at least one-half of the profit to be derived from living in the country materialises in winter when fruit and vegetables can be struck from the family living expenses, so the keeping and storing of the garden and orchard products are of great importance to the housewife who wants to make the home furnish current expenses. to keep well, things must be gathered at the moment between full development and complete ripeness, for, if development is not complete, fruit and vegetables shrink and wither; if completely ripe, they decay rapidly.
the house cellar, attic, or a root-cellar or pit in the garden are all available on a country place, and all suitable for different things. the cellar is best for storing fruits and vegetables. long ago we had racks made of two-by-two scantling—some six feet long, others three feet, and both two feet wide—to put under barrels and boxes to lift them from the ground and allow a free current of air to circulate underneath them as a protection against damp and mildew. to economise space, we had boxes, ten feet long and ten inches deep, fixed in tiers of three, with one foot of space between. the frames which supported them 188 were also made of two-by-two scantling, and reached from the rafters of the ceiling to the ground.
the keeping of early fruits, like currants, strawberries, and raspberries, depends principally upon the cook’s skill, for they have to be canned and made into preserves and jellies. get into the habit of doing such work in small quantities—from a quart to six quarts, or even a pint, as the day’s gathering may provide. the habit of waiting for the height of the season, when a big gathering is possible, is frequently the cause of home-canned goods spoiling, because some of the fruit is almost sure to be overripe, and that means that fermentation or mould will set in, in a short time, and ruin the entire boiling.
after wiping and labelling the jars, they must be kept in a cool, dark place. we have a big cupboard at the back of the outside section of the cellar, where all such goods are kept. begin with asparagus, which is best packed into jars filled with salt and water, and cooked in a steam boiler for an hour and a half. peas are shelled, and about two quarts of the hulls and a sprig of mint are boiled in four quarts of water for thirty minutes, then strained, the water brought to the boiling-point, salted to taste, and the peas boiled slowly in it for thirty minutes. fill the jars to overflowing, and screw down the tops at once. beans must be strung and sliced and boiled in salted water, as for table, or packed in two-inch layers, with a sprinkling of salt between, in a stone crock. put a plate or a stone on top of the beans to keep them under the 189 brine, and cover closely. when wanted for use, soak in fresh cold water overnight and cook in the usual way.
gathering and packing is of the greatest importance in keeping fruit. the most favourable time is when the fruit has attained its full growth and colour, which is several days before it is quite ripe. all fruit should be handled with the greatest care; the slightest bruise or scratch starts a condition which will develop rot. a high extension ladder, a high step-ladder, and an agile boy are the requisites for picking. when possible, choose a bright, cool day, have the boxes and barrels ready, and press all help into service. before allowing anyone to pick apples, teach him how. take the apple lightly, turn it slowly, and press upward, so that the stem is severed from the branch, not from fruit.
whoever does the climbing should discard shoes, for they are apt to injure the bark of the tree, which always causes later troubles. a shallow bag, slung across the body sling-fashion, is the best receptacle for the picker to use, because it leaves both hands free. the work is greatly facilitated if two people can pick, two pack, and a fifth take the fruit from the pickers to the packers. have two bag-slings for each person picking, so that the collector can take the full one and hand up an empty one, which saves emptying the fruit into a basket.
the packers and the barrels, or boxes, should stand side by side, with a box of convenient height and size 190 turned upside down to act as a table on which to place the sling-bags when full. the best apples are packed in small boxes, with paper between the layers. the second quality are put into barrels. put a layer of hay in the bottom of the barrel, fill it with the fruit, and end with a layer of hay. the small ones may be used for cider and for feeding stock.
onions are ready to harvest when the tops fall down and dry. choose a dry day to dig them up. leave the bulbs lying on the ground for several days, then carry into a shed, where they can be spread out for two or three days more, while the work of cutting off the roots and tops is being completed. we have a room over the woodshed which we use for onions, as they are apt to sprout in a cellar that is moist enough to keep other root-crops in good condition. we had tiers of shelves, made of slats, put up all round the walls, on which the onions are spread out, and, as a precaution against frost, they are covered with bags or dry autumn leaves as severe weather approaches. bore holes about nine inches apart in the sides of the barrels; fill with the onions, leaving the head of the barrel off, and stand in any unused room.
potatoes should be dug as soon as the tops die down. choose a dry, bright day and cart at once into a dark place to dry. don’t leave them in the light on the field, but spread out for a few days, then pack them in the cellar in barrels which have a few holes bored in them, or in bins which have a bottom made of slats. 191
carrots, turnips and beets should be packed in boxes or on tiers of box shelves. in either case, they should be well covered with sand or soil to prevent the roots shrivelling. put a few boards in a sunny place, and stand the squash and pumpkins on them. they should stay there about a week or ten days, and be covered at night with bags or an old blanket, after which put them in some dry, cool place.
cauliflowers are pulled up with as much soil as may be attached to the roots, and hung head down from ceiling of the cellar; brussels sprouts, the same. cabbage is pulled up in the same way and packed in rows of two or three abreast on the cellar floor. these are for use in very bad weather. the main quantity is stacked in a pit in the garden and covered with earth, straw and brush.
celery is partly protected by being earthed up for bleaching, so it can be left in the garden until the first of october, or even the fifteenth if mild, but it must be brought in before heavy frost. about nine inches of soil is spread on the floor all along one side of the cellar. the celery is dug and brought in with what earth adheres to the roots, and then set in the soil just as if the plants were expected to grow, only they are put very close together and about three abreast. when the row is completed, boards are set upon end, the full length of the row, and another set of heads is packed in the same way, each additional row being divided by boards. this is done to prevent the celery heating, and rot setting in, as would be the case if the 192 entire mass was allowed to touch. after the setting-up is all done, earth is scattered heavily between the heads.
there is usually a large quantity of green tomatoes still on the vines in the fall, and the full-sized ones can be packed in shallow boxes, with paper between the layers, and kept in a cool, dark place. later in the season bring out a few at a time to ripen in the window of a warm room.
grapes must be carefully cut, the bunches examined and any faulty grapes removed with a pair of scissors. put slats across a box about two inches from the top, tying the bunches of grapes to the slats and letting them hang down into the box, leaving a space between the bunches. fill the box up with finely-cut tissue-paper and keep on the shelf in the cellar.
the cellar for storing fruit must be well ventilated and free from damp, though a cement cellar is apt to be too dry, which causes the fruit to shrivel. in such a case, stand a tub or a couple of pails of water in the cellar, and do not fail to change it once or twice a month. a dry cellar with an earthen floor is usually about right, though, if rapid thaws occur during the early spring, such a floor is likely to become very damp; as a remedy, put one or two wide, shallow boxes, filled with unslaked lime, into the cellar, which will absorb the moisture.
