Letter To The Editor

More Ways To Store Vegetables Long-Term

To read the story reference, 30 Easy-Storage Garden Foods You Don’t Have To Preserve Or ‘Put Up’, click here.

 

My husband was born on a farm and together we have farmed 40 years at our own place. We store all the vegetables you mentioned. Winter squash is set on shelves in the cellar, placed so they don’t touch. It will last all winter through March depending on the variety. Onions are stored in mesh bags hung on a nail in the open so air can circulate. Garlic is stored in cardboard boxes in the cellar. Potatoes are put in cardboard boxes in an old freezer minus the lid or in wooden barrels. Never store potatoes or any vegetable in plastic garbage cans or plastic anything. Carrots we store in a wooden box in layers of moss or dry shavings. The carrots are laid out in layers and don’t touch. So a layer of moss, a layer of carrots and then another layer of moss and more carrots until the box is full. Shallots are in a wooden or cardboard box or mesh bags. All beans we dry as well as peas and lentils. Lentils are good for protein and can be used in a variety of ways. Tomatoes I can as well as string beans. Tomatoes can be dehydrated but it takes a long time and right conditions to do it successfully. I do have a freezer but am getting back to basics and will most likely eliminate it once again. I lived most of my 71 years without a freezer so can do it again. It is just a convenience but not necessary. Have a nice day!

Linda