Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-11-28
STORING OF WINTER
VEGETABLES MAKES
FOR MUCH ECONOMY
Prevents Usual Waste of Garden
Products in Fall-Method
Is Not Difficult.
EXPERT TELLS TWO PLANS.
Dry, Well-Aired, Frost-Proof Gel
lar or a Deep Trench
May Be Used.
by Minna A. StOner, Professor Home
Economics, North Dakota Agricul-
turaI College.

By Minna A. StOner, Professor Home
Economics. North Dakota Agricul-
turaI College.
The storing of winter vegetables is
economical and desirable. In the fall
enough vegetables go to waste from
the average farm garden to supply the
table during the entire winter. The
task of storing is not difficult if one
has knowledge of the conditions best
suited for storage and is willing to
perform small amount of labor.
A dry, well-aired, not too dark, FROST
proof room, cellar or sod house will
serve the purpose. The most favorable
temperature is not over so degrees f.
Celery, cabbage and sweet potatoes
should be stored in the coolest part OF
the room. Racks should be adjusted
on which to place the storage boxes or
barrels. This avoids the dangers of
over heating, excess moisture and pre-.
vents decay.
All vegetables should be gathered be-
fore the frost, sorted and dried thor.
ougly before packing. For long win
ter storing reserve those of most per-
feet formation and firm texture. Each
root or tuber should be placed few
inches apart in alternate layers with
clean. dry sand. In removing those for
use, care should be taken each time to
recover any that may be exposed. The
earth for packing should be clean and
dry and should be collected in the dry
summer season rather than after the
heavy fall rains. Carrots. sweet pota-
toes. beets, turnips. parsnips, cabbage.
satisfy and celery keep well stored by
this method.
Vegetables less perfect in form, less
firm In texture, should be reserved for
immediate use. These may be stored
in barrels or boxes with latticed bot
toms.
Sweet potatoes should be well dried,
wrapped in paper, packed in sand as
indicated, and kept in the coolest part
of the store room. Celery should be
taken from the ground on a clear day
and transferred to boxes of clean. dry
sand. The tops and leaf portion should
not be covered, but the bleached part
should be well packed in the sand and
placed in the coolest part of the stor-
age room. Cabbage and caulifower
Will keep for long time If gathered
and stored with the heads and roots in
tact. The large outside leaves should
be removed. Each head should be
surrounded with clean, dry straw and
placed downward a few inches apart.
Pack and store the same as celery.
Tomatoes may be stored very late
in the fall il the entire vine Is care
fully pulled up and hung over racks in
the coolest part of the frost-proof room
or the fruit may be picked from the
vines and placed on racks several
inches apart. BY these methods q
large portion of the green tomatoes
will ripen and keep indefinitely.
If a frost-proof storage place is not
available, the trench method is satis-
factory for storing cabbage. turnips,
carrots, parsnips. satisfy, beets, etc. A
well drained location should be select
ed and the trench should be about sew
en- feet deep. Clean straw should be
filled in to the depth of about one foot.
The trench may be divided in sections
for each variety of vegetables. The
cabbage should be arranged as previ.
ously mentioned. In filling the trench
the earth should be firmly packed and
well heaped. Two boards nailed to-
gether lengthwise to form a sloping
roof should be placed over the top to
shed rain and snow Vegetables stored
in trench may freeze in a severe
winter and remain frozen until the
spring thaw. The gradual extraction
Of the frost leaves the vegetables unin-
jured, but sudden thaw will greatly
impair the texture and flavor.
The cost of vegetables grown out of
season in greenhouses and available in
all markets during the winter and ear
ly spring months is so high as almost
to prohibit their use by people of mod.
crate means, except as luxury. There
fore, If more attention were paid in
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