Fruit and Vegetable News

Annalisa Hultberg, Extension Educator, food safety Good agricultural practices, or GAPs, are practical steps that farmers take to protect their fresh fruits and vegetables from harmful bacteria and viral pathogens that can make people sick. Many fresh fruit and vegetables are consumed raw, meaning there is not a processing step to kill any potentially harmful microbes that might be present. Therefore, preventing contamination in the first place is the goal. A food safety plan is your farm's roadmap to help prevent microbial contamination of your fresh produce. Who needs a food safety plan? At this time most Minnesota growers are not required to have a farm food safety plan unless they have a GAP audit on their product, or unless their customer – typically a distributor, grocery store, school or restaurant – requires it. If you need to have a GAP audit, the first thing you need is a written food safety plan. If you are interested in learning more about the process for getting a GA...

 Authors: Shane Bugeja, Local Extension Educator, and Natalie Hoidal, Extension Educator for local foods and vegetable crops Most farmers are still busy harvesting, cleaning fields, and preparing for next year. However, as your workload begins to slow down, consider taking some time to monitor for invasive species on your farm. While this article is about woodland invasive plants, we are posting it here because many fruit and vegetable farms in Minnesota have wood lots or small forested patches. Two plants in particular should be actively managed in these plots in order to maintain a diverse and healthy woodland ecosystem: Buckthorn and Garlic Mustard. Both plants are most effectively managed in the fall and in early spring. Buckthorn Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) or glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus) arrived in Minnesota in the 1850s; it was brought from Europe as a landscaping plant. Indeed, in its first few years of growth, it forms a dense patch of shrubs with nice dark ...