. Agri-news. Agriculture. 4 Flavor reward in garden harvest Enjoying your own vegetables is easy when they can be harvested at their peak, but the uncertainties of Alberta weather can make harvesting tricky says an Alberta Agriculture specialist. "Every gardener anticipates savoring the flavor of fresh vegetables from their garden, but knowing when vegetables are ready and how to ripen vegetables if they've been picked early to avoid a frost are important to sitting down, eating and enjoying your vegetable harvest," says Pam North of the Alberta Tree Nursery and Horticulture Centre.
. Agri-news. Agriculture. 4 Flavor reward in garden harvest Enjoying your own vegetables is easy when they can be harvested at their peak, but the uncertainties of Alberta weather can make harvesting tricky says an Alberta Agriculture specialist. "Every gardener anticipates savoring the flavor of fresh vegetables from their garden, but knowing when vegetables are ready and how to ripen vegetables if they've been picked early to avoid a frost are important to sitting down, eating and enjoying your vegetable harvest," says Pam North of the Alberta Tree Nursery and Horticulture Centre. North says some of the most common questions asked of the centre's staff are about corn, tomatoes, onions, squash and pumpkins. Dry, brown corn silk is one indication corn is ready to eat. Cobs should be checked to see if they are full, with kernels to their tips. Kernels should be at the milk stage. "You can check this by piercing a kernel with your fingernail. If a white milky liquid squirts out, then the corn is ripe. If the liquid is clear, then the corn is still immature," she says. "If it's lumpy, then it's overmature. While still edible, it's not as ; Corn not used immediately after picking should be cooled. Cooling preserves sweetness as the natural sugars begin to be converted to starch as soon as the corn is harvested. North suggests either refrigeration or soaking in ice water. Vine ripened tomatoes are another juicy and sweet treat from the garden. Gardeners can promote vine ripening by pruning new flowers and topping staking varieties after the first week of August. This allows the plant to put more energy into ripening the existing fruit. Although vine-ripened tomatoes are a goal, sometimes late summer and early fall weather doesn't co-operate and tomatoes are harvested while still green. Tomatoes will ripen indoors, but North recommends keeping the tomatoes in a sunny windowsill rather than wrapping them in paper and storing them. "
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