It’s always exciting when you bring home fresh produce or pick it from your garden or orchard. There is nothing like fresh food on the table, but it isn’t easy to keep excess fresh for long. Throughout the years, many efforts have been made to keep these organic materials fresh.
Some succeeded, and others failed. What made those succeed was something that they all had in common, and that was the proper conditions. Here is a look at the best long-term storage for fruits and vegetables to better clarify what we mean.
Basements Are Traditional Storage Areas
People have made all kinds of uses for basements throughout history, but there is one that cannot escape humanity and its past: food storage. Basements are great places to store food, whether for pickling, canning, or storing fresh produce. The environment is usually cold and dry, which is ideal for cold storage.
You must know how to choose the right packaging for fruits and vegetables to maintain their moisture levels. In an environment like a basement, produce stays cold. Sometimes, the cold air can be dry, so perforated bags can hold in some humidity, keeping them fresh for longer.
Home Refrigeration Is the Most Common
With the advent of refrigeration, a dependency on freezers and refrigerators has grown. Most people these days opt to use refrigerators due to their convenience. You can install them anywhere, most often in the kitchen, and they are always operational. You can adjust the settings to your desired liking for temperature and humidity levels. This appliance is ideal for storing fruits and vegetables.
Root Cellars Have Been Used for Centuries
Before basements and refrigerators, people had to rely on underground cellars to keep their food fresh, along with other techniques. Some would pickle and preserve foods while others would dry age their foods, and salt was ideal for preserving meats.
Cold storage in root cellars was standard in the past due to its chilling temperatures. It could also build moisture, which was good and bad. Too much moisture causes mold, so carefully packaging and wrapping produce is important for storage.
If you’re looking for the best long-term storage for fruits and vegetables, use this as a resource. You will have everything you need for cold storage and how to make it happen.
