Survival Gardening Diary
September
Storage Issues
As the season of fresh fruit and vegetables draws to a close, the attentions of the survival gardener naturally turn to storage. In the medieval era, when European diets were based mainly on grains (supplemented with animal products, fruit and vegetables), the successful harvesting and storage of the grain crop usually determined whether the population would have adequate amounts of food to eat in the coming months.
Typically, two bad grain harvests were sufficient to precipitate widespread famine. This occurred in 1315-1317, when two successive wet summers led to very poor grain harvests. The problem was compounded by the fact that much of the grain harvested had too high a moisture content, and soon spoiled. By the spring of 1316, many small scale farmers had been forced to eat their tillage animals, limiting their ability to sow sufficient acreage for the next season. In some cases, people had resorted to eating the grain that was being saved for seed, meaning they had nothing left to sow. Severe famine occurred across much of northern Europe.
The troublesome issue of ripening and harvesting grain in poor summers probably does not concern many small scale gardeners, for few of them grow wheat, barley, oats, or rye. As a food security issue however, the future ability of large scale agriculture to safely deliver the grain harvests is of major concern, especially in western areas where summer rainfall appears to be on the increase. Wet summers not only delay ripening of grain and increase the risk of 'lodging' (where the grain crop is flattened in the field by wind or rain), but also can leave fields in a semi-waterlogged state that precludes the use of harvesting machinery.
In addition to grains, other important crops that require storage include root vegetables, tubers such as potatoes, peas and beans for drying, onions and garlic, marrows and pumpkins, and apples. Many of these crops will be of interest to the survival gardener working a small plot or engaged in clandestine guerrilla gardening.
Historically speaking, potatoes and root crops such as parsnips have generally been lifted in the autumn and put in pits or clamps for storage. This strategy protects the crops from damage from foraging animals or excessively cold weather. The Irish famine of 1740-41, which by all accounts was every bit as severe as the one triggered by the arrival of potato blight just over a hundred years later, was precipitated by extremely cold weather in the autumn. The potato crop, still in the ground, was ruined by frost that penetrated deep into the ground. To compound the hardship of the increasingly hungry population, the winter that followed was one of the harshest ever experienced in Ireland.
Cold winters were a particular feature of the 18th century, which was the low point of a period of about 500 years known collectively as the Little Ace Age. Average winter temperatures are now much higher, and are currently rising as a consequence of global warming. Except for frost pockets in the coldest parts of the country, the risk from frost to potatoes left in the ground over the winter is now relatively small. For crops that have suffered blight, leaving the potatoes in the ground may actually help preserve the crop as there will be less opportunity for blighted tubers to infect the healthy potatoes. However, two other considerations are rats and waterlogged ground. Potatoes will spoil in waterlogged ground. Also, it has been known for rats to dig up potatoes in the field in the winter months when other food is scarce.
For potatoes that are lifted, it is best to leave the tubers exposed on the ridges for a day or two, to dry and harden the skin. Quantities of under 100kg may simply be put in large paper sacks and stored in a rat proof, cool but frost free shed or outbuilding. Larger quantities are better put in clamps: long piles of heaped tubers that are covered with straw and earth. Both potatoes stored in clamps and in sacks should be inspected regularly for blight, rot or rat damage.
Parsnips can be left in the ground until early April, although if the land is needed for sowing the next crop they can be lifted and put in clamps. Parsnips are actually improved by cold weather and generally become sweeter as the winter progresses. If left in the ground beyond early April they quickly become too woody to eat.
Carrots can store well both in clamps and in the ground, though if the crop has any damage from the carrot fly maggot - little black tunnels or discoloured honeycombed areas - it is best to eat up the remaining good roots as soon as possible.
Turnips store well in the field, though also keep well in large paper sacks if harvested in autumn or early winter.
Onions and garlic will have been harvested in July or August. The ripened bulbs will store until the following spring if left hanging in bunches in a dry well ventilated outbuilding.
Peas and beans for drying should be dried as much as possible in the pod, preferably on the plant if weather conditions permit. Following picking, the pods can be spread on newspaper in a dry but very well ventilated space. Once the pods become brittle, the peas or beans can be removed and spread out in paper lined cardboard boxes in a warm but dry place to finish the drying process. Finally they can be put into storage jars. To use, simply soak overnight, rinse, add fresh water and cook until soft.
Marrows and pumpkins should be lifted on a dry sunny day and left in dry well ventilated place for a few days to harden up the skin. They can then be stored in a cool shed. The larger fruits of a given variety tend to store the longest, as the skin is usually tougher. Well ripened fruit of non-hybrid varieties will have viable seeds that can be sown the following year. These can be saved when preparing the fruit for cooking. Simply separate the seeds from the pulp that surrounds them, dry gently and then store in paper bags in a dry place. Modern F1 hybrids do not produce viable seeds and their use only increases dependency on the corporate agro-chemical-biotech sector.
Not all varieties of apples are suitable for storage: some ripen too quickly and must be used almost straight away. Apples intended for storage should be carefully placed into paper-lined boxes in single layers. Bruised or otherwise damaged apples should be avoided. Ideally the boxes should be kept in a cool ventilated place of moderate humidity: stone cellars were traditionally used. However, wooden garden sheds generally are adequate, if not perfect, unless prone to sub-zero temperatures in the depths of winter, or to excessive solar gain on a sunny day.
Apples in storage should be inspected regularly. Fruit that is starting to deteriorate should be removed. In 18th and 19th centuries, when fruit storage skills were at their most finely honed, apples would be stored until March or April of the following year. Late keeping desert apples include Brownlee's Russet, D'Arcy Spice and Court Pendu Plat. All three can last until April. Among the cookers Bramley's Seedling and Edward VII will usually make it till March, while Annie Elizabeth can last into April.
The survival gardener who likes apples and wants to extend her or his apple eating season, should be looking at catalogues now! Apples trees may also be considered for guerrilla planting on waste land, particularly places where tree maintenance and harvesting can be carried out relatively easily. Trees grown on MM106 (semi vigorous) rootstock are generally the best choice as they establish quickly and can handle a reasonable amount of neglect. Dwarf rootstocks are generally too weak for guerrilla work. Planting can take place any time between December and April.
The survival gardener who especially likes apples and other tree fruit should consider getting into grafting as this makes it possible to raise large numbers of fruit trees at relatively little cost. Grafting is an important survival gardening skill and easy to learn. The rootstock can be bought from specialist nurseries (or from the Sustainability Institute) at about €20 per ten trees. Graft wood (the bit that will ultimately bear the fruit) can be obtained free from any healthy fruit tree. One year old wood is normally used, preferably a reasonably straight piece with 4 or 5 buds. Grafting normally takes place in late March or early April. More on this in the next March diary!
Happy gardening
Andy
