Читать книгу Self-Sufficiency: Grow Your Own - Ian Cooke - Страница 17

Fresh fruit and vegetables are undoubtedly the tastiest and most nutritious but however hard you try to plan a succession of crops there will inevitably be some gluts. Some vegetables such as peas and sweetcorn all ripen at the same time, as do many fruits. Going on holiday or failing to harvest for a few days will also yield a bumper harvest. On a short-term basis most vegetables and fruit will store well in a cool pantry or refrigerator.

Most methods of long-term storage are kitchen techniques but some are horticultural procedures. Potatoes and onions will store well over winter in a cool, dry frost-free shed. Potatoes are best stored in thick paper sacks, not polythene. Onions are best tied together in a long string and hung from a shed roof. Apples and pears can be stored in open trays stacked up in a cool, frost free store. Ideally they should be wrapped individually in waxed paper to reduce moisture loss. Root crops such as potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and swedes can also be stored outdoors in a structure called a clamp. All stored fruit and vegetables should be checked regularly and any rotting specimens removed.

Moving to the kitchen, there are various other possibilities. Freezing is undoubtedly the easiest and most successful technique for a wide variety of both fruit and vegetables. Check a freezing guide for details on preparation and blanching times. Most fruits can be made into jams and the traditional technique of bottling is quite successful with fleshy fruits such as pears and plums. Some vegetables such as onions, red cabbage and gherkins are suitable for pickling and others for making chutney. In particular, green tomatoes at the end of the season can be used to make a flavoursome winter pickle. Some beans can be allowed to fully ripen for drying in airtight jars. And, of course, most fruits, and indeed some vegetables such as parsnips, can be used to produce very acceptable country wines.