Suitable varieties and shelf life of carrots

Every experienced gardener knows that planting and growing crops is only half the battle. But no less responsible and difficult process is to preserve the harvest. Here the question arises - what kind of storage is the most suitable for a particular vegetable.

Beginner gardeners have many questions about how to organize the storage of carrots. If the basic storage conditions are not followed, its fruits quickly become covered with mold, wither and begin to rot.

How to choose a vegetable?

Which carrot is better to choose long-term storage:

• Fruits must be sufficiently mature.
• No signs of rot, no damage and diseases.
• The rougher the carrot, the longer it is stored.
• It is well dried, without excess moisture.
• The right variety.
• Small fruits are better to exclude, they are more prone to wilting.

Suitable varieties

It is necessary to choose the most suitable varieties:

1. Late carrots. Grades which ripen in 120-140 days after landing concern. They are more resistant to cold, less susceptible to diseases, so that they are stored longer. At observance of optimum temperature and moisture level is stored until June.

   Popular varieties are "Sweet Winter", "Queen of Autumn", "Red Giant".

2. Mid-season carrots. The ripening period is 100-120 days. During this period, the carrot has time to absorb the required amount of nutrients, which increases the shelf life.

   These varieties include: "Vita Long", "Nantes", "Samson".

3. Early carrots. The ripening period is no more than 100 days, and most often grown for summer-autumn use.

   There are varieties that are capable of being kept until spring. These include: "Alenka", "Artek", "Nandrin".

About what varieties are suitable for storage for the whole winter, described in detail in this article.

How long can you save?

There are several optimal ways to preserve carrots during winter. But there are conditions that must be met for any of them:

• air temperature from 0 ° C to +5 ° C (the necessary air temperature for long storage of carrots is described in detail here);
• air humidity in the range of 85-95%;
• minimum air circulation in the room.

In bulk in the cellar or pit

This method is the oldest and simplest, but the yield loss when it is used can be quite serious. In order to avoid this, you should take care in advance of ventilation, insulation, protection from groundwater, the cellar should not freeze and wet.

On the floor, where the vegetables will be laid out, it is necessary to lay the boards or burlap. From time to time it is worth sorting out and throwing out rotten carrots. By choosing this method, carrots can be stored for 7 to 9 months.

Find out about carrot storage in the cellar here.

In sand

This method is considered one of the most effective. With this storage, you must do the following:

1. Take wooden boxes without holes of 40-60 liters.
2. Clean and dry sand (about 5 cm) or sawdust, necessarily coniferous (they contain essential oils that prevent the formation of rot and fungus) are poured at the bottom.
3. Then on top of one layer laid out carrots, and sprinkled with the same sand or sawdust.

This way you can lay as many layers as the height of the box allows, and cover tightly with the lid. In the sand carrots can be stored from 7 to 9 months, but in sawdust already up to a year.

In open boxes and baskets

1. For this method, you will need to prepare an earthen mortar, the consistency of sour cream.
2. Dip each carrot in the solution and leave to dry in a draft for 1.5-2 days, until the clay turns into a hard shell that provides protection.

After this procedure, carrots can be laid in a basket or a wooden box. Thanks to a protective layer of clay, carrots can be stored for up to a year.

On the balcony

For residents of city apartments it is also not difficult to preserve the harvest of carrots (how to store carrots in the apartment, read this article). For this perfect balcony or loggia. The most suitable option for such storage will be the same boxes with sand or sawdust.

If the balcony or loggia is not sufficiently insulated, the boxes with the harvest should be covered with an old blanket or other warm clothes, in order to avoid freezing of the fruit. Observing all the conditions, carrots can lie on the balcony for 5 to 7 months.

Read more about storing carrots on the balcony described in our material.

In the refrigerator in bags

Before you put the carrots in storage in the refrigerator you need:

1. Carrots should be washed (whether carrots should be washed before storage is described in this article).
2. Dry thoroughly.
3. Put on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator in an open container. This is necessary in order to avoid condensation, which can cause rotting of the product.

After that, arrange the carrots in bags of 4-5 pieces, tie tightly and place in the department for the storage of fresh vegetables. Unfortunately, carrots are not stored in the refrigerator for such a long time, only 2-2.5 months.

On the secrets of storing carrots in the refrigerator can be found here.

Coniferous sawdust or clay solution

The shelf life of carrots depends on the chosen method of storage. The maximum term is 1 year. To achieve this result, you can choose one of the most time-consuming ways: in coniferous sawdust or clay solution.

In order to achieve minimal losses during storage of the crop, it is necessary to choose non-germinated carrots, without any mechanical damage that can lead to rotting. Observing all these rules, you can achieve high safety of the crop.

Seed shelf life

Just as to preserve the harvest, it is important to know how to store the seeds of carrots and what is their shelf life. Experienced gardeners believe that the maximum period can be considered 2 years. But best of all, to improve germination, it is worth using last year’s seeds.

To save the seeds, you must perform the following steps:

1. For storage, carrot seeds should be carefully sorted from defective and rotted.
2. Then the seeds should be sanitized to get rid of harmful bacteria. This can be done with the help of hot water - fill the seeds with water heated to 50 degrees, cover with a lid and leave for an hour.
3. Further, it is necessary to dry them very quickly and thoroughly, since the process of seed ripening ends with the complete absence of moisture, and pack them in bags or paper bags. Polyethylene for this use is not worth it, it limits the flow of air.

Recipe

When all the necessary procedures related to ensuring the storage of carrots are completed, you can start cooking. Many tasty and healthy dishes can not be imagined without the use of carrots.

One of the most common recipes for cooking was a carrot snack "in Korean." Preparing carrots from chopped in a special way:

1. Rubs on a grater with a thin straw) of fresh carrots.
2. Vinegar is added.
3. Hot red pepper.
4. To taste salt and sugar.
5. All this is poured hot sunflower oil.
6. Some recipes still use garlic.

Attention! To insist on such a snack is better for at least a day. Due to the fact that the composition of this salad does not include a single perishable product, and vinegar still acts as a preservative, the shelf life and shelf life of carrots "in Korean" in the refrigerator in a container of up to two weeks.

In order to choose the most convenient way to store carrots, you should rely on such factors. Factors required for storing carrots:

• the variety, humidity and temperature of the room where the vegetables will be stored;
• degree of maturity;
• in what weather the harvest took place.

If all the necessary conditions are met and all possible factors are taken into account, it is possible to achieve minimal losses during storage of the carrot harvest.

Watch the video: How to Make a Carrot Slinky and Cucumber Garnish (May 2024).