Sand

According to a few web searches, the way to store carrots is in sand.  This weekend I got some sand, added some water, and played in the dirt.  Time will tell if this is an effective storage tool, but I can say, it's a fun way to preserve.  A little belatedly I realized that I'd better put the lid on the plastic bin I used...it looks a little too much like cat litter.  I'd rather not have some surprise discoveries in bobbing for carrots.  In the picture you can see that I've added some potatoes to the top row.  I've also got potatoes in an open basket, so I can compare the two to see if potatoes would do better in the sand. 

I've been sick for the last week, so not much more has been done on the path to a prosperous pantry.  I did manage to buy some tuna, beans, and flour this weekend.  I'm hoping to buy some apples this week and make apple sauce.  I'd also like to buy and can some pumpkin or squash.  I'm also thinking about eggs again. I'd just about decided they were something I would end up buying through winter, but a discussion at the Small Planet workshop at the Boston Book Fair reminded me that eggs really are supposed to be a "seasonal crop". 

I'm really feeling like the sand in my hourglass is getting low.  The growing season has been extended by our exceedingly warm fall, so I might have some peas and beans to put away after all.  Last weekend it got above 80 degrees and this weekend it was around 70.  Unfortunately, the farmer's market will only remain open through October, even though it could be mid-November before we hit frost.  I'll have to drive out to the farm myself.  I've still got a bunch of meat on the list, along with some fall vegetables. 

I wouldn't say what I've done so far has been particularly difficult.  Perhaps difficult in the sense of finding time, but despite a hectic fall, I've managed to do a little bit at a time.  I might actually get through most of my list.  Then we'll have to see how long the food will last!  I really hope the late fall doesn't mean winter will last a long time.  I'm operating on the principle that I could at least produce some food by the end of April (even if it's just spinach, salad greens, and peas).