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Using sanitizer in wash tanks for safe, long-lasting salad mix and bunched greens

Annalisa Hultberg Extension Educator, food safety  While not all produce should be washed during postharvest handling, many items need to be washed to remove soil or to hydrocool. It is a best practice use a food-grade sanitizer in bulk tanks of wash water to reduce the potential to spread microbial contamination via the water. If one leaf of lettuce has some bird poop on it, for example, the water will spread it to all the others. The sanitizer prevents that from happening. We know that sanitizers are very effective at inactivating bacteria such as  Salmonella  and  Escherichia coli  O157:H7 that may be present in the water and brought in from the field, hands, compost or other sources. They also can increase shelf life, since the sanitizing agents inactivate bacteria, viruses, spores, fungi and other microorganisms that can lead to degradation of fresh produce in storage.   Read below for instructions on using sanitizer in wash water. If you are looking f...
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Fruit update - July 2, 2025

Madeline Wimmer- UMN Fruit Production Extension Educator Apples Growth stage: Fruits between 3.5–5 cm wide Pest highlight: Identifying codling moth symptoms Grapes Growth stage: Berries ranging from peppercorn to pea size Optimal timing for basal leaf and lateral shoot removal Honeyberries Growth stage: Nearing end of harvest Stay tuned: 2025 Upper Midwest Honeyberry Academy Recap Zooming in: Insect pest and disease management photos Raspberry spur blight on primocanes Phylloxera leaf galls Apples Growth stage: Fruits between 3.5–5 cm wide Images: Apple varieties were measuring between 3.5–5 cm at the widest point. Pictured: First Kiss (left, 5 cm), M\cIntosh (middle, 3.5–4 cm), and Honeycrisp (right, 4–5 cm), a variety also known for showing mottled chlorosis on its leaves as seen here. Photos taken at Seekap Orchard in Olmsted County, MN (Zone 5a). Many apple varieties in SE Minnesota range between 3.5–5 cm measured at their widest point, width-wise. It’s been around six weeks sinc...

Weekly vegetable update - July 2, 2025

Natalie Hoidal & Marissa Schuh More severe weather affected some farms over the last week, though the steady warmth of this week is sending solanaceous and vine crops leapfrogging ahead. We got the 30-day forecast for July from NOAA this week , calling for above average temperature and average amounts of precipitation. Surprising pest of the season? Plant viruses Every crop we grow has at least a few (and for some crops many) viruses that can infect them. We typically see more of these during dry, hot weather, as the insects that move viruses around are small, heat-loving pests . Why are we seeing so much of this this year? Hard to say. Data from aphid trapping efforts indicate that we've had good weather for moving aphids around. We’ve seen virus symptoms in tomatoes and vine crops , which we see some level of every year, and some crops where we see them less often, like garlic and beans . How do you want to manage your virus infected crop? It's a decision you can make...

We're two weeks out from the Organic Fruit and Vegetable Field Day!

Marissa Schuh, Horticulture Integrated Pest Management extension educator Thinking about scaling up your vegetable production? Curious about irrigation setups, integrating chickens into a vegetable farm, or organic pest management? Want to connect with UMN researchers and extension educators? Sign up now to attend the Organic Fruit and Vegetable Field Day July 15 from 5-8 on the UMN St. Paul campus . Enjoy a free meal, tour university research plots, and network with other growers and resource people from the UMN. This event is free and will be interpreted, please register so we can make sure we have enough food and the right interpreters in place. This event is sponsored by the Midwest Transition to Organic Partnership Program. For more information and registration, visit the event information page  or fill out the below form. Loading… Questions? Reach out to Marissa Schuh at mschuh@umn.edu.

Postharvest Equipment for Small Farms - set yourself up for a successful and safe season

  Annalisa Hultberg, Extension Educator, food safety No farm is complete without a dedicated space and some sort of equipment for safely washing and packing produce. You do not need to spend a lot of money to have a safe, efficient and comfortable location to wash and pack your produce.  Non-mechanized postharvest equipment Spray tables and wash basins are the most basic and essential infrastructure to include in your packshed design. Spray tables Spray tables are used to spray bunched crops, pack boxes and more. Tables can be easily built using a variety of designs and materials. They consist of a frame (built from wood or metal), and a top with gaps that allow dirty water to run off the table as the produce is sprayed. Spray tables are the most effective option for cleaning bunched crops. Whatever spray table you build should be strong enough to hold the produce you will place on it and large enough to spray a good amount of produce at one time. Spray table with wooden frame...