Archive | February, 2013

Storing Tomatoes in Newspaper

At the end of the gardening season last year I had many green tomatoes. I wrapped them in pieces of newspaper and stored them in a brown paper bag in my basement. I kept them in the dark and they not only ripened over the winter but stored very well.

Here are a few of the last tomatoes that I just unwrapped today. They have been stored in the newspaper for 4 months. As you can see they look pretty good. Some of the skins are a bit wrinkled but these tomatoes tasted great in my green salad today.

Storing Details:
Wrap only about 2 green tomatoes in each piece of newspaper loosely. Place each wrapped newspaper bundle in a brown paper bag. I was able to put quite a few bundles of wrapped tomatoes in the paper bag. Close the bag and keep it in the dark. Storing in the basement worked well for me.

Check the tomatoes in a few weeks or as needed. Remove the red ripened tomatoes. Re-wrap the green tomatoes and put them back into the brown paper bag until ripe or when you need a tomato.

Conclusion:
Green tomatoes can be saved, stored, and ripened over the winter for future use.

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Water Purification using Bleach

Boiling water is one of the safest ways to purify it. Water should be boiled for one full minute at a rolling boil. If you can not boil your water, using bleach is another alternative for purification.

Normal household bleach is usually between 5-6% chlorine and can be used following the chart guidelines below. Do not use perfumed, dyed bleach that has any additives. Use plain bleach as follows for water purification.

Source: Washington Dept of Health

Use a clean container and mix thoroughly and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes before using (60 minutes if the water is cloudy or very cold).

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