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Post by samantha on May 30, 2009 10:47:10 GMT -5
HI there! I was wondering if a anybody has any great ideas for storing potatoes and onions? Also I would like to buy and store around 25 lbs of dry goods at a time ( i.e. sugar, flour, rice...) any ideas on storage for that to? I have a small kitchen so it would be stored in the basement. Thanks in advance samantha
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Post by Donna on May 30, 2009 11:39:46 GMT -5
Hello Samantha, I don't have any suggestions for the potatoes and onions....my always seems to sprout before I can use them. I use 6 gallon plastic buckets with gamma seal lids. The initial purchase is a bit expensive, but they are reusable so it is only an initial purchase. You can use regular lids, but they must be pounded on (I use a rubber mallet) and use a special tool to remove them. The gamma seal lids snap onto the bucket and have a screw on component that is easily opened and closed. I store my bulk goods in the basement and have had no problems with either bugs or moisture. One source for the buckets and lids is www.beprepared.comOne thing to be sure of is to make sure the buckets are food grade. Donna
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Pam
Member
Posts: 95
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Post by Pam on Aug 4, 2009 15:02:17 GMT -5
Hi Samantha,
Do you have a pressure cooker? If you do, you can can your potatoes according to your pressure cooker's instructions. I do it all the time and it works great. I have a Presto brand. For quarts, it's 40 minutes at 11 pounds of pressure.
As far as onions go, the only recommendation I have for that is dehydration. Be prepared to have your house STINK for a few days! They are not listed in my pressure cooker's book so I am thinking that they are not cannable as they would completely break down to mush. If you have a dehydrator, I would recommend slicing the onion into slices and drying it that way. You could chop them up after they are dry. I tried chopping mine once before dehydration and they fell through the little holes in the trays.
Hope this helps.
Blessings! Sister Pam
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Pam
Member
Posts: 95
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Post by Pam on Aug 4, 2009 15:04:47 GMT -5
Oh I forgot to mention, if you have a freezer (even a small one), you can store the flour in the freezer. I even store cans of coffee in mine. As for sugar, what I would do is pour it into quart jars and get some oxygen removers and put inside. They will remove the oxygen (which would cause dampness) and it will cause the seal on the jar to seal to keep moisture and bugs out.
Sister Pam
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Post by katpants on Aug 6, 2009 11:18:37 GMT -5
Believe it or not, simple newspaper works great.
I wrap 2-3 onions in a sheet of newspaper, roll them up in it, and fold in the ends. The newspaper wicks away moisture.
You can probably wrap each tater or onion and it would do the same.
My mom told me about it, the paper acts like a mini-cellar.
Katrina
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Post by George on Aug 6, 2009 16:30:09 GMT -5
Sister Katrina, once you wrap them do you store them in any particular place? I know root vegetables should be stored in a cool, dry place yet I have a really bad time with them. Since I am on my own I only buy potatoes in a 5lb. bag and yet it seems at least half of them spoil before I can use them. I got this great idea one time to put them in my storage shed. It is under the carport awning so it is not ever in direct sunlight. But...it wasn't long before I had three foot long shoots coming out of them.
Onions are also a problem. I love to cook with onions. I put them in practically everything I cook. Again I om;y buy a few at a time but even if I keep them in the fridge they start to get moldy and mushy.
Thank you for the newspaper tip. I usually put my newspapers in the recycling bin here but now I will use some of them for potatoes and onions.
Let me know about the storage area if you would please.
In Christ, George
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Post by katpants on Aug 6, 2009 17:12:40 GMT -5
Sure! I just store them in cardboard boxes behind my computer in our bedroom. It's very humid up here and sunny but no shoots. Usually our onions last up to a month wrapped in newspaper. I store lots of other things in the boxes too. Katrina
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