Get ready to dig in to Giving Garden campaign

Game on, gardeners!

The Giving Garden program for 2006 starts this week, and we're committed to raising at least 75,000 pounds of fresh produce for our neighbors in need.

When you're thinking of ideas about what to donate, keep a few things in mind.

Anything you deliver from your garden should be wiped clean of dirt - a little soil goes a long way in the food pantry and can create quite a mess. It's also best to pick items a tad before they're ripe; that way, they'll last a bit longer before they're distributed to pantry clients.

The list of fruits and vegetables we've gathered below highlights those that tend to last longest in storage.

Remember: All fresh produce is needed, even if it's not on this list.

The best candidates include:

• Apples: antioxidants, fiber, vitamin C.

• Beans (lima, green): vitamin A.

• Beans (yellow wax): high in folate, magnesium.

• Beets: folate, folic acid, fiber, vitamin C, potassium.

• Broccoli: high in vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium, antioxidants, fiber, folate.

• Brussels sprouts: protein, good source of vitamin C, fiber, folate, potassium.

• Cabbage: vitamin C, beta-carotene, fiber.

• Carrots: excellent source of beta carotene, vitamin A, potassium, fiber.

• Cauliflower: high in vitamin C, folate.

• Chard: high in vitamin A, sodium, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium.

• Corn: fiber, niacin, folate.

• Cucumbers: small amount beta carotene.

• Eggplant: some fiber, folate, potassium.

• Onions: fiber, some vitamin C.

• Peas: protein, iron, fiber, vitamin C.

• Peppers (red, green): excellent source of vitamins A and C.

• Potatoes, sweet potatoes: vitamins B and C, minerals, complex carbohydrates.

• Radish: potassium, vitamin C, folate, fiber.

• Spinach: high in vitamins A and C, potassium, folate.

• Summer squash (zucchini, crookneck): source of vitamin C, manganese, fiber.

• Tomatoes: high in vitamins A and C, beta carotene, the antioxidant lycopene and fiber.

• Winter squash (acorn, butternut, spaghetti): complex carbohydrates, fiber, potassium, iron, niacin, beta carotene.

If you'd like to check out a full analysis of vegetables, go to the University of Illinois Extension Web site at www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies.