Features of storing carrots at home in an apartment

Saving carrots is as difficult as growing them. Improper storage, especially in an apartment, can quickly ruin the crop.

How to properly store carrots at home in an apartment so that they do not lose their freshness and taste?

Storage preparation

There are five main problems that are commonly encountered when storing carrots incorrectly:

• withering;
• germination;
• rotting;
• change in taste;
• loss of beneficial properties.

To avoid them, carrots are carefully prepared for storage... Harvested only in good, dry weather. In order for the roots to be moderately juicy and not crack, they should not be watered for three days before harvesting. If the soil is hard and dry, the plants are usually undermined with a shovel.

It is very important not to damage the roots when harvesting. Therefore, they are not pulled, but carefully pulled out of the ground by the tops. I cut off the tops immediatelyt, since it takes water from the vegetable. A stump of 2-3 mm is left. The collected carrots are laid out to dry for 1-2 hours.

Early ripening varieties are best suited for long-term storage. Unlike late-ripening ones, by autumn they have time to mature and accumulate enough sugar and fiber. Delicate varieties should be avoided. Optimal for long-term storage are varietieslike the Queen of Autumn, Carlena, Samson and Vitamin.

Important! If you buy carrots in a store and it is impossible to determine the variety, focus on its appearance. Medium-sized and conical root vegetables are best stored.

After harvesting, the carrots are sorted, leaving the vegetables for storage without any signs of rot, disease, cuts or damage from insects. If one spoiled root vegetable comes across, it will subsequently infect all the others.

Opinions differ on whether to wash carrots beforehand. Some people find that washing under the tap can help get rid of fungus and infection. But practice shows that washed vegetables are stored as long as dirty ones. In addition, when cleaning, there is a risk of damaging the roots, and this will significantly reduce their shelf life.

After washing, the vegetables are dried for several hours. Do not leave them in the sun or raise the temperature above room temperature, otherwise they will start to fade. It is recommended to chill carrots to 0 ° C for two days. This is done either immediately after drying, or immediately before laying.

You cannot cut carrots for long storage. A vegetable with a damaged skin will spoil much faster than a whole one. That is why you cannot cut the tail and base of the root crop. The only exception is freezing. In this case, the carrots are usually grated.

For storage, choose a dry room with an air humidity of 90-95% and a temperature of + 1 ... + 3 ° С... It is also advisable to disinfect the container for vegetables.

Important! Carrots should not be stored together with other vegetables, especially apples. They release ethylene, which makes the roots spoil faster.

Storing carrots in the apartment

In private houses, as a rule, there are no problems with the storage of crops. But city apartments are not adapted for this. If the potatoes normally lie on the insulated balcony in a container closed from the sun, then the carrots cannot be stored like that.

Although it is difficult to ensure the safety of carrots for the whole winter at home, you can still create suitable conditions in the apartment.

It is best to use a balcony or a glazed loggia to store a large amount of vegetables. There you can maintain the desired temperature, as well as place a lot more vegetables. There they equip wooden boxes insulated with foam plastic or use a thermal comb.

Carrots are extremely sensitive to negative temperatures. Even from a short freezing, freshness and juiciness disappear, and some areas may become covered with mucus when thawing. Therefore, it is important to closely monitor the temperature.

Attention! To keep an eye on the temperature, place thermometers inside the carrot boxes.

Refrigerator has advantages over balcony storage - constant temperature and humidity. Modern refrigerators are equipped with special chambers for storing vegetables, where the temperature is maintained at about + 2 ° C. They allow you to store carrots for a long time. It is better to use cling film, wrapping 1-2 roots together.

Some owners store carrots in the freezer. To do this, unlike other methods, carrots are thoroughly washed and peeled. After that, it is crushed, packed in bags and placed in the freezer. But with such storage, taste and most of the vitamins are lost.

How best to store carrots

There are several ways to store carrots. For many of them, a must-have in the house cellar, but some are quite realizable in a city apartment.

In a refrigerator

A small amount of vegetables is stored in the refrigerator, folded in ordinary or vacuum plastic bags. This method is only suitable for short-term storage, since carbon dioxide accumulates in a tightly closed bag, which spoils the roots. If you make holes in the bag, the process of wilting will soon begin due to loss of moisture.

Vacuum and cling film are considered very effective packaging methods for the refrigerator and freezer. Thanks to them, moisture does not evaporate from root crops and does not penetrate from the outside. It is best to wrap each root vegetable separately in foil.

In the freezer

If there are not many carrots, they are peeled, grated, or chopped in a food processor and placed in the freezer. To do this, use plastic bags or plastic containers.

In clay

An effective way - storage in clay... Clay is diluted with water to the consistency of liquid sour cream and roots are dipped in it. They are dried and placed in plastic bags or boxes. Packages do not need to be tied. A thin clay crust allows vegetables to be stored for a very long time. It perfectly protects against moisture, allows air to pass through and prevents bacteria from multiplying.

In paper packaging

Suitable for storage and paper packaging, such as cardboard boxes. For better preservation, carrots are placed in them together with horseradish in a ratio of 20: 1. Horseradish contains essential oils that, when released, fight mold and mildew. The boxes must be closed.

In boxes with onion skins

Onion skins are often used as an alternative to horseradish. Carrots are placed in boxes in layers, each layer is sprinkled with husks so that the vegetables do not come into contact with each other. In this form, root crops can be stored for a long time, but there is a risk that after a while they will begin to wilt.

In sawdust

Sawdust, especially coniferous, is very good as a filler. They absorb excess moisture and release essential oils that are antiseptic.

In wet sand

Many people use damp storage sand... Carrots are laid out in layers in boxes and sprinkled with sand. If there is no severe frost, it will last until spring. This method will help to keep both carrots and beets and other vegetables in the apartment for the winter. Such boxes are sometimes placed not only on the balcony, but also in the common corridor, if possible.

In paraffin

Paraffin is sometimes used for storage. Carrots are washed, dried and dipped in molten paraffin.It is recommended to add a little beeswax to it for elasticity. This method is very effective. It allows you to preserve the pristine freshness of the carrot and its taste for a long time. During storage, it is important to ensure that the temperature does not exceed + 2 ° C.

In the oven

A device called a heating cabinet is gaining popularity among gardeners. It automatically maintains the desired temperature and can hold a volume of up to 300 liters. This device looks like a large bag and is placed both on the balcony and inside the apartment.

Shelf life of carrots in the apartment

In a refrigerator at a temperature of 0 ... + 3 ° C, fresh carrots can be stored for 1-3 months in a plastic bag or container... This only applies to whole root crops. Grated vegetables are stored for an average of 10-12 days, after which they wind up and begin to wither.

Frozen carrots are stored much longer: at a temperature of -8 ... -20 ° C - 9-12 months. But it is worth remembering that when freezing and thawing, the benefits remain minimal.

If you store root vegetables in a bag or unpackaged at room temperature, they remain usable for no more than two months. After that, the carrots wither, and putrefactive processes develop in the damaged vegetables.

Carrots are stored for the longest time at a temperature of 0 ... + 2 ° C in a wooden box filled with coniferous sawdust. The vegetables harvested in this way are stored for a whole year, if there are no fluctuations in temperature and humidity. In urban conditions, even on a glazed balcony, this, as a rule, cannot be achieved. The way out is to use a thermal pad.

Sand, clay and sealed packaging are slightly less effective for storage. They allow you to preserve root crops for a period of 5-9 months.

Paraffin leaves almost all the properties of carrots and their presentation unchanged for 4–5 months.

Important! Even with strict observance of all storage conditions, 2-3 times a month, carrots must be checked and sluggish and rotten specimens are removed.

Let's sum up

Carrots are picky when storing, and, unfortunately, an apartment is not the best place for it. However, there are still ways to "house" a vegetable - from traditional refrigerators to thermal combs and wrapping with paraffin or clay. The choice depends on the volume of the crop and the availability of time.