The way they store vegetables determines their taste and shelf life. Can I store potatoes in the fridge? It is believed that the refrigerator spoils the taste of potatoes , as well as affects the breakdown of starch.
To save the root crop, you need to follow certain rules.
Contents
Where you can store
potatoes Potatoes are not recommended to be stored at t below 5 degrees .Tubers acquire a sweetish taste, as the potato begins to sprout and is prone to rotting.
Consider how to properly store potatoes.
In the refrigerator
It is not very convenient to store potatoes in the refrigerator , as the vegetable takes up a lot of space.
But if it so happens that potatoes are bought at a few kilograms and stayed for a long time, you can put them in the fridge, observing a number of rules:
- the most important thing is that the potatoes are not near the freezer;
- it is important to monitor t in the refrigerator, the norm is +3 +6;
- vegetables stored in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator;
- tubers must be kept in paper bags( in polyethylene the potatoes are rotting);
- should be stored in the refrigerator should be as many potatoes as necessary for the next 10 days. Longer storage is not desirable.
In the cellar
The best place to store potatoes is the cellar .However, here you need to take into account the rules to protect the roots from rotting and the risk of getting sick.
Beforehand, it is necessary to treat the walls of the cellar room with table salt.
To do this, prepare a mixture: table salt 200 g, hydrated lime 2 kg, vitriol 1 kg, water 10 l. With this solution, you need to wash the walls of the cellar 2 times a week.
The room must have ventilation or the possibility of airing. Potatoes are stored in wooden boxes, which are previously recommended to wipe with a solution of potassium.
Observance of temperature conditions is important. In summer t + 5-7С, and in winter + 2-4 С.
The best place for potatoes is a cellar with ventilation . In the corridor or entrance of
should be stored in the corridor or in cardboard boxes or wooden boxes of , with ventilation holes.
To prevent them from turning green or turning black, cover the boxes with a blanket or other dark cloth.
Room temperature + 15 ° C. In order for the vegetable not to sprout , you should put mint, wormwood and rowan leaves in boxes.
On the balcony
In addition to the refrigerator, there is another cold place in the winter - this is a balcony. If the balcony is insulated, then it is equivalent to the cellar .
There you can save the temperature in the region of + 5 + 10 degrees during the cold weather.
To start you need to prepare a box filled with heaters: sawdust, warm cloth. From above, boxes of potatoes should be closed with a lid and they should be kept at a temperature comfortable for the vegetable not lower than + 5 ° C, humidity above 85%.
You can store potatoes on the insulated balcony In an apartment
If you are going to keep potatoes in an apartment, you need to choose the coldest place. It is forbidden to put boxes and bags with a root vegetable close to batteries.
It is better to store late varieties in cooler places : storeroom, balcony or refrigerator.
Storage Preparation
When harvesting, it is very important to observe deadlines. This directly affects the keeping quality of potatoes. After harvesting , it is important that the potatoes lie in the sun , the process has a name - light processing.
For this purpose, potatoes are laid out in direct sunlight for several days. After sent to storage in the selected location.
Potatoes should be prepared immediately after harvest. To do this, should follow the following recommendations:
- remove the tubers from the soil( no need to wash);
- dry tubers under the sun or in a well-ventilated dry room;
- select healthy fruit and discard infected, cracked, rotten;Place
- in a storage container.
After harvesting, the potatoes need to be held in the sun for several days. How to keep potatoes in an apartment
Storage in an apartment involves choosing a place where the potatoes will be most comfortable. There are 3 places:
- In the entrance or storage room .In the stairwell or in the closet it is cool and vegetables are always at hand, but there is a drawback: depending on the season, a different t mode is maintained.
- On the balcony .Tubers on the balcony feel comfortable with respect to the t mode. The main thing is to put wooden boxes so that between them there are no cracks, they need warming.
- In the refrigerator .t is not lower than 3C.Store potatoes for no more than 2 weeks.
Saving in an apartment involves placing the vegetable in the coolest and darkest place. However, a long root vegetable at room temperature will not be able to lie.
If there are no other places, then you can consider the option of storing potatoes in the refrigerator. There is a condition - to store no more than 10-14 days, observing t regimen.
You can store potatoes in the refrigerator for no more than 10-14 days, observing t mode Which varieties are stored best
It is best to save late or mid-season varieties for the winter. The following varieties are endowed with good keeping quality: Asterix, Atlas, Volat, Blue, Dolphin, Lad, Zhuravinka, Nevsky, Scarlett, Saturn .
Diseases and causes of their appearance
If stored improperly, potatoes can be affected by the following diseases:
- phytophthora .On the tubers appear hard spots at which the flesh is affected. Appears in the event that one of the fruit has already been infected;
- dry rot .On the peel appears white mold plaque. It occurs if the tubers were moistened, transferred with adhering soil. It is recommended to wash the potatoes before storage;
- black scab .A fungus that affects the pulp of a tuber. It is transmitted through the soil, with the wrong t mode, it spreads quickly to other potatoes;
- potato freezing .Occurs when the vegetable is stored at t below 2C.
When harvesting, you need to be careful and carefully sort through the roots.
Dry rot on tubers The correct temperature, tanks
Comfort t mode +2 +3 degrees, and humidity 70-80% .Optimum temperature conditions: t + 5 + 10C.
Store vegetables better in wooden boxes , which are called "bins."To prepare the boxes, you need to calculate the amount of the crop.
The bottom of the boxes should be raised 15 cm above the floor, the height of the boards 1-1.5 meters. The gaps between the boards in 1-2 cm for ventilation. Top boxes covered with a lid.
Storage Features at Different Seasons
There are 4 periods of keeping potatoes:
- Medical .Immediately after harvesting, it is necessary to create conditions for the ripening of tubers and the treatment of mechanical damage. During this period, you need to leave the crop at t12-18C for airing for 8-10 days.
- Cooling .Ventilate the tubers with night air up to t 1С.Ventilation takes place within 2-3 weeks.
- Basic - rest period .Fold in a room where the temperature is maintained 2-4C.Once or twice a week, the room must be thoroughly aired for half an hour.
- Spring - after the start of potato sprouting. In February, when there is a risk of potato sprouting, you need to arrange stress-hardening for it, reduce t to 1-3C.So you can save the tubers until May.
If you follow the rules, you can significantly extend the keeping quality of the root.
