Strawberry harvesting
The maturation period of berries depends on the sum of active temperatures and the beginning of vegetation of strawberry plants. The duration of ripening of berries depends more on weather conditions than on varietal characteristics and maturity. As a rule, with early spring and warm summer berries ripen in 21-24 days, with a cold long spring - after 35-45 days after flowering. If during the ripening the air temperature decreases, the fruiting is stretched, in the dry summer it is shortened.
Demountable maturity is characterized by the degree of coloring of berries. Depending on the purpose, the berries are harvested when they are completely or partially colored. For on-site consumption and processing, the berries are harvested at full maturity, for transport, especially for significant distances - with redness of 3/4 berries.
In the bush of strawberry fruits mature not simultaneously. Therefore, the berries are collected in several receptions, selectively, with an interval of several days. For consumption in fresh form in cool weather clean after 2-4 days, in hot - every other day. For processing, berries can be collected less often.
Berries are harvested carefully, with a cup and part of the stalk. Collected without a calyx and stalk fruit lose their appearance, crumple, quickly deteriorate. The technique of collection is as follows: with the left hand, the collector lifts the leaves and supports the flower spike, and with the thumb and forefinger of the right hand plucks the berry with a part of the peduncle and the calyx. When collecting, you should not pick up a lot of berries in your hand.
Collect berries you need at the same time in two baskets, good - in one, and defective, sick, ugly or heavily soiled - in another.
Technique collection of strawberries : the thumb and forefinger of the right hand pluck the berry with a part of the peduncle and cup and drop it into the basket
Usually strawberries are harvested in crate baskets with a capacity of 2.5 kg. The baskets must be clean and dry. In no event can you collect strawberries in the sieve. The bottom in the sieve is soft, sagging. During the collection, the sieve has to be raised several times, transferred and put again. Delicate, juicy berries at the same time, and from the sieve flowing juice.
The basket to the top should not be filled, since the berries below can be wrinkled. In addition, during transportation it is necessary to put one basket on another, and this affects the quality of the berries. Pour berries from one container to another should not, from this they crumple and quickly deteriorate.
If possible, berries in these baskets, trying not to shake, are taken to some cool place( cellar, pantry, refrigerator), leaving the berries there until they are needed.
Collected berries can not be left in the sun: they are overripe or "baked".Moreover, you can not leave berries without cover during the rain. To the table it is best to serve berries, laying them in a wide vase, previously covered with fresh strawberry, maple or grape leaves. If, in spite of all precautions, the berries are soiled with earth, which can easily happen in rainy weather, the berries should be washed with water, but this should be done shortly before serving them to the table. If the washed berries stand for a while, then they turn from glossy appetizing to frosted and lose their flavor.
The time of day in which it is best to harvest strawberries depends on whether berries are used immediately after harvesting or are to be transported.
For the needs of its own farm, it does not matter at what time of the day it is collected. In this case, it is only about collecting the most beautiful, ripe and most fragrant berries.
If quite ripe berries will stay on the plant one or two days longer than they should, they will be less fresh and fragrant than freshly picked, but not over-ripe berries and in addition become somewhat watery. Thus, if the strawberry is bred for itself, then it is harvested as soon as it is time-consuming and necessary, and moreover at any time of the day.
It is quite a different matter if strawberries are bred in large quantities and berries are destined for the market. Delivering berries to the consumer unsported and fresh presents for their producer a difficult and not always even feasible task.
It has long been proven by practice that the best time to collect strawberries destined for the market is in the early morning, when the berries have not yet had time to warm up after a cold night, and the dew settled on them keeps their freshness before shipment. If the day or even the morning rays are given slightly to warm up not quite yet ripe berries, the latter in the process of ripening become soft and more succulent than desirable, and in this condition they become already unfit for more or less long and distant transport. In addition, during the morning harvest berries can be sent to the nearest market immediately.