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Take advantage of your local Fannie Farmer ’ market and farm stand in the fall and stock up on these topically grown crops for your winter food warehousing .
If you have an area in your cellar , crawlspace , or garage that stays coolheaded all winter long , you may make economic consumption of these cold point to keep reposition crop fresh well into winter .
Although I grow and conserve much of the harvest by canning , dehydrating , and freeze , there are some crop that are perfect for winter food entrepot without any processing . A segment of our basement is unheated and delay cool all wintertime foresighted . This is where I stash most of our bear on garden bounty . Sturdy shelving holds our send away drawstring beans , carrots , love apple sauce , apple sauce , jelly , and other jarred commodity preserved over the summer . Allium cepa and garlic are give ear in mesh old bag from the ceiling . latterly in fall when the temperatures cool , storage harvest are added to the stash in various bins , basket , crate , and boxes .
A root cellar or cold room , such as an unheated basement or garage is a style to bear some solid food for months after harvesting . Root cellaring is a way of storing overbold , bare-ass , whole vegetables and fruits in a nerveless location with no processing . Vegetables that can be store include many dip harvest root crop , pumpkins , and winter squash . Fruits ideal for store admit apples and pears known for their storage capabilities .
Stock up on Keeper Crops in Fall
Even if you do n’t grow a garden , you’re able to stockpile up on winter food computer storage crops at your local Farmer ’ market during the drop . Some years , I do n’t have enough gardening quad to grow everything I want to get . So I often rely on our local sources for some storage crops such as pumpkins and wintertime squash racquets . Most of the farm digest in my country close for wintertime once the maturate season is over . So there is some urgency to stock up on winter storage crops in October while they are abundant and available .
Advantages of Root Cellaring
A beginning cellar was once a common necessity before refrigeration and modernistic supermarkets made food for thought pronto usable . origin cellars are hole-and-corner social organization that conserve nerveless and humid conditions ideal for holding foods for calendar month after harvest home . Even in modern day , there are many advantage to using the root cellar method acting for storing solid food for winter :
You do n’t call for a root cellar to keep storage crops in wintertime . A cellar maintains a steady temperature and is usually cooler than the rest of the house . If you do n’t have a basement , consider any location that stays above freeze through the nightfall and winter , such as your crawl space , garage , mud room , bulkhead , under the back porch , or even a closet .
Ideal Conditions for Winter Food Storage
An ideal wintertime solid food computer memory orbit is grim and coolheaded , with little temperature wavering . Most root vegetables that come from the ground last longer when stored in a cool and humid place that mimics their growing conditions in the ground . bucket of damp Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin can help add humidity and moisture . Garlic , onion , pumpkins and winter squash last longer when bring around and stack away somewhere cool and dry . dissimilar fruits and vegetable have different optimum storage conditions that are outlined below . They are screen into four family :
Do n’t occupy if your circumstances are not perfect , as long as your depot area is relatively nerveless and stick above freezing , you plausibly still can store your veg and fruits for a period of clock time . It is deserving explore to test it out to see which crops will work and how long they last in your unequaled storage consideration .
14 Crops for Winter Food Storage
Cold and Very Moist Storage:
Beets : trimness tops and tap root to 1 - column inch . Brush off loose soil , but do not rinse . Store beet in pail , box or totes jam with moist George Sand or sawdust . idealistic storage circumstance for beets is at a temperature of 32 - 35?F and 90 % relative humidness . Check sand or sawdust often and re - wash as needed to keep it moist . beet can last up to 5 months in storage .
->Root Vegetable Storage Crates from Gardener ’s Supply
carrot : trimming tops , coppice off supernumerary soil , and sort by sizing . Larger carrots last longer in storage . stratum the carrot in damp sand or sawdust in a boxwood or lug start with the largest I on the bottom so you’re able to habituate up the smaller ace first . treat each layer of carrots with about 1/4 - inch of sand or sawdust and tot a concluding layer of 2 - inches on top . Ideal memory board conditions are at a temperature of 32 - 35?F and 90 % humidity . Under these condition , carrot can last 4 to 6 months .
Celeriac : Trim tops and gnarly roots to 1 - inch . sway off loose land , but do not wash . Store celeriac in pail or totes packed with damp Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin or sawdust . Ideal storage condition is at a temperature of 32 - 35?F and 90 % comparative humidity . They shrivel easily , so check out sand often and re - moisten if needed . Under these conditions , celery root usually last 2 to 4 months in reposition .
Parsnips : Trim foliage , brush off excess grime , and sort by size . bed the parsnips in Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin or sawdust in a box or tote beginning with the largest ones on the bottom so you could employ up the smaller I first . idealistic storage condition is at a temperature of 32 - 35?F and 90 % humidness . Under these conditions , parsnip can last 3 to 5 months in entrepot .
rutabaga : passementerie top and tap origin to 1 - inch . copse off loose soil , but do not wash away . Store Swedish turnip in bucketful or totes pack with damp guts or sawdust . memory better at a temperature of 32 - 35?F and 90 % humidity . Rutabagas dry out easy , so check sand often and re - moisten if needed . Under these stipulation , rutabagas ordinarily last 2 to 4 months in storage .
Turnips : Trim turnip peak to 1 - inch and brush off excess soil . Store turnips in boxes or totes packed with damp sand or sawdust . Ideal storage stipulation for turnips is at a temperature of 32 - 35?F and 90 % proportional humidity . determine grit or sawdust frequently and re - drizzle as needed to keep it damp . Can last 3 to 5 months in memory board .
Winter Japanese radish : prune off the tops and layer in damp Baroness Dudevant or sawdust in bucket or totes . idealistic storage condition is at a temperature of 32 - 35?F and 90 relative humidity . Can last up to 2 to 4 months in storehouse .
Cold and Moist:
Malus pumila and Pyrus communis : Choose apple and pear variety show that are know for their depot capabilities . Apples and pears that store well are unremarkably firmer and have thicker skins . Air circulation is important for long - term storage . Package the yield so it can rest , and they do not touch . Wrap each apple individually in a sheet of newspaper or nestle them in shred paper and memory in well - ventilated boxes or crates . Both apples and pears release ethene gas that can increase the ripening procedure of some vegetables . If you may , attempt to locate fruit away from other storage crops . idealistic storehouse condition for Malus pumila and pears is at a temperature of 32 - 40?F and 80 - 90 % relative humidity . Can last up to 2 - 6 months calculate on the sort . Sort through ofttimes and remove any soft or rotten fruit .
chou : Keep theme attached and wrap in newsprint and store in crate , or sit down ascendant in a bucket of moist sand . word of advice : The odor of pelf will be noticeable and may even be absorbed by other crop hive away nearby . seek to lay in cabbages disjoined from survive domain and other craw . Ideal storage condition for cabbage is at a temperature of 32 - 40?F and 80 - 90 % proportional humidness . Can last up to 3 - 4 months .
potato : Different spud sort last longer in computer storage than others . If you are buy from a Fannie Merritt Farmer ’ market , need the growers which variety they advocate for recollective term stash away . Cure common Solanum tuberosum before stack away so the skins cure over and inspissate up . Store heal Tuber in a dark field in traverse boxes or bin with some hole for external respiration . Ideal storage conditions for potato are at 32 - 40?F and 80 - 90 % proportional humidity . Can last 4 - 9 month depending on the variety .
See 5 Steps to Storing Potatoes for Winterfor more elaborate info on how to prepare your tater for foresighted - term storing .
Cold and Dry:
Garlic : Garlic postulate to be cured before long - term storage . Curing allows the bed to dry out form a protective screen around the bulb . Most garlic purchased at farmers ’ market in the fall has already been cure . storage cured garlic loosely in baskets or pay heed in mesh bags in a cool , dark , and wry location . Sort through the garlic every now and then and rive out any bulbs that feel soft or have pullulate . dissimilar garlic varieties have dissimilar storage lives . Ideal memory conditions for Allium sativum are at a temperature of 32 - 50?F in a juiceless area with a relative humidity of 50 - 60 % . Garlic can last up to 6 months in computer storage .
See Harvesting , Curing and Storing Garlicfor more particular on how to cure your garlic before storing .
onion : Select onion varieties with long - terminal figure wintertime storage capabilities . Onions postulate to be cured and dry before storing . Cure the onions by spreading them out in a single layer in a dark , nerveless , and ironic location with good airflow . Once bring around , prune top to 1 - inch and store slackly in baskets or mesh bags in a cool , saturnine , and ironic location for wintertime . Check the onions every few hebdomad and murder any that grow soft area . storage onions at a temperature of 32 - 50?F in a ironic area with a comparative humidity of 50 - 60 % . Different motley and reposition condition will affect how long they last . Some diverseness of onions can last up to 6 months in storage .
See Harvesting , Curing , and store Onionsfor more item on how to cure onions
Cool and Dry:
autumn pumpkin : Choose fully ripe pumpkin vine with at least 1 - inch of stem for hive away . The stem turn avail foreclose the pumpkin from rotting . Do not deport the autumn pumpkin by the stem because it can break off off reducing the memory caliber . Pumpkins are usually cured in the battlefield before harvesting . If glean fresh , remedy at 80 - 85?F for about 10 days . Curing permit the skins to thicken and form a protective barrier . fund cured pumpkins in an region that is ironic , cool , and receives proficient air circulation . idealistic storage condition for pumpkin vine is at a temperature of 50 - 55 ° F and 50 - 70 % humidity . Most pumpkins will keep for several calendar month in storage .
Winter Squash : Choose mature wintertime squash with at least 1 - inch of base for stack away . Cure at 80 - 85?F for about 10 days before storing to allow the rind to inspissate . computer memory cured winter squash in an area that is juiceless , coolheaded , and well ventilated . idealistic storage shape for wintertime squash is at a temperature of 50 - 55 ° degree Fahrenheit and 50 - 70 % humidity . Most winter squash vine will keep for several months in storage . Some multifariousness , such as Butternut and Blue Hubbard can last up to 6 months .
6 Drawer Storage Rack from Gardener ’s Supply
Tips for Successful Food Storage:
Want to Learn How to Grow Potatoes?
You will notice everything you call for to originate develop potatoes in my PDF eBook , raise a Good Life Guide to Growing white potato . Whether you are strive for a few bon vivant fingerling potatoes or a large craw for wintertime food computer memory , this template will show how you’re able to grow your own , organic , homegrown potatoes .
Resources and Further Reading:
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