With the warming weather, Minnesota gardeners are starting to plant their edible crops. So, it is a good time to review tips for safely growing and harvesting vegetables and fruits in your garden. The safe garden produce preparation, maintenance, harvesting, storage and serving steps in this article help avoid foodborne illnesses with your garden fruits and vegetables.

Why Safety Tips are Needed

Foodborne illness caused by the naturally occurring bacteria, viruses, molds and/or pathogens found on raw produce not carefully washed or prepared can make you sick. (Note: These microorganisms are present in your garden whether you choose to use organic or conventional gardening methods). Additionally, it is also possible to get sick from contamination of produce from chemicals, such as cleaning solutions, fertilizers, pesticides, and heavy metals (lead) and other chemicals that may be found in garden soil or well water.

Safely Growing and Harvesting Produce in Your Garden

Site Preparation

• Locate your produce gardens away from manure piles, well caps, garbage cans, septic systems and areas where wildlife or the family pets roam.

• Use compost safely. Compost is the natural breakdown of organic materials, and also a source of pathogens. To be safe for gardening, your compost must reach a temperature of at least 130°F. Check the temperature with a compost thermometer. Do not use any animal waste, including pet waste, meat scraps or dairy product waste, in your compost bin.

Garden Maintenance

• Use a safe water source, such as from municipal or public water systems. Avoid lakes, streams, ponds and streams as a water source, where they can be polluted by human sewage or animal waste, fertilizers and pesticides from lawns and farm fields, or chemicals from industry. Ground water, the source for well water, is less likely to have microbial contaminants, but test your well water yearly to ensure it is safe.

• Curtail animals and birds near your vegetation during the gardening season, by keeping pets away, minimizing vegetation at the edges to decrease nesting and hiding places for rats and mice, and stopping feeding of wild animals and birds near your produce garden. Discourage your backyard critters with the use of fencing and noise deterrents. 

Harvesting

• Use clean containers, preferably food-grade containers, to set your harvest in. Containers, such as garbage cans or old plastic bags, that originally held chemicals such as household cleaners or pesticides are not food-grade.

• Use clean hands or clean gloves (that have not been used to stir compost or pull weeds) when picking produce.

• Do not harvest when you are sick or have symptoms of an illness.

• Brush, shake or rub off any excess garden soil or debris before bringing produce into the kitchen. Watch out for signs of animals like scat, fur and nibbled produce, and discard the produce that is close to these signs, or that has visible animal feces on it. 

Storage

• If you choose to wash fruits and vegetables before storing, be sure to dry them thoroughly with a clean paper towel. (Never wash berries until you are ready to eat them.)

• If you choose to store without washing, shake, rub or brush off any garden dirt with a paper towel or soft brush while still outside. Store unwashed produce in plastic bags or containers.

• Keep fruit and vegetable bins clean.

• When washing produce fresh from the warm outdoors, the rinse water should not be more than 10 degrees colder than the produce. If you are washing refrigerated produce, use cold water.

• Fruits and vegetables needing refrigeration can be stored at 40° F or less.

• Fruits and vegetables stored at room temperature (onions, potatoes, tomatoes) should be in a cool, dry, pest-free, well-ventilated area separate from household chemicals.

• Canning and Preserving: Follow the USDA guidelines and jar instructions for safe canning: https://nchfp.uga.edu 

Serving

• Always wash your hands before serving. Always wash your produce before eating.

• Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under cool, running, clean water, even if you do not plan to eat the skin or rind.

• Never use soap, detergent, or bleach solution to wash fresh fruits or vegetables. These solutions can affect flavor and may not be safe to ingest.

• Most root vegetables will need to be washed (before going into the kitchen) to remove sand and soil. Use a clean bucket or spray table outside to spray or dunk the produce to remove soil. Avoid bringing the produce into your home kitchen before using, as there is more potential for cross-contamination.

• Avoid cross-contamination when preparing fruits and vegetables, which occurs when a clean work surface, such as a cutting board or utensil (paring knife) or uncontaminated food is contaminated by dirty work surfaces, utensils, hands or food. 

• If you have leftover produce that has been cut, sliced, or cooked, store it in clean, air-tight containers in the refrigerator at 40°F or less.

Fresh, home-grown vegetables and fruit can be a delicious pleasure. Follow these simple rules to make sure they are also safe for you and your family to enjoy.

Sources:

1. https://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/manual/five-steps-food-safe-fruit-vegetable-gardening/

2. https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/harvest-your-garden-produce-safely

Photo Credit: Mary Gadek (1,2,3)