STORAGE OF FRUITS, VEGETABLES, AND FLORISTS' STOCKS 41 



Peas (Green) 

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



Storage conditions required for green peas are somewhat different 

 from those for beans. Green peas tend to lose part of their sugar con- 

 tent, on which much of their flavor depends, unless they are promptly 

 cooled to near 32° F. shortly after being picked. They cannot be 

 expected to keep in salable condition for more than 1 to 2 weeks unless 

 packed in crushed ice. in which condition the storage period may be 

 extended perhaps a week. Peas keep better unshelled than shelled. 



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 pep- 

 per 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 (46), 



Potatoes 



early crop 



(Temperature, see text; relative humidity, 85 to 90 percent) 



Earty and intermediate potatoes are not often stored. However, 

 if need arises in the production area (usually southern) this crop 

 can be kept satisfactorily in common unrefrigerated storage through 

 the summer in the locality where it is grown (44)' The potatoes 

 should, of course, be sorted over carefully before storage to remove all 



