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It is believed that beets have been grown in Russia since the tenth - eleventh centuries. Traditionally, we choose root crops for our table, while in the East they prefer leafy varieties. The set of nutrients contained in this vegetable is unique. In addition to being a storehouse of vitamins, macro- and microelements, beets fight cancer cells and are a good way to remove toxins. In terms of iron content, this root vegetable is second only to garlic, and iodine - to seaweed. Agree that we are more accustomed to fighting iodine deficiency with beets than with algae. Includes a root vegetable and a rare vitamin U, which is a good help in the fight against allergies and normalizes the activity of housing and communal services. And it is also believed that in the Middle Ages, the plague, although it did not pass us by, did not become such a monstrous disaster as in Europe, partly due to the use of this wonderful root vegetable.
Beets are easy to save, and in winter they can be fried, baked, boiled, they are good as a side dish and are indispensable in borscht and soups. Besides the traditional bookmark to the cellar together with potatoes, you can freeze or dry root vegetables. In this article we will try to tell you how to store beets at home.
Storing vegetables starts with planting
We are not going to write about beet farming here. There are simply moments on which its keeping quality directly depends, special attention should be paid to them. We will tell you about the ways to store red beets in winter. Sugar, fodder varieties and chard, a leafy vegetable, will remain outside the area of our attention.
What kind of beets to plant
There are early, medium and late varieties of beetroot. The early one matures in 2-3 months from the moment of planting, but is not subject to long-term storage. For these purposes, mid-season and late varieties of root crops are more suitable. The latter are better stored, but they do not always have time to mature in the conditions of the middle zone and Siberia. The first ones ripen on time, but for their long-term preservation, strict adherence to the temperature regime and storage conditions is required.
We will list some varieties of beets so that it will be easier to navigate when planting seeds or buying vegetables.
Pay attention to medium-ripening root crops:
- Bohemia;
- Bordeaux;
- Bona;
- Detroit;
- Red ball;
- Incomparable A 463;
- Mulatto.
Late beet varieties with a long shelf life:
- Cylinder;
- Ataman;
- Donna;
- Matron;
- Patrick;
- Torpedo;
- Rival;
- Citadel.
Hybrids Lukerya F1 and Wonderful F1 retain their marketable taste and taste until the next harvest.
Subtleties of care
Medium-sized root vegetables are best stored. In order to get beets of the desired size, limit their feeding area by planting according to a 10x10 cm scheme (the plant tolerates picking well at a young age).
The root crop loves potash fertilization, and a lack of boron can cause voids to appear, which will adversely affect storage. Nitrogen, on the other hand, must be given in limited quantities, since its excess is not removed from the vegetable, but accumulates in the form of nitrates that are harmful to health. This is manifested by the appearance of white concentric circles in the beets, which are not typical for the variety. Not only will it be poorly stored, after a while black spots will appear in the root crop.
This is true, but table salt has no place in the garden, it is better to replace it with sodium humate. So, you will get sweet roots and not worsen, but improve the condition of the soil.
Harvesting
Experienced gardeners know that the actual harvest time does not always coincide with those indicated in the description of the variety. They depend on temperature, watering, soil composition, care. Usually ready for harvesting beets the tops turn yellow and slightly dry out.
In any case, this vegetable is dug up before the onset of frost, later than potatoes, but before carrots. With an abundance of rain, root crops should be harvested ahead of time in order to avoid putrefactive processes during storage.
Preparing beets for storage
Dig up the roots, being careful not to damage the skin. Spread them out under a canopy for a few hours so that the soil dries well. Shake it off, but never wash or rub the beets. Now sort it, select all vegetables damaged during harvest, affected by rot or other diseases. They need to be used for harvesting or eaten first, since such root vegetables will not be stored for a long time.
Set aside all the small change and very large beets, they are not suitable for winter storage. In the refrigerator or cellar, such vegetables can lie for a month. Small roots dry out quickly, and large ones cannot be stored in winter, since they have a bad taste and increased fiber, which only increases over time. Vegetables with a diameter of about 10 cm with intact smooth skin have the best keeping quality.
Cut off the tops of the beets selected for storage in winter, leaving a stump of 1-3 cm. The tails should not be touched at all, no matter how long they are. Otherwise, pathogenic bacteria will enter the wound surface of root crops removed from the soil and not cleaned with water, which will greatly reduce the shelf life of beets.
Spread vegetables in a dry, cool, well-ventilated place, if possible in one layer. You cannot put them in storage right away. The difference between the temperature of the environment and the storage will be detrimental to root crops. Reduce it gradually over the course of 1-2 months. Only when the temperature outside reaches 8-9 degrees, the beets can be lowered into the cellar or basement.
How to store beets
It is not enough to grow and harvest or buy high-quality inexpensive root crops on the market. It is important to keep them with minimal loss of nutrients. Special vegetable stores save agricultural products much longer than home conditions allow. The shelf life of beets of late varieties, which we can provide on our own, is about 8 months. There are varieties of root vegetables that are bred specifically for winter storage, they remain fresh and suitable for consumption until the early production appears. Some hybrids can be stored for up to a year.
Storage conditions
In winter root crops, biological processes do not stop completely, but only slow down. Our main task is to provide optimal conditions so that during storage they, firstly, do not grow, and secondly, to prevent the development of diseases that reduce consumer qualities and keeping quality.
Beets should be stored at a temperature close to zero or slightly higher, optimally 0-2 degrees (not higher than 4). This slows down biological processes and reduces moisture loss. Even a short-term decrease or increase in temperature by several degrees in winter storage can cause the development of diseases.
The best humidity for beets is 90-95%.It can be assumed that it is good to keep it at 100% in order to generally prevent fluid loss. This cannot be done because such humidity is an ideal environment for the development of rot and mold.
How to store beets if the basement is wet or completely dry? This task is very simple to solve. In a room with low humidity, it is enough to put a bucket of water, and in a low humidity room - an open wide container with 10-15 kg of table salt or a few red bricks.
If the temperature changes frequently, the storage time will drop to 4 months.
Private home storage
Perhaps the easiest root vegetable to store is beets. Firstly, it has a dense skin, which makes it difficult for putrefactive bacteria to penetrate, and secondly, it gets along well with other vegetables, especially potatoes. Let's take a look at how to store beets properly:
- If you have a large basement and all the vegetables can be located freely, but there is a problem with free shelves (they are busy with conservation or are simply absent), root vegetables can be stored simply on the floor. Place wooden pallets or grates on top of it to provide ventilation to the bottom layer of vegetables and arrange them in several layers or pyramids. It is important that medium-sized root vegetables are at the bottom, and large ones at the top (they must be used first).
- It is best to store beets with potatoes for the winter. So, it does not require a separate place, moreover, it consumes the moisture released by its neighbor for its needs.
- Storing root crops on shelves in layers ensures optimal storage conditions at the required humidity and temperature conditions.
- Shallow boxes or baskets can be used for winter keeping vegetables even when stacked. The main thing is that the containers standing on top do not press on the roots from the lower tiers.
- Beets can be stored in moist, previously disinfected sand, table salt, chalk, ash, sawdust or peat. It is possible - it does not mean it is necessary. We often store root crops in the sand, but it is better not to use other bulk materials unless absolutely necessary.
- Beets can even be stored in open plastic bags, although this is not the best way.
- In extreme conditions, root vegetables can be stored by dipping them in a clay mash. After drying, it hardens and forms a protective cocoon on the surface of the vegetables, which protects them from drying out and rotting.
Conserving beets in a city apartment
And how to properly store beets in a city apartment? After all in the fridgewrapped in paper, it can only lie for 30 days. If each root vegetable is wrapped in foil or parchment, then it can be stored in the vegetable compartment for up to 3 months.
It is often advised to put the beets in plastic bags, and, without tying them, put them next to the slightly open balcony door. Consider the following when deciding to try this storage method:
- a slightly open balcony door in cold winter will significantly reduce the temperature in the apartment, which is unacceptable, but if you close it, then the storage conditions for root crops will be unsatisfactory;
- beets are not washed before storage, pathogenic bacteria live on them that can harm the health of your family;
- it is unrealistic to provide a temperature of 0-2 degrees at the balcony door.
If you have a glazed balcony or loggia, this simplifies things:
- Place the root vegetables in boxes or baskets, sprinkle with sand, salt, shavings or chalk so that they do not touch each other and cover the top with an old blanket.
- If you store sacks of potatoes on the balcony, place the beets on top.
- Each root vegetable can be dipped in a clay mash, dried, put in boxes and covered with a blanket.
Non-standard ways of storing beets
We told you how to store beets properly, but there are other ways.They are especially good for city apartments if there is no room for vegetables on the balcony. It happens that due to the abundance or complete absence of rain, root crops grow small, large or deformed and will obviously be poorly stored. What to do with them?
Drying
From a kilogram of raw beets, 130 g of dried beets are obtained. It is easy to store in a linen bag or tightly closed glass jar. Only during heat treatment 90% of vitamin C is lost.
Rinse and boil the root vegetables for 20 minutes. Cool, peel, cut into slices. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, lay the pieces in one layer and dry in the oven at 70-80 degrees. The finished product must be dry but elastic.
There are many dryers that allow you to dry beets with minimal loss of nutrients. Each must be accompanied by instructions.
Freezing
Grate fresh beets on a coarse grater, arrange in bags and store in the freezer. The portions should be such that the removed chopped root vegetables are used immediately, they cannot be re-cooled. Frozen beets are only suitable for first courses and gravies.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many ways to store beets. Choose the right one for you and provide your family with vitamins for the winter.
