Help me be a better squirrel next winter!

[lil_earthmomma]

I am growing and learning so much participating on this board and would like to learn more about storage of winter vegetables. I have seen posters talking about storing potatoes, sweet potatoes, squashes, kale etc to nourish their family through the winter months. Although I live in an apartment and herbs and sprouting are the only "gardening" I can do in this space, I plan to do some things differently this year.

My plan:
Take advantage of the free corn and cherries and peaches that come as perks to our summer employment by freezing large quantities of each.

Going to the many u pick farms in the area for other fruits, and freezing and drying those.

Utilizing farmers markets for winter veggies near the end of the summer.

So my question is, how do I best store these veggies so that they last all winter?

[annettemarie]

Moving out to Mindful Home Management. You may also want to try Nutrition and Good Eating.

[lil_earthmomma]

Oops sorry!

Well, hopefully someone can point me in the right direction about how to best store these foods for next years winter...

[Jyotsna]

Lil Earthmomma,

Here's a link for dried fruits and how to store them. http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/dry/pack_store.htmlVery good info for preventing molding. I assume you already have a food drier?

As for veggies, some people dry them too, but I plan to can my veggies. If I can't grow enough food, I'll also be hitting the veggie markets and U Pick It growers to fill in the gaps. Here's a link for that information too http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can4_vegetable.html

However, I have the book, "Stocking Up", which was a great Freecycle find, and I have heard that this is a great book for learning to can.
You may be able to find some other people who already know how to can, and invite them over for a canning party, where they get to take home a few precious jars in exchange for them teaching you to can. I plan to do this. I do remember my dad canning, but I don't remember the details like how to safely can, the recipes and such.

Have fun!

And while you are asking about food storage, come visit the thread that I started (food storage challenge 2009). Just click on my name, and see my post in that thread.

[JamieCatheryn]

Unprocessed root veggies like root cellar conditions to keep for weeks/months on end: cool and humid if you have a cool but dry spot you could cover them with wet paper towels. Also you can make up mashed potatoes (sweet or regular) and freeze in muffin cups, pop them out (silicone muffin pans should be great) into freezer bags. Same with pureed watermelon or other fruits.

My plan is to make tomato sauce and salsa and can those, and to make strawberry jelly from the u-pick, and to freeze strawberries too. I might pick apples and freeze those peeled and sliced for baked apples through the winter. Can I safely water bath can apples if I add lemon juice, is it acid enough?

I hate frozen corn on the cob, so I'd strongly suggest you cut it off the cob before freezing. That's so awesome you get peaches and corn and cherries!

Can your freezer handle all this? If I were to save much I'd need to buy an extra one besides my fridge, not possible right now. I think I need a pressure canner someday.

[lil_earthmomma]

Originally Posted by JamieCatheryn

I hate frozen corn on the cob, so I'd strongly suggest you cut it off the cob before freezing. That's so awesome you get peaches and corn and cherries!

Can your freezer handle all this? If I were to save much I'd need to buy an extra one besides my fridge, not possible right now. I think I need a pressure canner someday.

Last summer I shucked and cut the kernels off an entire sack of corn! It has lasted us all fall and winter, and we still have some for spring. My vacume sealer has really helped with food storage.

I do have a second freezer, so that helps.

Thanks for the info about root cellar conditions. I`m not sure how I would do this in my apt... we have storage under our patio, but we get really cold winters. Would this be ok?

[Jyotsna]

Maybe it would be better to store root veggies by cutting up, cooking and canning. I plan to do "some" potatoes via canning. We really love potatoes here, and if we had potato bug blight or some crazy thing that caused our potatoes not to be any good, I'd be very upset. :

[elsie]

IF under the patio goes below freezing for a period of time, I would not store vegetables there. Root veggies tend to change texture and flavor if they are frozen. They can also get mushy that way.

[lil_earthmomma]

Ok, the patio is definitely out if freezing is a problem!!!

As far as canning potatoes, does this change the texture and flavor a lot? We are also potato people!

[Jyotsna]

Lil Earthmomma,

I don't know if canning changes the texture of potatoes, but I know people who have canned potatoes in the past, and had no problem. They just opened them, tossed them in soups or what ever.

I hope it works out. I'll keep fresh and canned. I think as long as you keep your potatoes out of a wet space, and out of sunlight, you can keep them for a few weeks or few months.