Fruit and Vegetable News

Annalisa Hultberg, Extension Educator, food safety This time of year we get calls and emails from growers thinking about their markets and expanding opportunities this coming season. You may have heard about a GAP audit, and wonder what it is and how it could benefit your operation.  Here are 5 key things to think about if you are considering a GAP audit. What is a GAP audit?  A GAP audit is basically a verification that your farm is following science-based best practices for food safety in growing fresh produce. An auditor from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) or another certifying body comes to your farm with a checklist to verify that you use Good Agricultural Practices during the growing, harvesting, packing, storage, and transportation of your product. It is not a law or regulation; it is a voluntary audit that you pay for, and farmers generally get it to access a market that requires an audit.   Read more about what the audit is and who needs it: 1...

Cool temperatures have made for comfortable planting weather, but we’ve seen quite a few cold stressed plants this week. The week ahead looks ideal for planting: warmer, drier weather means it’s time to plant all of our warm-season vegetables outdoors. This week you’ll want to keep an eye on: cutworms, high tunnel humidity, and preventing plant damage when using landscape fabric and plastic mulch. Cold stressed plants Heat-loving plants like cucumbers, sweet potatoes, bail, and peppers can experience significant cold stress when they’re moved outside, even if temperatures don’t technically reach freezing. While it can be tempting to start planting in early to mid May when the weather is warm and sunny, we so often have a cold snap towards the end of May that it’s usually worth waiting until early June to plant our heat-loving veggies. The basil and sweet potatoes in the photos below show classic signs of cold damage. They will likely survive, but they are starting the season at a disad...