![]() ![]() Gently tear or snip off most of the greens, but leave about ½ inch intact. All those I save will be overwintered in the same manner as those for eating, but in a separate container. I don't save any for seed that are too big or too small. I choose those with the most vibrant color and a good shape consistent to the variety. Once the carrots are lifted is the time to sort them, saving the best to be planted for seed. Carrots that re-sprout turn woody as they start sending out fibrous roots. If I harvest the carrots when it is still warm in this room, they will either rot or sprout too early in their containers. I store my carrots in a cold room and/or garage attached to the house that is not climate controlled. ![]() I try to harvest storage carrots as late in the year as possible, so I'm closely watching for temperatures near 28 F. When cooked, these sugars will cause the potato to burn. This process happens in parsnips and potatoes too, and is similarly beneficial for the flavor of parsnips. Sugar becomes a solute in the cell water which lowers the freezing point of the water inside the cell. Starches in the root are converted to sugars during freezing temperatures to protect cells from freezing and rupturing. Carrots are somewhat hardy and allowing them to freeze lightly is beneficial for their flavor. Harvest carrots for winter storage when nighttime temperatures are getting to be about 28 degrees F. A few carrots might become too woody or overly large, but these are still okay in soup stocks. A variety to carrots that I have found to do this is 'Scarlet Nantes.' I harvest from a spring planted row of these all summer and fall long. Varieties, of carrots or otherwise, that hold well in the field are those that reach maturity and seemingly stop there for a time without becoming overripe or woody. Alternatively, plant even your storage carrots in the late spring during rains and cloudy weather, but plant a variety that “holds well” in the field. That way, they are just maturing when you harvest them in October and have not become overgrown or woody. That being said if you can still manage to germinate them well winter storage carrots are ideally planted just before the summer solstice. As summer progresses, the surface soil where the carrots are planted dries out, and even with daily irrigation my germination success goes way down. ![]() Consistent moisture from spring rains and clouds really helps this. Carrots and other members of the apiacea family are some of the most difficult vegetables to germinate. I really watch the forecast before I plant them. Though I could plant carrots all spring and summer long, I plant the bulk of my carrots in the spring during spring rains. Planning for fresh carrot storage begins the previous summer. Garden fresh carrots all winter long can be achieved under conditions many people already have in an ordinary garage, basement, or cold room and do not require a root cellar. I juice, roast, and make soup stocks with them. ![]() What a treat, in a season when a lot of what we are eating has been frozen or canned, to bite into a sweet, cold, crunchy carrot. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |