CANTON -- Did you know that in the right conditions potatoes, carrots, cabbage and onions can be stored for over six months? Perhaps you raise a lot of produce and would like to eat your own harvest into the winter months. Or maybe you'd like to support a local farmer by buying bulk vegetables in the autumn. Either way, there’s lots to learn in the world of produce storage and it can be a fun journey to create a cold storage environment at home.  

Sign up for the class Keep it Cool: DIY Vegetable Storage for all Budgets offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County on July 16th, 6-8pm. The class will take place in two locations, starting at the Extension Learning Farm in Canton for a presentation, and closing with a tour of an in-ground root cellar at a farm 7 miles from the first site.

Attendees of this workshop will learn the storage needs of over a dozen crops including winter squash, cabbage, potatoes, onions, beets, carrots, cabbage, garlic and turnips. Participants will see photos and videos of several different storage areas located in homes, outbuildings, and in the ground then tour an in-ground root cellar at an area farm. The examples will range from completely passive with no additional energy inputs to storage that include tools to adjust temperature, air flow and humidity. The session will also offer the chance to meet other people who have experimented with various storage techniques. This course is part of Extension’s Homesteading for Everyone Series offering 1-3 workshops each month of 2024 to share skills and build community resilience.

The course will be led by M. “Flip” Filippi, Local Food Program Leader and co-operator of littleGrasse Community Farm. Flip is a certified Master Food Preserver and preserves over a 1,000 pounds of foods each season in a variety of ways including cold storage, canning, fermenting, freezing and dehydrating.

Registration is required to reserve a space and the cost is on a scale where participants choose the best price for their budget from $10-$40. For additional information or to register for this opportunity, visit the event page at https://stlawrence.cce.cornell.edu/events. Contact Flip with questions at (315) 379-9192, ext. 229 or mpf65@cornell.edu.

Cornell Cooperative Extension is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities and provides equal program and employment opportunities.