The last day for farmers markets is on October 29th. Now is the time to stock up on local holiday gifts, local apples, local potatoes, and local squash varieties including pie pumpkins for the holidays. Here are some ideas for storing and preparing fall vegetables.

Apples: You can store your local apples all winter in your refrigerator, garage, or basement. The ideal temperature is 38-40 degrees Fahrenheit with the humidity 90-95%. You can achieve this humidity in your refrigerator by using a sealable plastic bag that some holes punched into it that are about .25 inches in size. Eat them fresh all winter long or make them into delicious recipes. Check out some ideas from our partner, Healthy Harvest of North Iowa. https://www.healthyharvestni.com/tag/apples/

Potatoes: You can store potatoes at 40°F and 90–95% humidity for 5–10 months. You can find recipe ideas here.

Winter Squash and pumpkins: store in cool, dry conditions at 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit. For optimum quality, store acorn squash for 5–6 weeks, butternut and pumpkins store for 2–3 months. You can find recipe ideas here.

Check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation for more information including this handy storage guide.