Root vegetables must be stored so that they do not wither, rot or sproutotherwise the carrots will lose their taste and useful qualities. Effective methods and recommendations of summer residents will preserve the juiciness and freshness of the vegetable. Let's find out how and where to store carrots correctly.
How to properly store carrots in a private house and apartment in winter?
In a private courtyard (dacha), most often there is basement is the best place to store vegetables.
Knowing the intricacies of proper preparation, carrots can lie inside the basement until spring. Some people manage to keep it until summer.
It all depends on the variety and preparatory work. The degree of preservation is influenced by the fact that purchased carrots are laid in the basement or grown in the garden.
In apartment conditions, the root crop retains its qualities if place it on a balcony, where it is not cold, in winter or in a storage room. It also requires preparation and proper location.
In addition to preservation at home, options for harvesting root crops for future use are suitable here. For example, canning, drying or freezing.
A small amount can be simply placed in the refrigerator, where the roots can lie and will not deteriorate for up to 2 months.
In the cellar
Traditionally, containers for storing carrots were not used, they simply poured a pile of sand and buried root vegetables in it. Now, this method is often abandoned using plastic or wooden containers.
At the bottom of the box, so that sand does not spill out, paper or cellophane is covered. Paper will be preferred as it is breathable. A layer of sand is poured on top, level it, if stones come across, they are removed.
Lay the roots in an even layer, leaving small gaps so that sand wakes up there without problems.
Sprinkle sand on top of the carrot layerso that it is well covered. Everything is well leveled for the next layer of root crops.
Advice: instead of sand, root crops can be sprinkled with sawdust or onion husks.
Alternate layers as long as the height of the box allows... If necessary, you can store several boxes, it all depends on the amount of carrots.
There is no need to cover the boxes except for sand. Read about how to properly prepare root crops in the material below.
On the balcony
Before the onset of cold weather, the safety of vegetables can be ensured even on non-glazed balconies. but better if there is a balcony protected from moisture and sunwhere the temperature in winter is 0 - 1 ° C.
You need to store carrots in boxes, restoring the layers with newsprint... Cover the top of the box with cellophane and a cloth, the roots will have enough moisture and coolness.
Tip: instead of paper, you can use sand as in the basement version.
Freeze in the freezer
Almost all vegetables are preserved by freezing, carrots are ideal for this purpose... This method will save time on cooking, because the vegetable will be peeled and chopped.
Before placing inside the freezer root vegetables need to be cleaned and rinsed under running water... You can freeze carrots in different ways:
- cut into cubes, rings or strips;
- grate or chop with a combine;
- use a Korean carrot grater;
- cut into cubes or whole.
The cutting method is selected individually based on personal preference. For example, grated is suitable for frying, and in cubes and whole for carrot puree.
Chopped vegetables are laid out in plastic bags. or sealed containers for freezing. Place inside a chest freezer or freezer compartment. The only drawback when frozen is that vegetables lose 65-80% of their usefulness.
Important: you can store in this way until the next harvest, this method will never fail.
Is it possible to store in the apartment in the refrigerator
Inside the refrigerator root crops are able to maintain their value and shape for a fairly long period.
Carrots will feel comfortable on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator if you follow some rules:
- Prepare the root crops correctly, in no case wash them.
- Washed carrots are not suitable for long-term storage. If it is washed, dry it, place it in a plastic bag. Close it hermetically, then moisture will remain inside.
- In the case of unwashed vegetables, dry them. Enumerate so that there is no rot and damage. Put a plastic bag inside and tie it so that there is no air access.
- For storing vegetables, a special niche or shelf at the bottom of the refrigerator is usually used.
When you need to take out the carrots from the refrigerator, the package is untied, taken as needed and closed back. In this case, you should see if there are any spoiled root vegetables inside.
If everything is in order, don't worry. If putrefactive damage is found, it is better to process or freeze such carrots.
In packages at home
If you put the root vegetables inside the bag and store it in the apartment, if the vegetables are of high quality, they can lie like this for 2-3 weeks.
but there is no guarantee that they will not start to deteriorate... The top may look good, but the inside of the carrots will start to rot.
With this method, you need to regularly check the packages for putrefactive changes.
How to prepare carrots for storage
The preparatory moment is the most responsible, on what and how the vegetable will be stored, the terms of its preservation depend.
To avoid mistakes you should adhere to strict rules:
- Never wash vegetables before storing them. An exception is the freezing of vegetables.
- Each root crop is carefully examined, the slightest damage is rejected. Such roots are best used for harvesting.
- Sorted vegetables are lightly dried in the wind. It is not necessary to overdry and keep in the sun for a long time. In this case, the carrot can be turned from one side to the other.
- Store as described above with sand or pack in bags.
- If you use bags, they must be strong and airtight. The bags can be tied or tapered.
Cleaning and preparing carrots for storage:
The preservation is influenced by the variety and the conditions under which the cultivation took place... If the season is rainy or heavily watered, it may rot.
It so happens that purchased vegetables are heavily treated with chemistry - this also affects the preservation.
The best varieties for storage: Shantane, Moscow winter, Vitamin, Karotel.
Storing carrots is quite a hassle for summer residents... However, this is difficult to achieve without proper conditions. If done correctly, it will remain juicy and fresh until the next harvest!