Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-09-14
|TORING FOODS
IN THE HOME
apartment of Agriculture
Tells How to Keep Veg
tables Safe

Washington. Sept. 14.-Natural
orage of late vegetables in the
bme for use in fail and winter
practice which is advisable every
ason-is especially desirable now
lat the country is at war, says the
nited States Department of Agri-
Ilture. Natural storage is the least
oublesome way of keeping food for
iture use, it is pointed out, and
ay be practiced with little expense
most homes, either in the country
in the city. Such storage is of
hief value to owners of home gar
ens, but when vegetables suitable
pr storage may be purchased cheap
it may be practiced profitaDly by
bme other householders.
The principal vegetables which
ay be stored successfully are the
bot, tuber, and bulb crops, such as
te maturing potatoes, carrots, par
hips, turnips, satisfy, onions, etc.
ertain leaf and stalk crops such as
lbbage and celery, and a few other
roducts such as squashes, pump
ms, ETC., also may be stored ma
lrally.
Natural storage of most vegetables
hat may be kept may be in a cellar
nder u dwelling, or under an out
hiding, in a special outdoor cellar,
in banks or pits. A few products
ich as pumpkins and winter squash,
pouring dry, fairly warm storage,
ay be kept in unused rooms or
osets, and a few products may be
ept in attics.
Cellar Storage Room
If cellar under a dwelling or out
hiding is clean. cool, and well-ven-
lated it may be used for storage
ithout alteration. Many cellars,
owever, are not well suited for
oring vegetables because of poor
hsulation or lack of ventilation,
nd those containing a furnace for
eating usually are too warm and
ry. 1t is often possible to partition
II room either in one corner or at
ne end of such a cellar, where the
emperature may be controlled by
leans of outside windows.
Outdoor storage cellars possess all
be advantages of the storage room
the basement and are superior in
lany respects. 1t is possible to keep
lch a cellar cool and quickly re-
uce the temperature of the stored
roducts by opening the door dur
hg the night and closing it in the
forming before the air becomes
be outdoor cellars may be construct
! almost entirely above ground of
ood or ether available materials.
traw or dirt may be thrown upon
he roof as insulation during es-
ecially cold periods. In regions of
hVere freezing the most popular
|pe of storage cellar is built large
underground and the roof has
eep covering of straw and earth,
lanure, etc. Such cellars may be
Instructed of wood, concrete, stone,
J. brick.
Storage in Pits or Banks
Storage in outdoor banks Or pits
the most primitive and least eX-
ensive method of keeping many
egetables and is fairly satisfactory
here the ground is well-drained.
his method does not compare in
pnVenience, however, with storage
cellars since in periods of bad
feather the vegetables are often
ccessible with difficulty. The con-
ruction of banks is begun by maxi
lg an excavation six or eight inches
eep in a well-drained location and
ming it with straw, leaves. or sim
ar material. The vegetables (usu-
lily root crops) are placed on this
tier \ a coniCal pile. The sides and
caves and this with two or three
lches of earth. AS winter ap-
roaches the earth covering should
e increased, depending on the Sc
Gritty of the winters in the locality.
mall pits containing but few
bushels of vegetables will receive
efficient ventilation if the straw be-
ween the vegetables and the earth
overing is allowed to extend through
he latter to the top of the pile.
his exposed straw should be COW
red with a board or a piece of tin
! eld in place by stone as a pro-
ection from rain. In larger pits Ven-
lation may be secured by placing
wo or three pieces of rough boards
I stakes up through the center of
he pile of vegetables so that flue is
ormed. This flue should be capped
y an inverted trough formed by two
ieCes of board nailed together at
zght angles. Where such banks are
sed the best practice is to construct
number of small ones so that a
Sufiicient quantity of vegetables to
E ast a few days can be obtained by
pening each pit. The method may
e modified by placing the vegetables
/ long ridge rather than in conf
al piles with earth dividing the
zdge into small sections. A section
s nay then be conveniently opened
Fithout disturbing the remainder of
he stored vegetables.
Most vegetables suitable for stor-
ge should not be harvested and
=tored until cool weather arrives OF
bout the time of the first killing
rost. However, Irish potatoes should
e harvested as soon as they reach
zhaturity, and if basement or outdoor
ellar storage is available. they
=hould be stored Immediately. They
hould not be stored in banks or
bits until the weather gets cool
onions should be put in storage as
bon as they are matured and thor
#ughly cured or dried.
Detailed directions for preparing
he several types of storages and for
andling the various vegetables
hich may be stored are given in a
|ecent bulletin, Home Storage of
I egetables," recently published by
he United States Department of
griculture. Copies of this bulletin
bay be obtained free by application