The Best Plants for Food Storage Crops
Food preservation is a hot issue. People are searching everywhere for advice as they scramble to figure out the best way to preserve their food for extended periods of time. In these discussions, one topic consistently comes up: what kinds of crops ought we to grow?
Which ones will remain fresh and unspoiled the longest? We’ll go over our top recommendations for the greatest crops to cultivate in this article if you want to feel secure about your family’s future dietary demands.
Storage crops are a crucial component of every garden. It’s important to strike the right balance when storing them so that the crop doesn’t become too accustomed to their surroundings and develop problems like rot or other issues that render all of your hard work useless.
Shallots and onions
Onion cultivation thrives in northern regions. Allow the plants to reach full maturity before cutting them and ingesting their bulbous carbs to get the most out of your winter onion crop. When they are mature, the tops will droop; this is what we desire!
Spreading them out in a single layer and curing them until there is no longer any green visible and the entire plant has dried up completely can help prevent bruises and damage on harvest day (about 2-3 weeks).
Garlic
It is possible to grow garlic in the fall and harvest it as needed because it is a perennial herb. Dig deep enough into the ground when planting garlic to prevent it from growing too close to other plants when it is grown. If it does, the leaves will tangle together.
In addition, if rain or cloudy skies aren’t expected for a while, garlic should be watered every few days. Without water, plants are more vulnerable to wind damage, which results in fractures all over the surface of the bulb. This implies that cloves might not keep well after harvest!
Curing creates a protective coating around the entire bulb by allowing the layers within each individual clove to dry out, and gently storing these bulbs in baskets or mesh bags prevents bruising during shipping.
Carrots
If you don’t have to be concerned about possible frosts, you can keep carrots in the ground.
They can also be planted before indoor frost, though they will have a shorter shelf life in colder temperatures.
When it comes to long-term storage use, bigger carrots appear to last longer than smaller ones; as a result, you’re recommended to layer them from largest on the bottom and work up to increasingly smaller sizes until all are eaten up!
In ideal conditions, the temperature should range from 32°F (0 °C) to 35°F (-1 °C), and the humidity should be at least 90%. Under these conditions, they should last for at least four months after being harvested, giving you plenty of time to prepare for the upcoming winter.
Parsnips
For a sweeter flavour, parsnips, a root vegetable, should be left in the ground until the first frost. Before the earth freezes solid, dig them up and use your hands to remove the soil. Sort items according to size so that you can begin using the smaller ones first.
Squash/Pumpkins
Winter squash should be stored between 50 and 55 °F and between 50 and 70 % humidity. The majority of squash may be stored properly for up to 6 months, but some can survive even longer, such butternut, which can last up to 9 months.
Cure-cured pumpkins and squash should be kept in a dry, somewhat cool place.
Beans, dried
Dried beans should be spread out in a single layer and given time to thoroughly dry before being shelled if you want to utilise them. When done correctly, smashing a bean with a hammer will cause the entire bean to shatter into tiny pieces, indicating that the bean is ready for shelling.
When you’re done processing all those labor-intensive beans from last summer’s harvest, keep them in jars or other dark, cool containers.
As long as there aren’t any bugs around trying to chow down on their deliciousness, they typically have an endless shelf life!
Summary
Growing your own food is an excellent method to cut costs and maintain good health. Try out other crops that will thrive in the conditions of the storage space if your garden is too small. During the fall, you can use local farmers markets to test what performs best in your neighbourhood.