The human diet should be varied and balanced. A large impact on health is the use of a sufficient amount of vegetables. One of the leaders in the content of nutrients is carrots. From this indispensable vegetable you can cook thousands of all kinds of dishes, from snacks to delicious desserts. In order to get the maximum taste and benefits, it is important to know how to properly store carrots.
Short description
This vegetable is a herbaceous plant with large root crops. Mention of its use in food has been found in various historical sources dating back to BC.
Today, carrots are one of the most common vegetables in the world. Many types of this root crop have been cultivated, differing in color and taste. Thanks to modern technology, carrots have a very high yield.
The benefits of eating vegetables are enormous. First of all, carrots are famous for their high content of vitamin A, which is responsible for the skin condition and human vision. The use of this root crop is indicated for various diseases and their prevention, vitamin deficiency, anemia. It has anti-inflammatory, healing and antiseptic properties.
Harvest Rules
Before you get acquainted with information on how to store carrots and send them for wintering, it is important to know about the collection procedure.
If you harvest too early, carrots will not be able to accumulate all the necessary nutrients. Late harvesting can lead to cracking of the root crop, deterioration in taste and lethargy.
The ripening time of the root crop depends on its variety, as well as weather conditions and timely care. Early types of vegetables are ready for use in the middle of the season, medium varieties should ripen within 80-100 days. Later varieties of carrots are most suitable for wintering. This root crop matures for more than 110 days.
Hot weather during harvesting carrots will not contribute to long-term storage, and the first freezing can completely destroy the crop. Therefore, for the collection time, it is important to choose warm, dry weather.
One of the signs of a ripened crop is the tops, which begin to turn yellow. However, it should not completely fade, as this will be a sign of root disease.
When digging from the beds, the carrots are carefully lifted together with the ground with a shovel or pitchfork, supporting it by the tops. It is important not to damage the root crop with a garden tool, since it is impossible to store carrots in this case.
Preparing for the winter
After the carrots were on the surface of the garden, you need to clean it from excess land. Next, the vegetable must be dried, but not more than three hours, in order to prevent wilting and loss of vitamins.
When the root crop is slightly dried, you need to remove the tops, since it is unacceptable to store carrots with greens. In this case, the vegetable will lose its juiciness and nutrients. Therefore, the tops must be cut or unscrewed. For long-term storage of carrots, it is useful to cut along with the root of the root crop, about 1 centimeter. This will prevent the vegetable from withering in the winter and sprouting.
Wash carrots in the case of storage with whole fruits is strictly prohibited. In this case, within a short period of time, the crop will lose its elasticity and become unsuitable for long harvesting.
Storage conditions
In order to preserve carrots for as long as possible, it is necessary to separate all damaged, withered root crops from whole and ripe. One affected or rotten vegetable can infect the rest and render the entire crop unusable.
During storage of carrots, it is also important to periodically sort it out, separating damaged specimens.
Store different varieties of carrots separately. It will also be useful to separate the root crops of different sizes.
Air temperature for long-term storage of the root crop is extremely important. It should not fall below zero, as this will lead to freezing of the vegetable and subsequent rotting. An increase in temperature of more than 3 degrees is also capable of rendering the crop unusable. In warm conditions, carrots will begin to sprout, losing their benefits and taste.
It is also important to ensure that the storage room has the optimum humidity and ventilation system. The absence of these conditions, an increase in humidity can lead to the appearance of mold on root crops.
Storage of carrots in a private house
How to store carrots at home? The best place for wintering the root crop is a basement or cellar.
There are many different ways to extend your shelf life. The main and most common are:
- Storage in the sand. This requires clean and slightly moist loamy sand and a container for vegetables. Suitable for this are boxes, small barrels and buckets, on the bottom of which a little sand is first poured. Then the carrots are stacked in rows at a small distance from each other and again covered with sand. There may be several such layers. Sand maintains a constant temperature, protects root crops from loss of moisture and pests.
- Storage in clay. This method is also quite common. For this you will need clay diluted with water and boxes covered with polyethylene to prevent leakage. Carrots are also stacked in rows and filled with mortar. Before making the next row of carrots, you must wait for the previous one to dry. Also, in a clay solution, you can drop the carrots one at a time, dry it and put it in boxes. Storage in clay ensures the preservation of the vegetable for up to 9 months.
- Storage in bags. In this case, it is better to use bags made of polyethylene. They maintain optimum humidity, which ensures good preservation of the product. The bags should be kept open or openings for ventilation, since in its absence the humidity will be very high. This will rot the product.
- Storage in baskets and crates can also be used for carrots. Moreover, if it is not possible to use the above methods, it will be useful to wrap the root vegetables in paper to maintain temperature and humidity.
- Sawdust storage. It will take boxes and dry sawdust of conifers. As in the first case, carrots are stacked in rows and sprinkled. The needles prevent the development of bacteria and rotting vegetables.
Storage in the apartment
The basic rule when storing the root crop in an apartment is compliance with the temperature regime. As already mentioned, with hypothermia, carrots will quickly deteriorate, as with elevated air temperatures.
When storing carrots in an apartment, as in a private house, you can use several methods:
- Storage on the balcony. In this case, it is necessary to monitor the air temperature, and also to prevent direct sunlight. Root crops can be stored on the balcony and loggia in any available form. It can be clay, sand or boxes. If the air temperature drops, it is necessary to cover the carrots with warm material or transfer them to storage in another suitable place.
- You can use the drying process to store carrots. In this case, the root crop should be washed, peeled and chopped. Then pour a thin layer on a tray and dry in a warm place. For this method, you can use special dryers.
- You can also store carrots in a dark pantry away from heating appliances.
Other types of storage
You can store carrots in the refrigerator. In this case, the carrots should be folded into a plastic bag without closing it, and put in a box. If carrots are left unwashed, this will significantly extend the freshness of the root crop.
Another way to preserve this healthy vegetable is to freeze it. For this, the carrots need to be washed, peeled, chopped in any way (grate with various nozzles, chopped, coarsely chopped), put in a special container or bag for freezing, and placed in a chamber. This method will preserve the product for a long time. In addition, it is very practical for future use in food.
Storage of carrots in the refrigerator, as well as in the freezer, is the most affordable and convenient way, regardless of where you live.
You can squeeze juice out of carrots. Such a canned drink is another way to preserve the root crop. The remainder after spinning should not be thrown away. It can also be frozen and used for further cooking.
Shelf life
To answer the question of how much carrots can be stored in the refrigerator, and when using other methods of wintering the root crop, it is important to consider several factors: compliance with temperature, humidity, room conditions and crop quality.
The shelf life of carrots also depends on the variety. Early ripe carrots are not subject to long storage. Varieties of medium ripeness can withstand two to three months. Late varieties are stored the longest, from 6 months to a year.
The described methods retain fresh root vegetables for a long time. The longest storage of carrots is provided by freezing, which allows you to prepare a vegetable for the whole year. Fresh carrots are stored in the refrigerator for two to three months.
Conclusion
Today it is difficult to imagine a human diet without carrots. After all, it is not only a very tasty vegetable, but also contains a lot of nutrients needed by the body.
There are a lot of ways to store carrots, both in a private house and in an apartment. Most of them are available for any living conditions. You just need to choose the appropriate option, which will allow you to preserve the vegetable for a long time.