“Bundle up real good and go with Grandpa. You can carry the basket for him.”
It was the middle of January and although suppertime was still hours away, darkness had already fallen. Grandma wrapped a hand-knitted scarf around my neck and passed me a wicker basket. I followed Grandpa out into the night.
My grandfather shuffled his feet to break through the drifted snow and I stepped high, trying to stay in his tracks. A dim view of a rustic door soon appeared; I watched as the old man tugged it open and disappeared inside. “Come on in lad, let’s find us some grub.”
I leaned in and glanced around the small room dug into the hillside. A musky smell of damp earth and root crops blended with sweet fruits and pungent cheese. My grandfather handed me the lantern and took the basket, filling it with potatoes magically pulled from a dark corner.
That was over 40 years ago. Though I’ve yet to build a root cellar of my own, potatoes, carrots and beets have long been staples in my garden. These heartiest of vegetables can withstand several hard frosts and for me are the final harvests before I put the garden to bed for the winter.
Potatoes
After harvesting, potatoes need to cure for about a week before storing. Spread them out in a warm (60°-70°) area, out of the sun, rain and wind.
If you have a root cellar, congratulations; there is no better way to store potatoes. A miniature version of a cellar could be a barrel, trash can, or even a salvaged refrigerator buried in a protected area. The temperature should be just under 40° with 90 percent humidity wherever you choose to keep them.
I keep ours in crates in an unheated woodshed until temperatures drop and hold below freezing, then bring them in the house. Even in the coolest part of our pantry they soon sprout and we go on a potato diet for a while or preserve them in other ways.
Canning
Wash, peel and slice or dice potatoes into an ascorbic acid solution to prevent darkening. Drain. Blanch two minutes in boiling water and drain again. Fill jars with hot potatoes and fresh hot water, leaving a one-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process.
Ascorbic acid comes in several forms: a pure powdered form -- use 1 teaspoon per gallon of water as a treatment solution; Vitamin C Tablets -- buy 500 milligram tablets; crush and dissolve six tablets per gallon of water; lemon juice -- 6 tablespoons of lemon juice into 1 liter of warm water; and commercially prepared mixes of ascorbic and citric acid.
Freezing
Raw potatoes do not freeze well. Upon thawing and reheating, they tend to disintegrate. The best potatoes for freezing are those that have been cooked, such as mashed potato patties, baked stuffed potatoes, or French fries.
Drying
Peel potatoes or leave the skins on, slice or cut strips into an ascorbic acid solution, then blanch as with canning. When cool, lay them in a single layer between paper towels and blot them dry.
If you are using a dehydrator, place potato slices close together, but not touching, so air is allowed to circulate between them. Dry until potatoes are brittle, somewhat translucent and not at all pliable.
If you use an oven, spread potato slices on cookie sheets as close together as possible but in a single layer. Turn the oven to its very lowest temperature. Keep the oven door ajar so that the air can circulate freely and let moisture escape. Turn the slices over every 30 minutes.
Let the dried potatoes cool thoroughly, then store at room temperature in a cool, dry place.
Beets
Trim the tops to within a half-inch of the roots prior to storage. Pack between layers of damp sawdust, sand or peat moss and keep them cold and very moist.
Freezing
Wash and sort beets according to size. Trim tops, leaving a half-inch of stems and tap root. Cook in boiling water until tender-- for small beets, 25 to 30 minutes; for medium beets 45 to 50 minutes.
Cool promptly in cold water. Peel, remove stem and tap root, and cut into slices or cubes. Package, seal and freeze.
Pickling
Trim off beet tops. Wash thoroughly. Sort for size. Cover similar sizes together with boiling water and cook until tender.
Cool beets. Trim off roots and stems and slip off skins. Slice into quarter-inch slices or leave small beets whole. Combine vinegar, salt, sugar and fresh water. Bring to a boil. Add beets. Simmer 5 minutes.
Fill jars with beets, leaving a half-inch headspace. Add hot vinegar solution, allowing a half-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process.
Carrots
Trim off the tops a half-inch above the roots. Pack them in bins or crates between layers of moist sand, sawdust, sphagnum or peat moss.
Freezing
Remove tops, wash and peel. Leave small carrots whole. Cut others into thin slices, quarter-inch cubes or lengthwise strips. Water blanch small, whole carrots 5 minutes, diced, sliced or strips 2 minutes. Cool promptly; drain and package, leaving a half-inch headspace. Seal and freeze.
Canning
Wash, peel and rewash carrots; slice or dice.
Hot Pack
Cover with boiling water; bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Fill jars, leaving one-inch headspace.
Raw Pack
Fill jars tightly with raw carrots, leaving one-inch headspace. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jar, if desired. Add hot cooking liquid or water, leaving one-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process.
Drying
Wash, trim tops, peel or scrape if desired. Cut into quarter-inch cubes or circles. Dry until leathery.
A complete guide to home food preservation, including canning timetables can be found on-line at the National Center for Home Food Preservation.