Rye Turning Green » winter ready

Easy Produce Storage for Winter Use!

Annette Lee — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:02:58 +0000

As you wrap up harvest of your fall vegetables or stock up at your local farmers’ market, you can easily preserve them for later use this winter by storing them in different parts of your house. Cold storage is as simple as matching the different temperature and humidity levels of your house to the general requirements of each type of produce. The refrigerator is generally too dry for long term storage of produce; plus by storing it elsewhere, you can gain valuable space back in your fridge!

Different locations that may work in your house include the basement (especially if on the cooler side), the bulkhead stairs to the basement, an unheated garage, or in the ground/in an actual root cellar.

Keys to successful cold storage:

Aim to keep the produce between 32 and 50^oF. Don’t let it freeze!
Store the different vegetables and fruit in separate containers and with enough space between the containers to allow air circulation.
Only store produce that is not bruised or has other defects.
Reuse a wooden pallet to keep the containers off of the ground, especially if storing on a dirt or gravel surface.
Check the produce often and remove pieces that show spoilage.

If you don’t have separate locations with varied humidity, you can do what I do and create mini environments in covered plastic bins. For example, my garage is typically between 35 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter. I keep all of my produce in one location, using shelving and plastic bins to keep the different vegetables separate.

The winter squash and pumpkins sit on the open shelves; next to them I keep garlic and onions in wooden baskets. My root veggies, like carrots, rutabega and beets, each have their own bin in which they are layered with slightly moistened sand. Potatoes sit in plastic baskets within a larger covered plastic bin. The baskets sit atop a layer of very moist sand so that the potatoes are not in the sand.

Here is a short list of produce that are easy to store around the house, arranged by moisture/humidity requirements:

Moisture (Humidity)	Vegetable/Fruit	Temperature (^oF)	Approx. Shelf Life (months)	Storage Tips
Dry (70% or less)	Onions	32	4 to 6	Store in a cool dry place.
	Pumpkin	55		Store in a single layer with good air circulation, such as on an open shelf; Can wipe with a soft cloth and a little veggie oil to deter mold from growing on surface.
	Winter Squash	55
Medium Moist (80 to 90%)	Apples/Pears	32	2 to 6	Wrap in newspaper or dry straw within a box or bucket; keep fruit away from veggies – this fruit gives off gases that will cause spoilage in the veggies.
	Cabbage	32	2 to 4	Remove outer leaves and roots; wrap in newspaper and store in a box or bucket; odors from cabbage may promote spoilage in other veggies so store separately.
	Leeks	32	2 to 3	These roots store well layered in damp sand or sawdust within a plastic-lined box or bucket.
Moist (90 to 95%)	Beets	32 to 40	3 to 5	These roots store well layered in damp sand or sawdust within a plastic-lined box or bucket.
	Carrots	32 to 40	6
	Kohlrabi	32 to 40	2 to 3
	Parsnip/Turnip/Rutabega	32	3 to 5
	Potatoes	35 to 40	4 to 6	Contain potatoes in a dark box or bin. To keep moisture high, place the bin within a container that has a couple inches of moistened sand.

Above all, don’t worry if you cannot find the ideal conditions around your house. Finding an area with conditions close to the ideal will still provide some shelf life for the produce and allow you to enjoy the local, fresh produce into the winter.

Honor Your Home – Art Incentive for Rye Homeowners

susananderson — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 18:45:04 +0000

Come to the Gala Opening and Show of “Honor Your Home” on Friday, November 12th from 5 – 8 pm at the Seacoast Science Center.

Enjoy local food, local music and local art. You’ll have a chance to meet the artists and community members who have been part of The Rye Energy Committee’s 2010 art and energy project: Honor Your Home.

Invite friends and family. The more the merrier. This is a time to honor what you and your fellow Rye residents have done to reduce our carbon footprint and to view some beautiful art! Twenty-five homeowners have signed up to take at least three actions to reduce their energy use by improving their home’s energy efficiency. Actions range from replacing bulbs with compact florescent bulbs to insulating attics and lowering thermostats. The culmination of these efforts was having local artists create paintings of various Rye homes and gardens. The Honor Your Home Art Exhibit will take place on November 12 at the Seacoast Science Center, Odiorne Park where the paintings can be viewed and purchased. All the art will be for sale with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the artists, the Seacoast Science Center, and the Rye Energy Committee.

You can take part in reducing your carbon footprint as well! It’s easy. Here is a list of actions you can take in your home:

Install insulated shades
Wash clothes in cold water
Use dishwasher only when full
Turn off lights when you leave the room
Don’t run water when you are brushing your teeth
Get a rain barrel
Insulate water pipes
Clean furnace annually
Install sweeps at exterior doors
Take the NECC
Shop at the Rye Farmer’s Market
There are so many ways we can reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Join in the efforts to reduce our town’s carbon footprint and save money!

Caulking Windows

GreenRye — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:45:05 +0000

Caulking windows is a bit more difficult than insulating doors and outlets, but it is well worth it when you think of the number of windows in a home. This is a job that is best done before the winter.

This video will show you how to caulk a window:

Programmable Thermostats

GreenRye — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:41:24 +0000

Maintaining temperature control in your home is a trouble free way to manage heating costs. Reducing the temperature of your home during the night and when you are away reduces the energy costs for heating the house.

Here is a neat little video from the Home Depot on installing a programmable thermostat:

Insulating Outlets

GreenRye — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:30:43 +0000

Wall outlets are an easy path for cold air to enter a home. Put your hand close to an outlet and feel the outside air come in from the outdoors. This insulating tip is relative easy to do and keeps your home draft free.

Here is a video that shows you how to use outlet gaskets:

Insulating the Water Heater

GreenRye — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:47:51 +0000

Electric water heaters are a large portion of the household electric bill. Insulating the water heater reduces the energy used to keep the water warm and is relatively easy to do. There are water heater “blankets” available at home improvement stores but they are costly. If you want so save money and still get the job done, you can wrap the water heater using rolled insulation.

Here is a video about wrapping the water heater:

Humidity control is important

GreenRye — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:32:58 +0000

How to measure humidity in your house

A hygrometer will show the relative humidity (RH) in your house. Although the RH will not be exactly the same throughout your home, one hygrometer per house is usually sufficient. You should place it where the humidity symptoms are most obvious, in the room that you are most concerned about, or where your family spends the most time. Because hygrometers are small, they can be moved around in your house from time to time.

Don’t place your hygrometer near a radiator, a heat register or a chimney, or in any other location where it could be affected by direct heat.

Remember that a hygrometer does not produce instant results. It may take up to two hours to provide a stable reading in a new location or to adjust to sudden changes in relative humidity.

What is relative humidity (RH)

Humidity is normally measured as relative humidity (RH). RH is a percentage that indicates the amount of moisture in the air relative to the maximum amount the air can hold at that temperature. For instance, when air at a given temperature contains all the water vapor it can hold at that temperature, it has a RH of 100 per cent. If the humidity exceeds 100 per cent, moisture will begin to condense from the air. If the air contains only half the water it can hold at that temperature, the RH is 50 per cent.

How does RH relate to how warm the air in your home feels?

Air with some moisture feels warmer. Even if you set your thermostat at a lower temperature with the proper humidity level, the air will feel warmer without increasing the thermostat. The optimal humidity level during winter months is between 30 and 40%. If you keep your thermostate at 69F, with a humidity of 35%, the air will feel just as warm as if the thermostat was set at 72F. TO maintain this humidity level, you will probably need a humidifier.