The best ways to store carrots in winter and how to dig and prepare vegetables

In the cold season, you want to please yourself with fresh and tasty vegetables. Juicy sweet carrot is loved by both adults and children.

This bright root vegetable is rich in vitamins and minerals, and in winter, when our body lacks nutrients, eating fresh carrots will not only be tasty, but also healthy. Read more about how to store carrots in our article.

Features of the vegetable

Features of the composition and structure of carrots can be used for storage, and although this vegetable is not too picky, it requires compliance with certain conditions.

In order for carrots to be well kept, it is necessary to strictly observe the sowing time when planting, and the harvest should be regularly audited for signs of decay or damage to fungal diseases.

Suitable varieties

To date, brought many varieties and varieties of carrots, with a variety of shelf life. Carrots eaten are called "Table carrots", which also has its own types:

• early maturing
• mid season;
• late maturity

IMPORTANT! But not all carrots are suitable for long-term storage.

It's obvious that better preserved until the spring varieties of carrots specifically designed for this:

1. Early maturity:
   • Bangor - large, juicy, sweet hybrid of carrots. Stored until spring, without losing taste data;
   • "Lagoon" - disease-resistant hybrid, which is not afraid of frost. It has a pleasant taste and good presentation.
2. Mid-season:
   • "Vitamin" - the variety is resistant to cold as it was bred specifically for long storage. This type of carrot is the sweetest compared to the rest;
   • "Samson" - unpretentious care, has good taste, suitable for regions with any climate;
   • "Shantane" - the variety is unpretentious to the soil, resistant to cracking, has a sweet taste and density.
3. Late maturity
   • Flaccore - bright orange large root vegetable, resistant to diseases;
   • "Queen of Autumn" - quite a long variety, cracks when over-irrigated, not prone to bolting;
   • "Carlena" - unpretentious when growing, high yield, designed for long-term storage.

Duration of storage in different ways

How better and longer to keep the carrot until spring, and how to do it at home, so that it does not dry over the winter? Carrots are difficult to store, but if you choose the right way - you can save the vegetable for a long time.

Carrot storage time:

1. From 2 to 3 months - in plastic bags.
2. From 4 to 5 months - in paraffin.
3. From 5 to 7 months - in the boxes.
4. From 6 to 8 months - in the sand.
5. 1 year - in clay.
6. 1 year - in needles.

Training

In order to ensure optimal storage conditions for carrots, initially you need to carefully prepare for this, and proper storage of carrots begins with its harvesting. It depends on this in many respects how long the root crop can be stored, preserving its beneficial properties.

Harvest

How to dig a carrot for storage? An important condition for the good preservation of root crops is cleaning at a later date (end of September - approximately the beginning of October). But it is not recommended to hesitate with the cleaning, with prolonged autumn rains the carrots are saturated with moisture, crack and lose their taste qualities.

You can dig a vegetable with a garden fork, so as not to damage the root crop, and it is desirable to do this in dry weather. After digging, leave it to dry in the shade. Next, the carrot is spread out in a thin layer and stored at relatively low temperatures for 1-2 weeks, during which time a kind of “natural selection” takes place.

Dug carrots should be sorted. Select the most beautiful and healthy root vegetables. If necessary, clean them from the ground and cut the tops.

Conditions

Carrots - picky vegetables, which need special conditions. To store it you need a clean, disinfected place with a suitable temperature.

A place

TIP! To choose a place you need to remember that the roots are better stored in a dark, cool room with a humidity of at least 90%.

Usually use a basement or cellar. If there are no such places and you have to store vegetables without a cellar, in an apartment, then it is better to use the storage room, or place the carrots in the coolest part of the apartmentFor example, near the balcony door, on the balcony or in the refrigerator.

Do not store carrots near batteries and heaters. Temperature greatly affects the safety of root crops.

You can also use the freezer if you need to freeze the vegetable.

General rules

Despite the way and under what conditions the carrot will be stored, You must follow certain rules for storing:

• carrots must be cleaned on time, cleaned, selected, dried, not damaged, without frostbite;
• a pre-prepared place is required with all optimal conditions for storing vegetables;
• choose a suitable container;
• Do not forget about the time savings of the root.

Storage methods

There are various storage methods from which you can choose the most suitable:

1. Storing carrots in the sand.

   To do this, use freshly harvested wet sand (when squeezed in a hand, a lump of sand should not crumble). This is useful in that sand protects carrots from drying out and prevents various diseases.

   REFERENCE! At the bottom of the box poured sand 3-5 cm thick, then lay the carrots at a short distance from each other, after which the next layer of sand goes, and so alternate further.

Watch a video about storing carrots in the sand:

2. In the sawdust.

   Need to use coniferous sawdust. Thanks to the antibacterial substances that the needles contain, the roots will be protected from harmful fungi and bacteria. It is necessary to lay the same way as with sand.

Watch a video about storing carrots in coniferous sawdust:

3. In the clay.

   It is necessary to dilute the clay with water to the consistency of sour cream. Then, lay a plastic wrap on the bottom of the box, lay out a layer of carrots and pour it with clay.

   When the solution is dry - you can put another layer of carrots, pour clay, etc. There is another way to store carrots in clay. It is necessary to dip the root crop first in the garlic solution, then in the clay; Let dry and put in a box or box.

4. Plastic bags.

   Polyethylene retains moisture, which is necessary for carrots. It is best to use bags with a capacity of 5 kg and above. Bags need to be left open, so carrots will not rot.

5. In the garlic husk.

   Essential oils that garlic scales contain do not allow root crops to rot. The rules of laying out are the same as with sand or needles.

6. In a 3-liter jar.

   You can put carrots in a jar if you have a bit of it. You can store in the refrigerator, on the balcony or near the balcony door, depending on the weather.

7. In the freezer.

   Carrots need to prepare in advance, clean it, chop and dry. After that, decompose into containers (plastic containers, plastic bags, vacuum bags, etc.) and place in the freezer. Frozen carrots can be stored no more than three months.

Also, ordinary sacks and moss are used to store carrots.

Temperature

The temperature for storing carrots plays a very important role. If the temperature is too low, the roots may get frostbite, if it is too high, moisture will evaporate from the carrot and soon it will wither. The best option is a pretty cool room (cellar, basement), with a temperature of -1 to 5 degrees, then the carrots can be stored for a long time.

What if there is no cellar?

How else can you store it? In case there is no basement, You can store the carrot at home in the fridge, wrapping it in a plastic bagor in wet sandboxes on a warmed balcony, where the temperature will be around 2+.

How to do it at home?

How to save a large batch of the best? If you want to provide yourself with fresh carrots for the winter, but there is only storage space in the house, you can use the following options:

• In a refrigerator.

  The best way to store carrots in the refrigerator, in vegetable boxes, due to the most suitable temperature conditions. Place no more than 6 carrots in a bag, squeeze the bag out of the bag as much as possible, then tie them tight. The root crop will be stored in the refrigerator longer, but it may rot if it is placed next to other vegetables.

• In banks.

  To store carrots, jars need to be prepared: rinse (preferably with boiling water) and dry. Then put carrots in them in a non-dense layer, so that there is little space between the vegetables. Leave in a dark room, without closing the lid.

• On the balcony.

  Before you put the carrot on the balcony, you must protect it from dirt, dust, and daylight. In the dust can be harmful bacteria that can significantly damage the roots.

  Attention! Store carrots on the balcony is possible only before the onset of the first frost.
• Under the bed.

  It is necessary to decompose the vegetables in one layer so that they do not touch, then sprinkle with onion peel.

If the carrot is peeled

If there is a desire to keep the washed, peeled carrots fresh, then it should be remembered that it will be stored for a maximum of 2 weeks. To do this, you will need to put it in a plastic bag and leave in the refrigerator.

You can use another option, freezing washed and peeled carrots in the freezer. There it can be stored for a year, but it will lose its texture and rich taste.

What to do with small roots?

If, when preparing carrots for storage, small and not very beautiful roots are left, they should not be thrown away, because all vegetables can be used. Small carrots are very well suited for home canning, which is also a great way to store carrots for the winter. To save small carrots for the winter, it can be dried.

In the cellar

There are a number of specific rules that must be followed when storing vegetables in a cellar at home:

1. Prepare the room. Ventilate and sanitize the place so that it is cool, wet and clean.
2. Choose a container and fillers, which will be stored carrots.
3. Avoid sudden temperature changes.
4. Provide maximum protection in the cellar from dirt, bacteria and mold.
5. Lay selected, prepared for storage of carrots.
6. Do not put other types of vegetables next to carrots.

On how to properly store carrots in a warm cellar, in the ground and on the beds, read the individual materials of our site.

Errors

Common mistakes:

1. Incorrect preparation of the root. If the carrot is not completely dried out or there are sick vegetables, the probability is 100% that the entire crop will be spoiled.
2. Uncleaned room. Dirt and dust contain bacteria that can greatly harm carrots.
3. Wrong temperature. If the temperature in the room is too high, the carrot may germinate or rot, and if it is too low, freeze.
4. High or low humidity in the room. At high humidity, the carrot quickly begins to rot, at low - it fades.

To save carrots longer, you need to follow all the rules. Any breach can result in loss of the entire crop.

Watch the video: Storing Winter Carrots (November 2024).