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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] wrinkling butternut squash

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  • From: Aaron Brower <aaronbrower AT yahoo.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] wrinkling butternut squash
  • Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2011 10:22:14 -0800 (PST)

We rip beet tops off in the field before taking to cold storage. Ideal storage for most root crops (beets, carrots, rutabaga, celeriac, radish, parsnips, ect) is 32-35 F and 95 - 100% humidity. If it is too warm they will mold and rot. If it is too dry they will turn squishy. You may have problems with both temp and humidity. 

One needs "specialty storage" but that specialty storage is not so special. A cooler is necessary for any grower who wishes to have presentable produce in both summer and winter and it need not be very expensive. The coolbot is a relatively cheap and an invaluable tool. 

We have been chipping away at our winter storage crops and hope to be done with them by the end of march. I don't think we are specialist growers, and I dont think we live in a "very special location".
It is true that eating local can be limiting on the diet but what that means to northerners like me is that we won't eat vine ripe tomatoes in February. We do however have canned tomatoes from the summer garden along with about 20 different kinds vegetable we give to our winter csa. That is certainly not as much as the summer and fall provides but we supplement it with eating more local meats and dairy, which by the way, are more tasty than any distant "specialist grower" provides to us locally.

I think the crux of eating local belongs to us growers. When quality local food is provided, people will eat it. If not, people will continue to buy from those distant "specialist growers". Those that think it can't be done locally will miss out on a growing market, but for us up to the challenge, we need to get better at it. 

Aaron 
Rollinsford, NH

From: MAsteveINE <MAsteveINE AT 207me.com>
To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Mon, February 7, 2011 9:31:52 PM
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] wrinkling butternut squash

 
 
IBoy, the beets are getting squishy and the squash is going.  I see why spring used to be the hungry time.
 
Beth Spaugh
 
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
 
Are we learning here why there are specialist growers, with specialty storage, in VERY special
locations around the country?
 
Local is great but it is very limiting on the diet. How far will our folk stay with us when the
 vegetable choice is canned yellow string beans, canned green string beans, or
canned shell beans from now till dandelion green and fiddlehead season at +-May 1.
 
MAsteveINE




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