Let's talk winter squash...the ultimate annual survival food...oh and carrots too, of course.

It is IMPERATIVE that every sensible American who lives where there is access to some land plant at least 6 hearty winter squash plants every year for every member of the family. WRITE THAT DOWN. It is essential. Winter squash, when stored properly, can last up to 8-9 months and is a "filling food" that also happens to be full of beta keratin and other very helpful nutrients.

I've shown my "mini garden" in this blog, back when it was first planted during the first couple weeks of June. That's the earliest we can safely plant here in northern Maine, as we can get frosts up to the middle of June. In past years, my gardens have been huge...anywhere from 1/4 to 3/4 of an acre...but the kids are all off and grown now, and we aren't even staying at the old farmstead full time, anymore so, we've downsized our garden. Still, we've planted THE ESSENTIALS for winter storage in enough quantity for the two of us. We have two varieties of winter squash coming along pretty well now...six butter cup plants, and six butternuts. We also have a small carrot patch.

(FYI... the larger row of leafy veggies shown are Ukrainian summer squash..not the subject of today's article.)

Carrots come up as the tiniest little things imaginable, and you almost literally have to weed them with a pair of tweezers to avoid pulling up the baby carrot plants with the weeds surrounding them. You probably can't even see that I have three sparse rows up in this photo and already weeded out:

I personally recommend about 6-row-feet of carrots for every family member. Carrots MUST be picked WITH THEIR GREENS INTACT for proper storage, and using a shovel just to the side of them (and digging deep straight down first, then tilting out the carrots) is recommended. If you store your carrots with the greens up in 5-gallon pails, packing in around the carrots with sandy garden soil, and storing them in a cool dry area, they will last 5-6 months. Carrots have similar nutritional properties to Winter Squash, and give variety to your diet.

The Winter Squash, as I mentioned last even longer, but require just a tad more preparation before storage. When you pick them at the end of the season, they must be clipped with 3+ inches of the stem attached...i.e. cut them off at the stem well above where the stem meets the "fruit." When you take them inside, prepare a bath in your kitchen (or utility) sink of 4 parts water to 1 part store-strength liquid bleach.

You place the squashes in the bath and rub them somewhat vigorously all over, including the stems (but treat the stems with more care as they are gentler and can snap off.) After that, let them sit IN THE BATH (totally submerged is best) for an additional 5-10 minutes. Then take them out of the bath, wipe them dry (but don't rinse) and store them in a cool, well-ventilated area stacked on top of one another (if you like) or separated, if you have space.

Why are we bathing the squash? Because, what causes them to spoil are microbes of bacteria that can cause rotting that are naturally found on the skin and stems of the plants when they first come in from the garden. Bleaching kills all those microbes and delays rotting for a nice long time.

With the world economy on the brink of...well, who knows what....you will feel like a king in your own palace with a big pile of properly stored vegetables that will last throughout the winter and all the way up until the start of the next growing season

Enjoy!