Foods You Can Grow and Store All Winter – The Lowdown on Storage Crops

Eating local is something many of us strive for, but it can be easier said than done. We are at the mercy of the growing season for whatever local fresh produce is available and at the mercy of our work schedules for the time to track it down.

Farmers markets and local farm stands are a great place to find in-season fruits and veggies during a good part of the year, but busy schedules and weekend obligations can make regular market shopping difficult. The reality for many of us is that quick trips to the grocery store on the way home are what we can manage.

Some stores will carry local produce when they can, but most of the year it is imported from other regions. Additionally, prices are often higher for local because small farmers can’t offer stores the same wholesale margin as giant corporate farms. Those of us who garden can only enjoy meals from dirt to plate for so many months before the growing season ends.

Still, we know how important it is. We know that buying from local farms strengthens our local economy. We know we reduce our impact by supporting sustainable agricultural practices and reducing the distance our food travels to reach us. This is why we need to know more about storage crops.

Storage Crops to the Rescue!

Storage crops are foods that will last most of the year under the right conditions and include foods like potatoes, onions, shallots, garlic, root vegetables, winter squash, and pumpkins. The right conditions may seem daunting and mysterious, as root cellars have become something in our grandmother’s stories of the past, but just because you don’t have a root cellar doesn’t mean you can’t keep storage crops through most of the winter.

I have used my garage, pantry, attic, and closet to store local staples and had great success. Sure, some things only make it to April, but there’s enough produce growing again by that time that it really doesn’t matter. You can make the most of a single trip to the farmers’ market or a local farm stand in the fall and stock up a store of these crops at excellent prices. It takes a little planning, but there are many creative ways to keep your food supply local year round.

Potatoes

People have been raising families on potatoes for centuries. They’re versatile, they’re nutritious, and they’ll keep for months. They are easy to grow and don’t require a lot of garden space. There are even creative options like vertical potato cages that allow you to keep layering as the foliage climbs upward. If you don’t have room for gardening, or have a larger family than you can grow enough potatoes for, many farmers offer them at discount bulk prices as a storage crop. The important basics are storing them in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place; 50 to 60 degrees is your target temperature. Cellars and basements are ideal, but covered boxes in the garage, or bins in the bottom of your kitchen cabinets will keep them for quite a while. You can make a lot of different local meals centered around potatoes in the middle of the winter, which makes them a storage crop staple. Depending on the variety of potato, storage conditions, and outside temperatures, potatoes will keep up to 6 months.

Onions

Let’s face it. Almost every recipe calls for onions, so stocking up on your own local supply of this vegetable is going to take you a long ways towards a more local year-round diet. Much like potatoes, farmers will offer discounted prices on bulk quantities in the fall, so calculate how many onions you think you might use per week and do the math to find out how many pounds you need. Onions need cool, dark, well-ventilated storage conditions, but unlike potatoes they need to stay a little more dry. I like to store my onions in baskets, mesh bags, or hanging braids in my attic. Garages are also a fine place, but cellars and basements can lead to spoilage. Under the right conditions, onions will keep up to 6 months.

Garlic

Garlic is one of those foods that doubles as a medicine and overall health booster, so I try to put it in as many dishes as I can. Garlic is easy to grow and doesn’t require a lot of garden space, and I have managed to grow my entire garlic supply for the year for quite a while now.

This year I planned ahead and grew extra to plant as the following year’s garlic seed so I wouldn’t have to buy it. Garlic can be grown, cured, and braided for hanging storage, or it can be purchased from a farmer in bulk. You want to store it pretty much the same way as onions. Because it can be stored hanging in long braids, it doesn’t take up much room and adds a festive look to your storage area. You can easily get away with never buying garlic from the grocery store again. You can easily get away with never buying garlic from the grocery store again. Under the right conditions, hardneck garlic varieties will keep up to 10 months and softneck garlic varieties will keep up to a year.

Winter Squash and Pumpkins

I heard something in the news recently about the expected canned pumpkin shortage for the coming year because of this past spring’s wacky weather in the Midwest, so now is a better than ever time to start buying and storing local pumpkins and winter squash. This is a fun crop to stock up on, because it can involve an October trip to the pumpkin patch. Usually farms with a u-pick pumpkin field will also offer a variety of squash in their farm stand. As long as there is a stem left on them and they are kept below 60 degrees, with low humidity, squash can keep until the following summer in your garage, attic, closet, or sometimes just sitting out on your kitchen counter. They are more prone to spoilage than the other storage crops, so it is important to sort them regularly and eat the ones that don’t look like they’ll make it. The great bonus thing about having a lot of storage squash is that every time you cook one, you can roast the seeds as a healthy snack. Depending on the variety, storage conditions, and outside temperatures, pumpkins and winter squash will keep up to 8 months.

Storage Crops are Winter Staples

Once you get in the habit of planning winter meals around the storage crops you have on hand, you will find yourself with a delicious, nutritious, local and seasonal diet. Potatoes provide plenty of potassium, iron, B6, and fiber. Onions are high in Vitamin C, B6, essential minerals, and fiber. Garlic is rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, selenium, antioxidants, and Vitamin C; and also provides anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties. Winter squash and pumpkins are a straight up superfood, offering high levels of beta-carotene, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, antioxidants, polysaccharides, and fiber. Let’s also not forget the seeds, offering a powerhouse of nutrients in a tiny, crunchy package.

There are even a few other veggies that will keep as storage crops with a little ingenuity. Root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, turnips, and beets will keep for months in the refrigerator or a bucket of moist sand. Apples can keep for months if stored in a cool place and sorted regularly for rot.

Remember that the lack of a root cellar is not holding you back. There are a lot of storage options that mostly fit the criteria and will give you months of local meals. Now that you know the low-down on storage crops, it’s the perfect time of year to get out there and stock up. You will thank yourself for it in January.

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An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

As the old adage says, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

The apple belongs to the Rosaceae family like it’s cousins the plum, nectarine, and peach. The apple is a sweet, crunchy fruit with an edible skin and a cream or white flesh that has been touted the world over for its health promoting and disease prevention benefits. The reality is that the medicinal properties of apples are well documented. Here are just a few to get you started.

Apples Are Low in Calories

A medium sized apple contains about 80-100 calories.

Apples Contain Vitamin C and Beta Carotene

The apple contains both Vitamin C and Beta Carotene antioxidants that help the body develop resistance against infections as well as aiding in the removal of harmful free radicals that cause inflammation inside the body.

Good Source of B Vitamins

Apples are a great source of B complex vitamins such as riboflavin, thiamin, and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6). These vitamins are considered “helper molecules” that assist in biochemical transformations inside the body.

Consuming Apples Can Boost Your Immune System

Apples contain several antioxidants that help the body protect itself from the effects of free radicals. Antioxidants are disease fighting compounds, which scientists believe help prevent and repair oxidation damage that happens in our bodies due to normal cell activity. Apples are rich in antioxidant phytonutrients, flavonoids, and polyphenolics. Some of the important flavonoids in apples are quercetin, epicatechin, and procyanidin B2 which help boost and fortify your immune system.

Apples Are High in Soluble Fiber

The apple is rich in dietary fiber, which helps prevent absorption of bad cholesterol in the gut.

Contain Fiber To Help Regulate Cholesterol

The soluble fiber found in apples binds with fats in the intestines and brings your overall cholesterol to lower levels.

Help Detoxify Your Liver & Colon

Your liver is responsible for clearing the toxins out of your body. Toxins get into our bodies because we are consistently consuming them in the form of food or drinks. If the liver fails to function properly, all sorts of health problems will begin to occur. Eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits, like apples, is the easiest thing you can do to help detoxify your liver. The fiber is also beneficial because it saves the colon mucous membrane from exposure to these toxic substances by binding to cancer-causing chemicals inside the colon.

Can Decrease Risk of Diabetes

Apples are loaded with soluble fiber which dulls the blood sugar swings. Also, research shows that certain flavonoids present in apples could be the reason they have a beneficial effect. One study noted in the Feb 2012 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition noted that people who ate 5 or more apples a week had a lower risk of developing diabetes than those who did not.

Fiber and Pectin Can Help Prevent Colon Cancer

The high amounts of fiber and pectin in the apple helps eliminate toxins and protects the lining of the colon so that cancer cells are unable to form.

Phenolic Compounds Aid the Heart

When plaque builds inside your arteries, it reduces blood flow to your heart which can lead to coronary artery disease. High soluble fiber intake slows the buildup of cholesterol-rich plaque in your arteries. The cholesterol that gets into your system is prevented from solidifying on your artery walls by the phenolic compound found in apple skins.

Helps Prevent Destruction of Brain Cells Causing Alzheimers

Eating a few apples a day will prevent the destruction of brain cells which leads to Alzheimers. Noticeable improvements in the memory of Alzheimers patients were made after consuming apples and/or apple juice for a few weeks. Consuming apples may reduce your chances of developing Alzheimers by 75% as noted in a study done by Dr Shea, a neurobiologist at the University of Massachusetts.

Work To Prevent Gallstones

The gallbladder is a storage place for bile which is a liquid produced in the liver. The normal function of bile is to help your body digest fats. Gallstones form when liquid bile hardens and becomes pieces of stone like material that can block the common bile duct causing symptoms such as nausea and vomiting or a painful gallbladder attack. Gallstones have also been known to form when there is too much cholesterol in your bile. To prevent gallstones, doctors recommend a diet high in fiber to help you control your weight and cholesterol levels.

Work To Remove Stains from Teeth

Miraculously, the enzymes present in apples react to the stains on the surface of the teeth. Eating the skin as well as the flesh causes a rubbing effect which removes the stains from the teeth. This natural teeth whitening solution will not strip the enamel of the teeth while keeping them healthy and white!

How To Add Apples to Your Diet

There are many ways to add apples to your diet. Some common methods include eating them whole at breakfast or as a snack in between meals. Apples also make a great addition to any smoothie providing much of the bulk/fiber needed to hold it together. You can also chop apples to top a fresh salad or cook them in pies, muffins, breads, and cakes. Personally, I find apples and peanut butter to be a perfect, healthy treat that satisfies my sweet tooth.

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An Apple a Day…

Apples come in all sizes and flavors and all shades of yellow, green, and red. We choose from three or four varieties at the grocery store, ten to twelve at the farmers market. A shame really, as there are 7,500 varieties grown worldwide, 2,500 of them in the United States alone.

The wild ancestor of today’s domestic apples originated in Kazakhstan and can still be found in the mountains of Central Asia. The only apple native to America is the crabapple. We can thank the colonists in the early 1600s for bringing apple trees to North America.

Apples are in season in North America from late summer to early winter. They are now available year round because they keep well in cold storage and we import apples from the Southern Hemisphere.

If you peel your apples, you miss out on many of the benefits of this incredibly healthy food. Unpeeled apples are high in fiber, both soluble and insoluble and they contain pectin, flavonoids, phenols, and vitamin C. They promote regularity, lower cholesterol levels, remove heavy metal toxins from the body, reduce risk of heart disease, help prevent free radical damage, and bolster the immune system. Studies also link apples with decreased risk of cancer, asthma, and Type 2 diabetes.

Choose firm, unbruised apples. Fully ripened fruits have the most antioxidants. Whole apples are much better for you than juice, and juicing yourself is better than store bought since laws in most states now require pasteurization, killing off nutrients and enzymes. If you do choose to buy your juice, don’t buy it clear; buy it cloudy for a higher flavonoid content. You’ll neutralize more free radicals. Do buy organic. Conventional apples are one of a dozen fruits and vegetables shown to carry the most

Although we are sharing recipes to cook this versatile fruit, we recommend you eat one raw apple every day to reap its full health benefits. Remember that old saying?