Sunshine is great.  The sun dries my laundry on the clothesline.  It nourishes the garden and crops.  It dries our hay so that we can preserve it for the winter months.  Today I used the sun again.

I dug up the beets and carrots in my garden.

I topped the carrots.  I slice off about 1/4 inch of the top end of the carrot with the leaves.  If I don’t do that, during the storage season in the cellar, the carrots tend to sprout new leaves even though they are not in the soil.

The beets are cared for differently.  When I cut off the leaves I leave 1-inch of stem on them.   Without that inch of stem left on the root, the rich, redness of the beet will bleed out color as I cook them.  They are to be cooked with that bit of stem, the root, and with their skins still on them.

All of the greens went to feed the chickens.  Lucky ducks!

With the beet and carrot preparation finished, I washed them all off in a pail of water.  I put them on the grass in my lawn and let them bask in the sun to dry.  Hurray for the sun’s rays and the wind!

When the carrots and beets are thoroughly dry, I put the beets in a crock in the cellar until I have the time to cook and freeze them.  Carrots, on the other hand, will be packaged in plastic storage bags.  I poke holes in the plastic bags to let air get into the bag.  That seems to help the carrots keep longer for me.

I am glad the sun was out to help me finish that little job today.

photo credit: Ed Yourdon via photopin cc
photo credit: richlyc via photopin cc