Posted Nov 16, 2011
You got a steal on just-picked local potatoes this fall. But you can’t eat 50 pounds of tubers in two weeks, and you don’t have a root cellar. Do you store them like squash? Or apples? No need to wonder. For tips on storing common autumn produce, reporter Melissa Davlin asked farmers market vendors and consulted the University of Idaho’s publication “Storing Food for Safety and Quality.” You’ll be eating local well into winter.
Squash
How to store them
Squash like warm and dry, said Jo Ann Robbins of University of Idaho’s Jerome Extension Office. Condition them by storing at 60 degrees for a week. When their skins turn hard, store in a warm-ish garage at about 55 degrees.
How to tell if they’re bad
Wrinkly skin or rotted spots are bad signs.
How to prepare them if they’re past prime
There’s no salvaging a bad squash, Robbins said. Instead, use them while they’re still pretty for stuffed acorn squash or butternut soup.
Onions
How to store them
Put them in old nylon stockings and tie a knot between each bulb, then hang in a cool, dry place, said grower Carl Hatfield of Buhl. Cardboard boxes or paper bags are also good — but there’s a higher risk of one bad onion affecting others.
How to tell if they’re bad
They’ll be mushy, slimy or rotten.
How to prepare them if they’re past prime
Peel back the layers to see if any are salvageable, Jo Ann Robbins said. (But don’t be surprised if you’re left with a marble-sized onion.) From there, cook as you normally would.
Potatoes
How to store them
Don’t wash them. Keep them in a perforated plastic bag in a cool, dark place like a basement or garage — not in the refrigerator or under a sink.
How to tell if they’re bad
If they freeze or turn mushy, game over. Too much green is bad, too.
How to prepare them if they’re past prime
If the potatoes start sprouting, cut out the sprouts and prepare the spuds as normal. Same goes for small amounts of green.
Carrots
How to store them
Carrots need to stay cold and moist, said Carol Rast of Fairfield’s Prairie Sun Farm. Cut off tops, put carrots in a plastic shopping bag and store them in the crisper. Or if you have big quantities, store them in damp sand in a cold garage or basement.
How to tell if they’re bad
If they’re rubbery, they’re too dry — but still safe.
How to prepare them if they’re past prime
Rubbery carrots are OK cooked if you catch them quickly enough, Rast said. Also, if they start to sprout, cut off the growth immediately to save them.
Apples
How to store them
Apples do well in cold, dry storage, Jo Ann Robbins said. Keep them in the fridge or in a cold garage, and store them alone. Apples give off gas that can accelerate rotting in other fruits and veggies.
How to tell if they’re bad
You can trim away small spots of spoilage, but mushy apples are no good.
How to prepare them if they’re past prime
If apples are no longer crisp, they’re not necessarily bad, Robbins said — just dehydrated. Put them in cobblers or pie, where flavor is more important than texture.
©2011 The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho)