Harvesting and Handling Vegetables Harvesting and Handling Vegetables Al Wagner, Extension food technologist Sam Cotner, Extension horticulturist Texas Agricultural Extension Service Harvesting at peak quality, handling properly and storing under optimum conditions help the overall eating quality of vegetables. Consider these points if vegetables are to be processed or eaten fresh.
Vegetables continue to carry on life processes even after picking.
It is important to retard these living reactions in mature products. For immature products such as green tomatoes store at room temperature to enhance the ripening process. Except for ripening, storage does not improve quality. A vegetable must possess high quality characteristics and be cultivated properly for it to be acceptable. Determining the point at which vegetables reach peak quality is no easy task.