# How I Store Vegetables On a Small Farm (Fridges, Totes, And Secrets) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD4LycHiROo Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/sD4LycHiROo Generated: 2026-02-15T21:31:18.394+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The former executive chef maximizes vegetable shelf life and quality on his small farm by storing produce in commercial reach-in refrigerators, using specialized totes with drain pans, and maintaining 90-100% humidity to prevent wilting, while also detailing the maintenance required for his mobile cooling trailer. **Key Points:** - The farmer spent over 20 years in the restaurant industry, working up to Executive Chef at a 3,000-room resort before becoming an urban farmer. - He uses two commercial reach-in refrigerators (one white painted, one stainless steel 'Motak' brand, which is Kaltom spelled backward) for storage, keeping produce at 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit and 90-100% humidity. - He utilizes specialized, expensive totes (around $40-$50 each) that feature perforated bottoms (drain pans) to prevent produce from sitting in standing water. - For market sales, he uses 2lb bags for salad greens, inflating them with air to resemble a balloon to help shelf life. - He details the maintenance of his DIY mobile refrigeration unit—a 5x8 insulated trailer cooled by an LG AC unit controlled by a Cool Bot—which costs about $4,000 to build. - Regular maintenance includes cleaning the AC condenser coil every 30 days to prevent failure, which could otherwise cost $200-$300 for a service call. - He demonstrates washing root vegetables in a modified cement mixer/tumbler and then storing them in the vented totes. ![Screenshot at 00:49: The farmer opens his commercial refrigerator, which is stocked with bagged salad greens on the top shelf and leafy greens in clear, vented storage totes on the middle and bottom shelves, demonstrating his primary storage system.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/sD4LycHiROo/00-00-49.jpg) **Context:** The video features a former executive chef, now an urban farmer named Chef Mickey, detailing his methods for storing fresh produce grown on his small farm to maximize shelf life and quality, primarily focusing on his use of commercial refrigeration and specialized storage containers. ## Detailed Analysis The farmer, a former executive chef with over 20 years in the industry, transitioned to being an urban farmer, growing organic vegetables for local chefs and farmers markets in Knoxville, Tennessee. He emphasizes the importance of proper storage to maximize product quality and shelf life. His setup includes two commercial reach-in refrigerators located in his basement 'wash pack station.' One is a white, painted Kalom unit, and the other is a stainless steel Motak unit (which he notes is Kaltom spelled backward). He keeps these units running at 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit and aims for 90-100% humidity to keep greens from wilting. For storage, he uses large, clear, vented food service trays (16x28 inches) with drain pans underneath to ensure produce does not sit in standing water, which he notes is crucial for root vegetables like the turnips shown. He also uses specialized, stackable, vented totes (which he buys used) for transporting and storing produce like carrots, noting that the venting allows air circulation that solid totes lack. The speaker highlights the necessity of regular maintenance on his mobile refrigeration trailer—a DIY project built from a 5x8 trailer insulated with spray foam and cooled by an LG AC unit connected to a Cool Bot controller—stressing that cleaning the condenser coil quarterly saves hundreds of dollars in potential repair calls. ### Career Transition - Former executive chef with 20+ years in the industry transitioned to urban farming in Knoxville, TN - Grows organic vegetables for local chefs and markets. ### Storage System Overview - Uses two commercial reach-in refrigerators (Kalom and Motak) set between 60-75°F and 90-100% humidity for optimal produce preservation. ### Tote Usage and Selection - Employs specialized vented totes with drain pans for root vegetables (like turnips and radishes) to prevent sitting in water; uses 2lb bags inflated with air for salad greens to extend shelf life. ### Mobile Refrigeration Solution - Built a DIY 200 cubic foot refrigerated trailer using spray foam insulation and an LG AC unit controlled by a Cool Bot, costing about $4,000 to build. ### Maintenance Importance - Stresses cleaning the AC condenser coil quarterly to avoid costly service calls ($200-$300) that result from restricted airflow blocking the unit. ### Washing/Processing Area - Shows a basement area with stainless steel tables, scales, and a modified cement mixer used for washing root vegetables like carrots before packing. ![Screenshot at 00:05: The presenter introduces himself as a former executive chef turned urban farmer, overlaid with large text graphics.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/sD4LycHiROo/00-00-05.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:30: An outdoor shot of the farm under hoop houses with rows of lettuce and other greens growing, showing the scale of the farming operation.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/sD4LycHiROo/00-00-30.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:50: The farmer loads produce into the insulated trailer, which has an LG window AC unit installed externally for cooling.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/sD4LycHiROo/00-00-50.jpg) ![Screenshot at 02:03: A person uses a leaf blower to clean debris from the external condenser unit of the refrigerated trailer.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/sD4LycHiROo/00-02-03.jpg) ![Screenshot at 04:08: A close-up view inside the commercial refrigerator showing bagged greens stored on adjustable metal shelving, maintaining freshness.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/sD4LycHiROo/00-04-08.jpg)