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  • From: Home Grown Kansas! <hgkansas AT sbcglobal.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Cooling and storing produce
  • Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 15:43:50 -0800 (PST)

Tom--The plans we used at located in the document at this web address - http://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/MSB/PDFpublist/portacooler.pdf
We used the plans for a cooling shed and not a portacooler.
 
This web address is the 1 hour timer that is used.
http://electricsupplieson-line.stores.yahoo.net/inc83.html
 
Our cold shed is 8' x 10'.  We purchased a 1 ton (or slightly larger) window AC from a Pawn Shop to do the cooling.  The plans call for a heat tape to be placed across the coils - but, we found we liked it better without.  On really humid mornings - we have to take time to clean the ice off the coils, but as a general rule - it works great.  We hold peaches for 7-10 days. 
 
Email if you have questions.
 
Elzie Randleas
Home Grown Kansas! llc
Wichita, KS

Tom at Limerock <limerock AT thirdplanet.net> wrote:
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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