Thyme

Common name: thyme Botanical name: Thymus vulgaris Origin: Mediterranean

Varieties

Argentens; Aureus; Rosens; Broadleaf English; Narrowleaf French.

Description

Thyme is a fragrant, small, perennial evergreen shrub with six- to eight-inch stems that often spread out over the ground. It’s a member of the mint family and has square stems with small opposite leaves and pale lavender mintlike flowers. Thyme
Thyme
is a charming, cheerful little plant and will last for years once it’s established. It’s a good plant for a border or rock garden. There a more than 200 species and manA hybrids, but the common form i
Once you’ve harvested your crops, you may find yourself with a big surplus. What do you do with all those vegetables? Well, you can — and will — enjoy them fresh; and you can also give a lot of them away. You can keep them in the refrigerator for a few days. You can freeze, can, or dry them for the months ahead, as detailed in the following
topics. But in some cases, cold storage — not freezing — can be your best bet. It’s a low-effort, electricity-free choice that can keep you supplied with fresh vegetables all winter long. Both refrigerator storage and cold storage are discussed below, and the accompanying chart shows you which methods of storing or preserving work best for each vegetable.


SHORT-TERM REFRIGERATOR STORAGE

Most vegetables keep best for a short time when stored in the refrigerator, at a high humidity and a constant temperature, just above freezing. A temperature of about 40°F and a humidity of 95 percent are ideal for storing fresh vegetables, and these conditions are most likely to be found in the crisper or hydrator sections of the refrigerator. For the best results, the crisper should be at least two-thirds full; if it’s empty or almost empty, vegetables placed in it will dry out.
To keep vegetables moist and fresh, follow these simple rules of refrigerator storage:
• Store vegetables in the crisper or hydrator, and keep the crisper full.
• When storing only a few vegetables, put them into airtight plastic bags or plastic containers, then into the crisper.
• When storing vegetables in other parts of the

refrigerator, put them into airtight plastic bags or plastic containers to prevent moisture loss.

Almost all vegetables store well in the refrigerator, but there are a few that don’t. Mature onions, peanuts (dried), potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash, and such root vegetables as rutabagas, salsify, and turnips keep better in cold storage outside the refrigerator, in a basement storage room or root cellar. This type of storage is discussed in the next section. Most other vegetables, regardless of whether they can be kept in cold storage, keep very well for a short time in the refrigerator.

Preparing vegetables for refrigerator storage

Refrigerator storage is the simplest type of storage to prepare for — all you have to do is sort the vegetables, remove damaged or soft ones for immediate use or discard, and remove as much garden soil as you can. Some vegetables should be washed before they’re stored; others keep better when they’re not washeAd until you’re ready to use them. The directions below tell you how to prepare each type of vegetable for refrigerator storage. For the best results, discard damaged vegetables or use them immediately; perfect vegetables keep best.

Artichokes

Do not wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag up to 2 weeks.

Asparagus

Do not wash until ready to use. Slice off bottoms of stalks and stand upright in 1 to 2 inches of water. Store up to 1 week.

Beans, green or snap

Do not wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.
Beans, broad, dry, lima, or mung
Do not shell or wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Beets

Cut off tops, leaving about 1 inch of stem. Do not wash roots until ready to use. Store in plastic bag for 1 to 3 weeks. Wash greens thoroughly in cold water; drain well and store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Broccoli

Do not wash until ready to use. Remove any damaged leaves. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Brussels sprouts

Do not wash until ready to use. Remove any damaged leaves. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Cabbage

Do not wash until ready to use. Remove any damaged leaves. Store in plastic bag for 1 to 2 weeks.

Cardoon

Trim roots and cut off leaves. Wash thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Store stalks attached to root in plastic bag for 1 to 2 weeks.

Carrots

Cut off tops. Wash thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Store in plastic bag for 1 to 3 weeks.

Cauliflower

Do not wash until ready to use. Remove any damaged leaves. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Celeriac

Cut off leaves and root fibers. Do not wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Celery

Trim roots and wash thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Cut off leaves and store in plastic bag for 3 to 5 days. Store stalks attached at root in plastic bag fori to 2 weeks.

Chard

Wash thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Trim any bad spots on leaves and cut off tough stalks. Store in plastic bag for 1 to 2 weeks.

Chayote

Do not wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Chick peas

Do not shell or wash until ready to use. Store in
plastic bag up to 1 week.

Chicory

Do not wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Chinese cabbage

Trim roots and wash thoroughly in cold waters-drain well. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Collards

Wash thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Remove any damaged leaves. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Corn

Do not husk or wash; store in plastic bag for 4 to 8 days. For best flavor, do not store; use immediately.

Cress, garden

Wash thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Store in
plastic bag up to 1 week.

Cucumbers

Wash thoroughly in cold water and pat dry. Do not cut until ready to use. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Dandelion

Cut off roots and remove any damaged leaves. Wash thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Eggplant

Store eggplant at about 50°F, up to 1 week. Do not refrigerate.

Endive

Wash thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Remove any damaged leaves. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Fennel

Do not separate stalks or wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Horseradish

Cut off leaves and trim root; wash thoroughly in cold water and pat dry. Mix with vinegar and water according to recipe in “How to Freeze Vegetables.” Store in airtight glass jar in refrigerator fori to2weeks. For stronger flavor, grate as soon as possible after picking; store in airtight glass jar.

Jerusalem artichokes

Wash tubers thoroughly in cold water and pat dry. Store in plastic bag for 7 to 10 days.

Kale

Wash thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Remove any damaged leaves. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Kohlrabi

Cut off leaves and trim root; wash thoroughly in cold water and pat dry. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Leeks

Cut off roots and all but 2 inches of leaves. Do not wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week. Wash very thoroughly in cold water before using.

Lentils

Do not shell or wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Lettuce

Wash thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Store in plastic bag up to 2 weeks.

Mushrooms

Do not wash until ready to use. Store in open plastic bag or spread on a tray and cover with damp paper towels. Store up to 1 week. Wash quickly in cold water before using; pat dry.

Muskmelon

Do not wash. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week; cover cut surfaces with plastic wrap.

Mustard

Wash thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Remove any damaged leaves. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Okra

Do not wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag for 7 to 10 days.

Onions A green

Wash thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week. Do not refrigerate mature onions.

Parsnips

Cut off tops, leaving about 1 inch of stem. Do not wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag for 1 to 3 weeks.

Peas, black-eyed

Do not shell or wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Peas, shelling

Do not shell or wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week. For best flavor, do not store; use immediately.

Peppers

Do not wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Radishes

Cut off tops. Do not wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag 1 to 2 weeks.

Rhubarb

Cut off leaves. Wash stalks thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Store in plastic bag up to 2 weeks.

Salsify

Cut off tops, leaving about 1 inch of stem. Do not wash roots until ready to use. Store in plastic bag for 1 to 3 weeks.

Shallots

Wash thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Sorrel

Wash thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Remove any damaged leaves. Store leaves or stalks in plastic bag fori to 2 weeks.

Soybeans

Do not shell or wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Spinach, New Zealand spinach

Trim roots and tough stalks. Wash very thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.
Sprouts (sprouted vegetable seed, any type)
Store in plastic bag up to 1 week. Use sprouts as soon as possible.

Squash, summer

Do not wash until ready to use. Store in plastic bag up to 1 week.

Tomatoes

Wash thoroughly in cold water; pat dry. Store uncovered up to 1 week, depending on ripeness. Let green tomatoes ripen at room temperature, out of direct sun or in cold storage; then store as above.

Turnips

Cut off tops, leaving about 1 inch of stem on roots. Do not wash roots until ready to use. Store in plastic * bag for 1 to 3 weeks. Wash greens thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Store in plastic bag for up to 1 week. Do not refrigerate turnip roots; keep in cold storage.

Watermelon

Wash thoroughly in cold water; pat dry. Store uncovered up to 1 week; cover cut surfaces with plastic wrap.

COLD STORAGE: KEEPING VEGETABLES FRESH ALL WINTER

Cold storage is an old-fashioned but time-tested method for keeping raw, whole vegetables through the winter. If you’ve planted a big vegetable garden and if you’ve got (or can construct) the storage space, storing can be the most practical way to go.
You’ll find many vegetables from your garden well-suited to cold storage, including beets, carrots, onions, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, turnips, winter squash, and many others. For a complete list, see “Directions for storing vegetables,” later in this topic. Other vegetables should be used fresh or preserved. Vegetables that are not suitable for cold storage include asparagus, fresh shelling beans, green beans, chayote, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, fresh greens — beet greens, chard, cress, dandelion, endive, lettuce, mustard, and sorrel — fresh lentils, mushrooms, okra, green onions, fresh peas and chick peas, fresh peanuts, new potatoes, radishes, rhubarb, fresh soybeans, spinach and New Zealand spinach, summer squash, and ripe tomatoes. Shelled dried beans, lentils, peas and chick peas, soybeans, and dried peanuts can be kept up to one year in cold storage.
Late-ripening and maturing vegetables are the best choices for cold storage. Certain varieties take better to this method than others — late cabbage, for example. Check seed catalogs and packets before you buy and plant, and talk to the specialists at your County or State Extension Service Office. They can help you decide what vegetables to plant when you’re planning your garden, and what storage methods work best in your area.

How cold storage works

Like any other method of food preservation, cold storage keeps food from decomposing by stopping or slowing down the activity of enzymes, bacteria, yeasts, and microbes that can eventually spoil food. In cold storage, this is done by keeping fresh, raw, whole vegetables at temperatures between 32°F and 40°F. In this range, the food won’t freeze, but it stays cold enough to stop the spoilers. The length of storage time varies with each vegetable, from a few weeks for broccoli or cauliflower to four to six months for potatoes. Dried beans and peas will keep the longest—10 to 12 months.
One of the advantages of storing your vegetables is that you don’t risk eating unwholesome, spoiled food. If the food goes bad, you can tell almost immediately by the way it looks, smells, or feels. But there’s still a lot to learn about storage. For example, squash have to be kept warmer than do carrots, so these two vegetables can’t be stored In the same spot. Or, if you plan to keep cabbages or turnips, don’t store them indoors in the basement; you’ll soon find their strong, distinctive odor penetrating up into the house. And, if you live in a climate where heavy snow is common in winter, outdoor storage of vegetables in mounds or barrels isn’t going to be practical for you, because deep snow will make them inaccessible In winter.
Although storing vegetables may sound easy, it’s a lot more complex than at first meets the eye. Although you don’t have to do any chopping, blanching, or processing of vegetables to be stored, each vegetable does have to be handled in a special manner. Perhaps the trickiest part of all is that you’ve got to keep a weather eye on your stored food. Since the temperature of cold storage depends on the temperature outdoors, you may sometimes have to move or change the location of stored vegetables, open windows or vents, or adjust the humidity level. When storing food indoors, keep a thermometer as well as a humidity gauge in the storage area so you can accurately monitor temperature and moisture conditions.Because it’s harder to control the temperature of stored food, spoilage can happen more easily than with any other form of food preservation. Routine checks for spoilage will help you prevent food losses when storing vegetables indoors — but, once you open up an outdoor mound or barrel, you’ll have to empty it of all the stored vegetables at once.

Storage methods for vegetables

Before the days of refrigerators, freezers, and supermarkets, most families depended on cold storage to keep a supply of vegetables all year long. In colonial times, a certain portion of every harvest was kept in cool caves or in straw-lined pits that could withstand freezing temperatures. In later times, most houses were built to include root cellars or cold, damp basements intended as storage areas. These chilly spots were perfect for keeping root vegetables, celery, pumpkin, squash, potatoes, arid other vegetables through the cold months.
Compared to houses of a century ago, our modern dwellings are snug, warm, and dry. Today, very few homes offer the cool, damp basement corners, outdoor sheds, or attics that formerly served as food storage areas. That means you’ll have to plan, and perhaps construct, one or more special spots for cold storage of your garden’s bounty — particularly if you plan to store a variety of vegetables.

Next post:

Previous post: