WiserEarth Governance

I am trying to fine tune how I keep vegies fresh over winter without having to process everything. So I am going back to those tried and true older methods - cold storage. Or in my case a “keeper room”. It is in fact a toilet cubicle - hey David Holmgren has one similar so why shouldn't I give it a go! Let me try and describe it - it is on the southeastern corner of the house, which itself has a southerly aspect. The room is shaded by the neighbour’s house in the sunny part of the morning, both summer and winter and by our house and trees for the rest of the day. There is a 1000L water tank for the entire length of the southern wall (that is also shaded) and creates a negatively geared thermal mass.

The room is 2.5 X 1.75 x 3m.It has a small window high up the southern wall and a sliding door in the centre of the western wall. At least a half of the garden’s produce is preserved in some way either by freezing, drying fermenting or otherwise preserving. For this reason this size room is adequate for our needs at this time.

I am constantly reminded that for food to stay sound and healthy until ready to be eaten there are several rules that should be followed:.

1.TREAT all winter-keeping vegetables gently at all stages of harvest, preparation and storage. Bruised produce spoils sooner.
2. STORE only the best fruits and vegetables. Cut, bruised or diseased vegetables not only spoil more quickly but also encourage spoilage in neighboring foods.
3. PICK PRODUCE at maturity—not unripe or overripe.
4. HARVEST fruits and vegetables during a dry spell where possible.
5. LEAVE VEGETABLES in the garden as long as possible, low temperatures in the autumn encourage vegetables to store more sugars and starches and less water, making them better keepers, but watch the weather in Autumn and rescue when night temperatures dip to -5°C unless their exposed shoulders are well covered by mulch.      6. Some VARIETIES of vegetables that are better adapted to storage: i.e Long Season beetroot, Ballhead cabbage and Kennebec potatoes,       7. AFTER DIGGING root vegetables, chill them as promptly as possible. Don't leave them out in the sun (with the exception of New Zealand yams, and possible others I haven’t come across)

To prepare root vegetables for winter storage, I simply trim the green tops, leaving a one-inch stub (when left untrimmed, the top growth will decay and encourage the deterioration of adjacent roots).

Any skin break invites spoilage take care not to cut the root flesh, and don't cut off root tips, either.

I gently brush off any large clumps of soil that may cling to but I don’t wash vegetables before storage. 

I prefer to pack my produce in straw (pine needles, sawdust) to help prevent them drying, out especially because my keeping room is not as damp as an outdoor cellar e.g. turnips, carrots and beetroots. Sand can also be used for bedding, but it's not as easy to wash off as sawdust; and I can get sawdust for free!

Certain vegetables must be cured in order to keep well and certain varieties keep better than others e.g. Creamgold onions. I like to plait garlic and onions around a string and hang off the side of the shelving as a space saving measure. Or hung them in net bags or old panty hose if I’m feeling less artistic.

Pumpkins and squash need to be cured in the sun for two weeks after picking them so they'll develop a hard rind.  In the Upper Mountains smaller varieties like Golden Nugget and Butternut are good because of the short growing season. As much stem should be left on as possible or they will decay from the centre first.

Freshly harvested sweet potatoes are hard to come by in the Upper Blue Mountains even with a glass house. But for those lower down the mountain’s who can, these too should be cured in a warm, damp place—aim for 25-32°Cand 90% humidity—to toughen their skins and encourage healing of small scratches. If the weather suddenly turns cold and wet like it has this year the can be cures in crates near the heater, with a damp newspaper spread over the top of each crate. Then, after a week of curing, then wrap them up individually in newspaper, sort them for size, pack them in cartons in the keeping room.

Root vegetables are kept in the ground until needed  I have enough space so I'm not desperate to beds for other plants.  After a lot of frosts I often check the maturity, by digging up one or two clumps of potatoes. The skins on mature potatoes remain firmly attached to the tubers, but if the skins on the tubers are thin and rub off easily, the crop is not fully mature. They will not store well, but then I like new potatoes. Curing potatoes isn't as important as it is with sweet potatoes, but it's a good idea to spread the spuds out in a sheltered spot-about 15-22°C — for a two-week skin-toughening program before carefully placing them into bins in the keeping room. They must be kept in the dark; green skins are a sign of toxic glycoalkaloids. I have learnt that potatoes should never be stored near fruit that give off ethylene gas, cause it will cause them to sprout too early.

Leafy green vegetables can apparently be replanted in buckets of sand in the  cold storage. The crunchy fresh inner leaves hid inside an outer layer of wilted, paper-dry wrapper leaves. I've never tried cause I mainly grow cut and come again greens.

Other vegetables such as corn, tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers etc are best treadedby other methods rather than just prolonged storage I've found..

In order to maintain ideal conditions the following regime has been established: A thermometer and humidity gauge is kept in the room.·The door is kept closed as much as possible especially if it is warm outside.·During spring and autumn the window (and perhaps the door) is opened at night when the temperature is dropping below the temperature of the air in the room. They are then closed early in the morning before the outside air warms up.  (Not in winter if the temperature is expected to drop below freezing.)·If the humidity is too low laying out damp towels on the floor raises it.·If the humidity becomes too high cover the vegetables with towels, etc. to absorb excess condensing moisture. In theory if the air is condenses on the inside, open the window when the air outside is cooler than it is inside (but it hasn’t happened yet).·Plywood bookcases for bottled and dried stored foodstuffs;·Metal shelves for ventilated fruit eg citrus, apples wrapped in newspaper and vegetable storage eg. onions, pumpkins.·Potatoes and other tubers are held in closed bins.·

Herb, and platted onions and garlic are hung from hooks