June Harvest Crops: Foods to Reap in Mid-Year

June Harvest Crops: Foods to Reap in Mid-Year

Harvesting Delights in June: Your Veggie Guide

June is a bountiful month for gardeners, offering a smorgasbord of fruits and veggies ripe for the picking. Here's our tutorial on sowing seeds throughout the year to steer clear of gluts, and your guide on preserving your harvests when you find yourself with an overabundance of one delicious item.

• What to Grow in June

Get ready to pluck five crops this June, detailed below.

Peas

Savor your first harvest of peas like sugar snap peas in June, as these early pickings are often the sweetest and most delectable. Consume them swiftly, as sugar quickly converts to starch, resulting in a drop in flavor.

Broad Beans

Broad beans sown in autumn or under cover in early spring should be ready to pick by June. Yank pods gently from the plant base, using a twisting motion to spare the plant stem.

New Potatoes

Start pulling up new potatoes from mid-June, including both first early and second early cultivars. Remember that these initial spuds will be smaller, so leave a few to dig later.

More Recipes for Your New Potato Harvest

Discover scrumptious methods to cook your new potato bounty at BBC Good Food.

Gooseberries

Underripe gooseberries are ready to pluck off the bush in June, perfect for concocting tarts, sauces, and jams. Snag around half the berries on the plant, leaving the rest to ripen for July's harvest.

Strawberries

June is the traditional month for strawberry picking, but now you can savor ** strawberries** all summer long. Dress them with cream or devour them straight off the vine.

Tips for Fresh Storage

• Keep some produce at room temperature, such as bananas, cucumbers, green beans, summer squash, tomatoes, and watermelon to boost shelf life without refrigeration.[5] Relocate fruits like peaches, apricots, and nectarines to the fridge once ripe for extended freshness.[5]
• Resist washing fruits and veggies immediately after plucking unless you plan to use them imminently; clean just before consumption to avoid excess moisture that speeds up spoilage.[5]

Methods for Preservation

1. Canning- Pressure can vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and peas, which sterilizes them with high heat and stretches storage capacity.[3]- Peaches and other fruits can also be successfully canned, allowing them to provide off-season enjoyment.[3]

2. Freezing- Many veggies, such as peas, freeze well once prepared appropriately, keeping spoilage at bay while preserving much of their texture and nutrients.[3]

3. Pickling and Fermenting- Pickle cucumbers or other veggies, bypassing the need for canning.- Craft pickles and refrigerator pickles that are simple to prepare, easy to store, and bursting with flavor.[4]

4. Dehydrating- Drying fruits and veggies eliminates moisture, stopping mold and spoilage. This method maintains a rich flavor and is ideal for storage without refrigeration.[3]

5. Wrapping and Tape Techniques- Secure certain produce, such as tomatoes, with clear tape on the base to prolong storage life.[2]- Wrap banana roots with wet tissue for about a week, preserving freshness.[2]

Culinary Uses for Nutrient Retention and Flavor Amplification

• Utilize June produce in simple recipes like smoothies, grilled vegetables, salads, and fruit treats to savor seasonal flavors without wastage.
• Prepare dishes like roasted roots (beets and carrots) or chilled soups featuring zucchini and avocado to support preservation by means of cooking, enhancing sweetness and nutrients.[1]

By combining proper storage strategies with preservation methods like canning, freezing, pickling, fermenting, dehydrating, and wrapping techniques, June-harvested fruits and veggies can be savored far past their prime season.[1][3][4][5]

• Incorporate June-grown peas, broad beans, new potatoes, gooseberries, and strawberries into your home-and-garden produce for a versatile lifestyle, with options to cook, can, freeze, pickle, ferment, dehydrate, or wrap them for extended freshness.
• When landscaping and cultivating your home-and-garden, consider planting June crops like peas, broad beans, and gooseberries in your garden, complementing your home-and-garden's beauty while improving your lifestyle with fresh, seasonal produce.

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