How to store Jerusalem artichoke correctly?
This question haunts those who respect this wonderful culture, also called the
earthen pear, for its health benefits and ease of cultivation. Let's try to comprehensively consider this problem. We hope that after reading this article you will definitely know how to save Jerusalem artichoke and all its useful properties. Let's start with a description of the earthen pear.
Why do summer residents love this culture?
Summer residents and gardeners love this wonderful culture for the excellent taste of tubers. And diabetics - because the earthen pear is rich in inulin, vitamins, phosphorus and iron. At first, Jerusalem artichoke will seem unusual to you. But after a while you will prepare delicious salads from it, you will understand that in fried or boiled form, almost everyone likes it. It is especially pleasing to many dieters that an earthen pear is like a potato. But the benefits in it are much greater.
How to store Jerusalem artichoke in the winter?
Even if you are lucky enough to grow an earthen pear in your area, you need to effectively protect it from spoilage and frost. After all, a long winter threatens to freeze and rot almost everything that has grown in your garden.
It is also important to organize the storage process so that it does not take up all your free time.
Summer residents who are interested in how to store Jerusalem artichoke will be surprised to learn that it can perfectly winter in the ground. And not just winter, but become even more tender and tasty. This is his great advantage over potato tubers. But, unfortunately, in almost any locality, this method of wintering Jerusalem artichoke is unacceptable due to the fact that mice and rats living in the ground will damage the tubers. Therefore, the crop will have to be harvested in the fall. Where and how to store Jerusalem artichoke after this?
Basement or fridge?
After you remove the earthen pear from the earth, you will have only one, but rather significant problem. The fact is that Jerusalem artichoke has a very delicate skin. If the peel of a potato is coarsened after removing it from the ground, this does not happen with an earthen pear. Therefore, its vulnerable surface is easily damaged.
How to store Jerusalem artichoke based on this information? The first way: you need to dig out the harvest of earthen pear in parts, in the washed and dried state, store in a refrigerator in plastic bags. You will have to eat such a Jerusalem artichoke as quickly as possible. Otherwise, it will wither, dry and deteriorate. The second storage method is freezing Jerusalem artichoke. The third takes into account the possible need to maintain large volumes of the crop. In accordance with it, tubers extracted from the earth are divided into portions, which are placed in plastic flower pots or other durable containers made of the same material. A small trench is made in the ground, spruce branches are laid in it, pots are laid and covered with soil. Top you need to cover with spruce branches and a whole sheet of roofing material. By the way, spruce branches will help you if you just want to leave Jerusalem artichoke in the ground before spring. They scare away rats and mice.