Potatoes RSS

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...