Fruit and Vegetable News

Annalisa Hultberg, Extension Educator, food safety Orchards and U-picks are welcoming large number of visitors to the farm. When you invite the public to your farm there are additional food safety and liability concerns to consider to keep your customers safe and your risk as low as possible to avoid a foodborne illness outbreak.  Here are some key recommendations to keep your customers safe and healthy this fall.  Photo: Annie Klodd What are the risks? Many bacteria like Salmonella , Campylobacter and E. coli can be spread to fresh produce from animals and sick humans. Viruses like Norovirus and Hepatitis   can easily transmitted between humans via fresh produce and other food, surfaces and the air.  These bacteria and viruses can seriously sicken people, especially the young, old, and immunocompromised.  There have been outbreaks at agritourism farms, especially those that have animals. Take some basic precautions to reduce the potential for these illness to be spread on your farm. S

Madeline Wimmer, UMN Extension educator and Cindy Tong, UMN Professor & Extension postharvest horticulturist Images: A collection of apple disorders caused by or worsened by storage conditions. This includes 1) soft scald and 2) internal flesh browning, which result from storage temperatures that are colder than an apple can tolerate, as well as 2) bitter pit—a physiologically disorder related to calcium use in the apple fruit—which can start in the field, and worsen in storage. The Minnesota apple industry primarily sells apples through direct sales at farm stands, farmers markets, community supported agriculture (CSA), and agritourism. For example, it’s not uncommon for an apple orchard visit in the fall to be routine for elementary school classes, or for families to make a trip to an orchard on a Saturday afternoon to enjoy apples, pumpkins, and festivities. Thus, most apples grown in Minnesota aren’t stored for very long; but even short term storage requires some consideration

Annalisa Hultberg, extension educator, food safety If you are seeking funds to help purchase equipment and infrastructure for your farm, the MDA has a new grant program to help with these costs. The Beginning Farmer Equipment and Infrastructure Grant program from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture offers up to $20,000 for beginning farmers in Minnesota to make investments in their farm’s equipment and infrastructure. Apple bins, totes, and farm-specific machinery are all examples of eligible expenses for this grant The intent of this grant program is to support new farmers in Minnesota to access equipment and develop infrastructure that will be crucial to the future of their farm business. The grant can be used to purchase: Farm equipment Farm infrastructure development such as investments in water access, irrigation, fencing, electricity, walk-in coolers, production-related structures such as livestock buildings and greenhouses, and other farm infrastructure. Applicants may reque

Author: Madeline Wimmer This fruit update contains information about… Postharvest fruit handling Apples Bitter pit management: Thinking ahead for the next growing season. Grapes Berry bruising from late-season heavy wind, rain, and small-hail. 2024 Fruit and Veg Updates survey This article will conclude the University of Minnesota (UMN) Extension fruit update series for the 2024 growing season. While our regular updates are wrapping up for this year, the growing season is not done for everyone. If you find yourself needing production support during these final weeks, reach out through the contact link above. Additionally, the newsletter will continue to publish more fruit-related content throughout the year, and into next year until the next fruit update series begins. I hope you have found value in this series for your production needs and look forward to joining the growing season with you, next year! -Madeline Wimmer, UMN Extension educator, fruit production  Postharvest fruit handl

Madeline Wimmer- UMN Fruit Production Extension Educator Image: University of Minnesota (UMN) researchers evaluate hundreds of apples each year to search for unique, well-performing apple varieties that match or surpass the Honeycrisp standard. Seen in this photo is David Bedford, Jack Tillman, and Sarah Kostick, UMN apple researchers and breeders; and Kate Scapanski, UMN apple researcher. With its original release in 1991, it’s been a while since the Honeycrisp apple was released and began a revival in apple consumption throughout America. The Honeycrisp apple was and still is adored for its balance of sweetness and tartnes, juiciness, and its signature crisp texture. To this day, a number of apples that are just as excellent in quality have been released by the University of Minnesota (UMN) fruit breeding program: Zestar!®, SweeTango®, First Kiss® (aka Rave®), and, most recently, Kudos®, and Triumph®. Today, the efforts to breed apples through traditional breeding methods continue fo

Authors: Marissa Schuh and Natalie Hoidal Looking ahead the next two weeks, we are looking at warm (daytime highs in the 80s) and dry (good for harvest!) weather. We are maybe five weeks away from the first frost in the metro area, but we are wrapping up our updates now as we are reaching the end of the time where we can take meaningful action to deal with problems this season. Feel free to reach out to us (contact info above) if you have any questions about things you are seeing on your farm. Cover crop time Across Minnesota, the windows for planting cover crops are quickly closing in. While there are a few crops you can plant into October (winter rye, winter wheat, winter camelina), many cover crops are reaching the point in the season where they will not reliably germinate and establish before winter. If you're hoping to squeeze in a legume cover crop still this fall, some options include vetch, pea, and lentils. Use the Midwest Cover Crops Council tool to generate a planting

  By Marissa Schuh, Integrated Pest Management Extension Educator. Originally published September 2021, updated in September 2024. Pumpkins and winter squash are getting closer to harvest across the state. While many fruit look great, all the moisture considered, every farm has a few that look a little off. Read on for common causes of sad pumpkins in Minnesota. Elongated scares? Think spiny stems It's hard out here for a plant. Gif: Marissa Schuh, University of Minnesota Extension. Depending on the variety, the spiny stems and leaves of cucurbits means some scabbiness is a fact of life.  But when is that spot, scab, or speck something to make note of when selecting sites and varieties for next year? Read on for some common issues and things to think about. Peanut-like scabs? Think Oedema If you are in a part of the state that got a large amount of rain at the end of August, you may have noticed some pumpkins and squash with scabby growths.  I have noticed it in some heirloom, Hub