Storing Produce

[Lloyd_E]

I probably put the horse before the cart... but 'am known to do that.

I built a cabinet roughly 32"x30"x6'. It has adjustable shelves(slatted shelves for ventilation)
and a 1/4" wire mesh screened door. The basement temps get around 40-45f during the winter months - rock wall foundation etc. My question is: do you wash your vegetables before storing - especially potatoes? The list of items to store will be: potatoes, carrots,
pumpkin, squash(acorn and spaghetti) apples. We will probably blanch and freeze our few corn ears and may cube and freeze some of the pumpkin and squash too.

So, folks that are into this - what do you do?

Thanks.

 

[Duffster]

I probably put the horse before the cart... but 'am known to do that.

I built a cabinet roughly 32"x30"x6'. It has adjustable shelves(slatted shelves for ventilation)
and a 1/4" wire mesh screened door. The basement temps get around 40-45f during the winter months - rock wall foundation etc. My question is: do you wash your vegetables before storing - especially potatoes? The list of items to store will be: potatoes, carrots,
pumpkin, squash(acorn and spaghetti) apples. We will probably blanch and freeze our few corn ears and may cube and freeze some of the pumpkin and squash too.

So, folks that are into this - what do you do?

Thanks.

As a rule you don't wash things to be stored.

I freeze very little. I am canning potatoes, pumpkins, carrots, etc as well as keeping some in the root cellar. I haven't tried carrots in the cellar but have read they need to be packed in damp sand or saw dust to keep them from drying up.

I may try a cache this winter. Basically keeping root crops buried in a mound.

 

[forgeblast]

Look for info on root cellars, there is a good amazon book root cellaring. They recommend not washing anything, apples get wrapped individually in newspaper, a lot of helpful hints.

 

[randy41]

i let the potatoes dry until i can rub the dirt off before storing. you can wash them before you use them.

 

[Lloyd_E]

Thanks all.

Here's what I have done so far:
- lots of 3 gallon ice cream tubs - drilled lots of 1" holes in them for air. I can get 9 per shelf.
- 2 shelves will hold potatoes, dug from earth, didn't wash, 2 types
- 2-3 shelves carrots, squash, pumpkin(small)
- 1 shelf, squash various
- 1-2 shelves pumpkin, large
- 1-2 shelves, apples
- 1-2 shelves, cabbage, turnip etc.

Would love to have a root cellar but our land does not allow it... no convenient hills or berms.

Thanks....

 

[Combustix]

Duffster. We keep our carrots in the ground throughout the winter we did lose a few but for the most part it worked really well. Looking into a root cellar to start next year