Food safety training handouts

POST HARVESTHANDLING (Field Exercise) Thepurposeof thisfield e.rercise to understand pelform the necessat), is and techniques post lnrvest for hortdlingof a wide varien,of produce,in nuiltipledifferentlnrvest cortditiotts. Decision Making for Harvest . Type of produce being harvested.' Care should be taken to understand ability of any given the item to hold up post harvestin the field. Thereare somethat can endurea lot of stress and go to marketlooking greatand otherssuchas lettuce that needutmostsensitivity. o Time until sale: Leafy produceshouldbe harvested cooledjust prior to distributionor market and (unlessrefrigerationis available). Someproducelike winter squash garlic can be processed or and storedfor monthsprior to distribution. t Weatherconditions outside.' The time of day a certainitem is harvested, and the time that item sits in the field after harvestcan differ greatlydepending the weatheroutside. If the temp is 50 on degrees, underan overcastsky, your urgencyis greatlyreduced. Beansand otherproduce,which shouldbe dry upon harvest,shouldnot be harvested the rain or first thing in the morning when in dew is present. o Cold Storage/Cool Pack resource availability; If refrigeration is available on site, taking the "field heat" out of an item is often enoughcooling beforegoing into reeferstorage.If thereis no onsitereefer,top icing wax boxes is often necessary keep producein prime conditionbefore to delivery. c Field durability.' Some items hold up just fine under the sun for a brief time. Other items like greensand lettuceshould be shadedimmediatelyafter harvestand hydro-cooledas soonas possible. Specific Handline Procedures Based on Type of Produce Greensand Lettucesshould not spendany significanttime in the field or without adequate shade. They shouldgenerallybe harvested first, and cooledin cold water/icebath immediatelyafter leaving the field. Lettucesand greensshouldbe inspected and cleanedbeforeenteringbath. Green beans shouldbe harvested beforemid-dayheat is present. Beanscannotbe hydro-cooled (cold bath) because rust due to excessive of moisture,therefore, shouldbe cooledin reeferas soon as they are harvested preserve to crispness. Beetsand Catols should be forked, followed by simultaneous washingand hydro-cooling.Pull off any ugly greensof carrots;be slightly lesscriticalof beetsdue to the fact that theregreens are so widely enjoyed. They shouldbe bunchedand storedbelow forty degrees.Carrotsdo well in bins or perforated bags in cold storage. Broccoli and Cauliflower shouldbe iced and or hydro-cooledimmediatelyfollowing harvest. Specialcareshould be takento insuregreencaterpillars not presentunderthe "trees." are Cucumbersshouldbe hydro-cooledimmediatelyand washeddown to removeany "spike" that may be present. Cucumbers can be storedin lugs or flats with lids and shouldbe kept cool betweenforty and fifty degrees. Eggplants shouldbe handledwith delicatecarefollowing harvest. The skin showsrough treatment and punctureswith ease. Eggplants shouldbe sold as soon as possible. Tomatoescan be harvested any time of the day, and shouldbe packedgently into a box at immediatelyfollowing. Egg cratepackagingis the bestfor avoiding tomatodamageand layers shouldnot be stackedmore than four high in a box. Large heirloom varietieshave a tendency to be VERY delicateand shouldbe handledappropriately.Greentomatoesgleanedfrom vine before frost can be wrappedindividuallyin newspaper storedin a cool areainsidea wax box. They and will slowly ripen and provide you with tomatoes from your gardenlong after the last plants outsidehavedied off.

SaladMix is generally placedin cold-water bathafterharvest.This keepstemperature down while providingthe farmera goodopportunity thoroughly to mix the saladfor gooduniformity. It i s d u ri n gth i s ti m e i n w h i c hy o u canpi ck out w eeds andugl y l eaves. l ow i ngthew ashi ng Fol and mixing the saladshouldbe thoroughly spundried. This canbe donein a varietyof ways. The most advanced beinga commercial salad spinner.Washingmachine spincycleswork well in conjunction with a tightly netted meshlaundrybag. It is important thai the mix is relativelydried beforebeing bagged,excessive moisturecan lead to rot. Perforated bagsare helpful. Melons can be harvested your leisure at although melonharvested the cool of morningwill a in have a bettertexturedown the road than a melon harvested the deepheat. They shouldbe in storedaround45 degrees and can last for a coupleof weeks. Potatoescan be harvested anytimeof the day but shouldbe handledcarefullyafterwards.It is now the accepted methodof postharvesthandlingof tubersto eithernot washthem at all or give them the lightestof dustings.This reduces chance disturbing tearing the of or theirskin and thus greatlyreducingtherestoragetime. Potatoes be storedin jute bagsor bins. Storein a cool can dark placefor optimal lengthof storage. Onions/Garlic generally needsomecuring after harvest. This providesan opportunityto dry the stemor "neck" out making it possibleto clip then storethe produce. Garlic is often curedby hangingit in bunched ten to twentyin a relatively of cool dark space.Onionscanbe curedby layingthemout on meshwire with decent airflow aboveand below them. This insures goodeven drying of the stemand will providethe necka goodclosure.This is important promote to good storability. This is just an exampleof how someveggies like to be treated postharvest, most veggies similarto those listedherecan be treatedin a similar wav.

Fo o d Safety 0vervrew The majority of farm fresh foods are wholesome and safe to eat raw. However, as a farme4 it is necessary that you take steps to reduce the risk of contamination to protect your customers and your business.There are some key practices you should follow to ensure the safety of your food, called Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Below are a sample of GAP practices. Your farm can be'GAP Certified' by an auditor. . Know the historyof the land. Havechemicals manure or Soil beenapplied the landin the past? to . Selectfieldsthat are uphilland/orwell separatedfrom animal housing and grazing areasto avoidcontamination from animal manureor animals' feet. . Use compostedmanureinstead freshmanureon fields of when possible. . Maximize time betweenmanureapplication crop the and harvest. . Documentall manureapplications your fields. to . Be famifiarwith the source of your water. Where does it w a t sr come from? Are there any operationsupstreamthat may affectits quality? . Be sure that your water wellsare designed and maintained properly. . Encourage workers to wear clean,protectiveclothingin the w 0 r k er s field. . Providetoilet facilities all workers in the field and in the to packinghouse. . Followinstructionswhen usingpesticides. chemicals . Store chemicalsproperly. . Periodically cleanand rinsesprayequipment keepit in to good working condition. . Developdailycleaningschedules work surfaces, for handling restrooms,and keep maintenance logs. . Removeexcesssoil from produce in field. . Protect producefrom direct sun exposure. . Wash out harvestbinsregularly reducesources to of contamination. CropsFor Market 7 Harvesting

Food safety training handouts

by Community Food Security Coalition on Nov 09, 2010

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Food safety training handouts — Document Transcript