5 Foods To Store For Winter

The most common worry about winter is not the cold, but rather the foods to keep in store for the season. If you are having trouble thinking of what else to put in your cold room or root cellar, you only need to know some essential but long-lasting foods to store during this period. You also have to ensure that you carry out proper storage to ensure that the foods don’t go stale. Remember to check them occasionally to remove ripened or bad ones as they will spoil the others. Here are five foods that you should probably store for any winter.

1.    Apples

Apples are known for their ability to be kept for extended periods. The best apples to set aside for winter are those with hard skin and firm. Unlike carrots, air circulation is vital for the storage of apples. Apples produce ethylene; a chemical compound that accelerates ripening. Therefore, they should not touch other. The best way to store them is to nest the apples in shredded paper. Otherwise, wrap them individually in a newspaper. Store them in ventilated crates or boxes away from other crops.

2.    Carrots

If you love carrots, then you can start by pilling them into banana boxes filled with sawdust or damp sand. Do not wash them just remove the excess soil. Pile them in layers with the largest ones at the bottom. Many people believe that this is only important if you want to eat the small carrots first. However, the truth is that starting with larger carrots at the bottom allows you to pack more carrot than if you did it in reverse.

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Use a quarter inch of sawdust or sand. The final covering should be about two inches thick. Turnips and winter radishes are some other foods you can store this way, too.

3.    Garlic

Long-term storage of garlic requires that you cure them first. It dries the outer layer making it a protective covering for the bulb. The garlic sold in market stalls are already cured in most cases. You can store your garlic for winter in a couple of different ways as highlighted in preparednessmama.com. The most straightforward method besides putting them in a mesh bag is freezing them. Some people prefer pickling their garlic in vinegar. It keeps them as very fresh, but the process is a little tedious.

4.    Potatoes

The tubers have different storage spans depending on the type. You can ask your market seller or the grower on the suitable variety to store up for a long winter if you are not an expert in them. Remove excess soil but do not wash then allow them to dry out before storing them in a covered boxes with ventilation holes.

I may have enough to make a pot of #potato and #carrot #soup out of these babies we got from our little #garden. #homeGrown #organicProduce #organicGardening #backyardGardening

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5.    Pumpkin

First, ensure the pumpkin is ripe. Then pick one with a stem that is at least 1-inch long. The stem acts as an air-tight lock that keeps them from rotting. Most of the pumpkins are cured before harvesting. However, if you have a fresh harvest, dry them at a temperature of 80-850F. The storage should be in a properly ventilated cool and dry place.

I picked the #squash in my #garden . I am craving for some #pinakbet but I don't have #eggplant and string #beans. Hopefully I can find some at the Asian store. #organicproduce #organicgardening #homeGrown #harvest

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