Page 14 - ALG Issue 3 2021

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Storing the Harvest
For many of us that grow our own fruit and vegetables, one of the great joys is the ability to have our own produce for as much of the year as possible. Whilst a few
crops can be grown year-round, many are only available through the summer and autumn. However, with a little skill and knowledge, provisions can be made to have many of them year-round by careful storage of crops to carry on providing us with produce through the lean months. It is important to learn the best methods of storing individual crops, and in the careful selection
of varieties that are known to store well. Below are suggestions for good methods of storing crops within their ‘groups’. Lastly, remember to only ever store ‘sound’ crops in perfect condition. Anything that is damaged in any way should be set to one side to be used immediately.
ALLIUMS:
Onions, garlic, and shallots are extremely easy to store as many growers will know. Maincrop onions store best; over-wintering onions don’t tend to keep for very long
and are better used as soon as possible. Onions, garlic, and shallots are best left to die
back naturally as much as possible in the ground. Avoid trying to store any that are damaged; these should be used straight away. Also try and avoid storing onions that have particularly thick, or ‘bull’ necks. If the weather turns wet at the time when they should be fully drying out in the soil, lift bulbs carefully and finish drying in cold frames, polytunnels, greenhouses etc. with plenty of ventilation. Once fully dried, they can be put into net bags or made into strings and hung up in dry airy sheds and used throughout the winter months. Keep a close eye for any that start to show signs of mould or rot and remove immediately. Leeks should be left in the ground throughout winter, though if hard frosts are forecast, a few can be lifted and put into a shed or similar so they can be accessed when the ground is too hard to dig.
LEGUMES:
Most of the legume crops tend to be summer producing, and
Lettuce, chard, spinach, radish and other such quick maturing crops don’t generally tend to store very well
although broad beans can be grown through the winter, they do not produce a crop until the following spring. Shelled peas, mangetout, runner, French, broad and other types of beans are all best picked at their peak of freshness then blanched and frozen. This may have to be done a number of times over several weeks to either keep up with the demand from the garden, or to get enough into the freezer to last through the lean months. Some beans are best grown on until the plant begins to die and the shells become hard and dry before shelling and storing dry in sealed jars.
ROOT CROPS:
Most root crops store well, and there are various methods one can use. Maincrop potatoes for storage should be lifted as soon as they are ready, and all the best sized undamaged tubers left for a little while in the sun to dry and ripen the skins. Do not attempt to wash them, but simply rub off the soil carefully. My favourite method then
is to store them in large paper sacks. These I get from my local fish and chip shop when ordering my supper. When they have been used once, I shred the sacks, wet them, and add them to the compost heap. Once filled, the sacks can then be put into a dry, frost and rodent free shed or similar. It pays to check through regularly for any that may be going bad and remove these as soon as possible. Jerusalem artichokes can be stored in the same way along with other root crops such as carrots, beetroot etc., but I prefer to grade these and store them slightly differently. Once I have lifted all of the maincrop carrots, beetroot and whatnot and the tops have been carefully twisted off, I grade these into ‘damaged’ – to be used straight away or disposed of, ‘small but sound’ – these will be allowed to dry slightly and be put into paper bags to be used next, and ‘top grade’ – these are the best sized undamaged roots, and these will store the best and the longest. I find the
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14 Allotment and Leisure Gardener