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To: tubebender
I pulled everything out this evening. I got about 10 lbs turnips, 10 lbs rutabagas, 15 lbs Red Pontiac potatoes, 35 lbs Kennebec potatoes. Previously got 20 lbs Yukon Gold from the back garden, 5 lbs Yukon Gold from the front flower bed and 5 lbs store variety red potatoes from the front flower bed. That is 80 lbs total of potatoes.

I am trying to see how to store veggies long term so am trying storage over winter. The research I have done for rutabagas and turnips says to pull up. cut off roots and leaves, place immediately in a cold, humid storage area. I put into cardboard boxes with plastic and then newspaper lining. I can periodically spray with light mist of water. I put into basement where the thermostat is set at 40F and it is usually about that for 6 months of the year from fall to spring. Recommendation not to wash before storage.

For the potatoes, recommendation to not wash too, but to cure them at room temperature for a week before storing in a cool, dry and dark room. I have another room (old sauna room) that is dark and cold due to no heat, but does not get below freezing. I will store potatoes there. I have picked out potatoes with many eyes to cut up for next year stored in a small cardboard box that will go into the same cold room.

I had many very small potatoes that were marble sized and buried them all together as a backup plan. I put them together about 2 feet deep, covered with pine needles and then covered with dirt. Put in a stake to be able to find them next year. Near where I will plant garlic this fall and will be covered by the same 2 ft of mulch to insulate from ground freeze. A big experiment and waiting to see what works best!

Next year will try pressure canning.

105 posted on 10/02/2009 7:02:46 PM PDT by MtnClimber (Bernard Madoff's ponzi scheme looks remarkably similar to the way Social Security works)
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To: MtnClimber
This was the first year that my wife did not can not even Albacore Tuna which we buy off the boats at the Woodly Island Marina. I think she first canned 42 years ago but it could go back even farther. We can't grow tomatoes here and we sold our summer place in 1993 but have been buying them at a farm stand in Pepperwood Ca about 20 miles south on 101 and she only canned the Roma type paste tomato. If you have Google Earth you can “visit” these places. Have you ever lived where the winters were a little milder? My biggest fear is I will die and go to hell and find snow and ice...
106 posted on 10/02/2009 7:52:22 PM PDT by tubebender (Santa Claus is always jolly cause he knows where all the bad girls live...)
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