments.

To be eligible to receive KSFMNP checks, the following criteria must be met:

  1. Age: A senior must be 60 years old or older, or at least 55 years old and a member of an Indian Tribal Organization, on the day the money is issued.
  2. Income level: A senior’s annual gross household income (before taxes are withheld) must be at or below 185% of the federal poverty level. For example, a household of one must have an annual gross income at or below $25,142, or a monthly gross income at or below $2,096.

Applications for the Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program will be available starting on June 1st, at any Post Rock Extension District office. Seniors may apply on-site from 8:00a.m. – 4:30p.m. Monday through Friday.  Funds are limited and benefits will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information about the Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, call your local Post Rock Extension District office.

Eligible foods to purchase with the KSFMNP checks from authorized farmers at participating farmers markets are defined as “fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables, locally produced honey and herbs for human consumption that are produced in Kansas under normal growing conditions.”

The Senior Farmers’ Market Program is a project of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). The program is coordinated by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), which is collaborating with local partners to identify and distribute checks to eligible seniors.  This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

By: Ashley Svaty

How to Pick a Ripe Melon

Posted on by Nora Rhoades

Telling when a melon is ready to be harvested can be a challenge, or it may be quite easy. It all depends on the type of melon.

Let’s start with the easy one. Muskmelons are one of those crops that tell you when they are ready to be picked. This can help you not only harvest melons at the correct time but also choose good melons when shopping.

As a melon ripens, a layer of cells around the stem softens so the melon detaches easily from the vine. This is called “slipping” and will leave a dish shaped scar at the point of stem attachment. When harvesting melons, put a little pressure where the vine attaches to the fruit. If ripe, it will release or “slip.”

When choosing a melon from those that have already been harvested, look for a clean, dish shaped scar. Also, ripe melons have a pleasant, musky aroma if the melons are at room temperature (not refrigerated).

Watermelons can be more difficult and growers often use several techniques to tell when to harvest.

  1. Look for the tendril that attaches at the same point as the melon to dry and turn brown. On some varieties this will need to be completely dried before the watermelon is ripe. On others it will only need to be in the process of turning brown.
  2. The surface of a ripening melon develops a surface roughness (sometimes called “sugar bumps”) near the base of the fruit.
  3. Ripe watermelons normally develop a yellow color on the “ground spot” when ripe. This is the area of the melon that contacts the ground.

By: Cassie Homan

Planting Strawberries

Posted on by Nora Rhoades

New strawberry plantings should be set early in the growing season so that mother plants become established while the weather is still cool. The mother plants develop a strong root system during this cool period when soil temperatures are between 65 and 80 degrees F. The most appropriate planting time is late March to mid-April in the northern areas of the state.  Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart.

Later in the season, runners and daughter plants develop. The earlier the mother plants are set, the sooner the first daughter plant will be formed and take root. These first daughter plants will be the largest daughter plants at the end of the growing season and will bear more berries per plant the following spring.  When planting is done later, the higher temperatures stress the mother plants resulting in reduced growth, weaker mother plants and delays in daughter plant formation.  Fewer and smaller daughter plants produce fewer berries, resulting in a smaller crop.

Remove all flowers during the first year. New plants have limited energy reserves that need to go toward establishing the mother plants and making runners rather than making fruit. If fruit is allowed to develop the first year, the amount of fruit produced the second year is drastically reduced due to smaller, weaker daughter plants.

Keep row width at 12 to 18 inches as strawberries bear most on the edges of the row rather than the center.  A rototiller or hoe can be used to keep the row at the recommended width.