Best ways to store carrots after harvest until spring

Preparation of stocks of potatoes, carrots, beets, onions is an annual tradition of many urban and rural residents. There are many ways to store vegetables, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

In the article, we will tell you how to store carrots so that they do not flabbily or spoil, and remain fresh and tasty.

Selection and preparation of carrots for long-term storage

Factors that ensure a long shelf life of any root crop are the choice of a suitable variety, timely harvest and compliance with keeping conditions.

The ripening period of carrots depends on the variety. You can find it on the package with seeds. When planting in the spring, the day of harvest is calculated and marked on the calendar.

Council. We recommend keeping the seed bag. In case of a good harvest, it will become a reminder of a successful variety for the next year.

A root vegetable dug out too early will not accumulate the right amount of sugar - it will taste unsweetened.

Late digging results in an excess of sugar and amino acids. Overripe carrots are sensed by mice and rats, which can spoil the harvest.

Council. The color of the tops tells you it's time to dig. If the lower leaves turn yellow, then the carrots are ripe and can be harvested.

Experienced summer residents recommend not to water the beds the day before digging. Dry root vegetables will remain juicy for a long time.

After digging, the tops are cut off, as the leaves draw moisture from the fruit.

Pruning is carried out in two stages:

1. The tops are cut off slightly above the root crop head. The crop is dried in the open air for 2-3 hours.
2. Cut off the head by 0.5-1 cm and the tail.

After such preparation, it will not germinate in winter and nutrients will not go into sprouts. The root crop will remain strong and will not wither.

After removing the tops, the vegetable is dried for another 3-4 hours. The next 8-10 days the harvest is kept at a temperature of 10-14 ° C. Places of cuts dry out, damage received during excavation. Rotten roots will become visible - they are removed from the total mass.

Optimal storage conditions

The vegetable stays fresh for a long time under the following conditions:

• optimal humidity - 90-95%;
• temperature - 0 ... + 1 ° С;
• air circulation.

These parameters are recommended for storage at home and on an industrial scale. Industrial premises are equipped with ventilation systems that ensure air circulation.

In storage facilities, carrots are placed in containers, pallets, boxes, bags.

Better ways

Storing carrots at home for winter requires the preparation of the necessary materials. Depending on the place where the root crops are kept in winter, a suitable method is chosen.

In sand

You will need wooden or plastic boxes, loamy sand, water.

Advantages of loamy sand:

• reduces moisture evaporation;
• prevents the development of microbes;
• maintains a constant temperature.

The sand is moistened as follows: for one bucket of sand - 1 liter of water. A layer of sand 3-5 cm thick is poured into the container. Carrots are laid so that the roots do not touch each other. Then a layer of sand and again root crops, and so on until it is completely filled.

Important! Carrots will not survive in the river sand.

In sawdust

This is a Siberian way of preserving carrots.

The advantages of sawdust are based on the content of phytoncides in them, which:

• do not allow root crops to germinate;
• prevent bacteria from entering.

Carrots are laid in layers, sprinkled with fresh sawdust.

In clay

Time-consuming and time-consuming method. But the labor is justified by the long storage period - until the next harvest.

Required boxes or thick cardboard boxes, film, clay, water.

The method of storage in clay is compared to a cosmetic clay mask - as a result, the root crop does not fade.

Clay treatment before laying is done in two ways.

Pouring clay

Pour 0.5 buckets of clay with water. The next day, the swollen mass is mixed and re-poured. Clay lasts 3-4 days. It becomes like sour cream.

The bottom of the box is lined with foil, put vegetables so that they do not touch each other. Pour in a creamy mass. Let it dry and lay out the next layer of vegetables. Pour it over. Layers alternate, remembering to dry each, and so on to the top of the box.

Dipping in clay

For this method, garlic and clay talkers are prepared. Clay talker: the clay is diluted with water to such a state that it does not drain from the root crops. Garlic chatter: on a fine grater or through a meat grinder, pass 1 glass of garlic and dilute the mass in 2 liters of water.

Important! Prepare talkers in a well-ventilated area.

Unwashed carrots are dipped first in a garlic, and then in a clay mash. Lay out and dry.

Carrots in a state of "clay shell" are put into boxes or boxes.

In moss

This method is easy, if you buy moss in a store - it is already ready to use.

Forest experts collect this covering material on their own. A lot of time is spent on processing and preparing it for use.

For these purposes, you will need sphagnum moss. It grows in deciduous forests. Due to the fact that from a pale green after drying it turns white, it is called "white moss".

Moss advantages:

• rich in nutrients;
• retains carbon dioxide well;
• retains moisture;
• has preservative properties;
• kills bacteria;
• easy.

Before laying, unwashed, dried carrots are kept in a cool place for 24 hours. Alternating carrots and moss, layers are placed in boxes.

Important! Containers with carrots and moss are lighter than with sand, clay or sawdust.

In onion skins

When organizing storage, husk is used, like sawdust.

The essential oils of onion and garlic peels keep the vegetable from rotting. They protect it from harmful bacteria.

In packages

Use plastic bags with a volume of 10-30 kg.

Unwashed, dried and cut carrots are placed in bags, not tied. Air humidity 90-95% prevents the root crop from withering.

In open bags, the release of carbon dioxide from carrots is negligible, but sufficient to prevent disease.

In a saucepan

Enamel pots with a volume of 10 liters or more are used for long-term keeping vegetables in a cool place.

Carrots are washed and dried, the tops and tail are cut off. The roots are laid vertically, pressing them tightly to each other. Cover with a napkin and a lid. Containers with vegetables are kept in the cellar.

In the beds

Experienced gardeners leave part of the crop for the winter in the ground.

Step-by-step instructions for storage in the beds:

1. Cut off the tops.
2. Cover the bed with wet coarse sand.
3. Cover with foil.
4. Pour sawdust, peat, humus or fallen leaves on top.
5. Cover with roofing felt or another layer of film.

A bed with carrots, covered in this way, withstands the cold, and an orange vegetable in spring will delight you with freshness and taste.

In cling film

The washed and cut carrots are wrapped in foil so that the roots do not touch each other. The film is not cut off after each fruit, but gradually several pieces are packaged.

The wrapped vegetables are stored in a cool place, such as a garage or basement.

The carrots will stay fresh for 1.5 months.

How to store carrots in an apartment

A refrigerator and an insulated balcony are suitable for storing carrots at home.

In case of temperature drops in winter, it is important to ensure that it does not drop below 0 ° C on the balcony. From sunlight, the boxes are covered with dark material.

It is convenient to store carrots on the balcony in boxes with sawdust or sand. In case of frost, they are wrapped in a warm blanket. In extreme cold, they are transferred to a warmer place or even more insulated.

In a private house, in the country

The best option for storing vegetables is under the floor of a house or summer cottage.

When building or buying a home on their own land, they pay attention to the quality of the underground space - a convenient vegetable store is obtained from it.

Before laying the root crops, the storage is prepared: the remnants of the last harvest are removed, ventilated. If necessary, disinfect - whitewash the walls, wash the shelves and the floor. Harvesting is carried out a month before laying vegetables, then airing for a long time.

Important! There should be a ventilation hole in the subfield.

Store carrots in any way. Drawers and other containers are conveniently placed on lower shelves or on the floor.

In the basement, cellar

A basement is a room in any building that is half underground. It is called the first underground floor.

The cellar is a pit with fortified walls and a covered top. In private houses, the cellar is called the basement in cases where the foundation of the house is made with full floor filling. In village houses in the cellar, instead of the floor, there is ordinary earth, and the walls are the foundation.

The difference in construction does not prevent these premises from having the same characteristics:

• maintaining the optimum temperature - not lower than 0 ° С, humidity - 90-95%;
• air circulation.

In the fridge, freezer

Each refrigerator has containers for vegetables. They are located under the lower shelves. Carrots will be stored there for up to four months.

Two ways to keep root vegetables in the refrigerator:

1. Washed, cut and dried carrots are stored in plastic bags. When water droplets appear on the bags, it is recommended to dry the vegetables and replace the bag with a dry one.
2. Root vegetables are wrapped in a wet cotton towel and placed in the vegetable compartment.

A popular and convenient storage method is in the freezer. Housewives cut carrots for different dishes: into strips, sticks, rub on a coarse grater. This saves cooking time later.

Before placing the chopped root vegetables in the refrigerator, they are blanched - scalded with boiling water. As a result, the action of enzymes slows down. The pieces do not lose their taste, color, structure. Once frozen, the blanched carrots retain their nutritional value until the next harvest.

The cooled crushed fruits are laid out on flat surfaces and placed in the freezer for 2 hours. Then put in bags or containers and put in the freezer.

Maximum storage time

It is possible to save carrots until the next harvest during the year. At home - when keeping root crops in clay or in the freezer. On an industrial scale, long-term storage is provided in special vegetable stores.

During long-term transportation, vegetables are flabby, damaged, exposed to changes in humidity and temperature. This negatively affects their further shelf life.

Read also:

Large variety of carrots Red giant.

Carrot hybrid for long storage Canada f1.

What to do if someone chews on carrots in the ground and how to deal with them.

Useful Tips

Carrots will survive well if:

• were planted late varieties, intended for long-term storage;
• harvest on time;
• vegetables are properly prepared for laying;
• a convenient storage method was chosen;
• all the conditions for keeping root crops in winter are met.

Conclusion

Keeping vegetables fresh helps us get our vitamins and minerals all year round. There are different ways to store them: they are neither labor intensive nor costly. It all depends on how much harvest or purchased carrots you need to keep in the winter.With any method, it is important to remember the storage conditions: humidity, temperature and air circulation.