The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: greenfingers on August 27, 2008, 07:04:01 pm

Title: Storing Vegetables
Post by: greenfingers on August 27, 2008, 07:04:01 pm

Hi,
I just wondered if any of you had storred their home grown vegetables in sand??

Many of my root crops are almost ready and I have collected quite a few wooden wine crates from where I work and we have a surplus of sand from all of building work we have done over the last 2 years and was going to use it.  I am drying it out at the moment as it is so wet wet from all the recent rain.

Have you any tips on the best way to do it and sucesses or failues to avoid.
I have emptied my shed of all paints and petrol etc so no aroma can contaminate the food, my shed is dry and clean and I think rodent free, I have seen no evidence of any mouse in there.

I had thought of clamping, but we have a rabbit problem and I think they may attack it.

Any advice would be welcome.
Elaine

Title: Re: Storing Vegetables
Post by: Rosemary on August 27, 2008, 08:01:13 pm

We've got sand for the first time this year to store carrots. Hope someone else has good advice...

Title: Re: Storing Vegetables
Post by: greenfingers on September 22, 2008, 11:15:28 am

I dug some of my swedes up on Saturday and let the soil dry off.
This morning I have brushed off the soil and trimmed the tops and have put 8 in sand in the shed, plus also I have a box full of beetroot.
Time will tell if I have done this right and that they will last the winter.  With all my swedes if we eat one a week we have enough till March or so.
I have loads of swedes left in the ground these are still a little small yet so I will leave them a bit longer to see if they will get any bigger.
I have pickled 3 jars of beetroot as well.  My freezer is getting quite full now with all my veggies. 
I also made a huge batch of vegetable soup on Saturday and have frozen that as well.  I should have had 4 batches of it but somehow I managed to eat 2 huge bowlfuls as I had to taste it and I had to have a 2nd bowlful to see if it tasted just as good as the first.
Well that's my excuse anyway.

Title: Re: Storing Vegetables
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on September 25, 2008, 12:41:10 pm

lol am lucky to store anything in this house, lol it allget eaten as quick as i can grow it.lol

Title: Re: Storing Vegetables
Post by: garden cottage on October 04, 2008, 01:05:04 pm

ref john seymour, god of smallholding---dont wash carrots before storing they will rot,place carrots so they dont touch each other in layers of sand or peat, dont store any damaged carrots, store in well ventilated cool place,if storing in barrel type container drill holes in it to ventilate. hope this is helpfull.          neil