storage of fruits, vegetables, and florists' stocks 37 



Peppers 

 chili peppers (dry) 



(Temperature, see text; relative humidity, 70 to 75 percent) 



Chili peppers are usually picked when ripe and then dried and 

 allowed to equalize in moisture content in covered piles. Water is 

 usually added to the peppers after drying, and as a result they become 

 less brittle. They are then packed tightly by tamping into sacks 

 holding 200 to 300 pounds and stored in nonrefrigerated warehouses 

 for 6 to 9 months. 



The temperature of the warehouses depends to some extent on their 

 construction and the way in which they are managed but chiefly 

 on the outside temperature. In southern California, where a large 

 part of the commercial crop of Chili peppers is produced, the outside 

 temperature ranges from 50° to 80° F. during the usual storage 

 period. 



The moisture content of Chili peppers when stored is generally low 

 enough (10 to 15 percent) to prevent mold growth; the chief storage 

 trouble is insect infestation. Sometimes manufacturers of Chili 

 pepper products hold part of their supply of the raw material in cold 

 storage, but they prefer to grind the peppers as soon as possible and 

 store them in the manufactured form in airtight containers. 



SWEET PEPPERS 



(Temperature, 32° F. ; relative humidity, 85 to 90 percent) 



Sweet, bell or bullnose peppers, if in good condition, may readily 

 be kept fresh in storage for a month to 6 weeks at a temperature of 

 32° F. A relative humidity of 85 to 90 percent is desirable to prevent 

 shrinkage (38). 



Potatoes 



(Temperature, 36° to 50° F. ; relative humidity, 85 to 90 percent) 



Potatoes are stored either in cold or common storage, but the 

 greater part of the crop that is stored is held in common storage 

 (80). Like most other vegetables that can be held for relatively 

 long periods in common storage, potatoes can be successfully kept 

 through the fall and winter months only in those regions where a 

 sufficiently cold winter climate prevails. In either cold or common 

 storage a temperature of 40° F. is as low as table or seed stock 

 need be kept during the first few months after harvest. At tempera- 

 tures below this, there is a tendency for potatoes to become undesir- 

 ably sweet. However, if sweetening occurs, a few days' exposure to 

 ordinary living-room temperature will partly restore the natural 

 flavor. At 40° potatoes will remain dormant 3 to 5 months after 

 harvest, depending on the variety. If it is desired to keep them 

 longer than this, as is often the case with seed stock, the temperature 

 may be lowered to 36° or 38° F., where they should remain dormant 

 indefinitely. A storage temperature as low as 32° is unnecessary 

 and detrimental. 



