How to Pick Vegetables at Peak Flavor

Know the best time to harvest each vegetable, and you will reap the maximum in taste and quality from the garden. Sweet corn reaches highest quality for only a short time. It is best when kernels are at the milky stage. If uncertain, try the thumbnail test. Pull back a small portion of the husk, and press the nail into one or two of the kernels. If the inner part of the kernel is milky when pressed out, the kernels are at the proper eating stage. If somewhat thick or doughy, they are past prime.

From the outside, the husk should appear tight and the silk fairly dry. Green beans are normally ready to pick two to three weeks after first bloom. They are at their best before seeds reach full size. If allowed to remain until seeds are fully developed, the pods will be tough and often stringy. Onions are close to maturity about the time that the tops bend over just above the bulbs. Normally, they can be harvested about the time that 75 percent of the tops in a planting have bent down.

The stem when bent above the bulb appears to develop a more close neck that makes the bulb store better. Therefore, some gardeners bend over all onions a few weeks before harvest. Cabbage heads should feel firm when pressed, but size is not too important. If left too long some heads may split after heavy rains. When heads split they should be harvested and used promptly. Cut off some of the roots with a spade, or twist the heads to tear off some of the roots, and reduce tendency toward splitting when heads are well developed.

Potato tubers increase in size until the tops yellow and die. Immature potatoes have a skin that rubs off easily, while mature potatoes do not. Immature tubers should be used first since they will not store well. Tomatoes have the best flavor when they are picked fully ripe. At that time they can be easily broken from the vine with a slight twist. Cucumbers may be used at any desired size. When seeds are fully developed, or when the rind begins to yellow, they are too mature.

Summer squash should be used before seeds ripen or before the rind hardens. If the rind can be easily penetrated with the thumbnail, they are at the proper eating stage. Winter squash and pumpkins should not be picked until late summer when they are fully ripe and the rind is hard. Cut them with a piece of stem attached for better storage. Cantaloupe, or muskmelon, is ready when the stem slips easily from the fruit when pressed by the thumb.

Watermelon is generally ripe when the white spot where the fruit rests on the ground takes on a yellowish tinge. At this time the tendril at the place of attachment of the fruit stem and vine usually dies. Thumping melons is not a dependable method for judging maturity.

A Harvest of Color: Growing a Vegetable Garden, by Melanie Eclare.