Interactive lesson

Cabbages, onions and squash, step by step

Interactive lesson: three foods, three places. Cabbage cold and damp, onions cold and dry, squash warm and dry, from harvest to spring.

Free sample Chapters 1 and 2 (8 steps) are free. The full lesson comes with the Cabbages, onions and squash module. Already bought? Unlock

This lesson is general guidance, not professional training. Local regulations and expert advice always take precedence. Read our disclaimer.

The whole lesson as text

1. Three foods, three places

All three keep for months without electricity, but each in a different place.

Cabbage down below — Late cabbage needs 0–2 °C and 90–95 % humidity: a cellar, clamp or trench.
Onions up above — Onions and garlic need it dry, 0–4 °C and 60–70 % humidity: the loft as long as it does not freeze, a cold room, a pantry.
Squash in a room — Squash needs 10–15 °C (50–59 °F) and dry air, like an unheated bedroom. In a cold cellar it turns dark and soft.
Onions away from potatoes — In a damp cellar onions put out roots, sprout and rot, and the potatoes next to them rot faster. Keep them apart.

Why: Cabbage likes cold and damp, onions cold and dry, and squash warm and dry. The most common mistake is not a poor harvest but the wrong place.

In the cellar, cabbage keeps roughly 3–5 months, onions 4–8 months, squash 2–6 months, depending on type.
The general principles (respiration, humidity, ethylene) are in module H50-01 Storage without electricity.

2. Cabbage: harvest

For storing you want late varieties that mature in October and November.

Late, firm heads — Only firm, dense, sound heads go into store. Use split heads straight away.
Before frost, on a dry day — Harvest before frost below about −5 °C, on a dry day, once the dew has dried.
Leave the wrapper leaves — Leave 2–3 wrapper leaves. Do not take them off until the cabbage goes to the kitchen.
With or without the root — For hanging and for a trench, pull cabbage up with the root. For shelves, cut it, leaving 3–5 cm of stalk.

Why: Early and summer varieties have loose heads and keep no more than a couple of weeks. Wrapper leaves protect the head from drying out and from knocks.

Light frost does cabbage no harm; it even sweetens it. Do not cut a frozen head until it has thawed on the stalk.
Use heads with caterpillars and rotten leaves straight away, or make sauerkraut.