Onions:
Place these in a mesh bag, a bushel basket, or a cardboard box with holes punched in it. Paul and Joyce use plastic crates with plenty of holes in them. Store at 35-40 degrees F in a dark place that won’t freeze. The Larsons grew garlic, red onions and yellow onions. Red onions don’t store well for long periods, so Paul and Joyce eat those first! Garlic and yellow onions will store for months.
Winter Squash and Pumpkins:
Pumpkins and squash actually take months to mature. Harvest after the vines have begun to dry and the skin of the fruit is tough. Make sure you pick them before they are exposed to frost. Cut the stem, don’t pull the fruit off the vine. You want the stem on, or the scar may be a wound where rotting will start. Also take care to avoid damaging the skin in any way, for the same reason. Store in a dry, slightly cool place, 50-60 degrees F is great. Make sure there is air circulating around the squash or pumpkins.
Thinner-skinned squash such as acorn, delicate or spaghetti squash should be used in 1-2 months.
Pie pumpkins should be used within 4 months, and butternut squash can be stored until spring!
Tomatoes:
Pick tomatoes before a frost. Wash under running water, and let dry completely. Eat any damaged tomatoes, because they won’t store!
Green tomatoes can ripen indoors – they don’t need light to ripen, but they do need humidity! If they don’t have humidity, they may shrivel before they ripen. To provide humidity, you can:
- Place one or two layers of tomatoes in a covered box.
- Or wrap individual tomatoes in newspaper or wax paper and place in a cardboard box.
- Or place several tomatoes in a plastic bag.
Ethylene gas, produced by ripening fruit (tomatoes are a fruit) is a ripening hormone. Placing a ripe tomato or banana in the container with green tomatoes will speed up ripening. To stop ripening, simply remove the ripe tomato or banana.
Paul and Joyce have had tomatoes until the beginning of December by storing them!
