Kitchen Garden Forum

Is it possible to Store Swede, if so, how?

Ken

It is a member of the brassica family and quite hardy, I believe it can be left in overwinter and dug when needed. If however that is inconvenient or you are worried about recent snowy winters then I would store it as you would parsnips and carrots, leave the dirt on as that helps it keep. I seem to remember the old farmers putting it in clamps, a lot of folk think of it as cattle food but cooked in very little water or steamed to keep the flavour then mashed with butter and pepper it is lovely, a little carrot added in adds colour and eye appeal

Unless you have a trek to the lottie in cold wet weather I would only lift sufficient as you need them. They will keep several weeks in a cool outhouse/shed. I haven't found the need to cover with sand or peat just remove any foliage. The only problem I have leaving in the ground is with woodlice but not enough to make me lift the whole crop.

Beryl.

A link to show making a clamp

http://www.1900s.org.uk/1900s-storing-root-veg.htm

Nature's Babe wrote:A link to show making a clamp

http://www.1900s.org.uk/1900s-storing-root-veg.htm

Now get yourself a fieldful of swedes to fill it

Ha Ha! I doubt if you would pack a field of swedes in a clamp that size, or even a row or two, but if it amuses you Alan ... big yawn.....!

Nature's Babe wrote:Ha Ha! I doubt if you would pack a field of swedes in a clamp that size, or even a row or two, but if it amuses you Alan ... big yawn.....!

Have you ever built a clamp, NB? I suspect not. A clamp is only an option for storing large amounts of root crops. As your linked article states:

The resulting clamp should be of pyramid cross section and about a metre high. This size is important because the moist straw causes a form of decomposition to take place which provides enough warmth to keep the clamp from freezing even in cold winters. If the clamp is too small, it does not keep sufficiently warm and if it is too large, the vegetables get too hot and start to rot.

Alan, don't get your knickers in a twist, I only posted the link to show what a clamp is because I had mentioned the old farmers used to do this, I grew up around farms.

The reason for considering storage is that I'm concerned that if I leave them in the ground much longer they will split and spoil as they are growiing at such a rate.

Ken

Hi Ken,

I am not sure that you need worry about them splitting - I too have a good crop growing. Obviously a farmer's clamp is impractical for small garden quantities and I would suggest that you leave them in the ground and try to protect them against slugs - I suspect the woodlice came after slug damage. They are supposed to be winter hardy, but like a look of veg last year, they suffered. Some of mine survived, some didn't and I think a lot had to do with the condition they were in before the cold weather.

A suggestion if you have some environmesh erect a tent of it over what you wish to protect from the snow. The snow will drift down the outside leaving a manageable insulating igloo over your plants, my beans overwintered well last year protected that way, the previous year they perished under the snow

Looks like best chance is to leave them in the ground then. I will put some enviromesh over them though, that would seem to be a sound idea.

Ken

One last comment Ken. I think you are wise to leave them in the ground but I would question your wisdowm to cover with enviromsh. Just keep in mind swede like open field conditions to thrive and will survive just about anything the winter can throw at them except perhaps a prolonged period of being waterlogged.
Beryl.

KG September issue has an article on building a clamp and http://www.kitchengarden.co.uk/news/all/Video will shortly have a video as well.

How early do you think Swede could be lifted and stored? Discovered today that ours are being attacked by what I assume is rats so feel I should try and store some, usually just leave them in the ground.