Not so long ago, winter was a time to stay inside and keep warm by the fire. With the harvest long over, all your food is safely preserved and stored in the cellar, and since you probably live on a farm you don’t have anything to do until spring comes around and you can start planting the next year’s crops.
However, that idea that you couldn’t expect any fresh food in the middle of January came to an end in the 20th century thanks to advances in greenhouse technology and the advent of long-haul shipping. A city like Albany could now expect to see fresh blueberries and broccoli straight from fields and orchards in California and Florida which have never seen so much as a single snowflake.
Of course, the trouble with shipping many of these fresh produce products is their sensitivity to freezing temperatures. Some fruits and vegetables handle freezing just fine, and for them freezing may even be the best way to preserve and transport them. On the other hand, there are some plant products which only suffer if they reach the freezing point. Some of the most sensitive items include:
- Tomatoes
- Oranges and other citrus fruits
- Apples
- Peaches
- Bananas
- Peppers
Fruits and vegetables such as these deform, discolor, and lose their texture if allowed to freeze, at least so long as they aren’t properly cooked and prepared ahead of time. For obvious reasons, though, that’s out of the question if you intend to sell them as fresh produce.
Fortunately, reefer trucks and trailers can heat cargo compartments as well as cool them down, but active temperature control can be energy intensive and cost a lot in terms of overall fuel consumption. Refrigeration units can also break down from time to time, ruining entire loads of produce.
However, we at ProtekCargo, offer an alternative we like to call “passive temperature control.” Our SureTemp cargo blankets and pallet covers use state-of-the-art hollow fiber insulation and aluminum surfaces to ensure the safety of your cargo without needing any extra energy or effort beyond what it takes to strap them on. Unlike refrigeration units, blankets aren’t subject to breakdowns, and they can keep your produce warm even after days spent below the freezing point.
Modern technology has brought about amazing changes in what we’ve come to expect from our grocery stores. However, if you’re armed with the right equipment, moving tomatoes to Minnesota during the coldest part of January doesn’t have to break the bank.
