How to harvest my garden vegetables?
I have a few raised beds with the basic garden vegetables. What is the best way to harvest my lettusses, tomatoes, peas and so forth?
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Peas and beans are picked as soon as they feel full. By gently running you fingers along the pod you can feel the pea inside. Peas, butter beans, and a few others are shelled before use. If you don't have enough to cook, rinse them and put in a freezer container and add more as they come in. Snaps(green beans) are broken or cut in bite size pieces and stored in same way.
Tomatoes are usually picked when ripened but can be picked green. Rinse green ones and place in paper bag. They actually ripen in the dark better and quicker so keep an eye on them. If you have too many you can place them in hot water for a few minutes, peel them and place in mason jars. Check how to can if you are not sure.
We never raised lettuce so I'm not sure. Most do not have a very long "shelf life".
For salads like spinach, kale, ect pick largest leaves and either use in salads or rinse and place in colander over steam and then place in freezer container. It can be added to until enough to cook.
I just leave the lettuce in place and cut off what I want to use. It will continue to grow all summer long. Same with spinach. I just pluck off each item as they are ready. I prefer to leave on the plant until ready to eat or freeze or can for future use.
I pick my green beans before they get to round as the seeds get too big and the beans get tough. I do that to both my bush beans and pole beans. I usually towards the end of the season let some grow to use for the next season. I take them out of the shell once it has dried up on the vine and let the beans dry in a single layer on an old cookie sheet before I store them for the winter. You can also do this with any of the seeds you get from heirloom vegetables and get the same as you planted next year. If you have too many tomatoes you can freeze them in the freezer and then put them into freezer bags and they won't stick together. The tough outer skin on the tomatoes keeps the inside from getting freezer burn. I wouldn't do that with small tomatoes like cherry tomatoes as they have so much more water in them.