IN THE KITCHEN
How to preserve your surplus veg
N
ow is the time for
smallholders to be
laying down
vegetable supplies for winter.
Certain vegetables lend
themselves to being kept,
sometimes for months, the
Tips for harvesting and storing common
summer vegetables for use in winter
trick being to find methods
that convince the crops that
they are enjoying a natural
period of dormancy in
unusually comfortable
conditions.
C
This typically involves
slowing physiology by
controlling respiration
(usually by lowering
temperature) and/or
B
providing moisture so
crisp root vegetables
sense they are still in
Athe ground. Some
staple storage crops,
such as garlic and
onions, need dry
conditions to support
prolonged dormancy.
Gauteng houses, sadly,
are not often built with
Strings of brown onions in individual net
a cellar or basement.
compartments. Simply snip off bulbs as
garlic and onions form a dry
seal over the openings at their
necks, and dry beans and
mielies let go of excess
So we need to look for
alternative storage facilities. If moisture that could otherwise
your garage is cool, you could cause them to rot.
Harvesting, curing and
install shelves – although
exhaust fumes are not great - storage requirements vary
with each crop.
or if you have a shed that is
K Onions should be pulled
built of materials that do not
heat up in our glorious winter when at least half of the tops
are dead or have fallen over.
sunshine, you can lay down
Avoid harvesting in wet
your harvest there.
weather. Allow them to dry in
Or, if you're flush, you can
the sun for 24 hours, and
build a small coolroom.
then tie them in batches of
Most storage crops need to
X