Vegetables that keep

Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
300
Reaction score
47
Location
Central
Country
Kenya
Most veggies are perishable especially kales and spinachs. They have the advantage of being popular for cooking stews but they can present a challenge when there is a glut. I grew butternuts and these keep for quite a long time without rotting and the gardener can time to sell when they are scarce. Which vegetables last in your area?
 
Joined
Dec 11, 2014
Messages
2,787
Reaction score
1,120
Location
Brantford,ON
Showcase(s):
3
Hardiness Zone
Zone 5
Country
Canada
The few I keep are garlic, onions, potatoes in their natural state. Everything else I keep for about a year by slurrying and pressure canning. Of course, many that I don't grow by buying dried like the grains and beans. All this is supplemented by using fresh when available.
 
Joined
May 4, 2015
Messages
2,441
Reaction score
1,481
Location
Mid Michigan
Hardiness Zone
5b
Country
United States
What Durgan said. :) I eat a lot of whatever is in season. However I am too lazy to can, but I freeze a lot. Freeze a whole tomato, and when defrosted in winter you can just slide the skin off and use it in any cooked recipe. Green beans, squash, peas, same deal.
 
Joined
Feb 17, 2015
Messages
138
Reaction score
51
Location
Central PA
Hardiness Zone
5b
Country
United States
Sweet potatoes keep pretty well, although there is a trick to keeping them a long time. You have to be really careful when digging them not to break the skin (an annoyingly difficult prospect) and then you need to 'cure' them in a warm place for a few weeks till the skin hardens. I used my empty greenhouse for this and it worked great! I just finished up eating the last of last year's sweet potatoes this spring.
 
Joined
Dec 11, 2014
Messages
2,787
Reaction score
1,120
Location
Brantford,ON
Showcase(s):
3
Hardiness Zone
Zone 5
Country
Canada
When I got interested in preserving due to the necessity of throwing out most of what was available, I did a lot of experimenting and decided on pressure canning. Up to some deep experimenting, I accepted all the dogmas without hesitation, and then after much reflection decided on my present method.

I seriously looked at all methods, and utilized if suitable, but in general all were undesirable except for pressure canning. Some of the methods had niche advantages and uses. The methods considered were, drying, freezing, hot water bath preserving, lacto fermenting, grease preserving(pemmican) and pressure canning.

I developed the pressure canning method so it is almost as effortless as cooking a pot of material for a meal. If a preserving method is onerous it will not be seriously implemented.

One only has to look around to see that there is something seriously wrong with our eating habits.
The bottom line mantra is eat as much fresh as possible, then fall back on nutritional preserves.
How is that for preaching?
 
Joined
Dec 11, 2014
Messages
2,787
Reaction score
1,120
Location
Brantford,ON
Showcase(s):
3
Hardiness Zone
Zone 5
Country
Canada
Sweet potatoes keep pretty well, although there is a trick to keeping them a long time. You have to be really careful when digging them not to break the skin (an annoyingly difficult prospect) and then you need to 'cure' them in a warm place for a few weeks till the skin hardens. I used my empty greenhouse for this and it worked great! I just finished up eating the last of last year's sweet potatoes this spring.

I am growing some this year if all goes well. I can buy some locally and juiced some last year. They were excellent.
http://www.durgan.org/2015/August%202015/21%20August%202015%20Sweet%20Potato%20Juice/HTML/index.htm 21 August 2015 Sweet Potato Juice
Ten pounds of sweet potatoes were purchased from a local farmer and processed into 14 liters of juice. The potatoes were washed, trimmed and cut into small chunks for cooking. Ten liters of water was added and the potatoes were cooked until soft,about 20 minutes, and blended into a slurry. Seven liters of the slutty was strained through a food mill and the other seven was canned without straining. There is almost no residue from the process.The liter jars were pressure canned at 15 PSI for 15 minutes for storage.The juice is sweet and most appetizing.
 
Joined
Dec 11, 2014
Messages
2,787
Reaction score
1,120
Location
Brantford,ON
Showcase(s):
3
Hardiness Zone
Zone 5
Country
Canada
In ground veggies can keep for many many months in a cool dry dark situation. And that includes squashes.

cool dry dark situation This is relatively hard to achieve economically in a modern house. I have a constructed root cellar, bringing outside air in and heavily insulated. It is less than ideal. Slightly cooler than the basement and humidity left to chance, but a long way from ideal conditions. It does prolong the vegetable life, but certainly leaves a lot to be desired.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
28,030
Messages
266,053
Members
14,774
Latest member
jemaicab

Latest Threads

Top