Issues → November/December 2009 → Food →
How to Store Vegetables in a Root Cellar
Useful tips from Yankee's past
by R.M. Bacon
From Yankee Magazine, October 1975
Cut off the tops of vegetables to within 1 inch of the crown. Rutabagas and turnips can be glazed with melted paraffin for longer keeping. Beets can be layered with dry fall leaves in baskets and buckets. Carrots can be bunched and stored in ventilated plastic bags or layered directly in moist sand, sawdust, peat moss, shavings, etc.
Some old-timers core carrot crowns with a knife, dry them thoroughly after washing, and pack tightly in wide-mouthed gallon glass jugs with screw-type lids. Check the undersides of the covers frequently at first. If condensation appears, unpack the carrots and dry them again. They'll keep for months without shriveling.
READ MORE: Recipes for Root Vegetables
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