Secrets of winter storage of the beet crop. How to store beets in the cellar: practical tips

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 preparatory activities start laying root crops for storage. The best place for this at home is the cellar. It must first be aired, dried and disinfected.

Most favorable conditions for storing beets - this is 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 moisture. 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 have a taste fresh vegetable or fruit. Beets are no exception. She absolutely does not lose her 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 on fresh air too long so as not to start the process of rapid withering;
• 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 long term, then throughout the year you will be able to please relatives and friends with useful and delicious meals- and beetroots, vinaigrettes and herring under a fur coat, beetroot caviar and invigorating kvass.

How wonderful it is to pamper yourself in winter with borscht, herring under a fur coat or vinaigrette, the main ingredient of which is beets - a root crop that is so unpretentious when grown, but so capricious when stored for a long time. Many summer residents can boast of a rich beet harvest in the fall, but not everyone knows how to lay it for the winter so that it does not lose its properties and taste. If you adopt the basic methods of storing sweet root crops and some tricks, you can easily extend the life of stocks until next summer.

It would seem that it could be easier: pour a few heaps of beets on the floor and cellar shelves or place several boxes of fruits on the balcony, and you can enjoy dishes from this healthy and valuable root crop all winter long. But no, a demanding vegetable makes summer residents work hard and prepare special conditions for wintering. You can save root crops in the cellar, basement, outdoors, or even in an apartment, but you should follow a number of rules, and sometimes use some folk tricks.

Storage methods in the cellar, basement

It is best to store beets in a cellar or basement, and there are several reasons for this. Firstly, in these rooms you can create ideal conditions for storage. Secondly, the presence of sufficient space allows you to place a large number of root crops. There are many ways to store beets in the cellar, consider the most popular:

• In boxes or crates with availability ventilation holes where beets are placed in small batches. They are recommended to be placed at a height of 10-15 cm above the floor to create ventilation.
• Small slides, pyramids up to 75 cm high on the shelves of the cellar.
• In crates without slits, lined with a two-centimeter layer of wet sand. The fruits are stacked so that they do not touch each other, and again sprinkled with a layer of sand. Laying height - no more than 0.5 m. For disinfection, sand is recommended to be calcined in the sun or in the oven.
  

  Some experienced vegetable growers use such a folk trick: plants with phytoncidal properties are placed nearby with beet stocks. It can be radish, horseradish, basil, peppermint, bitter wormwood, fern leaves, etc. These crops serve as disinfectants that inhibit the growth of fungi and other pathogenic flora.

  There is one more rule - to lay large root crops on top, and the smallest ones down. preventive measure from diseases is the rolling of fruits in chalk before laying in boxes and boxes.

  Periodically, regardless of the chosen method of storage, beets should be sorted out to identify spoilage and the appearance of diseases.

  Storage in the apartment

  Small stocks of beets can be stored even in an apartment. True, the shelf life of the vegetable is reduced to 3-4 months. In this case, there may be several storage options:

  • on the balcony;
  • in the pantry;
  • under the bed or in another dark place;
  • in a refrigerator.

  When choosing a balcony for storing beets, you need to consider how insulated it is. If the balcony is glazed and in the most severe frosts the temperature there does not fall below -1 0 C, then this greatly simplifies the task. Boxes or boxes are suitable as storage containers, and sand or sawdust as a substrate. If the balcony is open, then the container itself, i.e., the boxes, will have to be insulated. You can do it yourself with the help of foam. With a significant minus outside the window, the stocks need to be wrapped in a warm blanket.

  

  A foam-insulated box will allow you to store beets even on an unglazed balcony

  If there is no balcony, then you can store beets in sandboxes in a pantry or other dark place, remote from batteries and heating appliances. If you first dip the roots in a clay solution and let them dry, they will lose moisture more slowly and last longer.

  By wrapping each fruit in foil or parchment paper and placing it in the refrigerator, you can significantly extend the life of this vegetable. But the disadvantage of such storage is obvious - the number of such stocks will be very limited.

  Factors affecting storage time

  Conditions that need to be created in order to preserve beet stocks for as long as possible:

  1. The optimum temperature is from -1 0 C to +2 0 C. At a lower temperature, the fruits will freeze, and a higher temperature will contribute to the germination of tops, wilting and the development of diseases.
  2. Humidity level: 85-90%. When it decreases, the fruits quickly wither, and too high humidity leads to the development of fungus and mold.
  3. Availability of natural ventilation. There must be good circulation of air masses in the room.

  These factors are decisive, but not decisive, because the keeping quality of beets is influenced by the characteristics of its cultivation and preparation for storage, which must be taken into account in advance.

  Keep in mind that not all varieties of this crop are suitable for long-term storage. For this purpose, fruits of medium-late and late varieties are used. Most Popular:

  • Libero;
  • Mulatto;
  • Podzimnaya;
  • Bravo;
  • Egyptian flat;
  • Nosovskaya flat;
  • Red ball;
  • Renova;
  • Detroit;
  • Salad;
  • Cold-resistant-19.

  It is necessary to take into account even the properties of the soil on which the beets were grown. Fruits grown on supersandy or loamy soil are better stored.

  The mode of watering the plant also affects the duration of storage of root crops. Abundant and frequent watering leads to subsequent cracking of the fruit, and therefore, their more rapid infection. And with a lack of moisture, the beets will grow soft and flabby and dry quickly.

  Harvesting beets must be done before frost. Optimal period end of September - beginning of October. It is better to choose a fine sunny day. When extracting from the ground, it is recommended to use a pitchfork that allows you to dig up root crops without injuring them.

  If you try to pull out the beets by the tops with your hands, then the taproot is damaged, and then it becomes infected with microorganisms and quickly rots.

  Then the fruits must be dried. In clear weather, you can do it right in the garden (4-5 hours), and if it rains, then indoors (for at least a day).

  After drying, the remnants of the earth are removed. Doing so better with hands in cotton gloves and do not use a knife or other improvised means for this, so as not to damage the delicate skin. It is also impossible to beat the fruits against each other.

  The next stage is the removal of tops and side roots. Cut off the tops with a sharp knife, leaving a tail about a centimeter long. The main thing is not to try to break off the leaves with your hands, so as not to damage the root crop itself. The central root is recommended not to be cut off.

  The final step before laying beets for the winter is sorting them. It is necessary to select healthy-looking fruits with intact skin. It is believed that medium-sized beets store better. Too small fruits wither quickly, and large ones become stiff over time.

  Video: collecting and storing beets

  
  Why the root crop turns black: errors and their solution

  If you do not follow the storage rules, then beets can be affected by various diseases caused by fungi and other bacteria.

  The most common diseases that occur during the storage of root crops include gray, white and clamp rot. With the defeat of gray rot, a powdery coating appears on the fruits. gray color and they rot. If the tissue of the root crop becomes wet and soft, a cottony coating and dark streaks form, then this is white rot. Clamp rot spreads from the tip of the root and is characterized by the appearance of mold different colors: red, white, black, etc. Such fruits cannot be eaten, as well as used as animal feed. They must be disposed of to avoid further contamination of stocks.

  You can reduce your chances of developing these diseases if you:

  • store only healthy and undamaged fruits;
  • process the premises and equipment for storage with lime;
  • observe temperature regime and storage humidity level;
  • periodically sort out beet stocks in the cellar, removing fruits that have signs of damage.

  It happens that summer residents create ideal conditions, but black spots still appear on the surface of the beets, and inside it there are voids with a white fluffy coating. These are signs of phomosis. A disease that can be recognized even at the stage of beet vegetation by characteristic spots on the tops of the plant. Such fruits cannot be stored for storage, because this will contribute to the spread of the disease to healthy root crops. If signs of phomosis appeared already at the storage stage, then the affected vegetables are destroyed, since it is impossible to cure them, and healthy ones are sprayed with a solution of chalk.

  

  Phomosis can lead to the death of the entire beet crop

  Phomosis is transmitted to a new generation of plants through seeds and affected soil, so it is quite difficult to overcome it. The following are recommended as preventive measures:

  • choose varieties of beets that are resistant to phomosis;
  • observe the rules of agricultural technology (every year or every few years, transfer beet planting sites);
  • disinfect the seeds before planting with a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
  • thin out crops with excessive seedling density;
  • timely remove weeds and loosen the ground when a crust appears or after heavy rainfall;
  • follow the rules for harvesting beets.

  Freezing for the winter

  A wonderful way to preserve all the vitamins and nutrients of beets is to freeze them. For this purpose, it is recommended to use only table varieties and medium-sized root crops. There are several options for storing beets in the freezer:

  • raw;
  • in boiled form.

  Both options are effective and allow you to store a sweet vegetable for up to 8 months. The only advantage of freezing boiled beets is saving time in cooking, because there is no need for further heat treatment.

  You can freeze the beets as a whole, or by slicing or simply grating, as well as peeling and boiling. It all depends on what kind of dishes it will be used in the future.

  Table: ways to grind beets during freezing

  The blanks are placed in a plastic bag or a plastic container and sent to the freezer. It is important to pack the future freezing in portions, that is, put in a container exactly as much as is necessary to prepare one pot of borscht or one serving of salad. This is due to the fact that when re-freezing, the beets will lose their taste and valuable properties.

  

  Bags with fasteners are the most convenient for batch freezing beets

  When freezing whole beets, you should be aware that ice will form inside it, so cutting it later for elegant serving will not work.

  The vegetable should be defrosted gradually, with room temperature. It is not recommended to place the cut bag in warm water or use the microwave.

  When preparing borscht or beetroot, beets can be thrown into a frozen pan. But for salads, be sure to defrost it.

  Thus, the storage of beets is a whole science, which everyone is able to comprehend. The main thing is to take into account all the beet "wishes". Then the harvest obtained by one's own labor will be perfectly preserved until next summer.

If the harvest is successful, and the bins are already bursting with vegetables, fruits and berries, the main thing that worries any housewife is how to save such wealth. We will tell you how to save beets for the winter different ways so that it remains a storehouse of vitamins and minerals, and not just fiber. Even if you do not have a cellar or underground, you should not worry about the safety of root crops until the cold weather - they can be saved in an ordinary city apartment.

It is difficult to overestimate the benefits of beets for the body, so no one has any questions why they should be stored not only until the New Year, but also until spring, because it is at this time that we especially lack vitamins.

Varieties of beets for wintering

Before laying a vegetable for long-term winter storage, we will find out which varieties of it have the greatest keeping quality:

• Gribov flat A-473,
• egyptian flat,
• Late winter A-474, Mulatto,
• Salad,
• red ball,
• Bravo,
• incomparable,
• single-growth,
• Bordeaux-237,
• cold resistant,
• Renova.

But the Cylinder, which is most often grown in summer cottages and plots, is better not to be stored at all. No matter what we do and no matter how we prepare this variety for wintering, it will not lie, so we will take care of the issue of conservation in advance, even at the sowing stage and grow the right root crops.

So, we already know which varieties will survive the winter, but even these need to be prepared. Regardless of the conditions for further maintenance, the tubers must first be properly collected and sorted.

Cleaning

We dig up beets in the second half of September in clear and dry weather - this will not only facilitate the work, but also help to dry the root crops faster.

Do not roughly pull beets out of the soil by the tops - this will damage the skin and significantly reduce the shelf life. It is better to dig it out, prying it with a pitchfork or a shovel along with the ground and only then taking it out.

Drying

If you are lucky with the weather, you can dry the beets right in the garden - just leave it for 2-3 hours under the sun.

Well, if it is cloudy and damp outside, we bring the tubers into the room and, spreading them on a flat surface in one layer, dry them thoroughly. Then we shake off the adhering earth.

In the event that you had to dig out the beets in the rain, you will have to dry it for at least 3-4 or even 7 days.

We remember that in no case should we wash root crops if we want to provide them with long-term storage. The peel should remain natural protective layer. This will prevent the emergence and development of putrefactive bacteria.

Crop and sort

• Only when the beets dry well, and we wipe them with a dry cloth, can we cut off the tops. This should be done with a sharp knife, without breaking off the stems at a distance of 1-1.5 cm from the edge.
• It is better not to touch the roots at all, because the fewer sections on the fruit, the more complete, and therefore the peel will be reliable.
• It is at this time that it is convenient to sort - we put aside only those root crops that have neither damage nor dents, whose peel is completely homogeneous, without fungal infections.
• It is best to sort out the beets in fabric gloves - this will save your hands and allow you to additionally wipe the root crops from the ground.

Now that everything is ready and we have a sufficient number of prepared tubers in front of us, let's decide how to keep them juicy and fresh for the winter.

Consider some of the most convenient and reliable ways to store at home.

Cellar

If you are a happy owner of a spacious and cool cellar, it will not be difficult to save vegetables in autumn and winter.

Depending on the amount of harvest, we will use wooden boxes, baskets or plastic bags.

Storage in the substrate

Fill boxes with clean river sand or sawdust. Both the filler allows you to retain much-needed moisture inside the root crops, and also prevents the appearance of mold on the surface.

Sand is best washed or calcined in the sun for disinfection.

Pour the beets in the following way: a layer of sand or shavings a few centimeters, then a layer of vegetables, but so that one tuber does not come into contact with another. And so to the very top of the box. Last layer there should also be a filler with a thickness of at least 2 cm.

Remember that large root crops deteriorate faster than small ones, so we lay them closer to the surface in order to eat them earlier.

Peat, ash, chalk, fern leaves and even table salt can also be used as a bulk material.

outdoor storage

However, if none of this is at hand, it does not matter, the beets are perfectly stored in an ordinary mound.

It is not worth folding it directly on the floor, since free air circulation even in a well-ventilated room is carried out only at a height of 15–20 cm. It would be better to provide special shelves on which root crops will be laid out.

Small installation is considered optimal for summer residents wooden lattice on which the beets will lie. In this case, small and large root crops are laid out in separate piles.

Storage in bags

Beets are well stored in the cellar and in plastic bags. We choose them from durable material, with a volume of 30-40 liters.

We lay clean, dry beets, as usual, but do not close - we leave the neck wide, providing air exchange. Since in the case of the greenhouse effect, the beets will definitely begin to grow moldy.

Conditions for storing beets in the cellar

But all our tricks will be useless if the correct temperature and humidity are not selected.

Temperature

+ 2 ° С are considered optimal, especially in the first couple of months of storage, since at more than high temperature the tops of the beets begin to grow, which significantly reduces the shelf life.

There should be no risk of frost. Any freezing of beets will immediately make them unsuitable for further storage.

Humidity

It should be high, not less than 90% -92%. This will avoid overdrying of root crops.

Lighting

One of essential conditions- the absence of any light at all. The room must be dark.

Underground or basement: how to store

Similarly, we store beets for the winter in the underground or basement. We comply the necessary conditions ventilation, temperature and humidity.

However, if it is not possible to sprinkle root crops with sawdust or salt, and there is no need for bulky bags, since there are not so many beets, we will resort to the proven method of all summer residents: put the vegetables on top of the already stored potatoes.

This method of preservation is considered optimal, since the beets lying on top absorb excess moisture, while potatoes, on the contrary, give it away - this allows you to establish an ideal microclimate.

But what if we only have city ​​apartment, but do you want to keep a useful root crop until the very cold weather?

Apply all the same conditions as in the cellar. It's actually not as difficult as it seems.

Balcony

If the balcony is glazed, we take boxes with beets, sprinkled with chips or sand onto it, or arrange potatoes and put root crops on it.

To avoid freezing, cover everything from above with blankets or old warm clothes.

Fridge

You can keep beets in the refrigerator for no longer than a month, in which case they should be wrapped in plastic wrap.

Open air

Outside of cooling, root crops can lie without loss for no longer than 1-2 weeks. To do this, we remove them from the light - a kitchen cabinet with doors or a dense dark bag will do.

Storage of boiled beets

This method is good because after defrosting, we do not have to waste time on further heat treatment We will have a ready meal in front of us. You can make a salad or use it as a side dish, because the taste of thawed beets practically does not change.

Boil the root vegetables until cooked, cool and clean. Then grind with any convenient way, depending on how we plan to use them in the future.

Three on a coarse grater or vegetable cutter, or grind into puree with a blender.

We pack in plastic bags in small portions of 150 - 200 g or lay immediately in half a kilo. In the latter case from big piece crushed frozen beets will need to be cut with special knife without defrosting it.

Repeated freezing will have an extremely negative impact on both the taste of the product and its nutritional properties.

Storing raw beets

Thoroughly wash the root crops, peel them and grind them, as in the previous method. You can lay the finished beets in bags and in plastic containers.

The first container is convenient because it is easy to cut off small portions from a frozen large piece for cooking borscht, roast, etc. And in small containers, you can freeze a portion of a certain weight. This is especially valuable for novice housewives who still find it difficult to determine the amount of product by eye.

As you can see, there is nothing difficult or, moreover, impossible in the matter of preserving the harvest until the cold weather. Now you know how to store beets for the winter, whether you have a well-equipped cellar or just freezer. The main thing is the desire to enjoy a tasty and healthy vegetable in the middle of winter and treat them to relatives and friends.

Whether you grow beets yourself or buy them in the fall, you will definitely have to decide how to store beets at home. It is necessary that the root crops do not rot, wilted and dry. So that all winter you can cook a variety of dishes from it and serve not only healthy, but also delicious food.

The task is simplified if you are the owner of a well-equipped underground or basement in a private house. Sawdust, dry sand, clay and wooden boxes, that's all you need to keep the beets juicy and unspoiled.

And if you live in a city apartment, but you always need to have some kind of beet stock on hand, what should you do? A few fresh beets should be in the kitchen at all times. Especially if the family loves borscht and salads, and the hostess understands how much this is necessary for everyone: from old to small. Perhaps, only carrots and potatoes can be more accessible than beets. Yes, and it is easier to save the beet crop until spring than, say, cucumbers or tomatoes.

Light varieties of beets

First of all, you need to know which variety is worth buying for storage, and which one is better to use quickly. It is most profitable to take beets at autumn farmers' markets, from trusted sellers, using the recommendations and reviews of regular customers.

Root crops from large retail chains are processed with chemicals (from rodents and for keeping quality), which is useful human body does not add. Especially when you consider that we are not told how they process what people use for food.

Try to find out what kind of beets the sellers offer if you buy them.
If you are planting yourself, carefully choose the varieties for planting. On the packages of seeds, it is always noted whether the variety is soft or not.

The best keeping quality in the following varieties:

• Late winter A-474;
• Libero;
• Mulatto;
• single-growth;
• Cold resistant 19;
• Gribovskaya flat A473;
• Boltardi;
• Bordeaux-237;
• Renova;
• Salad.

Probably the most popular and favorite variety among Russian summer residents is the Cylinder. It grows well, has excellent taste, but is not stored for a long time (no more than 2 months). This long, cigar-shaped beetroot is best eaten quickly. All efforts to keep it for the winter at home until the next harvest will be in vain.

When to Clean and How to Prepare

Proper preparation beets for storage for the winter - milestone. Ideally, medium-sized, even, undamaged tubers are suitable. Preparation begins with harvesting, if you grow it yourself. Digging up beets seems to be an easy task, except for strained muscles and a buzzing back. However, there are tricks in this simple matter, and it is useful to know them in order to preserve what has been growing all summer with such labor.

1. You can not scratch the delicate beet skin, just pulling the tubers out of the ground.
2. Take a fork and pry, lift the plant under the roots, being careful not to injure the tuber.
3. Lift the tops and pull out the beets.
4. Shake off the ground.
5. Scatter to dry so that each beetroot lies loose and well ventilated.

You need to harvest in dry weather before the first frost. Frozen or broken root crops are not suitable for bookmarking. Just one spoiled vegetable can infect and kill neighbors in a very short time. You will have to forget about beet stocks for the winter.

But there will be more worries about pulling rot out of the underground or drawers. Yes, and cleaning the place of unsuccessful storage of beets is not a pleasant task. It is worth missing and rot will infect the room with a fungus that will have to be washed, dried and processed. It is not easy to remove the mold that has settled on the walls.

Keep beets from the garden dry

If the weather is warm, leave the dug beets along with the tops right on the garden bed. Let it lie down for three hours, wind and dry. It is not worth leaving it outside for a long time in order to prevent wilting due to loss of moisture or soaking in the rain.

note

In no case do not wash the beets before storing them.

If you dug up a crop from wet ground, you will have to dry it in a well-ventilated area at a temperature of 10 to 15 degrees, or under a canopy.

Scatter the beetroots in a single layer on paper, burlap, or wooden deck and air it outside for a couple of days so that the soil remaining on the tubers is completely dry and crumbled. Clean it in the underground or boxes should be exceptionally dry and clean.

good advice

The same drying principles must be followed if you brought a couple of kilograms from the store. Dry the purchased beets and do not store in a bunch in a plastic bag. Without air, it will rot. But too dry kitchen air is not good for root crops. They dry out quickly and should not be eaten.

Do not lose sight of the following steps:

• If soil remains on the tubers, it must be removed very carefully. In no case do not clean off the dirt with a knife or other objects, so as not to damage the thin skin. Do not be lazy, with hands in fabric gloves, clean each root crop from lumps.
• Cut off the tops with a sharp knife. Do not twist the leaves with your hands, do not cut everything at the root. Leave tops up to a centimeter long.
• Remove the side roots, and cut off the main tail-root to 5 centimeters.

While removing roots and excess tops, sort the root crops immediately. Set aside small or damaged beets for processing and use first. Too large ones are also better stored separately, but they do not need urgent processing. They just need to be better monitored - there may be hidden defects in large tubers.

On a note

Substandard beet tubers will have to be processed and stored in jars, in the form of dressings and salads. Either frozen, previously passed through a grater or cut into pieces. Another option is to cut into thin slices and dry in household dryers such as Sukhovey.

Smooth root crops with a diameter of 8-12 centimeters are ideal for long-term storage. Such beets are stored for a long time and are quickly cooked. It can be taken until the new harvest, and it will not be sluggish or rotten.

How to store beets at home (in the apartment)

In an apartment, beets are usually not purchased in large quantities. But 20 kilograms can be placed in a specially insulated balcony or loggia. To do this, they make special chests with insulating walls or use boxes, wrapping them up. If there is a balcony protected from drafts, the shelf life of beets increases to 8 months.

On the loggia, these chests for storing vegetables perfectly disguise themselves as sofas, performing a dual function.

For those who do not have handy men, but you need to store vegetables, including beets, use improvised means. For example, plastic boxes from stores, which are usually thrown away by them. Such racks can be arranged even on an unglazed balcony, but you will have to wrap up an impromptu storage very carefully and use the tubers before the onset of severe frosts. On the loggia, they perform their task until the next harvest, if necessary.

All these efforts are worth it to use vegetables grown in natural conditions and not processed for family nutrition. chemicals. Namely, such you bring from the store. Where do they come from storage facilities, where root crops are protected from rodents and rot by special means. Otherwise, the trade in inexpensive vegetables will become unprofitable.

If the temperature on the balcony does not drop below plus 2 degrees, put the beets in boxes with sand or dry sawdust and stack them on top of each other. The main thing is that the filler is dry and clean.

If there is no loggia or balcony, then the shelf life of beets in the apartment is about 2 months, no more. Find a place where the temperature does not rise above 12 degrees. A pantry or a dark closet in the hallway is perfect.

But in this case, it would be better if you take the time and process the purchased beets, put them in the freezer or pickle them in jars.

In the refrigerator, beets are placed wrapped in parchment, wrapping paper or food foil. You will have to wrap each root crop so that it does not become flabby. For long-term storage of beets in an apartment, this method is not rational (there is not enough space), although beets can be stored in this way for up to 90 days or even more.

Underfloor storage

If there is an underground or cellar, there are many ways to lay root crops for winter storage, and each owner has his own secret. Everyone knows what beets need for long-term storage. Taking into account this knowledge and based on their characteristics of the basement (deep or shallow; raw or dry), a place is arranged for storing each vegetable.

The subfloor must be prepared in advance: cleaned of debris and dried before laying vegetables for long-term storage. There should not be any traces of mold or moisture in it. Well, if it has shelving. In their absence, the floor is laid with boardwalks at a height of at least 15-20 cm.

Under what conditions beets are stored for a long time:

• temperature from 2 to 4 degrees with a plus sign;
• the room is dark;
• humidity is quite high -80%;
• drafts are excluded;
• there is ventilation;
• temperature constant;
• root crops are not scattered on the floor.

At 4 degrees Celsius, roots and tops begin to grow rapidly in root crops, which significantly reduces the shelf life and increases the risk that everything harvested will be lost.

Note

You can store beets along with well-dried and properly prepared potatoes for storage. Beet tubers are stacked on potatoes in one layer. This is how they get the moisture they give away. potato tubers.

Useful to consider

1. Beets keep well in boxes with clean sand. Sand must be calcined in the sun in advance. Pour a layer of a couple of centimeters, lay the beet tubers at a small distance from each other and cover with sand to cover with a layer of two centimeters. It's enough.
2. To prevent pests from spoiling the beets, take a bucket with wood ash. Each tuber must be powdered with ash before being stored. This is done simply: each root crop is dipped in ashes. Instead of ash, for the same purposes, you can use crushed chalk.
3. If you plan to store beets in bulk, be sure to put wooden pallet under drawers to allow air to circulate. And do not forget that beets can be stored 15 centimeters from the floor, but not on the floor itself, even if it is wooden.

Beets are a vegetable that not only nourishes, but also heals. It is enjoyed by both children and adults. From it you can cook an incredible number of dishes. Therefore, it is worthwhile to think carefully about how to store beets at home, so as not to deprive the home of a source of the most valuable nutrients during the long cold months.

Outline a plan of action before you need to urgently place beets and other vegetables for storage:

1. Prepare boxes in advance.
2. Build a chest when it comes to storage on the loggia.
3. Buy baskets from natural materials for vegetables, if the storage space is only in the kitchen.
4. Consider where to get the filler and which one is better to use.

Even if it seems to you that there are no conditions for more or less long-term storage of beets in your apartment, they can be created. Or come up with devices such as boxes and chests combined with household utensils. In any case, beets are worth the trouble, just like carrots and cabbage with potatoes. These vegetables form the basis healthy eating. In a house where they want to see the family healthy, beets are served on the table almost daily.

It is impossible to give a single advice on how to store beets at home, since the conditions are all different for us. However, knowing what beets need to stay fresh all winter, you can and should come up with something of your own, special. Convenient, environmentally friendly, not interfering with the life of households with a shortage of space in a city apartment. And ... Better than wooden chests, boxes or wicker baskets for storing beets for the winter, they didn’t come up with anything, despite the huge selection plastic containers all sizes and shapes.

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 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 practically 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

1. 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. AT rainy autumn delay threatens with gray rot and other ailments of root crops that have accumulated moisture.
2. How to determine the degree of readiness: lower leaves turn yellow, growths appear at the top, the tops protrude significantly from the ground, acquire the size inherent in the variety.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

1. Temperature 0…+2 °C, humidity no more than 85-90%.
2. 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.
3. 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 must be wooden plastic containers the beet that gives 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.

lovers original methods storage options are as follows.

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.

Alternatively, dive into 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 preventing spoilage. However, the method can be recommended for short-term storage.