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Gardening
e-book:
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Ministry of Agriculture Allotment &
Garden Guide
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Click image
for
facsimile of page 4
September 1945
Page:
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Harvesting
MARROWS & PUMPKINS |
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These
may be stored for winter use as vegetables and for preserving. Only fully
developed and ripened fruits should be set aside for storage, and they
should be handled carefully to avoid bruising the skins.
Being very susceptible to low temperatures and easily damaged by
frost, these fruits need a warm, dry atmosphere, such as that of a kitchen,
bedroom or attic, to ensure successful storage. Cellars and outside sheds,
and other damp places where the temperature is likely to fall below 45°
F. are unsuitable. From 50 to 65° F. is the most suitable temperature for
storage. |
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The fruits may be placed in crates or boxes or laid out singly on shelves,
but they are best hung from the ceiling in nets.
Given this treatment, they can usually be3 relied upon to keep in
good condition until January or February.
The harvesting of carrots, beet and certain other root crops with
be dealt with in next month's Guide.
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Storing TOMATOES |
Mature tomatoes which are not ripened by the time the autumn frosts are
coming on, may be stored separately in such receptacles as trays or
box-lids, lined with a few layers of newspaper, which will help to make sure
that the fruits remain where placed. Arrange the fruits in a single layer so
that they do not touch one another. If there is any risk of touching,
separate the rows by strips of newspaper. Do not store any split, bruised or
otherwise damaged fruits.
Put the trays or boxes in a room, cupboard or drawer, where the
temperature is about 55° F. (not under 50° F.
and preferably under 60° F.). A room where the temperature is liable to fall
below 50° F. at night should, if possible, be avoided. A temperature about
60° F. may cause the tomatoes to shrivel, but is otherwise less harmful.
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Store the tomatoes in the dark; but if you wish to hasten the
ripening of some fruits expose them to the light at a temperature of 60-65°
F. Storage in the dark tends to prolong the period of storing, and so the
period during which tomatoes are available may be appreciably extended.
Examine the fruits form time to time, and remove any that have
ripened or any that begin to show sings of decay.
Storing tomatoes in peat or sawdust is not recommended. Sawdust
sometimes imparts an unpleasant flavour, and both peat and sawdust are
diffcult to maintain at the right degree of dryness. It should be remembered
that though very dry conditions may cause shrivelling, appreciable moisture
favours the growth of moulds, which will develop quickly under the slight
warmth that is otherwise conducive to the keeping of tomatoes. For this
reason, storing in the moist warmth of the kitchen is inadvisable.
Green, immature fruits may be used for chutney and pickles. |
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