Times of Eswatini

Keep vegetables fresh during market day

- Matsenjbwa­eginning Zinhle Green bean Beetroot Broccoli Carrot Cauliflowe­r Cucumber Lettuce Melons Onion, winter summer Pepper Potato Pumpkin Squash Sweet corn Swisschard Tomato Strawberry -

market farmer learns quickly that there is

great distance - no matter how large or small the physical distance may be - between the garden and the customer.

A beautiful head of broccoli in the efisesladr,ifloyreeqx­uaml apblee,aduotiefsu­lnhoetande­oc-f broccoli on the table - you need to toakeenasu­loret oitfscqaur­aelidtuyrr­ienmg ahianrsvie­nsttainctg.

se these tips to ensure your produce stays fresh even on the market table and flavourful as it was when it was picked.

Market seller Sisana Plastic tubs: fruits and vegetables on the market stalls. But, ‘you can hydro-cool your lfarregseh­npelasst’.ic tubs to presperrov­deutcheeii­nr

Hydro-cooling is the act of dunking produce in cool, clean water to cool wthaetmerd­aonwdnc. lDzeBaensut­hre toubchbaen­tgweetehne vegetable types to avoid possible cross-contaminat­ion,” she cautions.

DzA nice spray bottle is a market farmers’ best friend,” says Magongo. She explains that

Spray bottle: sounnthcae­nsatallteh­aovfeydoiu­srawsitnrd­o,uhseeaftfe­acntds vegetables, and wilted veggies can have disastrous effects on the state omfiysot uleramfyag­rrkeeetnss­aalensd. Tohthuesr, sphreodsau­ycse, that wilt as often as needed from harvest through the market day to kinegepfrt­ehsehm. Bcuoyola, hnyidcreas­tepdrayndb­olottolke-, pstroerfe,rwabhleyrf­ertohmeyym­ouarylhoac­vael goanredfeo­nr exactly this purpose. ++ Best time for planting + Suitable time for planting

- Not recommende­d for planting

Make sure it can produce a light mist, a shooting and concentrat­ed stream of water at your veggies could inadverten­tly damage them.

ther market sellers mist a bin of vdeagmetpa­bslheeseat­ntdockoeve­pr wthitehvae­cglgeiaens, shaded, out of the wind and moist. ing harvest bins, lohokenfop­rubricnhsa­osrbaskets specifical­ly designed for

Harvest bins: ehasrivlye­satnindgpt­rhoatetcft­ithtoegfoe­othde. r, stack grAolwsoin,gcǣoTnomsi­adteoresw, fhoratexya­omup’lree, shouldn’t be stacked in a bin more than a couple layers high for fear of bruising.

A van works well adsvaamnta­rgkeeotfvi­neshiidcel­ea.ir-acnosndhia­tivoentihn­ge

Market vehicle:

- which can makes all the difference onPlaushov­tadnasyhan­vde saidloendg­odorrivse, w. hich turn loading and unloading into a more efficient task. No matter what yimouisues­teh,epparkodit­uicnetsh’ esusnhaedx­eptoosumri­en. - produce bags, about 1 gaPllloans­tiinc size, aren’t a necessity but can be

Individual packaging:

very handy in keeping vegetables fPrleashti,carcectoar­indsinmgot­oistHuorbe­bayn’ds Fkaeermps. pthreodwui­cned. off greens and other leafy prTohdeurc­ee abraegseva­veanilbabi­oled,ebgurtaidt ambalye tparkicees­aonmdepsre­oadrucchti.ngHtoowfei­nvdera, igf oyodu are able to keep your greens cool, smimistpel­yd aunsed boiuotdoef­gtrhaedwab­inledt, wyoinuecao­nr rubber bands to individual­ly wrap and maintain susytaoiun­arbpilriot­yd.uce handled individual­ly and are the only fruit sold this way. inNgopmroa­vtitdeerst­ehveepryro­dnuecint, tphaecskua­pgply chain with the convenienc­e to count, stack, pack and control tfoher pexroadmup­cltes,intrvyoiln­vegdt.oImhagnidn­lee, pineapples without packagingǨ product into aopnrcaecn­titcraltif­nogrmthaet msuecahnsa­osfamcaanr­atgoing, pitr. oveidkneos­wa

Managing:

ueamcbhepr­aockf iwteimll csoonrtaci­onnafogrim­vtehnant to a standard weitghot.ut packagifan­rgm, ietrws otoumldobv­e itmhepior spsriobdle­ucfotsr.

Transport:

Again, think of transporti­ng tomwoautol­debs,ewbriuthis­oeudtacnrd­autenswtoh­rethsye of the market. An essential requiremen­t of packaging is protecting it while in transit. nce it is packed, other requiremen­ts such as airflow, moisture resistance and stacking strength come into contention.

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 ?? ?? It is important to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh on the market throughout the day.
It is important to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh on the market throughout the day.

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