Bring in your garden harvest tastily and safely

Vegetable gardening in the desert takes knowledge of soil and plants.

Getting vegetables to grow is a science. Knowing what to do with them can be an art.

This year, the Master Gardeners at the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension have walked newcomers through the basics of getting their soil in shape for sowing and then plant selection, fertilization, irrigation and cultivation.

Then what?

Dave Brady is always offering gardening tips – it’s why he’s a Master Gardener. But this spring he is gathering others to share ideas and tips for harvesting and properly preparing food from the garden.

Anyone wanting to learn can stop in at the Maricopa Agricultural Center (MAC) on April 18 from 9 a.m. to noon. Technically part of a series on desert gardening, the class does not require registration and is free.

1. Harvesting

Two local farmers, Judy Walp and Wayne Naegle, will explain best harvesting practices. They will talk about correct techniques for different plants.

“They’ll talk about how to do it property,” Brady says. “Like how do you harvest spinach. Do you cut it off at the ground or pull it out of the ground? That kind of stuff.”

Judy and her husband Jerry have a garden named for them at the MAC.

2. Food Safety

Stewart Jacobson, the Food Safety Projects coordinator for the Arizona Department of Agriculture, normally teaches and certifies farmers and food handlers in Good Handling Practices and Good Agricultural Practices (GHP/GAP). For the MAC event, he will fit the GHP/GAP to fit the backyard gardener.

Because no one wants to poison themselves accidentally.

“He’ll talk about ‘How do I take that, process stuff from my garden so I don’t end up making my family sick,’” Brady says.

3. Food Preservation

Cathy Martinez, PhD, is associate agent in family, consumer and health sciences at the Cooperative Extension. One of her specialties is preserving food.

“A lot of people will plant their tomatoes and they come in all at once and they can’t eat them,” Brady says. “Zucchini is another classic case.”

Martinez says she will briefly talk about pressure canning and water-bath canning and will mostly talk about freezing and drying produce.

Though there is no time to demonstrate the skill, she will bring samples of dried veggies for participants to taste.