Friday, March 23, 2018

5 Foods To Store For Winter


The most common worry about winter is not the cold, but rather the foods to keep in store for the season. If you are having trouble thinking of what else to put in your cold room or root cellar, you only need to know some essential but long-lasting foods to store during this period. You also have to ensure that you carry out proper storage to ensure that the foods don’t go stale. Remember to check them occasionally to remove ripened or bad ones as they will spoil the others. Here are five foods that you should probably store for any winter.

1.    Apples
Apples are known for their ability to be kept for extended periods. The best apples to set aside for winter are those with hard skin and firm. Unlike carrots, air circulation is vital for the storage of apples. Apples produce ethylene; a chemical compound that accelerates ripening. Therefore, they should not touch other. The best way to store them is to nest the apples in shredded paper. Otherwise, wrap them individually in a newspaper. Store them in ventilated crates or boxes away from other crops.

2.    Carrots
If you love carrots, then you can start by pilling them into banana boxes filled with sawdust or damp sand. Do not wash them just remove the excess soil. Pile them in layers with the largest ones at the bottom. Many people believe that this is only important if you want to eat the small carrots first. However, the truth is that starting with larger carrots at the bottom allows you to pack more carrot than if you did it in reverse.


Use a quarter inch of sawdust or sand. The final covering should be about two inches thick. Turnips and winter radishes are some other foods you can store this way, too.

3.    Garlic
Long-term storage of garlic requires that you cure them first. It dries the outer layer making it a protective covering for the bulb. The garlic sold in market stalls are already cured in most cases. You can store your garlic for winter in a couple of different ways as highlighted in preparednessmama.com. The most straightforward method besides putting them in a mesh bag is freezing them. Some people prefer pickling their garlic in vinegar. It keeps them as very fresh, but the process is a little tedious.

4.    Potatoes
The tubers have different storage spans depending on the type. You can ask your market seller or the grower on the suitable variety to store up for a long winter if you are not an expert in them. Remove excess soil but do not wash then allow them to dry out before storing them in a covered boxes with ventilation holes.
5.    Pumpkin
First, ensure the pumpkin is ripe. Then pick one with a stem that is at least 1-inch long. The stem acts as an air-tight lock that keeps them from rotting. Most of the pumpkins are cured before harvesting. However, if you have a fresh harvest, dry them at a temperature of 80-850F. The storage should be in a properly ventilated cool and dry place.

17 delicious comments:

valmg @ Mom Knows It All said...

We don't/can't store produce long term as we have no suitable place to do so. Fortunately our grocery store has just about everything year round.

candy said...

This is a great list. We grow all of these and store them through out the winter. Makes for great eating.

Tomi C said...

I never thought about storing apples because they're available year round where we live but the pumpkins and gourds are something I'd love to store a little longer as they're so seasonal.

Our Family World said...

These are all great tips. I don't have a vegetable garden but I sure wish I had one! I have to remember that tip about storing apples. My kids love them and I use them a lot in cooking.

Alison Rost said...

Those are awesome veggies to have during the winter especially for soups and different kinds of recipes that will keep us warm!

joannabri said...

These are all great tips. We don't have the space or otherwise I'd totally do some of these.

Anosa Malanga said...

Such great ideas on what to store over for winter. I myself, celery and carrots are the one that I always have. One of my favorite.

Mimicutelips said...

I don't have the space to store produce in my current home. We are shopping for a bigger home and I look forward to doing so then.

Marysa said...

I should be better about storing food and saving money. Thanks for the tips, I would love to be better about saving these kinds of foods.

SimplyTasheena said...

These are wonderful tips and came right on time for me starting my garden. I had no idea apples kept so well.

ricci said...

YES to garlic!! I use it on most savory recipes. It's super easy to add and always kicks up the flavor.

Terri Beavers said...

I always put up food for winter. I love canning veggies for some reason. I need a new brush for my carrots especially. Potato and carrot soups sounds really tasty.

Angela Bethea said...

I always make sure to stock up on garlic and onion because it has many uses for any recipes. Yes this is an excellent ideas.

Shoshana said...

We are in Autumn here in South Africa and really I wish I can stock up on carrots but I have noticed they are already getting scarce as winter approaches. I will look around and use your method to store them up. The apples are luckily available in abundance.

Sara Welch said...

I love having fresh foods. Storing them for winter is a really smart idea.

Kita Bryant said...

Winters here usually aren't too bad with produce. I do enjoy stockpiling the freshest food though; it is the only thing I cook with!

Carol Cassara said...

It's nice to keep veggies and fruits that you could use for the winter. I usually buy loads of garlic because it lasts long and we use it often for cooking.

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