Growing good large beets is not all. The main thing is to keep the crop as long as possible. In winter, vegetables are much more expensive. It makes sense to stock up on your own, if possible. For owners of private plots, the question of where to place root crops after harvesting is not worth it. All crops grown in the garden are sent to the cellar. It's the perfect storage space, provided it's set up properly. How to store beets in the cellar in winter so that they do not germinate and fade? We will share with you some secrets that will help you provide your family with fresh vegetables before the new season.
Preparing beets for the "descent" into the cellar correctly
The key to long-term storage is the proper preparation of fruits after harvest. It is better to dig up beets in dry sunny weather. Then it will be possible to leave it for a couple of hours to dry under the sun. After the harvest should be carefully sorted out. For winter storage, it is necessary to select only absolutely healthy and whole fruits. They should not show signs of decay. Damaged when digging should be used first. She won't stay long. Leave the already sorted beets to dry for a week under a canopy, in the shade.
It is better to cut the tops with scissors or a knife. If you tear with your hands, there is a risk of damaging the fetus itself. Tails are left completely.
Storage conditions
In order for all vegetables, including beets, to lie longer, the basement must also be “correct”. The optimum temperature should not exceed 2 ° C, and humidity - 90%. The more damp and the warmer in the cellar, the faster the fruits will germinate and deteriorate.
The presence of ventilation is one of the important conditions for maintaining the desired microclimate in the cellar.
How to store beets in the winter in the cellar: ways
Most gardeners just pour the fruits on the floor. This is quite possible, but it would be better to build a separate compartment. It must be above floor level so that air can flow from below.
You can extend the shelf life of beets using some tricks, namely:
- Put the fruits on top of the potato tubers.
- Pour sand into the box.
- Roll each beetroot in ashes or crushed chalk.
- Treat with a strong saline solution before storing.
Some summer residents still cover root crops with fern foliage. It is claimed to prevent the development of diseases.
Having dried the beets well and sorted, it is quite possible to keep them almost until the new harvest. And if you open the doors to the cellar in good weather, then it will not germinate.
At the beginning of September, the beets are still undergoing the final ripening processes, so you should not rush to harvest them. But still you need to look at the weather. Unlike more buried carrots, this root vegetable protrudes strongly above the soil and can be affected by early autumn frosts. The best time to collect such a vegetable is the end of September, the beginning of October. The cleaning itself should be carried out in dry weather.
Preparing root crops for storage
Use a fork or shovel to dig up the beets. It is necessary to pry the ground directly under the fruit, trying not to damage it. The tops can be cut with a knife or twisted by hand.
Important: Do not cut off the beet tops completely. A few millimeters must be left to prevent root crops from sprouting and drying out during storage.
After removing the tops, the beets should be thoroughly cleaned of the ground and side roots. When performing these manipulations, make sure that the fruits do not hit each other. Such neglect can damage the vegetable, and it will spoil much faster. It is absolutely impossible to wash beets stored for storage. It only needs to be thoroughly air dried in dry weather. Spread the root vegetables in a single layer directly on the ground and wait a few hours. If the weather is damp, dry days are not expected in the near future, this process is best done under a canopy or in a dry, ventilated room.
Damaged by diseases or pests, as well as beets injured during digging, will not be stored for a long time. Moreover, it will significantly reduce the safety of the rest of the crop!
Too small and damaged root crops are best eaten in the near future, and for storage, select healthy, full-fledged ones. The best preserved heads are 10 cm in diameter.
Features of storing beets at home
After the preparatory measures, proceed to the laying of root crops for storage. The best place for this at home is the cellar. It must first be aired, dried and disinfected.
The most favorable conditions for storing beets are where:
- dark;
- constant temperature from 0 to +2ºС;
- humidity ranges from 90-92%;
- natural air circulation;
- no danger of freezing.
In a cellar or basement
The cellar and basement, despite popular belief, are somewhat different in nature. The basement is a room under the building, and the cellar is a hole in the ground, closed from above and having reinforced walls. The principles of storing vegetables in these rooms are almost identical.
Storage options for beets in the cellar or basement:
- packaging and stacking in small batches in lattice boxes, cellular plastic containers or wicker baskets;
- backfilling in heaps and bins;
- laying root crops in low pyramids on cellar racks;
- pouring wet sand in boxes;
- joint storage of beets with potatoes.
In sand
This method is very popular among summer residents, as we already wrote about in the article on storing carrots. Sand before use must be dried in the active sun or calcined in the oven. This is done for disinfection purposes to remove insects and pathogens.
Sand in a thin layer should be poured into the bottom of the box. Then lay the beet roots so that they do not touch each other. There should also be a 2-centimeter layer of sand on top.
in sawdust
You can also often hear about the good preservation of beets in sawdust. This method resembles storage in sand, but has its own subtleties. The fact is that sawdust is very dependent on the humidity of the environment. They can dry out, contributing to beet lethargy, or swell with moisture, causing root rot. That is why root crops in sawdust must be isolated from the air. You can put them, sprinkled with sawdust, in small and strong plastic bags or line wooden boxes for vegetables with oilcloth from the inside.
How to save beets in a city apartment?
It may happen that there is simply no basement or cellar, and the rich harvest of beets harvested in the country, I really want to keep until spring. In this case, you will have to create conditions for the safety of beets in the apartment. An insulated balcony is best suited for such purposes. The algorithm of actions is as follows:
- put the selected fruits in strong plastic bags and, without tying them, put them in that part of the balcony where the temperature is the lowest. It is advisable to make cuts over the entire surface of the bag so that the vegetables can “breathe”. Also, beets can be loaded into compact wooden boxes, generously pouring layers of sand or sawdust so that the root crops do not touch each other;
- when the temperature drops too low outside the window, and there is a danger of freezing on the balcony, boxes or bags will need to be wrapped with old blankets;
- it is desirable to store beets in the vicinity of potatoes. Both those and other vegetables will benefit from such a neighborhood.
Can beets be stored in the refrigerator or freezer?
Root vegetables, folded in bags, are perfectly stored in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartments. But even in the largest refrigerator, it is difficult to allocate enough space for long-term storage of beets. Another thing is special refrigerators in vegetable stores.
It has become fashionable to freeze various fruits and vegetables for the winter. No need to fool around with canning, besides, after defrosting, the products taste like fresh vegetables or fruits. Beets are no exception. It absolutely does not lose its useful properties when frozen, so you can safely use this method of harvesting.
Important: When freezing beets, arrange them in separate bags in small portions, designed for the preparation of specific dishes.
It will not be possible to prepare boiled beets for a long time in the freezer, because the recommended period for such storage is two months. After the specified time, it loses its taste.
But if you still decide, at least for a short time, but stock up on boiled vegetables, then you will need to:
- boil the whole fruit;
- cool in air without pouring cold water;
- clear;
- cut into rings 1-2 cm thick or into cubes;
- put the workpiece in vacuum bags, bags with zippers or containers, trying to leave less air;
- stick a sticker with the date of freezing.
In order to enjoy self-harvested beets during autumn, winter and spring, try to heed the advice of experienced vegetable growers:
- not all varieties are suitable for long-term storage. When buying seeds, check with the seller which of the proposed samples are the lightest;
- dig the beets very carefully to avoid minimizing the number of substandard root crops;
- the main root cannot be cut, otherwise the fruit will quickly dry out;
- when drying, do not leave root crops in the fresh air for too long, so as not to start the process of rapid wilting;
- during storage, it is advisable to regularly monitor the condition of vegetables and remove rotten root crops from the total mass in time;
- for a very long time, beets, shifted with fern leaves, are preserved;
- processing beets with chalk will help from mechanical damage and diseases.
If you do everything right and can keep the beets for a long time, then throughout the year you will be able to please your family and friends with healthy and tasty dishes - and beetroots, vinaigrettes and herring under a fur coat, beetroot caviar and invigorating kvass.
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What is the New Year without salad "Herring under a fur coat", most Russians love borscht, beetroot, vinaigrette. In order to have fresh, self-grown beets on the table all year round, you should learn how to properly store them. Best of all, during storage, late beet varieties retain their excellent taste and presentable appearance, such as: Mulatka, Libero, Lettuce, Boltardi and several other varieties, including local cultivation.
We collect beets correctly in order to store them longer
It is better to harvest in September, before the onset of cold weather, after several days without rain. At the same time, watering the crop is stopped 18-20 days before harvest. It is important that even the slightest frost does not overtake the beets, since beets that have frozen even on the surface are no longer suitable for storage. A ripe vegetable in the garden is determined by yellowish, slightly dry stems. It is very important when digging beets from the garden not to pull them out of the ground immediately. It is necessary to dig the soil around the root crop with a shovel in order to slightly raise it closer to the surface. Then you should carefully pull the tops and carefully, trying not to damage the root crop and its roots, pull it to the surface.
How to store beets - processing after digging
In order for the vegetable not to deteriorate during storage, you need to carefully treat the process of drying and preparing the beets.
- Remove the root crop from the ground carefully, without damage.
- The length of the stem is removed, leaving petioles up to 1.5 cm in size. It is the cutting of the tops, and not twisting, that is of great importance.
- Then it is necessary to manually clean the fruits from excess land. It is not necessary to cleanly remove the remaining soil from the beets, a small amount of remaining soil on the root crop will even help better storage.
- Vegetables must be dried before storage. Root crops are laid out on the bed from which they were collected, but only if the soil is dry and the humidity is low. In this form, the beets are laid out in one layer and left to dry for 3-4 hours.
- A long stay in the air is harmful for productive storage - a lot of water evaporates from the beets and it begins to wither.
- If the weather is wet and rainy on the day of collection, the beets are dried indoors, it is only necessary to ensure good ventilation. Thus, the duration of drying increases to 3-8 days.
- It is worth noting that not all root crops need to be dried and prepared for storage, but only whole ones that do not have areas of incipient decay, intact and medium in size.
- The condition for good harvest savings is not to wash the beets before drying or storing.
How to store beets
- Beets are stored either indoors (cellar, balcony, refrigerator, basement), or outdoors, in dug pits or trenches. All methods of storing beets are equally productive.
- Beets are stored for a long time and do not deteriorate if they are stacked on a rack, stored open or closed with sand in boxes or on potatoes.
- Storage conditions are important: a dark and frost-resistant space at least 15 cm above the floor with a temperature regime of 0 to 2 degrees above zero, air humidity should be within 90% and free air circulation should be ensured.
- For long-term storage, it is important to observe the temperature regime, since the slightest change by a few degrees will lead to the growth of tops, which will greatly reduce the shelf life.
- In an apartment, a good storage method is on the balcony, provided that the space does not freeze there, in boxes with sand. To do this, the bottom of the box is covered with sand, one layer of beets is laid, then a little more sand is poured in, and then the same, in one layer, beets - in this way the box is filled to the top. Sawdust can be used instead of sand.
Beets are a healthy root crop that pleases people all year round in the form of borscht, vinaigrette and the famous salad. Now there will always be natural beets on the table, which is now known how to store while preserving the taste and strength of the root crop.
Note to the owner, help the hostess - how to store beets in the cellar in perfect form until spring. What affects keeping quality, ideas, storage methods, secrets and tips.
What beets to store: the most important part
Not all beets will keep well. Early varieties are not subject to long-term storage: juicy, with delicate fiber and a small amount of solids, with a thin peel, they quickly wither. The priority is varieties and hybrids of medium ripening, late.
How to store beets in the cellar in winter, what kind and what: tips from practitioners, recommendations, tricks.
This is theoretical, but in practice, in the Middle lane, a root crop with a long growing season often does not ripen due to a cold and rainy autumn, it freezes. The solution will be a compromise: the choice of varieties not early, but with a shorter growing cycle.
Good varieties for storage are Cold-resistant 19, Gribovskaya flat A473, Bravo, Late winter 474, Podzimaya, Mulatka, Nosovskaya flat, Renovo, Red ball, Pablo F1, Odnorostkovaya, Bordeaux 237 and others.
How to keep beets in the cellar in winter: preparation is the key to storage
- They are harvested before the onset of frost: frozen root crops will not lie for a long time, and they lose their taste. Late harvesting threatens to freeze the upper part of the beets protruding from the ground, which greatly spoils the taste and reduces the keeping quality. In rainy autumn, delay threatens with gray rot and other ailments of root crops that have accumulated moisture.
- How to determine the degree of readiness: the lower leaves turn yellow, growths appear at the top, the tops protrude significantly from the ground, acquire the size inherent in the variety.
- After digging, the tops are cut to a height of 1-1.5 cm, left to dry for a couple of hours. The beets selected from their wet land are dried from 2-3 days to a week. They do not wash: they wipe the clods of earth with a glove without violating the integrity of the peel.
- The main root is not cut off: it will let the juice out, fade. You can shorten only its dry part and cut off the lateral thin roots, the removal of which does not violate the integrity of the peel.
- Sort, discard mechanically damaged specimens, diseases, pests.
How to store beets in winter: important facts
She doesn't sleep. Beets do not have a dormant period. She does not sleep - and, feeling warm, she instantly withers, ready to start growing, with an increase in t to +5..+7 °C leaves begin to grow.
Storage of beets in the cellar and not only: these subtleties are important to know.
The best moisture retainer. During storage, it gives off moisture, which is why it is stored on top of potatoes - to protect against drying out and maintain moisture.
She doesn't like bad neighbors. The bad ones are fruits and vegetables that release ethylene, a hormone that speeds up the growth and maturation of plants. From emitting ethylene - apples, pears, pumpkin. It is better not to store them in the neighborhood, to isolate from each other.
Champion. The first among root crops in terms of keeping quality, it is second only to black radish: it is stored almost until the new harvest. But - if her skin is safe and sound, without scratches and dents. With a damaged peel, beets are not stored until the New Year.
Enemies of its storage and cellar requirements
- humidity in the cellar is above 85-90% - the risk of decay, the development of fungal, rot;
- dry air - below 80% threatens withering;
- t above 0…+1 °C, maximum +2…+3 °C - the way to the germination of tops;
- temperature changes at which condensation forms in the cellar, and the beet itself sweats, as a result - rotting;
- light. Withers in the light, sprouts;
- cellar without ventilation, not meeting the temperature requirements, damp or dry.
Will she be comfortable all winter: that is the question.
To provide beets with comfortable storage conditions in winter, the cellar is equipped as follows.
- Temperature 0…+2 °C, humidity no more than 85-90%.
- Lattice flooring with a height of 15-20 cm when stored in bulk for air circulation, ventilation, uniform cooling from below. When stored in this way, the beets do not germinate, do not sweat.
The distance from the walls of the cellar is at least 20 cm when stored in chests, compartments. - The height of a compartment or a bin is no more than half a meter: a high embankment is poorly ventilated, rots, a haven of rot.
Beet Storage Methods: In Search of the Best
After drying, it is desirable to store for 7-10 days in the cellar in bulk: according to the principle of potatoes, root crops should sweat, their peel should coarsen, cuts should heal.
With wet, not hardened cuts, it is impossible to lay beets for storage. And then - choose a method.
In wooden boxes or compartments
The easiest method, but with a caveat. Storage boxes should be with slots or gaps between the slats. On top, to protect against drying out, sprinkle with sawdust, cover with a tarpaulin. The option of plastic boxes is not the best: closed - this is condensate, hypothermia, fogging. Open lattice - excessive airflow, drying out.
On racks pyramids
Pyramids are laid out on shelves covered with burlap, straw. Not for the sake of beauty: and compact, and ventilation, and there is no excessive drying.
We store beets in the sand on the principle of carrots.
In the sand or in the ground
They are placed in a box, sprinkled with sand or dry soil. The layer at the bottom is 5-7 cm, and up to 5 cm on top. The sand must be dry, fine, so that a large abrasive does not damage the thin skin.
The boxes should be wooden: in plastic containers, the beetroot that gives off moisture to the sand rots, deteriorates, and rots.
On potatoes
That's right: on piles, on top of boxes in the bins of the cellar - both compact and useful. Masonry height - 2-3 layers.
Beets and potatoes in storage - a mutually beneficial union.
Joint storage is useful for both: the moisture released by the potato during respiration is given to the beets, which, in turn, protects the potatoes from drying out.
in sawdust
Root crops are placed in a box on a pillow made of chips, and they are sprinkled with it. Sprinkle generously - a layer between adjacent beetroots from 5 mm, because. the material sticks.
Sawdust will save you from drying out, damage, moisture - they will save you from everything.
It is important not to use coniferous shavings - it gives off a smell. Do not use and tyrsu due to high moisture capacity.
Do not use leaf litter as a haven for fungi, straw as food and nesting for rodents.
Let's powder it
Powdered with wood ash mixed with chalk or just ash. Do not sprinkle: just lightly powder. Evil ash prevents the reproduction of spores of fungal diseases, dry rot, takes on moisture.
Fans of original storage methods will find the following options useful.
in clay
How best to store beets in the cellar in winter: a selection of methods that work.
Each copy is immersed in a weak solution of clay with the addition of chalk, dried. The consistency of "talker" - liquid sour cream. “Spacesuit” will protect from dampness, bacteria, drying out - from all troubles.
in salt
Salt storage is all the rage, they say. The layers are sprinkled with coarse rock salt, which prevents the growth of fungal, putrefactive bacteria. In addition, large crystals absorb moisture - salt is a multitasking thing during storage.
How to properly store beets in the cellar: these simple subtleties are important to know.
As an option - immersion in a saline solution and drying: the salted peel is not afraid of disease or mechanical damage.
moss sphagum
For whom it is exotic, and for whom it is a help in the economy. Including for storing beets in the cellar: the sphagnum is dried, shifted in layers, not forgetting to line the bottom with it.
In plastic bags
The method is controversial, but it works. Just put it in plastic bags, tie it up - ruin the product: it will rot. But to tie, let the condensate come out, untie and store ajar - according to reviews, the storage method is very good.
Having sweated, the beet gives off excess moisture, the peel becomes coarser, and will no longer give moisture. In addition, in polyethylene, it releases carbon dioxide, which prevents spoilage. However, the method can be recommended for short-term storage.
There are products that you can't live without for a long time. The body simply requires from time to time to eat them. One of them is an ordinary beetroot. It is part of many famous and beloved dishes. The most popular way among the people, which makes it possible at any time to have on hand the main product necessary for preparing, say, vinaigrette or red borscht, is the storage of beets in the cellar.
Ideal room
From time immemorial, people have been accustomed to stocking up for the future with the most necessary food products. No one is tempted by the idea of being hungry. That is why it has long been customary to set aside part of the products and store them until the next harvest. This applies more to vegetables, which are known to be seasonal. Experience shows that it is not possible to store them at. Therefore, for such purposes, there must be a separate room that meets certain requirements. There are several indicators that determine the ability of a particular building or room to be an ideal storage for beets:
- temperature (from 0 to +3 degrees);
- access to fresh air and the possibility of ventilation (a must);
- humidity (from 85 to 90%);
- the availability of direct sunlight (in our case, this should not be).
Under all these conditions, storage of beets in the cellar is possible for quite a long time. Moreover, she has excellent “keeping quality”, and this is a rather rare ability for vegetables.
Storage method
Each product should be stored in a certain way. It is necessary to take into account all the circumstances that may affect this process. So, storing beets in the cellar begins with the preparation of the vegetable itself. Each root crop must first be cleaned, that is, the remnants of dirt and soil must be removed from its surface. This must be done dry, without resorting to the help of water. Otherwise, excessive moisture will necessarily lead to wilting, germination, and then, possibly, rotting of the product. When cleaning, do not resort to sharp objects that can damage the skin. You should also not rub one product against another. This can also break the integrity of the outer shell. Then it is necessary to cut off the tops, leaving only small petioles 2 centimeters long. Now the product remains only to dry in the wind without access to sunlight, and you can proceed to storage. Storing beets in the cellar is not an easy task. The ideal container for this is a wooden box. And to protect against possible excessive moisture, river sand, peat or sawdust is used. Root crops are laid in 3-4 layers and poured abundantly with the selected filler.
Mandatory conditions
How to store the product in winter
A good farmer should start taking care of the produce even before the harvest. It is necessary to equip the room in advance and think about how this or that vegetable will be contained in it. For example, storage of beets in winter can be organized in different ways:
1. On wide racks, stacking products in a slide.
3. In boxes or specially equipped containers, sprinkled with sand or other hygroscopic material.
4. In the form of a small collar right on the floor of the cellar or basement.
5. Pour the fruits in a small layer, like a bedspread, over the potatoes.
6. In banks in the form of conservation.
Each of these options has its own advantages and disadvantages. In any case, only high-quality fruits will be well stored. That is why before laying them you need to carefully review and leave only those that do not arouse suspicion. Otherwise, even one of the smallest beets can ruin the entire crop.
What you need to know about storing vegetables
Do not forget that it is much more difficult to store products from the garden than, for example, canned food. If for packaged products it is enough to withstand a certain temperature regime, then it is much more difficult to observe the storage conditions for vegetables. Two factors should be interconnected here: the option chosen for the bookmark, and It must be remembered that biological processes continue to go on in fresh products (greens, vegetables, fruits). The fruits do not die, they breathe and partially develop. When creating optimal conditions during storage, all vital processes of vegetables partially slow down. At this time, they fully retain their nutritional qualities and taste properties. After a while, products naturally begin to age and lose their beneficial properties. And further storage changes even their appearance. Therefore, no vegetable can be stored indefinitely, but conditions can be created to maintain its positive characteristics as much as possible, for example, until the next harvest.
How to store beets in winter
Harvesting vegetables is usually done for one reason: vegetable products are seasonal and cannot grow naturally in winter. All this forces people to equip special rooms in which vegetables can retain their properties for some time. If we talk about beets, then first you need to know several factors that significantly affect the process of storing this product:
1. Product grade. Not all beets are suitable for long-term storage. It is better to harvest late and mid-season varieties.
2. Growing conditions. During the growth period, it is necessary to observe the optimal watering regimen. This factor is one of the main reasons affecting the keeping quality of the product. With insufficient watering, the beets in the cellar will dry quickly. And vice versa - with abundant it can quickly begin to rot.
3. Storage of beets in winter in the cellar should take place at a certain temperature and humidity of the room.
