Long-Term Carrot Storage … For Up To 20 Years

Image source: Pixabay.com

Extending the shelf life of root vegetables like carrots has been practiced for centuries as a method to have fresh vegetables available all year.

Traditionally, carrots (typically a variety bred for winter storage) are kept in a root cellar or a cool, dark and relatively humid location in order to preserve them for eating in the winter offseason. Another traditional method is to store carrots in the ground right where they grew and then heavily mulch (6 inches or more of mulch) for harvest during the winter.

The traditional method of winter storage using a root cellar for freshly harvested carrots is to remove the leafy tops, brush off the dirt (but not wash), and store the carrots in near-freezing temperatures (just above 32 degrees Fahrenheit), packed in boxes or crates filled with damp (not wet) sand or sawdust. Carrots need humidity in the 95 percent percent range to store well in a root cellar, and packing them in moist sand or sawdust increases the humidity to the correct range. They should be stored away from any fruit that gives off ethylene gas (apples, pears and potatoes).

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Canned, pickled or frozen carrots are other traditional ways to preserve them even longer, for a year or more. Carrots are low-acid, so if canning you must use a pressure canner instead of a boiling water bath method.

So, how would you store carrots for up to 20 years? If 20 years sounds like a long time to store carrots, it might surprise you to know that “fresh” carrots in the grocery store may be eight or nine months old when you buy them. Modern developments in commercial food storage allow growers to store produce with a chemical named 1-methylcyclopropene, which extends the shelf life of carrots and some other vegetables such as broccoli and lettuce.

Storing Carrots For Up To 20 years

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To store carrots up to 20 years, you must dehydrate them. The best part: This will maintain the nutritional value.

Some conditions: 1) The shelf life will be longer if your storage location has a moderate temperature and reduced light. A cool basement would be ideal, while a hot attic or room which fluctuates in temperature will shorten the shelf life of any stored food. 2) Botulism can grow in low-oxygen, moist environments. To avoid this, you must reduce the moisture level within the carrots to 10 percent or less in order to store long-term with an oxygen absorber packet or to safely store using a vacuum sealer that removes air.

DIY Carrots for Long-Term Storage  

• A dehydrator with an electric fan is recommended.


• Wash carrots (peeling is optional).


• Slice ¼ inch or less.


• Blanch the slices of carrots to preserve color by steaming or simmering for two minutes.


• Plunge the blanched slices into an ice water bath to stop carrots from cooking.


• Drying temperature for carrots is generally 125 degrees. Drying time will depend on the humidity and your dehydrator.


• Once dry, let them cool for an hour or so, and then place temporarily into gallon size zip-top bags to “season” the dried slices for a week. Seasoning is not flavoring in this instance, but it accomplishes two things: 1) It distributes any remaining moisture evenly between slices, and, 2) It alerts you if there is too much moisture in your dried carrots. If you have too much moisture, you will see condensation on the inside of the sealed bags (in which case you need to dry some more).


• Pack into airtight glass containers or cans.

Your kitchen cupboards are simply too exposed to light and temperature fluctuations to be useful in storing items more than a year. Dried carrots in a glass jar will last about a year in kitchen cupboard conditions. This is about the same time as canned carrot product. However, in a cool, dry and dark place like a cellar, these jars of dehydrated carrots will last five or so years without any detectable change in taste.

For REALLY long-term storage, up to 20 years, put an oxygen absorber packet in the airtight container when packing, or remove air using a vacuum sealer, and again, store in a cool, dark, and dry place.

What tips would you add about storing carrots? Share your suggestions in the section below:

8 ‘Magical’ Vegetables You Can Regrow From Scraps (With A Little Help)

Image source: YouTube screen capture.

Vegetables typically get one go-round in the kitchen, and then we toss the carrot tops, sprouted garlic or celery bottoms in the compost bin or garbage can without giving it a second thought. Who would imagine that many kitchen scraps actually have the potential to regrow into usable vegetables?

Most vegetables won’t regrow indefinitely, and they probably won’t grow enough to feed your family for very long. However, re-growing vegetables can save you money and in the meantime, many are attractive, decorative plants that bring a bit of the outdoors into your kitchen. If you’re looking for fun gardening projects to inspire kids, this one is sure to be a hit.

Try these vegetables:

1. Celery, bok choy and romaine lettuce – Slice the bottom from the bunch and put it in a bowl of warm water with the cut side facing up and just the root end submerged. Watch for leaves to emerge from the center as the outer section gradually turns yellow and deteriorates. Once the celery bottom has several healthy leaves, plant it in a container filled with potting mix, with only the leaf tips showing above the soil.

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2. Avocado – This is an old trick that kids love. Unfortunately, the plant isn’t likely to bear fruit unless you’re patient and willing to wait a dozen years or so. In the meantime, enjoy the lush, green plant.

To grow an avocado plant, just use toothpicks to suspend a cleaned seed, wide end facing down, over a glass of water so only the bottom half of the seed is submerged. Place the glass in a warm spot where the avocado is exposed to indirect sunlight. Check the water every day and add more as needed.

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Once the stem grows to about 6 inches, cut it down to about 3 inches. When you notice new leaves, plant the avocado in potting mix with about half the seed above the surface of the soil. Keep the soil moist but not soggy.

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3. Potatoes – Cut potato peels into 2-inch chunks, each with at least two eyes. Set the chunks on the countertop to dry for a day or two, and then plant them in a large, deep container with the eyes facing up. Cover the potato chunks with 4 inches of soil, and then as the plant grows, add an extra 4 inches of soil. The new, tender potatoes will be ready to harvest in a few weeks.

4. Onions – Slice the root end from the onion, along with about a half-inch of the onion. Plant the onion in potting mix, root side down, and water as needed to keep the soil moist. The onion should be ready to harvest in several weeks. At that time, cut off the root end and grow yet another onion.

5. Ginger root – Plant a small chunk of ginger root in potting mix, with the buds facing up. Water as needed to keep the soil moist, and then harvest the entire plant, roots and all, in a few months. Grow ginger root indefinitely by saving a small chunk from the new root.

6. Garlic – If you’ve left a garlic clove a little too long and it’s sprouted, don’t throw it away. Just plant the clove in a pot with the root end facing down. When the clove is well-established and displays new growth, trim the shoots so that energy is concentrated on the clove. You can grow garlic this way indefinitely; just start a new garlic clove from the newly grown bulb.

7. Carrots – Unfortunately, you can’t grow new carrots with carrot tops, but you can use the lacy tops as an attractive garnish. Put the carrot tops in a tray or dish with a little water, cut sides down, and place the dish in bright sunlight. Check the carrot tops daily and replenish the water as needed. Snip off small amounts as often as needed.

8. Cilantro – It’s easy to start this pungent culinary herb by placing a few stems in a jar of water. When the stems root, plant them in a pot. The new plant will be ready to use in a few months.

What advice would you add? What vegetables would you have placed on our list? Share your ideas in the section below:

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Toxic Lead Lurking in Baby Food? What You Need to Know

The Environmental Defense Fund released a study in June, 2017, showing the presence of detectable levels of lead in a surprising number of baby food samples tested over a decade-long period.

For the study, the EDF evaluated data collected by the FDA between 2003 and 2013. They collected 2,164 baby food samples and found that:

• 89% of grape juice samples contained detectable levels of lead

• 86% of sweet potato samples contained detectable levels of lead

• 47% of teething biscuit samples contained detectable levels of lead

• In total, about 20% of baby food samples were found to contain detectable levels of lead

The group said in the report:

“Eight types of baby foods had detectable lead in more than 40 percent of samples. Baby food versions of apple and grape juices and carrots had more samples with detectable lead than the regular versions.”

Study author Tom Neltner, of the EDF, said:

“The levels we found were relatively low, but when you add them up — with all the foods children eat … it’s significant.”

None of the samples exceeded the FDA’s allowable level of lead, which is good, but does it really matter? Many argue that there is no “safe” level of lead exposure, and the agency is in the process of reviewing its standards over concern that they don’t reflect the latest science about the potential health risks.

Exposure to Lead can be Quite Serious

Lead poisoning in children is extremely serious. It most often occurs when the heavy metal builds up in the body over time, often months or years. Even small amounts can cause severe and irreversible effects on a child’s mental and physical development. So it’s important to consider lead exposure, especially since it is present in small amounts everywhere – not just in baby food.

Source: The Sacramento Bee

Pediatrician Jennifer Lowry, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Environmental Health, said:

“The levels we found were relatively low, but when you add them up — with all the foods children eat … it’s significant.”

She added that the FDA has “old standards… and they haven’t been updated in decades.”

Lead Standards Need Some Updating

In 2012, the CDC updated its guidance on lead in children. Currently, it considers 5 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood to be high in children. But, again, there is no safe level of lead. In fact, the CDC concluded that:

“Protecting children from exposure to lead is important to lifelong good health. No safe blood lead level in children has been identified. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect IQ, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement. And effects of lead exposure cannot be corrected.”

Pediatricians say children should eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, as this helps minimize the risk from a single food. Additionally, a diet high in iron, calcium, and vitamin C can limit the absorption of lead.

The problem of lead in grape juice is easy solvable: the American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommended that children under 1 should not drink any juice, and fruit juice for children of any age is unnecessary. Whole fruit is better, nutritionally.

What is unclear is how lead got into the products tested. If it comes from the soil, it can be absorbed by crops. If that’s the case, the lead “cannot simply be removed,” the FDA says in one of its fact sheets. But that’s worrisome, because the veggies contained the highest levels of lead.

The Environmental Defense Fund writes:

“Eight types of baby foods had detectable lead in more than 40 percent of samples. Baby food versions of apple and grape juices and carrots had more samples with detectable lead than the regular versions.”

Just 4% of the baby cereals contained lead.

Sarah Vogel, vice president of EDF’s health program, said:

“The only thing parents can do right now is to reach out to their favorite brands and ask them what they are doing (to ensure products are lead-free).”

Lead paint is the #1 source of lead exposure in children, followed by water, then food.

The city of Flint, Michigan, has been wrestling with extremely high lead levels in its drinking water for nearly 2 years now, and in 2015 a state of emergency was declared over high levels of lead in children’s blood. However, in the case of Flint, the high lead levels occurred after the city switched its water source, which corroded pipes.

It’s clear that we need to tackle this issue on a larger scale to reduce exposure to this toxic heavy metal – especially for children.

Sources:

[1] NPR

[2] NBC News

The Sacramento Bee

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About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.