Evening star., 1943-10-31


planned on producing and storing
for winter use as many of the gar
den crops as possible. Potatoes
were, of course, the main consid-
Grafton, for they were the staple
food of most American families, but
the vegetable crops, pumpkins, tur-
nips, parsnips, onions, cabbage, car
rots and beets, along with apples and
pears, were also stored
In those days furnaces were not
so common Most homes had cellars,
not Easements, and it was more of
a problem to keep the fruits and
vegetables from freezing than it was
to keep them from drying up. That
was before the time of modern dis
tribution systems, and we could not
step into grocery store to buy
fresh fruits and vegetables as need
ed. Now that the war has reduced
the supplies of fresh vegetables on
the market and with the tremendous
production of the Victory gardens,
interest is once again centered on
the home storage of fruits and vege-
tables.
AS indicated above, fresh fruits
and vegetables do not keep we'll in
a warm, dry atmosphere. The major
consideration in storage is to have
the right temperature below 40
degrees and adequate humidity if
the crops are to remain in salts
factory condition until needed.
Modern Easements are in most cases
too hot and dry for all except sweet
potatoes, pumpkins and squashes.
However, room may be parti-
toned off where the temperature
may be held only little above
freezing and where the air may be
Kept moist enough.
The building of a basement stor-
age room is not generally recon-
nlended, for it is believed that few
gardeners will continue to produce
large enough quantities of fruits and
veseta bles to Justify this effort, al
Though it is not especially costly.
The building of a storage room,
preferably on the north side of the
basement and having one window
requires careful insulation to pre-
vent chilling the rest of the house.
This may be accomplished by using
any one of several thick insulation
materials on the market or dou-
ble-walled partition with the center
filled with sawdust. However, most
builders prefer to use the CONNER
clal insulating products to reduce
the fire hazard. Two of the panes
of glass, one from the upper and
the other from the lower part of the
window are removed and replaced
with wire screen. The upper open
Ing is covered with a piece of stove
pipe or any other material avail
able to make a duct to carry away
the warm air from the inside of
the room. The lower opening is
covered with the same material, but
this duct should end near the base
ment floor, where it deposits cold
air, Both ducts should have some
device to regulate the amount of air
passing through.
The remainder of the job consists
of providing shelves and bins for
holding the products stored. Some
gardeners also store their canned
fruits in such a room on the theory
that they will store better than in a
warm room. Even in such a storage
room it will probably be desirable
to have a supply Of sand and peat
moss in which to store beets. turnips
and parsnips, as they dry out badly
unless kept in some moisture-hold-
ing material. In most cases, garden
ers in this area prefer to leave their
parsnips and satisfy in the garden,
digging them, only as needed.
Next to a basement storage room,
the of-doors pit is probably the
most widely used by gardeners. This
consists of digging hole and lining
It with boards, providing an en-
trance and ventilation and, where
necessary, drainage. The pit may be
large or small, elaborate or simple.
If 1t can be built into a bank. the
job is much simpler than where
It must be constructed in level
ground. However, it is doubtful if
many local gardeners will find it
advisable to build one.
A large barrel or box partially set
Into the ground and covered with
leaves and dirt will be more in keep
Ing with the needs of home garden
ers. A removable cover and some
arrangement for ventilation are all
that is necessary to complete the Job
However, lacking barrel or a box,
one may make framework, resem-
bling sawhorSe, covering the sides
and one end with boards The other
end should have some kind of door.
A covering of leaves and dirt of
sufficient thickness to protect the
contents from freezing completes
the Job. This is probably the most
easily constructed temporary stor-
age space that can be built. It
should be located close to the house
for easy access in bad weather.
AS mentioned above, sweet pota-
toes and pumpkins should be stored
In fairly warm, dry situation.
After being thoroughly cured fol-
lowing digging they may be put
into Slated crates or baskets and
stored in the basement
Onions need cool dry place. pref
erably in containers that permit
adequate air circulation. Otherwise
they will sprout or root. Some
gardeners braid the tops and hang
the strings up on the porch until
freezing weather comes. This is
especially satisfactory for the sweet
or Spanish types,
Cabbage is so smelly that it should
not be stored in the basement or
even in the same pit with other
vegetables, In this area most gar
deners will find the simplest and
most effective storage to be a shallow
ditch, Scoop out the soil to depth
of a foot, the width is a little over
q foot LMide ennuoh for the headsl