From the top down or the bottom up?

[geo in mi]

How do you use up your harvest? Do you choose the best to eat first, or do you try to use up those that might spoil(the seconds), and leave the better ones for later?

geo

[lmrose]

We use up what will spoil first and everything that has not been canned or frozen which are not perfect. The exception is goat meat and chicken which we kill in the fall and eat when ever we want a little meat. We choose our seconds of potatoes, carrots and turnips to use first. The best quality ones will keep longer in cold storage. Any peas, asparagus that are frozen I save until later in the winter when the cabbage in cold storage is gone. Winter squash we cook and eat and can or freeze any that are left before Spring so they don't spoil.Things like rhubarb and berries are frozen and used as needed. Garlic and onions ; we use up the imperfect ones first and store the rest in cold storage. If by spring there is some left I freeze them before they start to grow.

[hippygirl]

Bottom up.

[Horseyrider]

I use a combination of the above. Normally, all things being equal, it's FIFO-- First In, First Out. But as others have mentioned, perfect fruit and veggies have the best chance of avoiding spoilage, so I do some planning accordingly at harvest. For example, I pull aside the potatoes that I forked, along with those with minor insect damage, and I trim and use as soon as possible.

Otherwise, I use the FIFO rule, except when giving things as gifts. For example, when I want to show off the produce of my beautiful free range hens, I pack up a dozen in a sweet little basket, and each egg was laid that day or the day before, and are free of any stains, defects, poo, etc. Any canned gifts such as pickles and jams are also very current (the most recent runs). They have the brightest color and inviting eye appeal. It's a chance to show a bit of the best of what living in the country can be.

[Eagle-eye]

We sell the best, and eat the so-so. Stuff that gets past a certain point ends up as fodder for the animals.

[FarmboyBill]

Got pretty far underneath his hay stack when it fell in on him. Liketa kilt him lol.

IF its grain, and im scooping, its bottom only. IF its hay or straw bales, then its from waste level as much as possible. IF not that, top down,

IF its loose hay, its top down.

[mekasmom]

Originally Posted by geo in mi

How do you use up your harvest? Do you choose the best to eat first, or do you try to use up those that might spoil(the seconds), and leave the better ones for later?

geo

Preserve the worst eat the best first

[jwal10]

Store the best, eat or preserve the rest. The poorest goes to the animals. Sort what is stored, very little waste. We store for the animals too. We extend the seasons so we eat a big portion as it comes on, in peak condition....James

[geo in mi]

Interesting replies...... I asked because I'm making a squash pie for my in-laws, and was trying to decide which one to use.

Happy Thanksgiving!


geo

[maddy]

What a great question. In thinking about it, I'd say I work from both ends.

There's a certain logic to the idea of FIFO (first in, first out), but rigid adherence to that order of things means that you're never getting the benefit of anything really fresh. And that's the whole point of growing your own stuff, right? On the other hand, safe preservation techniques require that produce still be in good shape. So I guess I've derived the following unstated rules for the produce that comes out of my garden:

1. All the ugly, misshapen, bird-pecked and otherwise aesthetically poor produce goes directly to my table. The aesthetically perfect stuff gets sold. I use as much of the remaining Grade A stuff as I can in salads and other fresh applications.

2. I preserve starting with the oldest produce that is still acceptable for safe preservation. Meanwhile, with things that store fresh, such as apples, I am eating my way down, from the best to the worst.

Seems like a reasonable compromise, although the die-hard canners might take exception.

[Rustaholic]

The way I grew up we had large potato bins and on the other end of the basement we had large squash bins. Harvest time the squash bins had always been empty for quite a long time but we always had a small basket of taters to pull out of the bins before we filled them up the next year. While we were digging the potatoes if one got scuffed up it was put aside and how ever many we got like that went to the kitchen to be used up first.

[FarmboyBill]

Dad brought up taters with a JD lister using Florie and Dixie.. If he sliced any ion lifting them, they got washed and ate first.

[SueMc]

Eat and/or dehydrate the first that may go bad. Eat the rest, can or dehydrate as needed.

[farmmaid]

Both.......I evaluate as I go. Also consider how harvested. Ex: hand picked apples go into storage. Those that have hit the ground go for applesause, canned/frozen...same for other things.

[Skandi]

Anything damaged goes to be used/preserved straight away, anything that can be stored whole (my preference) has to be perfect so they go into storage. Small things I do not store whole I find they don't last well, by that I mean small carrots/small beets etc. Of course some perfect examples never make it as far as the kitchen to be put up...

[Shrek]

I eat fresh while putting back the fresh yield for preserved pantry store at the same time.

I use my pantry stores oldest first and also keep some fresh going year round with a small container crop in my greenhouse/ sunroom / worm bin room.