Latest news with #GrowErie
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Don't let fruits, veggies go bad. How to make them last
With the price of groceries a consumer concern and farmer's market season approaching, learning how to keep your produce fresher longer is ideal. South Dakota State University says that temperature, humidity and ventilation are all important factors to consider when storing produce. Not all produce is the same and requires different care. Fresh produce: Grow Erie facility produces lettuce and herbs in Savocchio Park. It also makes a statement The following produce requires different steps for proper storage environment, temperatures (all Fahrenheit) and expected storage life: Apples: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 30-40 degrees with a 90-95% humidity rate. This will give apples a month to a year of storage life. Asparagus: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 32-36 degrees with a 95-98% humidity rate. This will give asparagus two to three weeks of storage life. Bananas: Keep in a warm and humid storage environment at 56-60 degrees with 90-95% humidity rate. This will give bananas two or three weeks of storage life. Basil: Keep in a warm and humid storage environment at 56-60 degrees with a 90-95% humidity rate. This will give your basil one to two weeks of storage life. Blackberries: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 31-32 degrees with a 90-95% humidity rate. This will give the blackberries two to three days of storage life. Blueberries: keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 32-35 degrees with a 90-95% humidity rate. This will give the blueberries three to seven days of storage life. Cherries: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 30-32 degrees with a 90-95% humidity rate. This will give the cherries two to three weeks of storage life. Grapes: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 31-32 degrees with a 90-95% humidity rate. This will give the grapes two to four weeks of storage life. Green beans: Keep in a humid storage environment at 40-45 degrees at 95% humidity. This will give green beans eight to twelve days of storage life. Broccoli: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 32-36 degrees at 95-98% humidity. This will give broccoli two to three weeks of storage life. Cabbage: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 32-36 degrees at 95-98% humidity. This will give cabbage a month to six months of storage life. Carrots: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 32-36 degrees at 95-98% humidity. This will give carrots five to six months of storage life. Cauliflower: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 32-36 degrees at 95-98% humidity. This will give cauliflower two to three weeks of storage life. Cucumbers: Keep in a warm and humid storage environment at 50-54 degrees at 90-95% humidity. This will give cucumbers one to two weeks storage life. Eggplants: Keep in a warm and humid storage environment at 50-54 degrees with 90-95% humidity. This will give eggplants one to two weeks of storage life. Honeydew melons: Keep in a humid storage environment at 45 degrees with 95% humidity. This will give honeydew one week of storage life. Kiwi: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 32-35 degrees with 90-95% humidity. This will give the kiwis one to two weeks of storage life. Lettuce and other greens: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 32-36 degrees with 95-98% humidity. This will give the produce one to two weeks of storage life. Muskmelon/cantaloupe: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 32-36 degrees with 95-98% humidity. This will give melons 5 to 14 days of storage life. Onions: Keep in a cool and dry storage environment at 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit at 65% humidity. This will give onions six to nine months of storage life. Green onions: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 32-36 degrees with 95-98% humidity. This will give green onions three to four weeks of storage life. Oranges: Keep in a humid storage environment at 40-45 degrees with 90-95% humidity rate. This will give the oranges two to four weeks of storage life. Peas: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 32-36 degrees with 95-98% humidity. This will give peas one to two weeks of storage life. Peaches: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 31-32 degrees at a 90-95% humidity rate. This will give the peaches two to five weeks of storage life. Pears: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 29-31 degrees with 90-95% humidity rate. This will give the pears two to seven months of storage life. Peppers: Keep in a humid storage environment at 45 degrees with 95% humidity. This will give peppers two to three weeks of storage life. Plums: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 31-32 degrees with 90-95% humidity rate. This will give the plums one to two weeks of storage life. Potatoes: Keep in a humid storage environment at 45 degrees with 95% humidity. This will give potatoes two to nine months of storage life. Raspberries: Keep at a cool storage environment at 31-32 degrees with 90-95% humidity. This will give the raspberries two to three days of storage life. Strawberries: Keep at a cool storage environment at 32 degrees with 90-95% humidity. This will give the strawberries three to seven days of storage life. Summer squash: Keep in a humid storage environment at 55-60 degrees with 95% humidity. This will give squash one to two weeks of storage life. Winter squash: Keep in a warm and dry storage environment at 55-60 degrees with 65% humidity. This will give squash two to three months of storage life. Sweet corn: Keep in a cool and humid storage environment at 32-36 degrees at 95-98% humidity. This will give corn four to seven days of storage life. Sweet potatoes: Keep in a warm and humid storage environment at 50-60 degrees at 90-95% humidity. This will give the potatoes six to nine months of storage life. Tomatoes: Keep in a warm and humid storage environment at 50-60 degrees at 90-95% humidity. This will give tomatoes two to 14 days of storage life. Watermelon: Keep in a warm and humid storage environment at 50-60 degrees at 90-95% humidity. This will give watermelon two to three weeks of storage life. More: Single-use plastic bags, banned from Erie Giant Eagle stores 3 years ago, have returned Contact Nicholas Sorensen at Nsorensen@ This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Best storage and care tips for in-season fruits, vegetables
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Grow Erie facility produces lettuce and herbs in Savocchio Park. It also makes a statement
Bags of fresh kale and tender microgreens — distributed last week at an open house of the Grow Erie facility in Savocchio Park — are a reminder of what the new $5 million facility was built to do. But supporters of the project say the crops grown there and the revenue they will produce only hints at its value. The 17,000-square-foot facility at 1811 Paragon Drive was built in the middle of a former brownfield in one of Erie's poorest neighborhoods. Developed by the Erie County Redevelopment Authority, the newly opened complex is owned by the Minority Community Investment Coalition, formed in 2016 by the Booker T. Washington Center, Martin Luther King Jr. Center and Urban Erie Community Development Corp. Scientific support and design work for the facility come from a partnership with Integrated Agriculture Systems, known as INTAG. The facility, which already has produced its first crops, is expected to benefit the community by providing jobs to neighborhood residents, returning money to MCIC and by supporting the construction and operation of a community garden, where residents can grow their own food. The Erie-based Curtze Co., which serves the restaurant industry, already has signed on to be a lead customer for food grown in the commercial facility. Paul Nickerson, lead designer for INTAG, said the 17,000-square-foot facility provides a climate-controlled space where lettuce, kale and herbs are grown in plastic trays that keep the roots of those plants immersed in water. It's a common misconception, he said, that plants can't survive when their roots are submerged. The problem isn't the water, but the lack of oxygen. A special oxygen concentrator addresses that problem, he said. "You can't drown a plant, but you can suffocate it," Nickerson said. Elsewhere in the building, purple growing lights illuminate trays of microgreens, which are grown in potting soil and grow to maturity in between eight and 20 days. Like the plants in the greenhouse, the microgreens are fertilized using processed fish sludge. For now, that sludge comes from the Fairview State Fish Hatchery. Eventually, the fish waste will be produced on site once the facility begins growing its own fish, Nickerson said. Grow Erie is designed to benefit a social need, but it still faces the challenges of turning a profit, he said. "You can't just give the crops away," Nickerson said. "Look at our power bill. These oxygen concentrators cost a lot of lettuce to run." Tina Mengine, CEO of the Erie County Redevelopment Authority, was among those on hand to show off the facility last week. "It's exciting. It's been a long time coming," she said. "This project embodies what economic development is. You take a brownfield that sat dormant for 20 years. It will employ people and will bring high-tech agriculture to the center of the city." Candace Battles, a retired social worker who is a board member of Our West Bayfront, was impressed. "I think it's awesome," she said. "They are bringing something new to a community where people wouldn't have had these opportunities." Funding for the project — $5.6 million in all — came from a variety of sources, including grants from the Erie Community Foundation, Erie County and the city of Erie. But the idea came from the eastside community itself, said Gary Horton, who is both president of the NAACP in Erie and founder and CEO of the Urban Erie Community Development Corp. "The idea for the project came not out of the mayor's office, not the authority, but out of the minds of Black and Brown people and new Americans," Horton said. In short, the concept was homegrown. "There are so many people who think poor Black and Brown people can't do anything, but no one rode into our neighborhood on a white horse," Horton said. On one level, the Grow Erie project is being scored as a success. The project is among those included in Infinite Erie's Investment Playboook and it's the first to be completed, said Kim Thomas, the group's executive director. More than anything, Thomas said, she likes the message sent by an investment of this size in an neighborhood where such investments are uncommon. "It's something new, it's something transformational," Thomas said. "It's a game changer for the Buffalo Road corridor. I think what that does is spur motivation." More: Where does the $1 million-plus environmental cleanup at Erie's Quin-T property stand? Thomas expects the project, which already has brought scientists to work in this gleaming new facility, will create both jobs, spinoff investments and a sense of pride. More: Urban agriculture site takes shape at Savocchio Park. When will it be ready? It promises to change how people see the place where they live, she said. "They see the investment in resources, not just in the downtown, not just on the bayfront, but in their own community." Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@ This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Grow Erie greenhouse represents $5.6 million investment in community
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Erie leaders discuss CRIZ at annual Knowledge Breakfast
Local leaders, developers and entrepreneurs gathered to get more information about Erie's city revitalization and improvement zone, better known as 'CRIZ.' The Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership hosted its fourth Knowledge Breakfast. Erie Mayor, Sen. Laughlin say CRIZ could bring reliable revenue to the City of Erie Speakers broke down the mechanics of what the CRIZ is and developers discussed how they see it as a tool that can transform the community. The vice president said that while they expect to get $15 million a year, the state still has to approve of these projects. Grow Erie hosts open house to show off years of work at Savocchio Park 'It has to check the boxes with the state so what it means and what i think everyone heard is, everyone is welcome to talk to the criz about getting a project funded however they need to understand the rules and regs and they probably need to get after it right now,' said Jake Rouch, vice president of economic development for the Erie Regional Chamber. The chamber's next knowledge breakfast will be held on June 20 and they plan to discuss tariffs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Grow Erie hosts open house to show off years of work at Savocchio Park
An advanced agricultural commercial facility is helping to revitalize an east Erie community, opening its doors for people to learn all about the Grow Erie project. It's a two-pronged initiative with goals of spurring economic impact and investment in the area while providing employment opportunities and locally-grown food in what's considered a food desert. Erie families plant their own veggies at new community garden The 17,000 square foot facility shows progress after 25 years of being vacant. 'This is really the first example of a project in Erie's investment playbook that has gone from the idea stage all the way to securing investment and now to implementation,' said Kim Thomas, executive director of Infinite Erie. Next on the agenda for the MCIC is to build a nearly 3,000 square foot greenhouse for the community to use right across the road. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
EDP, Flagship City District announce downtown summer events
The Erie Downtown Partnership has announced its full summer event series. Sunrise Yoga, Perry Square Summer Concerts, Movie Mondays, Pay-What-You-Can Farmers Market and more are making a comeback. The partnership is also working with the Flagship City District to present Boutique Nights, a kickball league and more special events. Organizers said they start booking talent for their live music months in advance. Grow Erie hosts open house to show off years of work at Savocchio Park 'Part of this collaboration with the downtown partnership is to kind of zoom out and look at downtown erie as a whole and find these different pockets of opportunity to collaborate and enhance each other's events and activities,' said Ryan Hoover, experience director with the Erie Downtown Development Corporation. 'It's important to us to activate our public spaces in downtown with thoughtful and engaging events that really reflect the community here in downtown erie and throughout the city to create space in our public spaces for community to happen is central to our mission,' said Dave Damulonis, events and marketing manager for the Erie Downtown Partnership. Their first summer event is Sunrise Yoga on June 4. If you would like more details on these events, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
