How to store carrots: 8 ways Bashny.Net

Of all the root crops cultivated by gardeners in suburban areas, to preserve carrots for the winter is the hardest. Inquiring minds of gardeners have developed many ways to store carrots in the cellar, on balconies, in apartments, and even directly in the beds.

How to store carrots? Focusing on existing conditions, the complexity of the process and availability of materials, choose the most suitable for you of the following storage options.

Preparing carrots for storage

The first rule of good preservation of the crop of carrots – proper and timely cleaning.





Ripening carrots depend on the type and generally indicated on the seed packet. It is better not to throw out the bag or in advance, in the spring, to calculate the expected day of harvest. Why? Carrot out ahead of time, matured, did not have time to accumulate a sufficient amount of sugars, which negatively affects its taste. From carrots, overexposed in the garden, on the contrary, found an excess of sugars and amino acids, and this, in turn, makes it a lure for pests – larvae of carrot flies, mice and rats.

If you still don't know exactly when to remove the carrot, focused on the color of foliage. As soon as you start yellowing lower leaves – carrots ready for harvest. To roots remained juicy, before digging should not be watered.

Immediately after harvesting of the carrots cut tops. Otherwise it will retard root of the moisture during drying. Trim carrot tops is best done in two stages: — first, cut the leaves just above the head of the root, then the "head" is cut off completely (with a thickness of 0.5-1 cm) together in the growth point, and the cut must be flat and smooth. Such drastic pruning is not allows the carrots to germinate in the winter, wasting precious nutrients, prevents drying of the fruit, provides better storage.

After cutting the tops of carrots air under a canopy or dried in the sun for 2-3 hours. Within 7-10 days the roots of carrots is recommended to maintain at a temperature of 10-14 °C. During this time, she, as well as the potatoes, put in storage, is a kind of "quarantine": drag the cut and minor mechanical damage, felt sick and spoiled roots.

Before harvesting carrots in the store it once again inspected and graded, removing all the useless roots.

Method # 1.How to store carrots in sand

You will need: sand (preferably loamy, not the river), water and crates. Storing carrots in sand is very popular among gardeners, having a cool cellar, underground garage pit. And no wonder, because the sand reduces evaporation of moisture from carrot, prevents the development of putrefactive diseases, providing a constant temperature all contribute to excellent keeping quality root crops.

The sand needs to be moist, to moisten in a bucket of sand use one liter of water. Then the prepared sand is poured on the bottom of the box with a layer of 3-5 cm, and then lay the carrots so that the roots do not touch each other. Carrots covered with sand, and then spread the next layer, etc. Some gardeners prefer to use dry sand instead of wet and buckets instead of boxes.

Method # 2.Storing carrots in sawdust

You will need: pine sawdust and boxes. Sawdust coniferous trees – another great filler for boxes with carrots intended for long-term storage. Contained in the needles phytoncides prevent germination of roots and prevent the penetration of pathogenic fungi and bacteria. In the same way as when sanding up, the carrots need to pack in boxes in layers, sprinkling each layer with sawdust.

Method # 3. How to keep carrots in plastic bags

You will need: film bags with a capacity from 5 to 30 kg. Plastic bags with carrots kept open in cool places. The humidity in these bags itself is kept at optimal levels in 96-98%, so the carrot does not wither. In addition, the roots of carrots during storage release carbon dioxide. Open the bags it collects a small amount, just sufficient to prevent disease. If the bags to tie the content of carbon dioxide several times higher than the concentration of oxygen and the carrots will deteriorate. If you still want to keep the roots in closed bags, be sure to make holes for ventilation. During storage on the inner surface pouches, condensation can form – it talks about high humidity in storage. Then next to the bags of carrot scatter hydrated lime, which absorbs excess moisture.

Method # 4.Storing carrots in the clay

You will need: clay, water, crates or cartons, plastic film, garlic (optional). Clay forms on the surface of root thin protective layer, which during the winter protects it from fading. There are two ways of processing carrots in clay before putting it in storage.

Option 1.

Fill with clay Taken half a bucket of clay and filled with water. A day swollen by water the clay is thoroughly mixed and covered with water again. Within 3-4 days the clay is in this state, under the water layer of 2-3 cm Before use, the clay must acquire the consistency of sour cream. Then the bottom of the drawer is lined with foil, put a layer of carrots (so that the fruits do not touch each other) and filled with liquid clay. When the clay layer dries, re-laid out carrots and also filled with clay, and then dried. And so on to the top of the box.

Option 2.

Dipping into the clay With this method unwashed carrots dipped in garlic first, and then in clay mash and laid out to dry in a well ventilated area (on the porch, in the attic, under the roof). Then dried carrots in the "earthen shell" stacked in wooden boxes or cartons. Garlic mash is prepared as follows: 1 Cup of garlic you have to scroll through a meat grinder, then to dissolve the "beef" in 2 liters of water. To get the clay "talker" dilute the clay with water to the consistency of thick cream, she then could not drain from the roots.

Method # 5 Storing carrots in the moss

You will need: boxes, wooden, or plastic, sphagnum moss. Unwashed and dried in the sun the carrots first, within days kept in a cool room and then placed in boxes, alternating layers of carrots with layers of sphagnum moss. Moss has a sort of preservative properties, holds inside the necessary amounts of carbon dioxide. In addition, unlike sand and clay moss – light material, not giving the boxes with the carrot of additional weight.

Method №6.Storing carrots in pots

You will need:a large enamelled pan. After harvest, the carrots should be well washed, cut the tops and stem, dry roots in the sun. Then the roots are tightly vertically stacked in the pan, on top of them put the napkin and close the pan with a lid. All pots with carrots recommend keeping in a cool cellar – then the carrot will lie perfectly until the next harvest.

Method # 7.How to store carrots in onion peel

You will need: boxes, onion and garlic husks. This way of storing carrots is based on the same principle as storage in softwood sawdust – essential oils of onion and garlic scales also prevent rotting of the roots. So carrots will not easily spoil if you put it in layers pre-peppered, dry peel onions and garlic, remaining after harvest of these crops and accumulated over the winter.

Method №8.Storing carrots in the garden

Some gardeners part of a crop of carrots left to spend the winter directly in the garden, then dig it in spring and eaten all summer until the next harvest. The tops of the carrots left in storage in the garden, fully trimmed. Then a bed to sleep wet coarse sand and cover with foil. On top of the film poured sawdust, fallen leaves, peat or compost, and then cover the patch with roofing material or another film layer. Under this shelter the carrot tolerates winter cold and stays fresh and tasty.

Some more original ways of storage of carrots

Pre-washed and trimmed the carrots in the food wrap stretch film, trying to keep each Morkovin was completely shrink-wrapped and not in contact with the "neighbors." Well stored root vegetables, if they are pre-sprayed infusion needle or onion skin. 100 g of husk or pine needles does a liter of water and infused for 5 days. This infusion can not only be sprayed, it is possible to submerge the carrots for 10 minutes, dry and put into storage.

Unusual national way of storing carrots in the wax:

clean and dried, the roots sink into the hot wax with the addition of a small amount of beeswax for elasticity. This treatment allows you to store carrots for 4-5 months at a temperature of 0-2°C. It will remain delicious and fresh.

Carrots can be outrival chalk based 150-200 grams of chalk, 10 kg of carrots, or immerse the roots in 30% chalk slurry and then dry well. The layer of chalk creates a weak alkaline environment, thus preventing the rotting of roots.

In addition, you can store carrots, wrapping each root vegetable separately in a paper or newspaper. From rodents carrots stored in the cellar, will help to protect the dry leaves of mint Saracen (kanumera). It is sufficient to impose the drawers dry stems of the plants and rodents will not work.

If you harvest carrots you have a small and a freezer, it makes sense the most part of carrot to grind with a food processor and freeze in the usual plastic bags. Whichever method of storage of carrots you choose, remember: the optimal humidity for storage of root vegetables is 90-95%. — the best temperature for storing carrots 0-1 °C. we Wish you success and bigger yields! published

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Source: dachnye-sovety.ru/kak-pravilno-xranit-morkov/