Part 1

From Field to
Storage
 From Field to Storage

Carrots are one of the most popular and recognizable of today’s biennial crops. Photo courtesy of Phil Knapp.

2
 Chapter 1

Choosing Crops and Varieties

B efore you ever pull vegetables out of storage,

harvest from the field, or even plant the seeds,
you have to choose which crops and varieties you’re
commonly sold at groceries and markets each fall and
winter. Even though some behave similarly in storage,
today’s common storage crops come from many
growing. These choices are key for any farmer, but botanical families and have a variety of life cycles. All
even more so for farmers storing vegetables into the of these factors affect their behavior and longevity in
winter. No matter how well you time your harvests or storage. While not necessary for success, knowledge
how carefully you prepare for storage, poor crop or of their origins and physiologies can help to guide
variety choices can derail all your efforts. That’s your decisions as you peruse seed catalogs each year.
because not all crops are suited for storage, and for
those that are, some cultivars are better than others. Storage Crops and Life Cycles
From the outset, you should ask yourself two ques- Many of the current-day storage crops are biennials,
tions: “Can I grow this?” and “Will this store for the meaning they produce flowers and seeds in their sec-
duration I need it to?” The first question should apply to ond, rather than first, growing season. However, most
everything you grow, not just produce destined for of today’s domesticated biennial crops were developed
storage. You should be reasonably sure you can grow a from ancestor plants with annual life cycles. The first
particular crop or variety to healthy maturity given your domesticated biennials appeared around 6,000 years
local climate, soils, infrastructure, and pest/disease pres- ago.1 As people selectively bred for larger edible plant
sures. The second question applies specifically to what parts—be those roots, stems, or leaves—the plants
you plan to store before selling. As with growing a crop, put more time and energy into vegetative growth and
you want reasonable certainty you can store it success- eventually lost their ability to reproduce in a single
fully, too. Whatever the cultivar, it should maintain growing season. This forced them to survive through
premium quality for the duration you need it to in the winter to produce flowers and seeds the following
conditions you can provide. How do you know this year. This capacity for survival turned the plants into
with certainty? Estimating storage life is part of the reliable food sources during the winter months, which
learning curve of storage farming. While there are gen- incentivized people to keep growing and developing
eral rules of thumb—see part 3 for more details—each them as crops.
variety is different. You can gain more insights from the Common biennial crops today include those from
descriptions in seed catalogs, advice from other farmers, the parsley family (Apiaceae) like carrots, parsnips,
and—best of all—experience on your own farm. and celeriac; beets from the goosefoot family (Che-
You are probably aware of the common storage nopodiaceae); onions, garlic, leeks, and shallots from
crops—the roots, tubers, leaves, stems, and fruits the lily family (Liliaceae); and cabbages, kohlrabis,

3
 From Field to Storage

winter radishes, rutabagas, turnips, and Brussels upping their cold hardiness through a process called
sprouts from the mustard family (Brassicaceae). Each cold acclimation. When exposed to cooling tempera-
of these plants has a storage organ that stores energy tures and decreasing daylength, some plants make
and protects the meristem, which sends forth flower- themselves more tolerant to cold by, among other
ing parts during the second growing season. These things, producing soluble sugars and alcohols, which
storage organs are also the parts we eat. lower their freezing points, and making special pro-
Even though we call many of these crops root vege- teins called ice-binding proteins, which reduce the
tables, most of the storage organs aren’t technically size of ice crystals forming inside the plants.2 These
roots. In fact, carrots and parsnips are the only two proteins are the same type as those found in certain
taproots we commonly eat (less-common taproot crops fish, insects, and amphibians that survive freezing
include parsley root—a.k.a. arat—salsify, and burdock solid during the winter, and they allow some tundra
root). The storage organs of beets, celeriac, radishes, plants to survive temperatures dipping below −60°F
rutabagas, and turnips are fused portions of root and (−51°C). Another survival strategy is dormancy,
stem known as hypocotyls. The bulbs of common alli- which is a lowered metabolic state activated either by
ums like onions, garlic, and shallots are not roots but plant hormones or environmental conditions such as
rather swollen leaf bases growing from dwarf stems. low temperatures. Cabbages and onions are examples
Likewise, the culinary portions of leeks are tightly of biennial crops that enter true, hormonally con-
bundled leaves known as pseudostems. Cabbages and trolled dormancy, while many other biennial crops,
Brussels sprouts have storage organs consisting of including carrots, beets, and parsnips, are dormant
tightly overlapping leaves protecting the cores, where only when exposed to lowered temperatures and
the apical meristems for future flowering shoots reside. decreased daylength.3
Storage organs use several strategies to survive Not all storage crops have biennial life cycles. Win-
winter and protect the meristems. One strategy is ter squashes and pumpkins from the gourd family
(Cucurbitaceae) are true annuals and produce flowers
and seeds during their first and only growing season.
Their fortitude in storage comes from slow senescence
(decay) of fully matured fruits. This slow decay may
have been an evolutionary strategy favoring pro-
longed periods for animals to eat the fruits and spread
their seeds. People selectively bred squashes and
pumpkins for storage by keeping and planting those
that tasted best and stored longest—usually the ones
with protective, waxy rinds and lots of orange carot-
enoids in their flesh.
Several other common storage crops are perennials
grown as annuals. These include potatoes from the
nightshade family (Solanaceae), sweet potatoes from
the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae), and
sunchokes (a.k.a. Jerusalem artichokes) from the
The tightly packed and overlapping leaves of a daisy family (Asteraceae). I’m intentionally leaving
cabbage protect the apical meristem at the tip of the out true yams (from Dioscoreaceae, the yam family)
core from damage and cold temperatures. because they’re not commonly grown outside the

4
 Choosing Crops and Varieties

tropics. Depending on your local climate, potatoes,

sweet potatoes, and sunchokes might readily survive
as perennials if left in the ground to overwinter. If
you’ve ever seen volunteer potato plants in your gar-
den, you know this is true. As annuals, these crops also
produce flowers and seeds in a single growing season.
The storage organs for these three perennial crops
are tubers: stem tubers for potatoes and sunchokes
and root tubers for sweet potatoes. Tubers are sections
of roots or stems specialized for storing nutrients. The
parent species of these crops already had tubers
adapted to survive winters and droughts by going
dormant until growing conditions improved. People
selectively bred these perennials to produce larger,
starchier tubers and, for potatoes, to remove toxins
present in the parent species.

Dormancy in Storage
Crops that do well in long-term winter storage almost
all enter states of dormancy, meaning they reduce A turnip sprouts new leaves in storage as it begins to
their metabolic activity to base levels and suppress break its dormancy.

sprouting in their shoots and roots. Our goal as stor-

age farmers is to provide storage conditions that keep Crops with hormonally controlled dormancy will not
crops dormant while also preventing chilling damage resprout when dormant, regardless of the surrounding
and decay. Most crops enter dormancy due to some conditions. Triggers for the end of hormonal dor-
combination of decreasing temperatures, decreasing mancy vary by crop and even cultivar. It’s often a
daylength, or dieback of the parent plant. The specific combination of temperature and time (in other words,
conditions that maintain dormancy probably relate cumulative exposure) that triggers the production of
to the climate where each crop originated. For exam- hormones to kickstart metabolism and regrowth.
ple, both winter squashes and sweet potatoes remain As crops break dormancy, carbohydrates begin
dormant between about 50 and 60°F (10 and 16°C), changing form and moving to where they’re needed
and both originated in the tropics of Central America to fuel growth. Sprouting of both roots and leaves and
and northern South America.4 Carrots, on the other loss of sweetness are all signs that a crop is breaking
hand, were domesticated in both Afghanistan and dormancy, both hormonal and induced. When this
Turkey before spreading to the rest of Asia and happens, it’s bad news for commercial storage farmers
Europe, and they require cooler temps to remain because sprouting crops quickly become unsalable.
dormant, preferably around 32°F (0°C).5 Potatoes and sweet potatoes are examples of sim­ilar
With regard to crops in storage, dormancy comes in crops with different types of dormancies. Dormancy
two flavors: environmentally controlled (induced) and in sweet potato tubers is environmentally controlled.
hormonally controlled. Generally speaking, crops with Any prolonged exposure to moisture and tempera-
environmentally controlled dormancy will resprout if tures above 60°F will lead to sprouting. Dormancy in
you expose them to warm temperatures and moisture. potato tubers, on the other hand, is hormonally

5
 From Field to Storage

controlled. After potato tubers go dormant, which is taste, and small crops can be difficult to process and
usually triggered when stems/leaves die back and sell. Immature crops can also deteriorate quickly in
tubers reach their final size, they may not sprout for storage. This is especially true for crops such as onions,
weeks to months, even if exposed to excellent growing winter squash, and pumpkins. Winter squash and
conditions.6 This fact has vexed potato farmers in pumpkins are non-climacteric fruits, meaning they
warm climates looking to grow multiple successive don’t continue to ripen after harvest. Once harvested,
crops in a single year. As such, lots of research has they won’t develop the hard, waxy skins that help
gone into treatments that induce early sprouting in retain moisture and protect the inner flesh. Immature
dormant seed potatoes. squash and pumpkins are also deficient in stored sug-
Vernalization is another process to consider, even ars and carotenoids that give their flesh its sweet flavor
though it doesn’t directly affect what happens in stor- and bright orange coloring. It all amounts to fruits
age. It is the process that enables biennial plants to that dry out, decay, or succumb to wounds earlier
produce flowers after a period of exposure to cold than fully matured fruits. For most other storage
temp­eratures. Many biennial crops go through a vernal- crops, immaturity is a problem of size. Small crops
ization period during regular winter storage, but you will hurt your yields and efficiency, and they’re the
won’t see the results unless you grow the plants for a first to desiccate when storage conditions are too dry.
second season. This, of course, is important for seed Unless a crop/variety will reliably mature within
producers, but most storage farmers don’t care if crops your growing season and with the season extension
are vernalized or not. Onion sets—small onion bulbs strategies available to you, it’s not worth growing for
grown one season for planting the next—are one exam- storage. This might limit your options depending on
ple of when growers use storage conditions that your location. The number of frost-free days, soil
maintain dormancy but avoid vernalization. (For temperatures, and daylength can all affect your ability
onions, these conditions are hot—above 85°F (29°C)— to grow a crop/variety. Sweet potatoes, for example,
and dry.) Because most home and commercial growers need soil temperatures above 55°F (13°C) for at least
keep onions in colder conditions, it’s ill-advised to use 80 to 90 days, but preferably longer. Very short or
small onions from storage as sets in the spring. Those cool growing seasons generally don’t allow you to
onions will have gone through a vernalization period grow them profitably. Butternut-type (C. moschata)
and will likely produce flowers when replanted. squashes are poor choices for interior Alaska and
locations at similar latitudes not because of the short
Traits for Long Storage Life seasons—Hubbard-type squashes (C. maxima) con-
While long-lasting dormancy is one important trait for sistently mature in time—but because they require
storage varieties, there are other traits to consider when nighttime darkness to set fruits. By the time darkness
selecting both crops and cultivars for long-term storage. returns in late summer, there’s not enough growing
Size, shape, color, and taste are all important for mar- season left for the squash to mature before frosts
keting a crop, and yields are crucial to your bottom line. arrive. Daylength also affects onions; if your days are
Two particularly important characteristics for storage too short for a variety, onions won’t mature to form
crops are maturation time and disease resistance. To bulbs. Conversely, if your days are too long for a vari-
maintain quality in long-term winter storage, vegeta- ety, the onions will bulb and mature too early,
bles have to be both mature and healthy at harvest time. resulting in tiny onions and poor yields.
It doesn’t make sense to grow crops that won’t The health and integrity of crops at harvest time
mature before cold and darkness stunt their growth or are crucial to long storage life. Promote healthy crops
damage them. Immature crops often have inferior by supplying ideal growth conditions—healthy soil,

6
 Choosing Crops and Varieties

Cabbages at Root Cellar Farm in Toivola, Michigan, show signs of fungal rots after spending too much time in
damp conditions under floating row cover.

7
 From Field to Storage

stable watering, weed control, proper spacing, and so tight spacings? If so, you may want more-compact
on—that encourage vigorous growth and discourage varieties and those that allow for unrestricted airflow
diseases and pests. Growers should also use practices between plants. Do you use a mechanical harvester?
such as crop rotation to avoid pathogen and pest Then your root crops should have tops strong enough
buildup that cause damage and disease. That said, for the harvester to lift from the ground without
every variety will respond differently to the particular breaking. Think through the entire process—from
conditions on your farm. Some varieties might thrive planting to harvest to processing and storage—and
while others struggle under the same set of conditions. choose varieties with traits that suit your systems. This
It’s not possible to know how a variety will respond to might mean avoiding varieties that tend to break
your farm’s unique conditions without trialing (see during harvest or washing, varieties that split or bolt
“Variety Trials for Storage,” page 10), but there are easily, and varieties that tend to bruise or scrape easily.
ways to improve your chances of success. These types of damage can hurt your yields and lead to
While it doesn’t always make a difference, it’s worth spoilage in storage. Again, the only way to know these
paying attention to where seeds are grown; if possible, things is through experience or trialing.
choose seeds that were grown in a climate similar to For some crops, it is easy to point to individual traits
your farm. It’s also wise to choose seeds grown in sim- that affect storage life. For example, onions with less
ilar cultural conditions to those on your farm. If you water content and more outer scales tend to last lon-
grow without synthetic fertilizers, for example, organ- ger.8 Often, though, it’s difficult to isolate individual
ically grown seeds are a smart choice because the traits that consistently influence long-term storability.
genetic lines will be better adapted to those condi- Take beets as an example. While traits like disease
tions. You should also pay attention to each variety’s resistance, crown size, and cuticle (skin) thickness
disease resistances and choose varieties that can thrive might logically affect storage life, there’s not conclusive
with your local plant pathogens. If you suspect that evidence linking storability to any single trait.
pathogens are affecting your crops, talk with other Instead—as research professor and plant breeder Irwin
local growers and your local university extension to Goldman from the University of Wisconsin told me—
help diagnose the culprit(s). You will likely need to beet breeders select for long-term storability as a trait
send in samples for a confident diagnosis because the in itself. The same is true for most other storage crops;
visible symptoms of many plant diseases, nutrient varieties that perform well in storage do so for multiple
deficiencies, and physical stresses manifest similarly. interconnected reasons. Plant breeders think of stora-
Some pathogens prevent crops from yielding much bility itself as a desirable characteristic and develop
at all. These are often those that attack the root sys- varieties that specifically perform well in storage.
tems or cause early leaf decay. Other pathogens can be When perusing the seed catalogs, storage farmers
less harmful to yields but affect a crop’s quality and should look for varieties that stood out in storage tri-
longevity in storage. These include gray mold (Botry- als. Seed companies sometimes comment on the
tis cinerea), Phytophthora storage rot (Phytophthora storability of a given variety in addition to other
brassicae), white mold (Sclerotinia spp.), and black characteristics. Take this example from the Johnny’s
mold (Thielaviopsis basicola and Chalaropsis theilavi- Selected Seeds catalog, describing a new cabbage
oides), to name a few.7 Varieties that allow airflow variety called Promise: “Best quality from storage.
between and under plants can also help mitigate cer- Fantastic right out of the field, or after long-term
tain disease pressures. storage. Juicy, tender, sweet leaves—the best flavor in
Lastly, you should look for varieties that align with our spring storage cabbage taste tests. The dense heads
your farm’s systems and procedures. Do you plant with are held high above the ground, which allows for

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 Choosing Crops and Varieties

good air circulation and reduced disease pressure. . . . it likely means the variety wasn’t a standout performer
Growers of Storage No. 4 will love this exciting new in storage trials. It does not mean, however, that the
variety.”9 Based on the description, this is a variety variety won’t keep for a time in storage. Yellowstone
worth trying for long-term storage. They note its long carrots, known for their deep yellow color and strong
storage life, they comment on some characteristics tops, are a good example of this. I’ve never seen a seed
that might contribute to that performance, and they catalog mention anything about Yellow­stone’s per­
even mention similarities to another popular storage form­ance in storage—probably because its color is its
variety to entice experienced growers who might be defining characteristic—but Yellowstone has con­sis­
reluctant to try something new. tently stored well on my farms.
Unfortunately, seed catalogs often fail to describe In my experience, early-maturing varieties don’t last
how varieties perform in long-term storage. This as long in storage as main-season or late-maturing vari-
doesn’t necessarily mean a variety won’t keep well in eties. I suspect that early varieties have difficulty slowing
storage, but there are reasons to be cautious. If seed down the fast metabolisms that allow them to grow so
companies don’t mention storage in the description, quickly. In storage, this could mean that they burn

Just because a seed company doesn’t mention storage in a variety’s description doesn’t mean it won’t do well.
Yellowstone carrots (right) have consistently performed well in storage on my farms.

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 From Field to Storage

through energy reserves more quickly than slower- Variety Trials for Storage
developing varieties, leading to early senescence and There are many reasons to trial new varieties for stor-
decay. This is my speculation, however, and I suggest age. Let’s say you’re looking to add new colors, shapes,
that growers trial any variety they’re interested in for and sizes to your winter lineup. This is a great way to
long-term storage. increase diversity to your CSA or differentiate your­self

Crew member Anja records harvest weights of winter squash varieties at Offbeet Farm. Photo courtesy of Phil Knapp.

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 Choosing Crops and Varieties

from other vendors at market. Alternat­ively, you For most farmers, the most difficult part of variety
could be trying out a new storage variety similar to trialing is the data collection. Plan ahead and think of
one you’re already growing. Trialing allows you to see ways to efficiently collect information alongside your
how varieties perform before relying on them too current workflows. This is one argument for keeping
much. Trials can also help you fine-tune your business regular planting, harvest, and sales records on the farm.
by identifying varieties, even those you’re already If you’re already accustomed to collecting information,
growing, that best fit your needs. Some universities it’s easier to collect the data necessary for good variety
and cooperative extensions publish variety trial trials. Choose a method of collecting information
results freely online. Although these results can be you’ll actually use. This might mean printing your data
insightful, conducting your own trials can reveal how collection sheets ahead of time and leaving a clipboard
individual cultivars behave in the unique conditions in a convenient and visible location. It might mean
on your farm. designing a method of digital data collection on your
There are trade-offs between the time and effort phone or other electronic device, especially if that
you put into planning and executing a trial and the device is regularly in your pocket. I personally like
quality and accuracy of the results. Thus, you need to Google Forms, which are free, fast to create, and com-
decide how much you’re willing to expend at the out- pletely customizable. The data you enter automatically
set. At one extreme, you could grow a few new plants populates in spreadsheets you can access later, but there
and make some simple observations throughout the are other apps and programs that do the same thing.
growing season and in storage. At the other extreme, Another important part of any trial is ensuring
you could design a full-blown experiment with ran- that the varieties you’re testing get similar treatment
domized and replicated plots, a set of predetermined throughout the growing season, harvest, processing,
measurements, and statistical analyses of the data. I and storage. The goal is to compare the varieties
advocate for a middle road. As a working farmer, you themselves and not the different conditions that
probably don’t need research-quality results, but some occur on your farm. The varieties you’re trialing
basic data collection will help you make better deci- should have similar planting dates (ideally the same
sions than observations alone. day), soil and watering conditions, harvesting dates
Your needs and interests will determine what traits and procedures, washing procedures, and storage
you track in a trial. Conventional trials often focus on environments. If you treat varieties differently, their
yields, size, aesthetics, disease/pest resistance, bolt yields, quality, and longevity in storage may be
resistance (if applicable), and taste, whereas storage affected. In practice, though, it’s difficult to treat
trials track longevity and quality in storage. That said, every variety exactly the same. Just do your best to
your trial objectives don’t have to be mutually exclusive. limit differences where you can, and those small dif-
Before designing a trial, think about the ways you pro- ferences shouldn’t overly affect your results.
cess and sell your crops and what information would be Sometimes taking measurements of smaller samples
useful to know. You may be interested in which varie­ is more practical than measuring an entire crop. This,
ties last longest in storage and offer the best yields. You of course, depends on the amount you plant and what
might want to find varieties with the best disease resis- you’re measuring. Do you have half an acre of purple
tance or know when to sell or eat those varieties before carrots to test, or do you have 20 row-feet? It might be
suffering heavy losses in storage. You don’t need to practical to measure yields from a half-acre of carrots,
track everything. Variety trials should help you make but it’s not practical to measure spoilage rates in
informed decisions to improve your farm and business 15,000 pounds of stored roots each month. Sampling
rather than being unnecessary burdens. allows you to efficiently measure and represent large

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 From Field to Storage

groups. It’s important, though, that samples are both Culls and Grades
unbiased and representative. If you select your samples Knowing the amount lost through culling helps you
primarily from vigorous and healthy parts of a plant- determine a variety’s actual value compared to its poten-
ing while ignoring diseased or underperforming areas, tial. The same goes for the amounts sorted into different
the results of your trials will be skewed. Instead, collect grades. Culls are pieces you reject outright because of
samples as randomly as possible. disease or defects, whereas grades are salable categories
How large should your samples be? Some recom- used for marketing a crop (see “Grading,” page 42). You
mendations suggest at least 50 plants for traditional can calculate culls and grades as percentages of har-
root vegetables, at least 10 plants for tubers, and at vested weight. These measurements don’t depend on
least 30 plants for nonroot brassicas.10 For small crops the area planted/harvested, and I suggest measuring
such as garlic and sunchokes, I suggest samples of at from samples. The overall sample weights won’t matter
least 10 pounds (4.5 kg). For large crops such as cab- too much, although ideally, you should sample similar
bages and winter squashes, samples might need to be amounts from different varieties of a given crop. For
upwards of 100 pounds (45 kg). For everything in each sample, measure the total weight, the weight of
between, samples of around 50 pounds (23 kg) should culls, and the weights assigned to each grade used on the
suffice. The larger the samples relative to the whole, farm. To calculate each category’s weight as a percentage
the more accurate your results will be. That said, if you of the whole, divide cull/grade weight by the sample
only have time to measure a few plants of each variety weight, and multiply by 100 percent.
you’re testing, some data is always better than none.
Below, I describe a few specific measurements I Loss Through Time in Storage
find valuable for storage variety trials, and I’ve This is one of the most useful pieces of information for
included tips for sampling, data collection, and calcu- marketing crops on a winter storage farm. Through
lations. There are certainly more measurements you trialing, your goal is to determine the proportion of a
could take, but I find these particularly useful for variety lost to desiccation, sprouting, and rot at differ-
planning annual production, sales, and marketing. ent times in storage and to identify when losses
become too high to justify keeping that crop any lon-
Yields ger. First, you’ll need to decide what you consider to be
I think it’s vitally important to know the yields from unsalable in your specific markets. For example, how
each variety I grow. If weighing yields from an entire much sprouting is too much? Are you trimming off
planting is too onerous a task, you can weigh yields spoiled portions? You’ll also need to devise a regular
from smaller sample plots, but you’ll need to know sampling schedule. The frequency is up to you. I like to
the area sampled for calculations. (Areas in this con- sample at one-month intervals because it matches how
text can be any planting space—acres, row-feet, beds, I plan my wintertime CSA and wholesale sales.
and so on—compatible with your farm’s layout and Measuring losses from thousands of pounds
practical for planning purposes.) You can include or repeatedly won’t be practical, so you’ll need to devise
exclude culls in this measurement depending on your a sampling method. One method is to take measure-
typical culling methods (see below). I measure yields ments periodically while packing orders. To do this,
while putting crops into long-term storage, noting the weigh a sample that you will process for sales. Set
total weights of each variety separately. Later, I check aside and weigh trimmings and other unsalable pieces
my planting records to see the area of each variety and calculate their percentage of the total weight
planted. The calculation is the harvested weight sampled. Another method is to set aside samples in
divided by the area planted (or sampled). separate containers to measure periodically. Weigh

12
 Choosing Crops and Varieties

Variety Trial Datasheet

Year: ___________________________ Crop: ___________________________ Variety: ________________________
Planting Date: ___________________ Harvest Date: _____________________ Location: ______________________

Yields
Sample Weight: __________________ Yield = Weight/Area
Sampled Area: ___________________ _

Culls and Grades

Sample Weight: __________________ _
Cull Weight: _____________________ Cull %:___________________________ _
Grade 1 Weight: _________________ Grade 1 %: _______________________ _
Grade 2 Weight: _________________ Grade 2 %: _______________________ _
Grade 3 Weight: _________________ Grade 3 %: _______________________ _

Loss in Storage
Date 1: _________________________ Sample Weight: ___________________ Loss %: ________________________
Weeks in Storage: ________________ Loss Weight: _____________________ _
Taste (1–5): _____________________ Comments: _______________________________________________________

Date 2: _________________________ Sample Weight: ___________________ Loss %: ________________________

Weeks in Storage: ________________ Loss Weight: _____________________ _
Taste (1–5): _____________________ Comments: _______________________________________________________

Date 3: _________________________ Sample Weight: ___________________ Loss %: ________________________

Weeks in Storage: ________________ Loss Weight: _____________________ _
Taste (1–5): _____________________ Comments: _______________________________________________________

Date 4: _________________________ Sample Weight: ___________________ Loss %: ________________________

Weeks in Storage: ________________ Loss Weight: _____________________ _
Taste (1–5): _____________________ Comments: _______________________________________________________

Date 5: _________________________ Sample Weight: ___________________ Loss %: ________________________

Weeks in Storage: ________________ Loss Weight: _____________________ _
Taste (1–5): _____________________ Comments: _______________________________________________________

Date 6: _________________________ Sample Weight: ___________________ Loss %: ________________________

Weeks in Storage: ________________ Loss Weight: _____________________ _
Taste (1–5): _____________________ Comments: _______________________________________________________

An example datasheet for collecting storage trial information for a specific variety. I highly recommend finding a
data collection method you’ll actually use amid the occasional chaos of harvest time.

13
 From Field to Storage

each sample at the beginning of storage, then periodi- it ages in storage. Subjective traits are often measured
cally remove and weigh the unsalable portions. While according to a numbered scale with predefined cate-
the first method allows you to sample from within gories. Here’s an example of a 1 to 5 scale for taste: 1)
your regular storage containers, you won’t be able to Completely unpalatable; 2) Tastes bad but is edible;
determine weight lost through desiccation in storage. 3) Neither good nor bad; 4) Tastes good but is not the
(Besides spoilage and sprouting, water loss will be one best example of this crop; 5) Bliss. Here’s an example
of the largest sources of lost income in storage.) If you scale for aesthetics: 1) Rotten or unsalable; 2) Ugly,
sell out of a variety early, you’ll limit the breadth of but I’d eat it; 3) Looks OK; 4) Looks nice but with
your data unless you hold a portion back for later minor blemishing; 5) Looks freshly harvested. Of
sampling. The second method allows you to account course, you can define your own categories to suit
for water loss in storage, but I’d advise against it if the your needs. I suggest taking these measurements
sample containers are different from those you use for alongside those for losses in storage described above.
the main crop. (Ideally, you want sample containers to
match the regular containers you use for that crop.) —
One final method, which I personally like, is to set One measurement I’ve intentionally omitted here is
premade samples in storage alongside the main crop, overall losses in storage. This can be a vital data point
using plastic mesh bags to keep samples separate. This for crop planning and could, in theory, be part of a
method requires forethought, but it also means the variety trial, but I think it’s more relevant as part of
samples will experience the same conditions as the your regular record keeping (see “Record Keeping,”
main crop and you’ll be able to track water loss in page 70). That’s because overall losses in storage
storage. Again, you need to measure each sample’s depend not only on the proportions lost over time
total weight at the beginning of storage. At the time but also on sales rates. Since you’ll be selling or eating
of each measurement, remove and weigh all unsalable portions of your crops throughout the storage season,
portions. Calculate the weight of unsalable portions the total amounts lost in storage will differ depending
as a percentage of the sample’s weight at the begin- on how much of a given crop remains. For example, if
ning of storage. you expect to lose 10 percent of your remaining car-
rots in March, you’ll lose more if 5,000 pounds remain
Taste and Aesthetics than if only 1,000 pounds are left. Without knowing
Although these are subjective measures, it can be use- how quickly you’ll sell a variety, you can’t predict the
ful to know how a variety’s looks and tastes change as overall storage losses.

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