Food Storage RSS

What a treat, in a season when a lot of what we are eating has been frozen or canned, to bite into a sweet, cold, crunchy carrot. I juice, roast, and make soup stocks with them. Garden fresh carrots all winter long can be achieved under conditions many people already have in an ordinary garage, basement, or cold room and do not require a root cellar. Planning for fresh carrot storage begins the previous summer. Though I could plant carrots all spring and summer long, I plant the bulk of my carrots in the spring during spring rains. I really...

Cucurbita maxima I've put my shoes on this squash to give me some size perspective. It's ready for kindergarten today, if that tells you anything. But really, this heirloom squash from New England is impressive in more ways than size. According to the Slow Food Ark of Taste, it has a documented history in North America of over 200 years. Check it out: https://www.slowfoodusa.org/ark-item/boston-marrow-squash . This variety was extremely productive for me. I direct-sowed them May 25th and they were in the ground 110 days to mid-October. I harvested them just before a predicted frost. They are touted as a...

Cinderella pumpkin is a great edible pumpkin variety that is well suited to a shorter season like mine. The name couldn't be better suited to its appearance, which is nothing short of storybook ready. The deep orange color, smooth skin, and modestly lobed shape give it an old fashioned pumpkin look. The flesh is bright orange and smoothly textured. The flesh is solidly three inches thick. This is a great pie or puree pumpkin as the orange color deepens with cooking. Don't overcook it though, it turns super soft quickly. So far, mine have kept 4 months and are going...

If you’re new to eating local and/or planning your meals seasonally, the winter holidays can be a perfect time to start! Usually we think of local abundance in temperate climates as being a summer and fall thing, but traditional holiday menu items are based on what was historically available locally this time of year. Just think of it- steaming, bright orange squash next to creamy mashed potatoes and corn bread. Whatever the specifics of your menu this year, it’s likely to include at least one item readily available at your local late-fall or early winter farmer’s market. Who wouldn’t want...

In the fall, my greenhouse becomes the perfect place for helping prep the harvest for storage. I use it to cure winter squash and onions for storage, dry sunflower seed heads, dry flour corn and popcorn, and dry cayenne and paprika peppers for grinding. Unlike potatoes, all of these crops benefit from as much sunlight as possible during the curing process. Winter squash ideally cures at between 70-90 degrees, and onions 50-60 degrees. I find that temperatures in the greenhouse hover between 50-80, but it still seems to work well enough for both crops.   Our greenhouse benches are surfaced...