Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

Storing Garden Produce

Although many gardeners still have a great deal of produce being grown in
their gardens, the gardening season is slowly coming to an end. One of the
questions that people often ask at this time is how can I store my garden
produce so that I can continue using these products into late fall and
early winter.

Proper storage begins with the harvesting methods. Most fruits and
vegetables are easily bruised if not handled correctly. When harvesting,
treat produce as if it were fine china. Tossing fruits and vegetables into
baskets or boxes may not leave visible bruises and damage, but decay will
begin under the skin. Seemingly sturdy vegetables such as sweet potatoes
are actually quite delicate and will not store well if bruised.

Several vegetables benefit from post-harvest curing. Curing heals or
suberizes injuries from harvesting operations. It thickens the skin,
reducing moisture loss and affording better protection against insect and
microbial invasion. Curing is usually accomplished at an elevated storage
temperature and high humidity.

Let’s look at some specific handling requirements for typical garden
vegetables. Root crops such as beets, carrots, rutabagas, parsnips and
turnips can be left in the garden into late fall and early winter. A heavy
mulch of straw will help prevent the ground from freezing so the roots can
be dug when needed. The mulch will also maintain the quality of the roots,
as it will reduce repeated freezing and thawing of the vegetables. Many
people prefer the taste of these root crops after they have been frosted
because their flavors become sweeter and milder.

Onions can be harvested when the tops have fallen over and begun to dry.
Home gardeners should cure onions after harvest by spreading them in a
single layer on screens in the shade or in a well-ventilated garage or shed
for one to two weeks or until the tops are completely dry and shriveled.
When the tops are dry, they should be trimmed to one inch lengths. Leave
the onions’ dry out skins on as they help reduce bruising and shrinking
and act as an insect barrier.

Store onions in shallow boxes, mesh bags or hang them in old nylons in a
cold, dry well-ventilated room. The tops may be left untrimmed and braided
together. Temperatures close to 32 degrees will give the longest storage.
Products prone to absorb odors or flavors should not be stored close to
onions.

Pumpkins and winter squash should be harvested before frost. Leave the stem
on when cutting from the plants to prevent decay organisms from entering.
Pumpkins and winter squash will keep best if they are cured for ten days at
80-85 degrees F. Acorn squash, however, should not be cured but stored at
45 degrees to prevent stringiness.

Many cultivars of applies store moderately well under home storage
conditions for up to six months. Late maturing varieties are best suited to
storage. These apples can be stored in baskets or boxes lined with plastic
or foil to help retain moisture. Always sort apples carefully and avoid
bruising them. Because of the sugar content, apples can be stored at 30-32
degrees without freezing the tissue. In general, apples ripen about four
times as fast at 50 degrees as at 32 degrees, so they should be kept as
close to 32 degrees as possible for long-term storage.

http://acreage.unl.edu/news/News/GardenProduce.htm