Food safety training handouts for small to medium size farms, from the short course "Food Safety & Liability Insurance"

1. POSTHARVESTHANDLING
(FieldExercise)
Thepurposeof thisfield e.rerciseis to understandandpelform thenecessat),techniquesfor postlnrvest
hortdlingof a wide varien,of produce,in nuiltipledifferentlnrvest cortditiotts.
DecisionMaking for Harvest
. Typeof produce being harvested.'Careshouldbe takento understandthe ability of any given
item to hold up postharvestin thefield. Therearesomethatcanendurea lot of stressandgo to
marketlookinggreatandotherssuchaslettucethatneedutmostsensitivity.
o Time until sale: Leafy produceshouldbeharvestedandcooledjust prior to distributionor market
(unlessrefrigerationis available).Someproducelike winter squashor garliccanbeprocessedand
storedfor monthsprior to distribution.
t Weatherconditionsoutside.'The time of daya certainitem is harvested,andthetime thatitem
sitsin thefield afterharvestcandiffer greatlydependingon the weatheroutside. If thetempis 50
degrees,underan overcastsky, your urgencyis greatlyreduced.Beansandotherproduce,which
shouldbe dry uponharvest,shouldnot beharvestedin therain or first thing in themorningwhen
dew is present.
o Cold Storage/CoolPack resourceavailability; If refrigerationis availableon site,taking the
"field heat"out of an item is oftenenoughcoolingbeforegoing into reeferstorage.If thereis no
onsitereefer,top icing wax boxesis oftennecessaryto keepproducein primeconditionbefore
delivery.
c Field durability.' Some itemshold upjust fine underthesunfor a brief time. Other itemslike
greensandlettuceshouldbe shadedimmediatelyafterharvestandhydro-cooledassoonas
possible.
SpecificHandline ProceduresBasedon Type of Produce
Greensand Lettucesshouldnot spendanysignificanttime in thefield or withoutadequateshade.
They shouldgenerallybe harvestedfirst,andcooledin cold water/icebathimmediatelyafter
leavingthefield. Lettucesandgreensshouldbe inspectedandcleanedbeforeenteringbath.
Greenbeansshouldbe harvestedbeforemid-dayheatis present.Beanscannotbe hydro-cooled
(coldbath)becauseof rustdueto excessivemoisture,therefore,shouldbe cooledin reeferassoon
astheyareharvestedto preservecrispness.
Beetsand Catols shouldbe forked,followedby simultaneouswashingandhydro-cooling.Pull
off any ugly greensof carrots;be slightlylesscriticalof beetsdue to thefact thattheregreensare
sowidely enjoyed. They shouldbebunchedandstoredbelow forty degrees.Carrotsdo well in
binsor perforatedbagsin cold storage.
Broccoli and Cauliflower shouldbe icedandor hydro-cooledimmediatelyfollowingharvest.
Specialcareshouldbe takento insuregreencaterpillarsarenot presentunderthe"trees."
Cucumbersshouldbe hydro-cooledimmediatelyandwasheddown to removeany"spike" that
may be present. Cucumberscanbe storedin lugsor flatswith lids andshouldbekeptcool
betweenforty and fifty degrees.
Eggplantsshouldbe handledwith delicatecarefollowing harvest.The skin showsrough
treatmentandpunctureswith ease.Eggplantsshouldbe soldassoonaspossible.
Tomatoescanbeharvestedat any timeof theday,andshouldbepackedgentlyinto a box
immediatelyfollowing. Egg cratepackagingis thebestfor avoidingtomatodamageandlayers
shouldnot be stackedmore thanfour high in a box. Largeheirloomvarietieshavea tendencyto
be VERY delicateandshouldbe handledappropriately.Greentomatoesgleanedfrom vinebefore
frostcanbe wrappedindividuallyin newspaperandstoredin a coolareainsidea wax box. They
will slowly ripenandprovideyou with tomatoesfrom your gardenlong afterthelastplants
outsidehavediedoff.

2. SaladMix is generallyplacedin cold-waterbathafterharvest.This keepstemperaturedown
whileprovidingthefarmera goodopportunityto thoroughlymix thesaladfor gooduniformity.It
isduringthistimein whichyoucanpickoutweedsanduglyleaves.Followingthewashingand
mixingthesaladshouldbe thoroughlyspundried. This canbedonein a varietyof ways. The
mostadvancedbeinga commercialsaladspinner.Washingmachinespincycleswork well in
conjunctionwith a tightlynettedmeshlaundrybag. It is importantthaithemix is relativelydried
beforebeingbagged,excessivemoisturecanleadto rot. Perforatedbagsarehelpful.
Melonscanbeharvestedat your leisurealthougha melonharvestedin thecoolof morningwill
havea bettertexturedown theroadthana melonharvestedin thedeepheat. Theyshouldbe
storedaround45 degreesandcanlastfor a coupleof weeks.
Potatoescanbe harvestedanytimeof thedaybut shouldbe handledcarefullyafterwards.It is
now theacceptedmethodof postharvesthandlingof tubersto eithernot washthemat all or give
themthelightestof dustings.Thisreducesthechanceof disturbingor tearingtheirskinandthus
greatlyreducingtherestoragetime. Potatoescanbe storedinjute bagsor bins. Storein a cool
darkplacefor optimallengthof storage.
Onions/Garlic generallyneedsomecuringafterharvest.This providesanopportunityto dry the
stemor "neck" out making it possibleto clip thenstoretheproduce.Garlicis oftencuredby
hangingit in bunchedof tento twentyin a relativelycooldarkspace.Onionscanbecuredby
layingthemout on meshwire with decentairflowaboveandbelowthem. This insuresgoodeven
dryingof thestemandwill providethenecka goodclosure.This is importantto promotegood
storability.
Thisisjust anexampleof how someveggieslike to betreatedpostharvest,mostveggiessimilarto those
listedherecanbetreatedin a similar wav.

3. 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.
Food Safety
Soil
watsr
w 0 r kers
chemicals
handling
. Know the historyof the land.Havechemicalsor manure
beenappliedto the landin the past?
. Selectfieldsthat are uphilland/orwell separatedfrom animal
housingandgrazingareasto avoidcontaminationfrom animal
manureor animals'feet.
. Usecompostedmanureinsteadof freshmanureon fields
when possible.
. Maximizethe time betweenmanureapplicationandcrop
harvest.
. Documentall manureapplicationsto your fields.
. Befamifiarwith the sourceof your water.Where doesit
comefrom? Are there anyoperationsupstreamthat may
affectits quality?
. Besurethat your water wellsaredesignedandmaintained
properly.
. Encourageworkers to wear clean,protectiveclothingin the
field.
. Providetoilet facilitiesto allworkers in the fieldand in the
packinghouse.
. Followinstructionswhenusingpesticides.
. Storechemicalsproperly.
. Periodicallycleanandrinsesprayequipmentto keepit in
goodworkingcondition.
. Developdailycleaningschedulesfor work surfaces,
restrooms,andkeepmaintenancelogs.
. Removeexcesssoil from producein field.
. Protectproducefrom direct sunexposure.
. Washout harvestbinsregularlyto reducesourcesof
contamination.
HarvestingCropsForMarket 7