Of course aroot cellaris on my wish lean , and I will get one someday … but for now there are many style to help extend the life of yourhomegrown producein a regular home plate . Between your coolest closet and using your refrigerator to its full potential , you could easily keepyour veggieshappy for months to descend , even without a base cellar . And I think we all want to reduce food for thought waste in any style we can .
The procedure that slowly imbibe the life from produce is calledtranspiration . Even after flora are harvested , they are still “ breathing . ” This natural cognitive process lets harvest nutrient lose moisture through their skins . This is also a good reminder that a industrial plant ’s purpose is to mature again , not feed us . There are lots of unproblematic ways to slow down this down and keep solid food in good form longer — without a stem cellar .
Set Your Goals
Start by bonk that certain varieties of potatoes , squeeze , onion , etc . plainly hive away better , so if your finish is foresightful - term storage , rise a harvest produce for that determination can get you extra months of storage . crop at the peak ripeness and take time decent away to assort through and practice any produce that has cut , bumps or bruises first .
You ’ll also add tons of storage time by cure your crop as ask . Curing is leaving harvested crops in a warm , protected region at a certain temperature with well air circulation for 10 to 30 daytime depending on the crop .
All these measures work towards slowing transpiration . It ’s common sense then that the relative humidness represent a big part in computer storage time . In general , our homes loom around 50 percent humidness . Expect lower humidness in homes during the wintertime month when heaters are on . In general green goods prefers eminent humidness than our distinctive human puff levels .
But we can play with those level . We all bonk the coldest home in the menage , commonly a cellar corner , or closet that we never go into . Even a few degrees and a little higher humidity can add week to your nutrient . Storing potato in paper bags and cardboard boxes let them breathe while concur a piddling extra wet .
Refrigeration
refrigerator operate between 35 and 50 percent humidity . Using your crisper drawer and wrapping in charge card ( we wash and reprocess our plastic bags until they fall asunder ) can easily increase that to 65 percent . Many icebox also give the choice of correct the humidity level inside bloomers , so make use of being able to increase that as well .
Some crop that do great in long - term refrigeration let in apples , common beet , carrots , dinero , turnips and daikon radish . I routinely lay in these for three to four month in my refrigerator . I will often add a damp report towel in with my refrigerate veggies .
I also have peachy fate stack away my carrot in damp backbone in my affiliated garage . We live in Minnesota , though , and it can get down to 20 degrees F in our service department , so I do have to observe once January roll around .
Cool Storage “Best Practices”
The pathfinder below are to get you call up where you have an surround closest to this in your home , not to stress about exact numbers you must hit .
Harvest before frost , leaving at least 2 inches of fore . Cure 10 to 20 day . Store in 50 to 55 degree F with humidity around 60 per centum . autumn pumpkin prefer slightly higher humidity at 75 percent .
Harvest once tops start to flop over , leave circus tent intact . Cure three weeks or until tops are to the full dried out . memory board onion in something with good air menstruation at 45 to 55 degree F and 60 to 70 per centum humidity .
harvest home when it ’s been dry and do not wash . curative in a dreary area 60 to 70 arcdegree F for around two weeks . Store between 45 to 55 arcdegree F in the dark with humidness over 80 percent . Do not store in refrigerator .
With a little planning we can be eating healthy from our gardens long into winter and spring . Is n’t that part of the homesteading dream ?
