Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Storage Veggies - celariac

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This odd vegetable is called celariac and is as the name suggests related to celery. It has a swollen stem which stores well into the winter, or so I'm told. This is the first year I try it and right now it is piled in the same box with the parsnips that survived the wrath of the cutworm. I had intended on brining in a box of turnips and carrots too but the ground froze quickly and I wasn't able to fully pack down my 'leaf frame' (think cold frame with leaves) in time. Anyhow, they should overwinter for food in the spring. The same lack of time this year meant I hastily stored my roots in plain old garden soil which you aren't supposed to do but it has worked for me every single time I've tried this technique.

My experiment so far:
In storage

Sweet Potatoes (cool, not cold after curing) - keeping well
Celariac (cold room, above freezing) - keeping well
Parnips (cold room, above freezing) - keeping well
Jeruselum Artichokes (experimental storage in soil in cold room) - keeping well
Squash (dry, room temperature) - keeping well
Tomatillos (dry, room temperature in husks) - keeping well
Tomatoes, winterkeeper (dry, room temperature) - a little whizened but still good
Potatoes - We ate most of them...
Onions - gone, must grow more
Garlic (dry, room temperature) - keeping well
Kale (outside getting chilly) - still tasty in soup
Dried beans and peas (dry, cool) - excellent
Turnips and carrots - in frozen ground but usually fine
Cabbage (fridge) - excellent
Beets - last I checked some were in good condition - the leaves were not frozen - in my spaceship (hoophouse thingy)

I'll keep you updated.

4 comments:

Gardenista said...

Wow. I'm impressed you can still get beets and kale from outside. Right now, I could't find my vegetable raised bed without a shovel. It must not be that bad in Ottawa!

Anthony said...

Lack of time or not, I still think it's really impressive that you're storing so much stuff. I really need to get into the habit of saving more of my veggies even if it's freezing or canning.

Ottawa Gardener said...

The beets are under the hoophouse which is not quite entirely buried in two feet of snow...

Unknown said...

Wow... great list. Knowing how much colder you are than me, I kind of think that I should be saving more instead of thinking that I would "have to can" things.