Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Most plants contain enzymes that turn free sugars into starch, and these enzymes
will work even in deep freeze, albeit very slowly. To prevent most produce from
gradually deteriorating, it is necessary to briefly cook (or 'blanch') it in steam or
boiling water. As soon as this is done, cool it as quickly as possible by immersing
it in cold water, then remove as much water as possible by shaking it or spinning
it in a salad drier before putting it in the freezer. To prevent produce sticking
together in a solid lump, place it on metal baking trays for freezing so that the
pieces do not touch each other, then transfer them to freezer bags. This tech-
nique is called 'open freezing' and is suitable for most produce, though not for
delicate or leafy material, which tends to dry out as it cools.
Jam- and preserve-making
is an age-old storage method that relies on high
concentrations of sugar to prevent bacterial growth, and
pickling
uses high levels
of vinegar or salt to do the same thing. You can find instructions for making these
in ordinary cookbooks, but the related option of
canning
needs specialised
knowledge and equipment to be done safely - please don't attempt it without
doing some further reading.
Crop rotation
'Rotation' is the practice of using a piece of ground to grow different groups of
crops in sequence, rather than growing the same type of plant in the same place
several times. This reduces the build-up of soil pests and can also help you keep
your soil-feeding routine as simple as possible (see Chapter 11). Below is a simple
four-stage rotation using the plants in this chapter and showing the group to
which they belong. We have included the same group letters as part of the 'har-
vesting dates' icon at the top of each plant description, but how - or even if - you
apply a rotation is entirely up to you.
A: Broccoli (sprouting ), cabbage, cauliflower, daikon, kohlrabi, pak choi, radish,
rocket, turnip.
B: Beans (broad, dwarf French and French), chard, courgette, cucumber, lettuce,
melon and watermelon, peas, spinach, sweetcorn.
C: Aubergine, garlic and elephant garlic, onion, pepper, potato, spring onion,
sweet potato, tomato.
D: Beetroot, carrot, celeriac, celery, coriander, fennel.
