Extensive research has proven beyond doubt, that the best time to harvest vegetables, especially leafy vegetables, is early in the morning. During the course of the day the plants take up water from their roots and release moisture in the air through transpiration. The higher the temperature, more is the water loss, causing the plants to become soft, limp and loose, especially during the hot summer days.
During the night, the plants slowly regain the lost moisture. The sweeter set of vegetables convert the starch that they have produced during daytime into sugars during the night. By sunrise the plants can rise back up, full of water, flavor and the much desired crunchiness. Thus the perfect time of harvest is when the sun is just peeking out from the horizon.
Vegetables picked early in the morning also have a higher shelf life. The cooler morning temperature helps slowing the biological activities responsible for maturing and ageing, allowing the plants to be stored for longer period of time.
At True Leaf Farms, all vegetables are hand picked early, to ensure that customers only get the finest vegetables, with superior freshness, taste and durability without any artificial treatment. And that’s why we encourage our customers to place their orders well in advance so we never have to harvest at a time that’s not suitable for our greens. That’s a thumb rule we are proud to live by - Early to bed, and early to rise, makes our produce tasty, fresh and an invaluable prize!