That weekend, we visited our parents in the village. Last week, we dug up about 15 acres of potatoes, now we need to sort them and prepare them for storage. We spent practically all day doing this, as the harvest this year was excellent (Dad did his best: watered them daily, protected them from pests, and fertilized them on time).
A simple device for sorting potatoes is an upturned wire mesh from an old bed. It's very convenient because all the debris stays on the ground, the potatoes don't scatter all over the yard, and it's easier on the back because you don't have to bend over too much.
All root vegetables were sorted into:
- A large, whole one. It will go into the cellar for storage to feed on throughout the winter.
- Seeds. They were immediately poured into boxes for planting next season.
- A small change. It's for animal feed.
- Damaged ones. We're using them now, and we feed the scraps to the cattle.
We picked very few small potatoes. Most of them are good, large potatoes. We could easily sell 10 sacks! This year, the price for such potatoes is currently 25 rubles per kg.
We'll still have to sort through the seed material in the spring, and we might even sell some of it. It's too early to decide, as we don't know how many of the potatoes will produce poor sprouts.
The weather here is hot! You can't even escape the scorching heat in the shade—37 degrees! The work is hard, but the hassle is unbearable. So we try to help, because working together is more fun and faster. Plenty of cold water and a fan to circulate hot air—that's all the improvements to the working conditions. Ah, it's nice to have a house in the country!
I really liked the idea of the upside-down mesh bed! I'm just starting to live in the countryside, so tips like these are really helpful. Of course, living in the village is tough, but I hope I can cope. More helpful tips from villagers would be great!