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Harvesting and storing home garden produce

There’s nothing better than home-grown vegetables, but how do you know when to pick them or the proper way to store them?

HARVEST

Harvest only vegetables that are high quality to store. It’s also important not to handle your picked vegetables too much and you need to take care not to break, nick or bruise them so that they won’t spoil. Produce that’s rotting doesn’t keep very long and can spread that rot to other stored vegetables.

STORAGE

There are different storage conditions for different vegetables with temperature and humidity the main things to consider.

According to the University of Minnesota Extension Office, there are three combinations for long term storage: cooleand dry (50-60 degrees F and 60 percent relative humidity), cold and dry (32-40 degrees F and 65 percent humidity) and cold and moist (32-40 degrees F and 95 percent humidity).

The ideal temperature for cold conditions is 32 degrees, but it’s not an easy temperature to maintain in most homes. The shelf life for vegetables as this temperature fluctuates shortens by up to 25 percent for every 10 degrees that the temperature increases.

Your best option for storing vegetables here in the midwest is in the basement, since most are cool and dry. If you do store your produce there, make sure they have some ventilation since they require oxygen to maintain their high quality.

For cold and dry storage, refrigerators are fine for garlic and onions, but everything else doesn’t do as well. You can store produce in bags with perforations in the refrigerator but not for very long. Bags that have no holes usually end up having too much humidity and food begins to grow mold or bacteria.

Some homes have root cellars and they allow for cold and moist storage, but produce still needs ventilation and needs to be kept safe from mice and other rodents.

To provide some insulation, you can use straw, hay or wood shavings, but make sure it’s clean and isn’t contaminated.

If you’re trying to store cucumbers, peppers or tomatoes, you need cool and moist storage, which is difficult to create. These vegetables will only last a short time.

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