In the summer, storing vegetables and fruits does not present any problem - they “live” in the garden, and as needed, a small part of the crop is collected and sent to the table or for salting. But with the onset of cold weather, the question of how to store vegetables in an apartment in order to preserve their freshness, and so that no midges are found in the home, becomes especially acute.
Competent home preparation is the key to success
“Prepare a sleigh in the summer” - the wisdom says. And this rule must be adhered to by all apartment owners who plan to indulge themselves in the winter with vegetables from their own garden. They will have to be stored directly in their home, so you need to soberly assess its capabilities and dimensions for its readiness to act as a vegetable cellar. In addition, it is worth taking care of the availability of all necessary storage devices, which may include fabric bags, baskets and boxes, shelving with drawers.
If something is missing, you need to buy it or do it yourself. Bags, for example, can be independently sewn from canvas or linen, and the rack can be built from improvised means, without forgetting about the need for ventilation.
Preparation of vegetables: the main stages
How to store vegetables in the apartment? First you need to properly prepare them. The whole process can be divided into three important stages:
- Sorting. For longer storage of vegetables, first of all, it is necessary to separate the bad from the good ones. Those that are completely rotten can be safely thrown away. Vegetables, slightly beaten or slightly rotten, may still work - you need not to pull with their use and immediately send under the knife. In this case, delay is fraught with the appearance of midges in the apartment and spoiling of good products.
- Drying out. Washing fruits before long-term storage is impractical. This process can damage the peel, which subsequently leads to rotting of the vegetable. But to decompose them and dry, on the contrary, it is recommended to be sure.
- Packing. The final step in preparing the crop for wintering in the apartment is to lay the vegetables in their places: in baskets, containers, boxes, nets. You cannot store different fruits together.
Where to store vegetables in the apartment?
There is no definite answer to this question, since each vegetable needs certain storage conditions. Give cold to some, others cannot tolerate it at all, the same situation develops with humidity and light.
Therefore, answering the question “where”, we can only list the main places that can serve as a “home” for their wintering. These include:
- balcony, loggia;
- pantry;
- refrigerator, freezer;
- window sill.
Vegetables on the balcony
Certain types of vegetables are conveniently stored on the balcony. But here it is important to follow some rules. For example, you can easily send potatoes there, but since the tubers do not tolerate frost, storage is possible only if the balcony is glazed and the average air temperature is above +5 ° C.
From root crops, under the same conditions of observing the temperature regime, carrots can also be sent there. In order not to start midges and other pests, store the root crop optimally in wooden crates, with layers of dry sand, pre-warmed up in the sun, poured into it and alternating with vegetables.
How to store vegetables in an apartment without a balcony? In this case, for the above cultures, you need to look for a place where it is dry, dark and cool - the owners of the pantries can not worry.
Vegetables in the fridge
Storage in the refrigerator should also be taken with caution - you can easily spoil the taste and nutritional value of certain vegetables.
You can send beets and cabbage to the lower shelf of the refrigerator - rather comfortable conditions of “living” are created for them there. Pre-packed in plastic bags or wrapped in cling film separately from each other, you can keep cucumbers and tomatoes here (not too long, of course, but this is better than not having to leave fresh garden gifts). But if you put potatoes in the neighborhood, then when you cook after a certain time, you can feel that it has become sweet - starch under the influence of low temperatures quickly turns into sugar.
Housewives who do not know how to store vegetables in an apartment in the winter and send thermophilic specimens to the refrigerator make a big mistake. Such, for example, include onions and aromatic basil. You can store the first by hanging it in a grid closer to the ceiling, where the optimum temperature for it is maintained at 18-20 degrees. For the basil, you need to organize a can of water and put it on the window in such a way as to protect it from light.
Vegetables in the pantry
The owners of the apartments, which provide for the storage room, were a little luckier. After all, to the question: “Where is it better to store vegetables in the apartment?” most often you can answer: "It is in the pantry." For most vegetables, a dry, dark and cool room is an ideal place for wintering. In the pantry, radish and beets, pumpkin and zucchini, cabbage and eggplant will feel good.
The fact that every vegetable needs preliminary preparation is a fact. And this rule must be followed in the case of storage of fruits in a closet. For example, each head of cabbage should lie separately, and it is better if it is wrapped in a newspaper. It would be nice to put the beets in ventilated boxes or open barrels. A pumpkin can easily be left on the floor - it is quite unpretentious for long-term storage.
Non-standard storage conditions
For a long time, lovers of eating vitamins from their own garden in the winter experimented with the storage conditions of summer gifts. Thinking about how to store vegetables in an apartment so that they do not deteriorate, do not begin to rot, dry out and thus do not cause the appearance of midges, people invented many original ways of storing some products.
For example, according to an old grandmother's recipe, for the long-term preservation of cucumbers, the fruits must be dipped in egg white first. Unusually and for a long time you can keep the freshness of tomatoes. To do this, dry, good tomatoes are stored in a three-liter jar, with them a paraffin candle is placed there and set on fire. The can is hermetically sealed, and the absence of oxygen after burning out the candles ensures long-term storage of vegetables. A very practical way to store garlic in vegetable oil. Pre-refined cloves after aging in refined oil saturate the latter with an incredible taste - and the result is two whole wonderful products that can be used in the future.
If you know how to store vegetables in the apartment correctly, then in the cold season you can not worry about the lack of a deficit of necessary substances and vitamins among family members. Tasty, healthy and aromatic vegetables will be a great help in preparing all kinds of dishes.