You’ve planted the seeds and waited for your crop to come in. The real test for the home gardener is knowing when to pick the fruits of your labor.

Tomatoes should be picked when they are firm and have reached full color: crimson, red, yellow, depending on the variety.

Green peppers are often picked and used before full ripeness, so gauge ripeness by comparing the appearance of the fruit to the picture on the seed packet. Firmness is a ripeness indicator. If the pepper feels as though it has thin walls, it is not ready.

Zucchini tastes best when harvested at lengths from six to 10 inches. Don’t let them grow longer than one foot. After eight to 10 inches, zucchini gets tough and develops more seeds.

Pickle cucumbers should not be grown beyond approximately four inches. Other types can reach ripeness at nearly 15 inches. The longer cucumber types are ripe when they have a hint of the ridges and spininess associated with immature cucumbers.

Estimate ripeness of eggplant by comparing the crop to the size and shape described on the seed pack. The eggplant should be shiny and glossy. The stem and cap should be mint green or purple, depending on the type.

Most melons (muskmelons and cantaloupes) are ripe when they separate from the vine easily. A small tug should be enough. Other melon types are ripe when they turn from a greenish hue to a more yellow or orange color.

Onions are ready for final storage harvest when about half the plant leaves have begun to wilt. Leave the onions on a dry porch for a few days, then hang them.

Onions that have a seedhead when harvested should be eaten immediately because they won’t dry out adequately for storage.

The key to harvesting snap beans (green or wax) is to pick them before the pod shows any seed development. There should be no swelling where you can see the seed in the bean. The bean should literally snap when you break it.

Gardeners and non-gardeners alike relish the months of summer because of an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. There is nothing like eating a tomato right off the vine or a peach right off the tree, but washing our food first is always a good idea, whether it was grown in our own garden or one far away.

All fruits and vegetables pick up some dust, soil and other particles as well as chemicals, bacteria, fungi and other microbes that can be present when harvested.

Here are some hints that will help increase food safety and shelf life:

Temperature -

All firm fruits and vegetables, such as apples, pears, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, should be washed in warm water. If it hurts your hands, however, it is too hot.

Scrubbing -

It is recommended that you hold firm types of produce under running water and scrubbing over and over with your hands.

Spraying -

The best method for washing very ripe fruits or fragile berry fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, is to use the sink sprayer to rinse the fruit with warm water. Use a colander so you can gently turn and tumble the fruit as you spray.

Immersion -

If you don’t have a sink sprayer, berries and soft fruit should be placed in a wire basket or colander and immersed into a pot of warm water. Swish it up and down a few times, change the water, and repeat a few more times until the water remains clear. Soft fruits must be immersed quickly; if the fruit is allowed to absorb too much water it loses flavor, texture and aroma.

Drying -

Dry all fruit immediately, either by using paper towels or by air-drying with a fan. Greens, such as spinach, chard and kale, should be cooked while wet, immediately after washing.

Cold-water washing -

Produce used in salads (lettuce, radishes, carrots, etc.) should be washed in the coldest tap water available to maintain crispness.

Removing rinds -

Melons and other fruit with rinds should be washed prior to cutting and the rinds then removed before serving.

“Growing Green” is contributed by Diane Dorn, Lehigh County Extension Office Staff, and Master Gardeners. Information: Lehigh County Extension Office, 610-391-9840; Northampton County Extension Office, 610-813-6613.