How to store carrots: the best ways to save, tips from housewives

The garden beauty carrot is a real source of youth and longevity. A valuable vegetable contains a large amount of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants most essential for the body. In addition, the fruit is popular along with potatoes. It is added to soups, side dishes, salads and sauces. Having chosen it from the garden or bought it at the vegetable counter, you should take care of how to store the carrots correctly. Indeed, the quality properties of the vegetable will depend on the conditions provided for preservation.

How to properly store carrots in a private house and apartment

All the useful qualities of the root crop can be preserved even when stored in an apartment. The most important thing for this is to create an optimal environment while saving it, which consists in:

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• The required temperature conditions. The support of the temperature parameters in the bins should be close to the value from 0 to +3 degrees. If this regime is not followed, the carrots will either freeze or begin to sprout. Storing a vegetable at a temperature closest to zero slows down all metabolic processes in it, which serves as a guarantee of long-term preservation while preserving all the properties of the root crop.
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• Air humidity. The content of water vapor in the bins should be at the level of 65% -80%. To prevent evaporation from vegetables and maintain the required moisture parameter, they are interlayered with moisture-absorbing materials.
• Air circulation. It is necessary to systematically ventilate the bins to avoid decay. Also, this procedure is needed to lower the temperature in the storage.

In the cellar

For those who live in their own home, storing carrots at home is greatly simplified. Especially if the owners have a barn or basement. Having correctly organized all the conditions for saving a vegetable, you can feast on juicy and tasty carrots until the beginning of next summer. In order for the safety of carrots to be carried out perfectly in the cellar of a private house, it is necessary to carry out the following measures:

1. On warm autumn days, before starting the laying, you need to thoroughly ventilate the cellars or underground.
2. The basement must be disinfected by whitewashing the walls and ceiling with a solution of lime with the addition of copper sulfate.
3. Before storing carrots for the winter in the cellar, you need to worry that during its upcoming storage, the required temperature and humidity parameters are maintained there. And the storage itself was equipped with ventilation compartments.
4. To lay root crops in the cellar, you will need boxes, bags with plastic liners or other available volumetric containers.
5. It is also necessary to stock up on material for pouring the vegetables to be settled: wood chips, pine needles, sand, quicklime.

On the balcony

In the absence of a basement, you need to decide where to store the carrots in the apartment? The most optimal way to save it is to arrange a mini-storage on a loggia or a glazed balcony. However, when the outside air temperature drops below minus 8 degrees, it is necessary to think over additional insulation in vegetable stores equipped on the balcony.

Methods for storing carrots on the balcony:

• In containers with damp sand;
• In containers with peat;
• In a bulk container with wood chips or pine needles;
• In special thermal storage containers.

In order to control the temperature regime when storing vegetables, you need to purchase one or two thermometers.

Freeze in the freezer

It so happens that there is simply nowhere to store carrots from your garden or bought on the market. In this case, an ordinary freezer comes to the rescue. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to buy a special freezer for this purpose. Modern refrigeration units are equipped with a freezer, where vegetables can be safely stored for a long time. Observing the necessary rules when freezing the fetus at home, as a result, you can get a product with all the preserved qualities and properties.

1. In no case is it recommended to freeze carrots that have any defects.
2. Before placing the vegetables in the freezer, wash the vegetables well by cutting off the ends.
3. After washing, it is necessary to subject the root crops to a short-term treatment with boiling water, followed by immersion in ice water.
4. Then put the carrots to dry on a clean cloth.
5. After drying, cut the vegetables in any way, put them on a wide plate or board and send them to the freezer for 30-40 minutes.
6. After the first stage of freezing, sprinkle the product into vacuum bags with special clips and send it back to the freezer for long-term storage.

Is it possible to store in the apartment in the refrigerator

When the question is how to properly store carrots in an apartment, the first answer comes to mind: "Refrigerator!" After all, it is in it that every housewife will be able to save root crops for a long time without loss. their properties. In order for the carrot to retain all its consumer qualities, you should:

• Peel the root vegetables, but in no case wash;
• Fold in plastic bags and place in the lowest compartment of the refrigerator.

Storing a vegetable in a refrigeration unit without losing its consumer qualities is possible for up to 3-4 months. At the same time, you should be aware that it is not recommended to put carrots in open bags or without them at all on the shelves of the refrigerator. After all, remaining open, it can quickly wither and deteriorate.

In packages at home

If it is not possible to preserve carrots in the cellar or refrigerator, you can try saving it in plastic bags. With this method, it is necessary to ensure that the vegetables are cool and dry when laying in polyethylene. If the fruits are free of any defects, then they can lie in a bag in a dark, cool place for about a month. Using this method, you need to systematically check vegetables for the formation of rot and discard in time.

How to prepare carrots for storage

Before storing carrots at home, it must be properly prepared for laying. To do this, you should:

• Carefully examine each fruit for defects, rejecting any with the slightest damage;
• Vegetables must be dried outside, avoiding direct sunlight;
• Before direct laying, it is advisable to cool the root crops to a temperature as close to zero degrees as possible.

How long can carrots last?

High-quality conservation of the harvest largely depends on the temperature and humidity indicators, since carrots can be stored until spring only by strictly adhering to their necessary parameters. Subject to all the rules, usually the vegetable is preserved:

• In basements and cellars with an optimal environment for saving - 6-8 months;
• On a glazed balcony - 3-5 months;
• In special balcony thermal cellars - 5-7 months;
• In the freezer compartment - 12-15 months;
• In the refrigerator - 2-3 months;
• Packaged in a cool, dark place - 1 month.

With prolonged storage in improper conditions, the root crop withers. How to refresh carrots and give them their original appearance? To do this, you need to immerse the vegetable in containers of ice water for several hours. After such an action, the carrot will be saturated with liquid, and its previous original appearance will be restored.

The best varieties for storage

You need to think about the upcoming savings in the harvest even in the process of selecting seeds. Among their huge assortment, there are varieties that are most suitable for storage. This:

• The Queen of Autumn;
• Moscow winter;
• Vita Long;
• Samson;
• Shantane;
• Caramel;

You can pick up and buy your favorite variety or hybrid in the markets or online stores selling seeds in Moscow.