We grow several varieties of red beets as well as golden beets and the bullseye Chioggia beets.

Storage Tips: The refrigerator drawer is the perfect environment for roots. Keep them in a plastic bag to retain moisture. In large quantities, store beets in dark place that is 38-42 degrees F and 90 percent humidity. Common places that work well are a basement (away from the furnace), garage, root cellar, or a dark and cool closet or kitchen cupboard close to the floor.

We grow many varieties of carrots based on the timing of the season. We especially love fresh winter carrots, even better when they’re a rainbow variety.

Storage Tips: Carrots can be stored for several months in the refrigerator or over winter in a moist, cool place. Twist off tops & refrigerate carrots in a plastic bag. A temperature range of 32 to 40 °F (0 to 5 °C) is best.

We grow a couple of varieties of celeriac and share them in the CSA in the late fall and throughout the winter months. It is one of our favorite roots and adds a celery flavor blast to mashes, soups, and roasted root dishes.

Storage Tips: Celeriac should be wrapped in plastic, stored in the refrigerator, and used within a week.

We grow green and purple kohlrabi varieties in the spring and fall. We also grow a larger winter-hardy kohlrabi variety called Superschmelz for winter fun.

Storage Tips: Kohlrabi bulbs will keep in your refrigerator’s veggie drawer for several weeks.

We grow parsnips for the late fall/winter season. They’re a cousin of carrots, and look similar, but they have a distinct parsnip flavor all their own.

Storage Tips: Store unwashed parsnips in a cool dark place, just as you would carrots.

We grow several types of potatoes including various white and yellow fleshed, various reds, and several fingerling varieties. Some are better for boiling and mashing and other are better for frying or roasting. Sometimes we manage to grow sweet potatoes too.

Storage Tips: Store potatoes in a cool, well ventilated place. Colder temperatures lower than 50 degrees, such as in the refrigerator, cause a potato’s starch to convert to sugar, resulting in a sweet taste and discoloration when cooked. If you do refrigerate, letting the potato warm gradually to room temperature before cooking can reduce the discoloration.

We grow several varieties of radishes including the red and white French Breakfast Radishes and round Pink Beauty Radishes. We also grow fall radishes like Shunkyo Long and Watermelon Radishes.

Storage Tips: If the radishes have their leaves intact, remove them and store the leaves separate from the roots. Radishes will keep well for up to 2 weeks if stored in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator. Wrap in a damp cloth or a perforated plastic bag.

We grow large rutabagas. Every year we attempt to grow slightly smaller rutabagas, but they’re never as small as those in the grocery stores. We love rutabagas, including rutabaga juice. Rutabagas are the new kale.

Storage Tips: Rutabagas store well in the refrigerator, as this can often provide the most optimal temperature and humidity conditions. They can also be stored in a root cellar.

We grow a variety of Sunchokes called Stampede. Long ago as CSA members, before we started farming ourselves, we got these sunchokes in CSA shares. We’ve built up our supply and gladly share them.

They also contain a large amount of the carbohydrate called inulin instead of starch, which makes makes them difficult for some folks to digest.

Storage Tips: Sunchokes will store for months if stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

We grow Japanese salad turnips throughout the year and also grow purple topped turnips in the fall. One of our favorite fall/winter turnips is the red skinned Scarlet Ohno Revival Turnip. Salad turnips are excellent raw but we prefer to cook other types of turnips.

Storage Tips: Cut off the leaves, bag them separately and refrigerate the leaves for use within a few days. Refrigerate the roots unwashed in a plastic bag. They should keep for anywhere from 1 week to 2 weeks in the fridge.