Storing beets at home. How to save beets in a city apartment? In plastic bags

Few city dwellers stock beets for the winter. It's easier to go to the store and buy as much as you need to cook dinner. But in winter, beets are often frostbitten or damaged by rot due to improper storage. Yes, and its price is much higher during this period. Therefore, zealous housewives stock up for the winter not only onions and potatoes, but also beets.

Which beets are suitable for storage

The shape of the beets, as well as their color and taste, depend on the variety. The Egyptian beet variety has excellent taste qualities. These roots have flat shape, purple-red flesh, dark red skin. Variety "Bordeaux" is known to many housewives, because this beet has dark red flesh, purple-red skin and great taste.

In addition to these varieties, others are also in demand: "Incomparable", "Pushkinskaya Flat", "Podzimnyaya", "Leningradskaya Rounded", "Mulatka", "Libero", "Salatnaya". They are not only used as food as they ripen, but also laid for storage.

When harvest beets for storage

Round root crops ripen in July. But the main part of the beets is ready for harvesting only in August. Beets of late varieties, which ripen in autumn, begin to be harvested in October, without waiting for frost.

Beets are harvested in dry weather. To do this, choose cool days with an air temperature of 10–15 °. Late varieties beets are harvested at a temperature not lower than 0 °, since frozen root crops are not subject to storage.

Harvest beets begin to harvest with the beginning of yellowing of its leaves. You can not pull out the beets, grabbing the tops. So you can damage the delicate skin of root crops. Such beets will quickly begin to deteriorate, infecting nearby fruits with rot.

For digging beets, use a fork or a shovel. With the help of these tools, they dig up the root crop, helping to pull it out of the ground with their hands. The dug beets are gently shaken off the ground and the leaves are immediately cut off, leaving the petioles about 2 cm long. If the tops are not cut off, then the leaves will begin to draw juice from the root crops, the beets will quickly wither and therefore become unstable for storage.

The tops are cut with a knife, and not broken out, so as not to damage the fruit.

If the root crop has a long root, it can be slightly trimmed, but it is still advisable to leave the beetroot in the form in which it was dug out, because an infection can get inside the fruit through the cut.

If the earth is wet during harvesting, then the dug out root crops are left on fresh air dry a little, but not in the sun and no longer than 1-2 hours.

In wet weather, the beets are dried indoors, spreading it in one layer on a bedding on the floor. In this case, the drying process can be extended up to two days.

Cutting the tops, immediately sorting. For storage, strong root crops are selected without mechanical damage, with properly trimmed tops and not infected with diseases.

During sorting, which is carried out in fabric gloves, adhering pieces of dirt are carefully removed, leaving on the surface thin layer earth, which will protect the skin of the fruit from damage.

Prepared beets are immediately sent for storage.

Conditions for storing beets in the basement or cellar

To store beets, you can use the basement, cellar, a specially equipped room.

The ideal temperature for storing beets is 0–3°. At elevated temperature the tops of the beets will begin to grow, and the shelf life will be significantly reduced.

The humidity in the room should be 90-92%. Such conditions must be maintained constantly, otherwise the root crops will quickly begin to wither.

The storage should be well ventilated and should not be exposed to light.

How to store beets in the basement or cellar

Beets can be stored in boxes, in bags, on racks, in bulk in the bins.

Method 1. Prepared beets are tightly placed in dry wooden boxes with a capacity of 30-50 kg, removed for storage.

Method 2. A layer of clean sand is poured into the box. Beets are laid on it so that the fruits do not touch each other. Fall asleep with sand.

Method 3. The boxes are covered with a film 60-100 microns thick, filled with beets. The container is installed in a stack.

Method 4. Beets are poured into bins, making the height of the embankment no more than 1 meter. Beets can be stored with potatoes. Such a symbiosis does not allow the potatoes to rot, as it gives unnecessary moisture to the beets. To prevent the lower layers of the beets from spoiling, a distance is left between the flooring and the floor for ventilation.

Method 5. Root crops are laid out on a rack without gaps, each layer is sprinkled with sand. It is recommended to add chalk or dry sand to the sand. slaked lime(for 50 kg of sand you need to take 1 kg of chalk). Such an additive is a good prophylactic against rot and other diseases.

Instead of sand, you can use sawdust with a moisture content of up to 15%. With disinfectant properties essential oils contained in sawdust, the beets do not deteriorate and do not fade.

Method 6. For better storage beets use claying. To do this, the clay is diluted with water to a creamy state, the root crops are immersed in the solution, and they are allowed to dry. After that, the beets are covered with a thin film that protects the fruit from withering and spoilage.

Method 7. A large number of beets can be stored in thick polyethylene bags with a capacity of up to 50 kg. Dried beets are placed in bags, placed vertically. To prevent condensation from accumulating in them, they are left open.

Note. All these methods can be used to store beets on the balcony. But only if it is glazed and the conditions that were mentioned above are supported on it.

How to store beets in an apartment

At room temperature beets can be left for no more than a week. Then she starts to fade. If you need to keep the beets for long term, put it in the refrigerator.

To do this, the prepared beets are folded into a plastic bag, in which small holes are made for ventilation.

Root crops packed in this way are stored in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment. They can be stored there for up to three months. But one must take into account not only temperature regime, but also humidity, which in some refrigerators is greatly overestimated. When appearing on inner surface condensate bag, the beets are taken out, dried, put in a new bag.

Particularly inventive owners came up with original way storage of beets in the apartment. Each root crop must be wrapped in foil, then put in the refrigerator. This method of storage is good because the fruits do not touch each other, do not come into contact with air, but at the same time they breathe. In this package, the beets retain their original view up to three months.

Note to the owner

With any method of storage, beets are periodically sorted out, removing spoiled root crops. If the fruit that begins to deteriorate from the total mass is not removed in time, it can destroy all stocks.

The main purpose of cellars and basements is to store vegetables in winter period. Third most popular after potatoes and carrots garden vegetable- beet. It grows well even in harsh climates and does not require particularly complex care. For canning, beets are practically not used, but in fresh and boiled form they are added to many dishes of Russian and Ukrainian cuisine. A lot has already been said about how to store beets in the cellar in winter. I propose to systematize this knowledge and put it on the shelves.

Proper collection and preparation of root crops for laying

For digging beets, it is better to choose a dry and sunny day. Since an impressive part of the “body” of the beet is above the ground, it does not tolerate night frosts. If the vegetable freezes, then it will be bad to lie in the winter. The frozen part will quickly begin to deteriorate and rot. Therefore, choose the right time to harvest. AT middle lane beets are harvested in October, and in southern latitudes - at the end of October - November.

Beets are afraid of frost, because most of the root crop is above the ground.

If the digging of beets fell on rainy weather, the root crops will need to be dried. Humidity promotes the active reproduction of pathogens and fungi that damage vegetables, cause rot and mold.

Root crops should be carefully dug up with a shovel or pitchfork and pulled out of the ground by the tops. Perform all actions carefully, trying not to damage the skin. Any crack or scratch on the surface of the vegetable will make it difficult to store, as it " opened door» for bacteria.

After the harvest is harvested, it is worth carrying out a number of simple manipulations:

1. We clean. Gently shake off and clean off the adhering soil from the root crops. We clean the dirt with hands in garden gloves or a rag. It is better not to use a knife or spatula for this, as vegetables are very easy to damage with sharp objects. Also, do not beat root crops about hard surfaces or against each other to beat the stuck earth.
2. We cut off the roots. We remove the thin lateral roots completely, shorten the central root to 6-7 centimeters. These actions are also performed by hand. If the central root is too thick, you can trim it with secateurs or scissors.
3. We remove the tops. We collect beet leaves in a bunch and cut to a height of half a centimeter. We do not cut the tops too short, so as not to affect the root crop itself.
4. We dry. Beets can be laid out on a mat outdoors to dry, weather permitting. Or sprinkle it in a layer in one vegetable in a dry and well-ventilated area. If the harvest was going in the rain, the vegetables should be dried for at least a week.
5. Let's sort by size. Clean and dried root crops should be sorted by size. It is ideal to store vegetables of medium size, rounded and dense. Too large (as well as too small) root crops are stored worse. We immediately separate spoiled or damaged vegetables. It is best to put them in the refrigerator in order to use them first or recycle them.

The harvest is ready for laying in the cellar. It remains to create in the cellar right conditions for storage, properly prepare the place and carry out some preventive actions.

Cellar temperature and humidity

Keeping beets in the cellar is easy. It is enough to follow the rules specific to the storage of most root crops. In a well-built basement or cellar, protected from cold and moisture, these conditions are easily met. However, in order for crop losses to be minimal and burgundy vegetables to last until the next season, it is worth paying additional attention to several points.

Burgundy root crops are well stored if the conditions necessary for them are observed.

The main factors affecting the preservation of root crops in the winter in the cellar or underground are air temperature and indoor humidity.

Properly store beets at a temperature of 0 to +2 degrees. If the cellar is warm, the vegetables will quickly begin to wither. A slight increase in temperature (up to +4 degrees) leads to the germination of beets. The vegetable also does not tolerate freezing. Therefore, if the weather forecast promises quick frosts, cover the beet boxes with felt, burlap or straw.

The humidity required for the best preservation of burgundy roots is 90%. This is enough high rate compared to other vegetables.

Good ventilation in the room is also important. The air in the cellar must circulate and not stagnate. Otherwise, rot will quickly form on the fruits.

Before lowering the crop into the cellar, it is advisable to equip the room - make shelves or racks inside. It is not recommended to place boxes with beets on a clay or concrete floor. Also, you can not lean them against the walls of the room, as condensation often forms on them. As a last resort, you can simply build a flooring from planks. The distance from boxes or bags of vegetables to the floor should be at least 15 centimeters.

Beet storage boxes must have ventilation holes. If you are storing root vegetables in sieve vegetable containers, note that the open spaces should not be more than 5cm in size. Otherwise, the smallest representatives of root crops will fall out. You can make special bins for beets, about 1 meter high, like for potatoes.

Before laying the crop, clean the cellar, dry the room and treat the walls with lime. This will help keep the crop from mold and microorganisms. If rodents live in your basement, take care of their timely eviction from your territory.

Inspect boxes of root crops from time to time. Vegetables that have begun to deteriorate should be removed immediately.

Ways to store beets in the cellar

Each vegetable has its own (favorable for him) storage conditions. However, in general, the same rules are typical for the maturation of most root crops. Beets are even easier to store than carrots or potatoes.

It is not difficult to store beets - they are less whimsical than other vegetables.

How to properly store beets:

• With potatoes. Scatter the beets in an even layer on top of the potatoes in a potato box. By doing so, we create optimal conditions for both vegetables. Potatoes love dryness and spoil quickly during wet room. But beets need a little more moisture than most vegetables. Under such conditions, the beets will not only feel good, but also take away excess moisture from the potatoes, thereby protecting them from decay.
• In small boxes with holes. Beets are poured into small wooden or plastic boxes. You don't need to cover the boxes. They must have air holes.
• Pyramids on the shelves Burgundy root crops can be stored directly on the racks and collected in pyramids. Pre-shelves are covered with burlap or straw. Pyramids should not touch the walls of the basement and the upper shelves.
• Ash or sand . We put the beets in wooden boxes and pour wood ash or sand. As for the sand, beets can be completely buried in it. The main thing is to pre-ignite it in order to disinfect it. For storage of crops, it is best to take river sand.
• Sprinkle with salt. This method is similar to the previous one, only table salt is used as an adsorbent. Copiously "salt" the vegetables in the boxes, or dip each root vegetable in a strong saline solution and dry. After that, put away for storage.
• Mixed with leaves. Lay the root crops with leaves of mountain ash, wormwood or fern. These plants prevent the active reproduction of pathogenic microflora, as they release volatile substances, phytoncides.
• Immersion of roots in clay. Dilute the greasy clay solution with water. The density of a properly diluted clay mass should resemble sour cream. You can add some chalk to the clay. Dip each root crop individually in the solution and let it dry. Repeat procedure. After re-drying, you can clean the beets for storage.
• In large plastic bags. This method can be used for small basements where you want to save space. The bags are placed not on the floor of the cellar, but on wooden coasters or bricks. Try not to put more than 40 kilograms of root crops in one bag.

The best way to store beets is to put them in a box on top of potatoes.

By choosing any of these methods and maintaining the required microclimate in the cellar, you can keep the beet harvest until the next season. Best lie medium and late-ripening varieties beets. For example:

• Bordeaux 237.
• Late winter A-474.
• Egyptian flat.
• Red ball.
• Libero.

Knowing how to properly store beets, you can significantly reduce the loss of harvest of this root crop in the winter.

Vegetables will not last long at room temperature. They need to be kept cold.

Rinse the root crops thoroughly, cut off the tips on both sides and dry. The cut points should tighten.

Put the vegetables in a tight plastic bag and tie it tightly, releasing excess air and blocking the entry of new. For reliability, you can put the vegetables in a second bag and tie it too.

Place the beets in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. It's okay if water droplets appear inside the bag. The condensation will disappear in a few days.

Beets can be frozen both raw and boiled. Pre-cooking will save you time in the future when preparing meals.

Peel raw or boiled vegetables from the skin, and then grate them on a coarse grater or cut into small cubes or sticks.

Spread the beets over plastic containers or packages. You can use vacuum freezer bags or regular plastic bags. From the usual will have to release the air on their own.

Close the containers, zip or tie the bags, and place the blanks in the freezer.

How to store beets in the cellar

Beetroot will keep well in the cellar if you pour it on top. But if this method does not suit you, there are several more reliable methods.

Remove vegetables from buttocks and dry thoroughly in the fresh air. The cut points should tighten. But make sure that the beets do not lie for a long time in direct sunlight.

Put the root vegetables in strong plastic bags, release the air and tie. You can additionally sprinkle the beets with coniferous sawdust, although it is well stored even without it.

Cut off the tops of the beets, leaving about 1 cm. Then dry the vegetables in the fresh air and clean them from the ground.

Put on the bottom of wooden or plastic boxes 2-4 cm softwood sawdust, sand or moss. The filler must be dry.

In one layer, spread the root crops on top at a small distance from each other.

Cover vegetables with stuffing.

Repeat layers until you run out of beets. Sprinkle a thick layer of filler on top.

Regardless of whether you grow beets or not, you often have to store them in an apartment. This is because this vegetable is always required in the kitchen. Buying beets during the year is completely unprofitable, if you don’t grow your own, it’s better to buy in the fall right amount and store it until spring. Thus, it is possible to choose high-quality root crops and save on buying expensive vegetables in the spring. With this calculation, you can save a significant amount of money and always have high-quality and tasty root crops on hand. Therefore, it is very important to know how to properly store beets in the apartment.

Features of storing beets in the apartment

Keeping beets in an apartment is not easy, but given years of experience resourceful owners, this can be done quite successfully. In order to store beets in an apartment with high quality, you need:

1. Just put the beets in plastic bags or boxes and sprinkle the roots with sand. After that, the beets should be put in the coolest place in the apartment. Boxes can be placed in the pantry, balcony door, in the hallway or landing. Although beets do not keep very well at room temperature, they can lie like this for some time. Thus, medium-sized root crops (about 10 centimeters in diameter) can be stored for several months.
2. It is better to store beets on a specially equipped balcony. Today, many people who have summer cottages, but do not have a cellar, they store almost their entire crop of vegetables and fruits on the balcony. For this, special insulated boxes are made on a protected balcony. Also, special insulated structures are built on the balcony, which allow you to compactly store any vegetables and fruits throughout the winter. When designing such shelters on your balcony, you should always consider weather region in order to think over ventilation and heating systems in advance. With such storage, beets can lie until mid-spring, and in some cases until early summer.
3. Small amounts of beetroot can always be stored in the refrigerator, but no more than one month. Beets can be stored in the refrigerator, as in natural form as well as frozen. But in the second case, beets lose some of their vitamins and taste qualities.

Keeping beets in an apartment is not an easy task, but with some effort it can be done quite successfully. The main thing is to choose the right root crops for long-term storage and provide conditions as close to optimal as possible. It must always be remembered that medium-sized beets are best preserved at a temperature of 2 degrees and a relative humidity of about 85%. If you trust your neighbors and strangers do not enter the entrance, then it is better to store beets sprinkled with sand in boxes on the landing. In addition, you should always remember that beets that are stored at room temperature may begin to deteriorate after some time. Therefore, you need to inspect it at least once a week and use damaged root crops.

Foreword

How to store beets in order to use root crops grown on own site, a question not only of an economic nature, but also of a healthy, nutritious diet. Indeed, in addition to the fact that purchased vegetables in the period until the next harvest are more expensive, their quality can be very low (for example, they can be sick, spoiled, contain nitrates), and it is also possible to purchase fodder beets instead of table beets.

Which table beets are suitable for long-term storage?

Of course, as with other vegetables, long-term storage it is necessary to lay not the whole harvest of table beets in a row, but selectively. The fulfillment of this condition is very important, but not the most important. The fact is that not all varieties of this vegetable can be stored for a long time. If you choose seeds of the wrong type for planting, then all the efforts spent on growing, collecting and storing root crops in the hope that in winter there will be dishes from your beets on the table may be in vain. And even if the vegetables of the resulting crop are unusually healthy and beautiful, if they are varieties with poor keeping quality, then very soon they will either have to be thrown away or hastily processed and preserved.

The following varieties of table beet are intended for long-term storage: Renova, Lettuce, Cold-resistant 19, Mulatka, Red ball, Boltardi, Podzimnaya A-474, Flat Gribovskaya A-474, Libero, Detroit, Bravo, Egyptian flat, Incomparable A-463, Nosovskaya flat , Pablo F1, Single stem, Bordeaux-237.

In terms of keeping quality, these varieties are the best. But first of all, you should pay attention to the table beets of local selection. Its varieties will most often be the best option not only for growing good harvest, but also for its successful and long-term storage.

But, for example, the Cylinder variety, which is very popular and grown in almost every dacha, is not suitable for winter storage. Its root crops have excellent taste, but the keeping quality is much worse than that of the above varieties.

Rules for preparing table beets for storage

Regardless of the variety, preparation for storage begins with proper cleaning table beet harvest. It must be harvested before the first frost. Beet root crops grow at the very surface of the soil, and their upper part protrudes from the ground at all, so that even in the event of a slight frost, they can freeze slightly and become unsuitable for storage.

For harvesting, it is best to choose a dry and fine, preferably sunny autumn day. And it is more pleasant to work, and this will contribute to the long-term storage of table beets. Harvesting is also not necessary anyhow. It is strictly forbidden to pull out root crops by pulling on the tops. The skin of the table beet is likely to be damaged by the ground and the pebbles in it: torn off, scratched or cut. Such root crops will begin to rot soon after laying in storage and will not lie for a long time. Moreover, because of them, undamaged healthy beets can begin to deteriorate.

It is necessary to collect root crops with a shovel or pitchfork:

1. We immerse the bayonet of the tool in the ground next to the beets.
2. By pressing on the handle of the shovel, we slightly raise the root crop along with the soil.
3. Gently pull the vegetable out of the broken ground by the tops or take it out with your hands.

Immediately it is necessary to clean the root crops from the ground. Soil clods on the surface of the beets will absorb moisture during storage and become a favorable environment for the putrefactive bacteria contained in them. But it is also not worth striving at any cost to remove all the land. It is more important, however, not to damage the vegetables when cleaning. Therefore, it is completely unacceptable to use wood chips, a knife and other objects, to press strongly on tightly adhered lumps of soil with your hand and beat the beets one against the other. Root crops should be slightly shaken separately by the tops, and the remaining earth should be tried to be removed with light pressure. thumb brushes. If it doesn't work out, it's best to leave it as is. From this harm will be less than from the damaged skin of the root crop.

When harvesting takes place in dry weather, then most likely it will not be necessary to clear the ground. If the soil is oily and wet, then it will be easy to remove it using the above methods. Problems, as a rule, arise for those who clean vegetables later - after transportation and drying, before storing them.

Then the tops of the beets must be cut off. And not completely, right up to the root crop, but leaving a small tail 1–1.5 cm long. It is not recommended to twist or break off the tops by hand - you just need to cut it off.

Then we cut off the side roots. We must try not to damage the root crop itself. If the main root is very long and branched, it is allowed to cut it off a little, leaving a tail of 5–7 cm. However, it is better for beet storage when it remains completely intact - there is less chance of infection.

Then you need to select the beets, which will be laid for long-term storage. We leave only strong, whole and healthy root crops. All damaged, with signs of disease and rotten vegetables should be set aside separately. They should be used as food as soon as possible. They will not be stored for a long time, and even, starting or continuing to deteriorate, they will infect healthy beets. It is also desirable that the selected root crops are not very large. The best and longest stored beets, the diameter of which is up to 12 cm, and the large one lies poorly. Drying is the last step in preparing beets for storage.

You don't need to wash the root crops either before or after!

If the harvesting of beets occurs in warm, dry weather, then all its preparation for storage can be done right in the garden. For drying, we lay out the selected root crops, if under the sun - for 2 hours, and in the shade - for about 4 hours. No more is needed, otherwise the vegetables will begin to wither.

When the beets had to be dug out of the wet ground, maybe even in the rain and the weather in the next day does not allow it to be dried on the street, this should be done indoors. It is desirable that it be well ventilated. Scatter the root crops on the floor in 1 layer. Drying wet beets indoors lasts from 2–3 to 7 days.

The best conditions and methods for storing beets

Beets are best stored in sandboxes in a dark, cool room. Conditions that need to be created in it:

• humidity level 95–90%;
• temperature 0… +2 o C;
• desirable presence natural ventilation air.

Under such conditions, root crops can be stored until spring and even longer. The most important thing is to maintain the temperature, especially the first 1-2 months after laying the beets, because if it rises to at least +4 ° C, the tops of the vegetables will begin to sprout, and this will significantly reduce the shelf life. Also, the temperature should not be allowed to drop below 0 ° C, otherwise the root crops will freeze. Then, again, they cannot be saved for a long time.

It is impossible to create such storage conditions for beets in an apartment - only in the basement or cellar. The sand in the boxes should be clean sifted river sand, preferably washed and calcined in the oven or dried in the sun. We put it on the bottom of the container with a layer of 8-10 cm. Then we put the vegetables so that they do not touch each other. We sprinkle them with sand from above, making a layer of 2–3 cm above them. So we lay the beets to the very top of the box. Every month you should check the condition of the root crops. Those that have begun to deteriorate must be removed, and the overgrown tops should be cut off. Here's how to properly store beets so they'll last well into spring.

• In polyethylene bags with holes for ventilation with a capacity of 35–40 kg. They are suspended and not tightly tied for air access.
• In a chest with potatoes. Beets should be laid on top of the tubers in 1 layer. Potatoes will give excess moisture to root crops, which they need.
• Small pyramids (heaps) on shelves or in small boxes with holes for air circulation. Shelves and drawers should be no lower than 15 cm from the floor.
• in peat, table salt or sawdust. They, like sand, are sprinkled with root crops, laid in layers in boxes. If in sawdust, then it is advisable to check the condition of root crops more often than once a month.
• In bulk in a separate chest, the bottom and walls of which are latticed, with slots.

These methods for correct execution and maintaining the required conditions can also allow vegetables to be stored until spring.

It is advisable to powder the beets with sifted wood ash before storing them or roll them in chalk powder. This will protect the root crops from diseases and slow down the spread of spoilage from one to another. Small vegetables are best stored separately from large ones.

Storage of beets in the apartment

This option is the least preferable, since it is very difficult to store beets in an apartment in winter. More that you can count on - the roots will lie for 3-4 months. Storage methods are the same as for the cellar. Best of all in low boxes, sprinkled with sand. The entire storage period must be ensured that the filler remains dry.

The best conditions can be created on an insulated loggia, but there is a high risk of root crops freezing in severe frost. And if you heat this room, it is difficult to withstand the required temperature - up to +4 o C. But still, the conditions there are better than in the rooms. To prevent freezing, root crops can be placed in, which will need to be built. Or they will have to be covered with warm blankets in the cold.

You can store beets in the rooms of the apartment in a change house, pantry; under the wardrobe, bed; most importantly, away from batteries and in the dark. In the refrigerator, wrapping each tightly in food foil or parchment paper, beets can be stored for 2-3 months.