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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Cooling and storing produce

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  • From: "Tom at Limerock" <limerock AT thirdplanet.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Cooling and storing produce
  • Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 07:35:55 -0500

Pat -- How did you 'rewire' your AC unit to be a cooler unit?

Thanks

Tom
Limerock Orchards


----- Original Message ----- From: Home Grown Kansas!
To: Market Farming
Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 3:38 PM
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Cooling and storing produce


I am writing from Kansas where we are enjoying a relaxing day in the house due to cold temperatures and ice rain which we have had all day. We have grown on our urban farm for 15 years. We grow a variety of greens in the spring and fall. We grow culinary herbs and vegetables as well and sell to upscale Wichita restaurants and at two farmers markets - a Saturday morning one and a midweek market. As every farm is different, I imagine each of us has a different way of harvesting and storing our produce. We have a small outbuilding (approx 10X12) in which we installed a window air conditioning unit which we rewired to be a cooling unit. We can keep the "cold shed" at about 42 - 55 degrees depending on the outdoor temperature. This is a cost effective cooling source - much less than the traditional compressor used for a walk in cooler. I usually harvest 20 - 30 pounds of lettuce a day - harvesting it first thing in the morning while it is cool. I then wash it and spin it dry (manually) and then bag it in vented plastic bags. The vented bags allow for any excess moisture to escape so as not to result in soggy greens. I then keep it in the cold shed until delivery. I can keep it for maybe 3 days if neccessary but try not to store for very long.
Since okra is most prolific in the hot summer months and the temperature in the cold shed can't be maintained at a cool enough temperature, I find that my shelf life for the okra in my system is not more than a couple of days. When storing summer squash, after washing it I put it in cubed crates (much like what galloned milk is delivered in to stores) and then place a plastic bag over the crates before putting in the cool shed. These crates stack great and I can get a great deal of produce in the shed. The plastic bags and the moisture on the squash result in beautifully stored produce. To the grower who is trying to hold things over a week I would suggest looking for some other outlets for sales. As I said earlier, we go to a Wed and Sat Market. We harvest for Saturday market on Thurs and Friday. What we don't sell at market, I bring home and store in cooler until Monday. I then harvest for restaurants/health food stores on Monday and can still include most of the Sat market leftovers in those orders. I try to clean my cold shed out on Mondays. What isn't sold is donated to the food bank. This way they get good produce and I don't make the mistake of offering not so fresh produce to my customers. Then, on Tuesday & Wed I harvest for the Wed afternoon market. What is not sold comes to the cold shed. I harvest Thursdays for restaurant orders and can include the Wed market leftovers in that. Should it not be sold, it stores well until Saturday market and is sold there (be sure to sell it first so that if you bring home produce from Saturday market you are bringing home what will hold over until Mon). I rest on Sunday and start all over again Monday.
Our cold shed has saved us so much money in lost produce that I would suggest that anyone growing more than they can sell the day of harvest should invest in some type of cooling unit. Years ago I tried using large ice chests and they were a headache and not at all successful, not to mention hard to keep clean.
We've been enjoying this market farming list. Hope you can glean something from this contribution to use in your food growing endeavors. Pat







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