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  • From: Adriana Gutierrez & Dennis LaGatta <gutierrez-lagatta AT home.com>
  • To: market farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Postharvest handling of strawberries
  • Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 06:03:37 -0400



> > While we pick the berries daily, I'm appalled by the short storage
> > life they have. It seem like about 4 hours!! We are essentially
> > moving them from the field to the 42 degree fridge in gallon
> > containers without washing.

Hi Allen,
Check out these sources for information on postharvest handling of
strawberries:

http://www.elements.nb.ca/theme/agriculture/charles/charles.htm
http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Produce/ProduceFacts/Fruit/strawberry.html
http://agalternatives.cas.psu.edu/strawberry.html

All of them say that the berries should be cooled to 32 degrees within
o1-2 hours of picking. Passive cooling (just putting containers in a
cooler) is not enough, you need to force the cold air through the
product. If you have a walk-in coller you can build a box out of
plywood, put the product in one end, put a box fan on the other and pul
the air through that way.

The http://agalternatives.cas.psu.edu site has some good background
information for a variety of crops and other small farm issues such as
financing and marketing.



  • Postharvest handling of strawberries, Adriana Gutierrez & Dennis LaGatta, 05/30/2000

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