How to store carrots in the underground - fresh vegetables until spring! How to store carrots in winter

The main rule in the preservation of the carrot harvest is proper and timely harvesting. Vegetable, harvested ahead of time, does not accumulate enough sugars. And if it is overexposed in the ground, there is an excess of sugar and amino acids in it.

To properly prepare carrots for long-term storage, you need to know little secrets:

In ripe carrots, the lower leaves begin to turn yellow.
Root crops are not watered before digging.
After harvesting, the tops are cut along with the head.
Before sending carrots for storage, they are dried in the sun for several hours.

How to store carrots in the winter in a private house

Sanding. Carrots are laid on a five-centimeter layer of sand and filled up so that the next row does not touch the previous one. Sand is recommended to be mixed with wood ash which prevents decay.
Preservation in boxes with coniferous sawdust. The needles contain phytoncides, they do not allow root crops to germinate and prevent bacteria from developing.
Storage in plastic bags. Bags are stored open and holes are cut at the bottom of the bag for additional ventilation.
Preservation of carrots in moss. How moss can help store carrots for the winter, you ask? The secret is that moss has preservative properties and contains a sufficient amount of carbon dioxide. You need to purchase sphagnum moss and transfer unwashed and dried carrots to them.

If you do not have a cellar or there is already no space, then how to store carrots until spring in the winter in the garden? It is necessary to cut the tops of the root crop left in the ground, fill the bed with wet sand and cover with a film. Cover the film with sawdust, foliage or humus. Then you need to cover it with another layer of film. Under such a “coat”, carrots will winter well right in the ground, and you can use the stock at any time.

Stocks in the apartment - storage methods

City dwellers also stock up for the winter, but they don't have the luxury of a cellar. Therefore, an insulated balcony or pantry is often used to store supplies. If the winter is warm, then the root crops will easily survive the cold.

Wintering vegetables on the balcony must be laid in rows in boxes, sprinkled with onion peel or river sand. There should be enough filler so that the carrots lie completely isolated from each other.

Residents of apartments whose balcony has long been packed to capacity are forced to adapt for long-term storage refrigerator or freezer. To do this, your small crop needs to be properly washed. And here you have several options:

Pack tightly and store for 2 months in bags in the refrigerator at a temperature of +3 to + 8 degrees.
Peel vegetables and grate. Salt, put in jars and use as needed.
Fold already grated unsalted vegetables in small portions into bags and.

As you already understood, the answers to the question, where and how best to store carrots at home in winter, enough. Choose the method that is right for you, based on the amount of crop and the availability of free space.

How to store carrots for the winter? Among the ways that are designed to store carrots, each gardener will find his own, the most preferable for him. But first you need to prepare for this and decide, adhering to right technology. First, we determine the timing of cleaning.

Despite the fact that this root crop can withstand slight frosts, it should not be overexposed in the garden. However, too early harvesting of vegetables reduces the consumer qualities of the root crop, preventing it from gaining a sufficient amount of sugars.

And vice versa - too long a stay in the garden makes it possible to accumulate sugars in in large numbers, which makes the root crop very attractive to rodents during further storage.

Therefore, harvesting should be scheduled at the time when the lower 2-3 shoots of the tops began to turn yellow - such root crops already have good consumer qualities, but will be the least attractive to pests.

Before harvesting, for several days, the bed with root crops is not watered, and when digging, pitchforks that have blunt teeth are used - this way you will avoid damage to vegetables.

From this stage it begins. Carrots should not be peeled from clods of earth by hitting root crops against each other, this causes damage to vegetables and reduces their shelf life.

No less important is the cooling of root crops immediately after digging. Usually this happens within 1-2 days, until the temperature of vegetable products drops by +1.5 degrees. Timely cooling increases the efficiency of the preservation of root crops.

You can cool it in the air if the temperature outside is low enough. But at the same time, it is necessary to monitor the presence of frosts so that the temperature of the root crops does not fall below 0 degrees - frozen vegetables will rot. Good result gives cooling to cold store if there is such a possibility.

Usually it is enough to stand at street temperature during the time when the vegetables are dried, they are cleaned from clods of earth and the tops are trimmed.

The processing of carrots before storage consists in the fact that the tops are first trimmed as close as possible to the head of the root crop. This type of pruning allows you to remove the kidneys, which can subsequently grow. Immediately put the root crops to dry, and then clean them from the ground with your hands, trying not to damage them.

After that, root crops are sorted, separating good, healthy specimens from damaged ones and having various defects. Some vegetable growers also use such a topping method as cutting off 0.5-1 cm of the top of the root crop itself.

If this method is used, then vegetables should be kept for some time before laying in the main storage place - until the upper cut is covered with a crust. Otherwise, the root crops will begin to rot soon.

Rejected specimens can be processed and stored in a form already prepared for further use. How to store carrots for the winter? To do this, use the following methods:

Canned carrots.

Each of these methods will allow the storage of ready-to-eat root crops. long time, allowing you to save all the nutritional qualities of vegetables, although it requires a lot of labor and the availability of additional space in the apartment.

Good quality specimens that do not have visible defects are stored in a variety of ways.

Depending on what area the vegetable grower has for organizing storage, a place is chosen. How to store carrots for the winter?

Basic Rules

How to store carrots for the winter? There are no definite recommendations on how best to store carrots for the winter and where. The determining factors for the long-term preservation of the crop is compliance with:

choice of variety of root crops;
compliance with the technology of preparation;
temperature regime;
humidity regime;
lack of excess oxygen supply;
pest protection.

For long-term storage throughout the winter time, late-ripening varieties show the best performance. It can be Moscow winter and Shantane. But early ripening varieties show poor keeping quality.

At what temperature should carrots be stored in winter? The temperature regime is very important. At temperatures approaching zero, metabolism will slow down up to 10 times, which guarantees the long-term preservation of root crops. Best Temperature should not exceed +10 degrees Celsius. However, it is better to maintain it at a level of +1 - +2 degrees - at a temperature of more than +5 degrees, buds that have not been removed can start growing.

Equally important is the observance of the humidity regime in storage areas. It should be at the level of 90-95%. Lower humidity will cause premature wilting of root crops, and higher humidity will cause them to rot. What is the best way to store carrots for the winter?

Shelf life

How long to store carrots? Shelf life of carrots in a different way classified as:

in plastic bags, subject to storage in a refrigerator - from 1 to 2 months;
in the cellar in closed boxes - up to 5-8 months;
in the cellar in coniferous sawdust or in a clay shell - until the next harvest;
in the cellar in the sand - 6-8 months;
in the garden - until the new harvest.

This is in conditions where the ability of pests to eat root crops is limited. To prevent this from happening, the following steps should be taken:

set traps with bait;
place repellers;
treat the vegetable store and storage areas accordingly.

As another tip - avoid storing carrots in the same room, this will keep root crops longer.

It also remains a controversial question whether it is possible to store carrots with potatoes..

Causes of damage

Why do carrots rot in storage? There can be several reasons for rotting carrots during storage.:

bookmark for storage of damaged copies;
a sharp fluctuation in temperature;
excess moisture;
non-compliance with storage technology.

That is why the technology of preparing root crops for storage should be followed with utmost care, starting from the moment the vegetables are dug up. Since this type of root crops is very easily damaged when any blows are applied, you should not beat the vegetables from the ground, throw them from place to place.

Such damage will be hardly noticeable, but subsequently it will become the site of the beginning of rotting of the root crop itself and the infection of other root crops that are nearby with fungal diseases.

A sharp change in the temperature regime during storage leads to the formation of condensate - this gives impetus to the rotting of root crops. Storage areas such as bags made of polyethylene are particularly susceptible to this. To eliminate condensate, it is necessary to provide holes at the bottom of the bags.

Even a slight freezing of root crops, which can occur already at a temperature of -1 degrees, will lead to subsequent rotting of root crops.

Excessive, as well as insufficient, moisture, reduces the shelf life of root crops. Therefore, it is important to maintain it at the proper level - if it is insufficient by additional moisture, if it is excessive - by transferring it to another room, but avoiding temperature fluctuations.

Often, non-compliance with storage technology leads to excessive formation of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide provides Negative influence on the storage conditions of root crops, therefore it is necessary to observe the storage technology chosen by the vegetable grower as accurately as possible.

carrot fly

How to save carrots damaged by a carrot fly? The carrot fly is one of those pests that damages root crops even at the stage of their cultivation.. It is a real disaster for all gardeners. Unfortunately, the storage of root crops that are damaged by a carrot fly is possible only in a processed form.

Sometimes they use a method of removing damaged areas and then keeping vegetables in the air until this place is covered with a crust. However, the shelf life of such vegetables will be significantly reduced.

Therefore, it is better to subject such root crops to immediate processing - drying, drying, freezing or canning. Especially since modern technology, which is used at home, allows you to do this in the best way.

Bookmark in the vegetable store

How to store beets and carrots for the winter in large quantities. Vegetable stores are used to organize the storage of large batches of root crops. And since large lots are delivered to vegetable stores, as a rule, after mechanized harvesting, the most thorough sorting of root crops should be carried out.

Storing beets and carrots for the winter with the greatest efficiency will help the ruthless removal of damaged, broken, uneven or depleted specimens from the total mass. Modern vegetable stores allow maintaining the required temperature and humidity conditions.

How to store carrots in the winter in storage? Usually, carrots in vegetable stores are stored in herds or in special containers. It is desirable that the height of such herds does not exceed 2-3 meters.

If storage is organized in special containers or pallets, then the height of the stack should not be exceeded by more than 5.5 m. At the same time, it is necessary:

carry out constant ventilation of the room;
cover root crops with burlap;
implement measures to maintain high humidity.

To increase the humidity in the room, containers with water are placed, and spraying of the upper layers of root crops in the open air is also used, spilling the passages with water. However, the best performance is shown by vegetable stores, which are equipped with refrigeration equipment.

Unfortunately, such equipment has a high cost, so for the time being, the organization of storage of carrots using modern technologies carried out on very few farms. The rest will have to put up with the loss of the crop, up to 30% of which do not reach the consumer due to spoilage.

Now you know how to keep carrots until spring. Root vegetables such as carrots are considered the most difficult vegetable to store. Therefore, it is extremely important to comply with the technology of all stages of storage organization, and then for a long time this delicious root crop grown by yourself will be on your table.

If you are a summer resident, and all spring and summer you worked hard to harvest in the fall, then the issues of its storage are the most pressing for you. Yes, and it is useful for everyone else to know how to save carrots until the next season, so as not to buy in stores in winter defective goods at inflated prices.

Proper harvesting is the key to success. Water the carrots abundantly before harvesting, water the bed well in a couple of days, and cut the tops of the carrots to 5 centimeters. So it will lose less moisture and retain juiciness. Dig up or pull the carrots out of the ground, spread a cloth somewhere in a barn, pantry or other dry, ventilated place, put the carrots on it and let it dry for a couple of days. Carrots should not be washed before storage, so choose a dry harvest day to prevent the carrots from getting wet in the rain. Suitable for storage only best carrot, without damage caused mechanically or by pests. Therefore, a careful selection of carrots to be stored should be carried out. Set aside damaged and wilted root crops and eat right now. They are not subject to long-term storage, they will only ruin the rest of your crop.

The easiest way to store carrots, which our grandmothers used, is to store carrots right in the garden. The tops of the carrots are cut off, dug up, dried, and then put in bags and buried in the garden, to a depth of 30-40 cm, covered with something from the rain. This method is simple, but not always suitable, because every time you have to dig out a bag to get another portion of carrots, and not everyone lives in the country.

According to another method, carrots are packed - preferably in portions in plastic bags, and stored in an underground or other room with enough high humidity and temperature around 0°C. This method is not very good because the root crops are stored without air access, which means they can deteriorate. But you can improve the method by making holes in the bag and putting it in a box of sand.

The next method is also associated with the presence of sand - carrots are stacked in layers in wooden boxes and sprinkled with sand until they are filled. A storage option is also possible, where the sand is replaced with dry sawdust or newspapers.

Of course, you can store carrots in the refrigerator, pre-packed in cling film. But there is limited space in the vegetable compartment, and there are probably other vegetables in there, so this method is suitable for saving only a small amount of carrots.

Without a dacha, you can also save carrots for the whole winter. If you have a warmed loggia, you can use all the tips. Do not forget that its variety also affects the safety of carrots: those root crops are better stored, the shape of which is round, and not elongated, pay attention to this when choosing varieties for planting or buying.

Carrots are a type of agricultural crop that is universal in terms of application. It is used in fresh, for storage and processing. To grow up late varieties and hybrids that meet the following requirements:

the correct form of the carrot root;
relatively high yield;
storage capacity.

Due to the low level of keeping quality of table carrots, during its long-term storage, part of the crop may be completely lost.

Wash or not?

To wash or not to wash the harvested crop? It all depends on the total number of carrots. If there are, for example, 10 buckets, then you need to decide if there is time for this, power, water, a place for drying root crops. If everything is available, then you can begin to prepare the root crops.

Clean carrots will last much longer than unwashed ones. The soil can contain pathogens of various diseases and rot.

Besides, on a clean peel, all damage is visible, even the smallest: wormholes, small cracks, scratches. Arrange the already washed and sorted carrots on burlap under a canopy.

Attention! Do not dry in the sun, as the roots will lose moisture.

Read more about whether carrots can be washed before storage and how to do it right.

Storage duration

If the washed crop is stored in a cellar at a temperature of 0 to +3 °C and a relative humidity of not more than 90%, then it will be 6 months.

More nuances about the shelf life of carrots can be found in.

Varieties

Among gardeners, the following varieties of carrots intended for storage are in great demand:

About which varieties are best suited for storing carrots in winter period, read in .

How to save a root crop for the winter at home?

Pure

Wash too dirty root crops, lay under a canopy and dry. Excess moisture should not remain on them, as it negatively affects the preservation of the crop.
Install drawers in the basement. You can fill them with sand or sawdust. Put carrots in there. Boxes should be located at a height of 1 m from the floor. Instead of a sand box, you can use plastic bags. Lay them on wooden flooring. Do not tie the bags tightly, otherwise moisture will form inside them.
The optimal air temperature for carrots remains 0 ... + 5 ° at a humidity of 90%. Air circulation should be negligible.
You can keep carrots in the basement only if it is not flooded with water.
If there is no cellar, you can do without it. To do this, you have to dig a hole in the ground, insulate it and fall asleep from above. With this method, the crop can be stored until spring.

Storage of washed carrots in winter:

Dirty

The process of storing unwashed carrots also has its own characteristics:

On a note. When all preparations finished, then you have to decide on the method of storing unwashed carrots.

There are several of them:

Bulk. This method is one of the most effective. At the same time, the basement should not freeze in winter and become damp. In addition, lay carrots on wood flooring raised above the floor at a distance of 1 m.
In sand. This method is laborious, but the harvested crop is stored for a long time. Prepare wooden box, fill it with sand with a layer of up to 3 m. Spread the root crops on top so that they do not touch. From above there is again a layer of sand, 1.5 cm thick.
In boxes and baskets. Root crops cover with a thin layer of clay or slaked lime. The consistency of the solution should resemble sour cream (for 10 liters of water, 1 kg of lime or clay). To drain excess solution from carrots, spread them out for 1-2 days in a well-ventilated area. Due to the formed film, reliable protection against rot and fading is created. Fold dried root crops in a deep large box.
In plastic bags. Their capacity should be 30-35 kg. After filling the bag, do not tie it. It's just that when you breathe, carrots secrete carbon dioxide, which is an excellent protection against the development of diseases. In the cellar, place the bags tightly to each other. But most often this option is used for industrial storage.

To keep carrots as long as possible, the following conditions must be observed:

Besides, when storing the crop, be sure to cut the root crops, observing the following recommendations:

Remove the tops at harvest, leaving a small tubercle.
After trimming the “ass” of the carrot. It is cut off from 1 to 3 cm. It all depends on the damage present.
Cut off the root part of the carrot where the diameter of the tail will be 5 cm.
Use a sharp knife for cutting. Its blade should be even and smooth.
After cutting, the sections should dry thoroughly.

Read more about how to properly trim carrots for winter storage, you can find out more information about proper preparation you will find a root crop for storage.

Storing washed carrots is not difficult, but very responsible. In this form, the crop will be stored for quite a long time, retaining its appearance and taste qualities. It remains only to choose suitable way for the safety of root crops and strictly follow the recommendations presented.

Useful video

The best ways to store carrots:

The end of September is an important time for all summer residents. It is necessary to collect vegetables from your beds, pack them correctly for good preservation and the possibility of using them all year long until the next harvest. Carrots are the most difficult vegetable to winter in an apartment or cellar, so it is important to learn how to store carrots at home. The first stage of this work is the collection of carrots. It is considered ripe when the lower leaves of the leaves begin to turn yellow. For the juiciness of the vegetable, the last week before harvesting it should not be watered.

Storing carrots at home for the winter

variety selection for this purpose. Not all varieties retain moisture well and are suitable for long-term storage;
timely harvest. Seed bags indicate the average ripening time. vegetable crops. By saving seed bags, you can always calculate optimal time collecting carrots;
treatment harvested crop and the preparation of carrots depends on the option you choose.

What varieties of carrots are best stored

Long-term storage of carrots in the cellar or basement depends on the choice of its variety. Early ripe and mid-season varieties small lengths do not retain moisture well, therefore they are not suitable for long-term storage. It is advisable to use them before the onset of cold weather or preserve them. For long-term preservation, the varieties you choose should be late-ripening and have a length of at least 20 cm. The following varieties are well suited for this purpose:

Forto;
Valeria;
Vita Long;
Moscow winter;
Berlikum;
Nuance;
Queen of autumn;
Karlena;
Flaccoro;
Samson;
Shantane.

How to trim carrots for storage

After harvesting, the carrots are dried, cleaned from the ground, sorted out. The degree of its circumcision depends on the chosen storage method. When leaving the vegetable for the winter in the ground, the tops are cut off without affecting the root crop. Storing carrots for the winter in the basement or at home will require cutting the tops and roots by 5-10 mm to remove the point of its growth. After digging, timely cooling to 1-2 degrees Celsius is necessary to stop growth and better preserve root crops.

Carrot storage temperature

An important parameter keeping carrots well is keeping indoors optimum temperature from +2 to -1 degrees Celsius and humidity 90 - 95%. With more high temperature carrots begin to dry out, the fruits rot. An increase in temperature will create additional conditions for undesirable germination of vegetables, manifestations of diseases. Lowering the temperature can lead to overfreezing and loss of taste. Lowering the humidity will cause the carrots to lose their juiciness and dry out faster.

Storage conditions

If it is possible to create optimal temperature conditions for storage, wooden vegetable or plastic boxes are suitable for good preservation of carrots. It is undesirable to put them on the floor of a storage or garage. For this purpose, it is worthwhile to provide shelves 10-20 cm high above the floor level. The method of storage depends on the location you have chosen for placing vegetables for the winter. the best options there will be basements or cellars that do not freeze in winter. It is more difficult to keep carrots in an apartment.

Storage methods

different ways storage of carrots has one goal - to prevent the product from losing moisture. Our ancestors knew how to properly store carrots. Storage methods include both proven for centuries folk methods, and more modern, using new materials. Good safety will ensure the use of:

ventilated boxes on the shelves of the basement or cellar;
polypropylene bags with ash;
clay boxes;
boxes with wet sand, moss, dry needles or onion peel;
conservation in the garden - where the carrot sprouts.

How to store carrots for the winter

Primary processing of root crops includes their cleaning, pruning and drying. After culling and trimming, the vegetables are dried until a dry crust forms at the cut site. The shelf life of carrots depends on the storage method:

clay and sawdust will help keep carrots until a new harvest;
wet sand - from 7 to 9 months;
ordinary boxes - from 4 to 7 months;
polypropylene bags - from 2 to 3 months;
plastic bags for freezing or cling film - up to 6 months.

In the basement

If you have a basement, you need to dry it, whiten it, disinfect it, and ensure good ventilation. The choice of storage method depends on the level of humidity in the room. If it is insufficient, it is better to use wet clay or sand. For this, a clay mixture is prepared from loamy (not river) layers. The bottom of the box is laid out with a 1-2 cm layer of clay, and then the first row of carrots. Root crops should not touch. In the same way, all subsequent rows of carrots are laid. Laying in wet sand is done in a similar way.

The temperature of the room and the humidity of the air, sand or clay should be monitored. In dry sand, vegetables will quickly begin to lose moisture. To preserve moisture, carrots are covered with sawdust in tight boxes. coniferous sawdust prevent early wilting of carrots. Before laying, root crops can be treated with a chalk suspension or powdered with a layer of chalk to create a weak alkaline environment that prevents root crops from rotting.

in the cellar

Cellars are an ideal place for storing root crops - a natural refrigerator. Maintaining optimal temperature and humidity makes it possible to use any of the proposed storage methods. Measures must be taken to protect the crop from rodents and other pests. Answering the question of how best to store carrots in the cellar, experts recommend using moss, dry needles or onion peel. The use of several methods gives a good effect, since the level of moisture in a vegetable (juiciness) largely depends on the weather in summer.