Turnip harvest: how to store for the winter

Turnip is a useful, unpretentious root vegetable that is often grown on a personal plot. Early and late-ripening varieties are grown. The early varieties are used for making salads, soups, it is added to pies and makes leaven for kvass. Late-ripening ones have good keeping quality, but in order to preserve freshness, aroma and useful properties for a long time, you need to know how to properly store turnips at home.

Features of storing turnips for the winter

To enjoy a vegetable all year round, you need to know the cultivation technology and storage characteristics of turnips. Storage nuances:

• turnips can be kept with other products, as it does not absorb foreign odors;
• only smooth vegetables without mechanical damage are subject to long-term storage;
• stored in a dark, cool room;
• when stored in a refrigerator, roots are placed in plastic bags;
• turnip is better stored if the tops are cut at least 2/3 of the length;
• before storing, the vegetable is not washed, but only cleaned from the ground;
• to increase the shelf life, when stored in a box, it is better to wrap each root crop with a paper napkin or newspaper.

The best temperature regime for storing turnips for the winter is considered to be a level from 0 to + 3 ° C with an air humidity of 90%. In the basement and cellar, the root crop can be stored for about six months, in the refrigerator for no more than 1 month, at room temperature - 10-14 days.

How to properly prepare turnips for storage

The main aspect for long-term storage is the correct harvest and the right time:

• the ripe vegetable should be 5 cm in diameter and slightly rise above the ground;
• an unripe root crop can be eaten, but it is not suitable for long-term storage;
• an overripe turnip acquires a tough, slightly juicy pulp.

If the brine is purchased in a store, then you need to make the right choice:

• A ripe vegetable should feel heavy, which means there are no voids.
• The root crop is yellow and white. When choosing a yellow variety, the pulp will be juicy and fleshy, but the dietary fiber is coarse. White varieties have a mild aroma, but the pulp has delicate, not tough fibers that are quickly absorbed by the body. White varieties are recommended for the preparation of baby food.
• When choosing a root vegetable, it is better to give preference to small fruits, since the pulp of large root vegetables has a bitter taste.
• A quality product should have a smooth skin without rot and mechanical damage.

Before storage, the vegetable is thoroughly washed, dried under a canopy in the open air and immersed in paraffin or wax for 1-2 seconds. The wax casing will increase the shelf life up to 6 months. To prevent decay of the top, turnips are powdered with chalk before storage.

There are several storage options and, if you wish, you can choose the method you like the most. Each method differs in terms of time and location.

How to store turnips at home

If there is no cellar or basement, then you can store turnips for the winter at home. There are several ways:

• on the balcony;
• in the fridge;
• freezing;
• drying;
• conservation.

If a large crop is harvested, but there is no cellar on the personal plot, then it can be stored on the balcony.For this, the turnip, cleaned of dirt, is laid out in a box covered with straw. Each layer is sprinkled with wet sawdust or sand. To prevent it from freezing in winter, the box is wrapped in a blanket.

If the crop is small, then it can be stored in the refrigerator. Before storing the turnips, the tops are trimmed and each root crop is wrapped in a paper napkin. Prepared turnips are laid out in plastic bags or plastic containers and placed in the vegetable compartment.

Turnip does not lose its useful properties, aroma and juiciness when frozen, dried and preserved.

Before freezing, the product is washed, peeled and cut into small pieces. The prepared cubes are blanched for 2-3 minutes and immediately immersed in ice water. Dried cubes are laid out in bags or containers and put into the freezer. The thawed product cannot be re-frozen.

The dried turnip does not lose its aroma and useful properties for 6 months. You can dry it in the oven or using an electric dryer:

1. The product is washed and peeled.
2. The vegetable is cut into slices, the thickness of which should not be more than 5 mm.
3. Pour boiling water over the slices and dry.
4. Prepared turnips are placed in an oven or electric dryer.
5. When drying in the oven, keep the door ajar for better air circulation.
6. Drying takes about 5 hours at a temperature of + 40 ° C.
7. Dried turnips are laid out in linen bags and stored in a dry, dark place.

Preservation for the winter

For fresh storage, only a fully ripe vegetable is suitable, without signs of rot and mechanical damage. If the rotting process has begun on the product, then it can be stored for the winter in canned, pickled or salted form.

Pickled turnip with apples

You will need:

• water - 1 l;
• sugar - 250 g;
• salt - 50 g;
• apple cider vinegar - ½ tbsp.;
• cinnamon - 1 tsp;
• green apples and turnips - 1 kg each.

Preparation:

1. Turnips, apples are washed and, alternating among themselves, put into a prepared container
2. Sugar, salt, cinnamon are poured into the water and brought to a boil. At the end of cooking, vinegar is added to the marinade.
3. The marinade is cooled to room temperature and prepared apples and turnips are poured.
4. Preservation is removed in a warm place for pickling. To avoid the ingredients floating up, a weight must be placed on the container.
5. After 2 weeks, the workpiece is ready for use.

Canned turnip with beets

Products for harvesting:

• small turnip - 1 kg;
• beets - 1 pc.;
• vinegar - 150 ml;
• garlic - 6 cloves;
• water - 1.5 l;
• salt - 5 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

1. The turnips are thoroughly washed, cut into slices, covered with 3 tbsp. l. salt and leave for 4 hours until the juice is released.
2. At the end of the salting, the slices are washed under running water and placed in sterile jars.
3. Garlic, cut into small slices, and beets, cut into slices are placed in jars.
4. The water is brought to a boil, salt and vinegar are added.
5. Vegetables are poured with the resulting marinade and covered with nylon lids.

Salted turnip for the winter

For cooking you will need:

• turnip - 1 kg;
• coarse salt - 500 g;
• cumin - 200 g;
• cabbage leaves - 5 pcs.

Cooking method:

1. Root vegetables are washed, peeled and cut into slices.
2. Salt and caraway are mixed in a separate bowl.
3. The resulting slices are laid in layers in a prepared container with a wide neck, sprinkling each layer with a mixture of salt and caraway seeds. Thus, all vegetables are stacked.
4. Vegetables are poured to the very top with boiled water, covered with cabbage leaves, a wooden circle and a load are installed.
5. The workpiece is removed for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
6. After 2 weeks, the pickles are ready to eat.

How to store turnips in the cellar in winter

In the cellar, at a temperature of + 3 ° C, the turnip retains its freshness and aroma for six months. In this place, it can be stored in several ways:

1. In sand - vegetables are laid out in a box so that they do not come into contact with each other, in 2-3 layers.Sprinkle each layer with moistened sand. The topmost layer is covered with wet sawdust.
2. In clay - each fruit is dipped in a clay mash. Dried turnips are laid out in prepared boxes or laid out in one layer on shelving shelves. The method is good in that the clay crust protects the turnip from premature drying out and rotting.
3. In ash - each turnip is powdered with wood ash. The alkaline environment that forms after processing will protect it from premature decay. Prepared vegetables are placed in wooden or paper boxes, pre-lined with polyethylene to retain moisture.

To prevent the vegetables from being gnawed by the mice, elderberry branches are laid out next to the boxes. This plant has a pungent odor that repels rodents.

Tips & Tricks

If there is no cellar on the garden plot, then the collected turnips can be stored in ditches. Storage method:

1. A ditch 70 cm deep is dug on a dry hill.
2. The bottom is covered with straw, on which the harvested crop is laid so that the vegetables do not come into contact with each other. Each layer is sprinkled with dry sand.
3. The moat is covered with sand so that the embankment is up to 30 cm high. So that rainwater does not lead to decay of the root crop, longitudinal trenches are dug nearby.
4. Before the start of frost, the embankment is covered with rotted compost, straw or fallen leaves with a layer of 10-15 cm.

Turnip is a versatile and very healthy vegetable. It can be used to prepare a variety of dishes that will appeal to both adults and children. Use of turnips in cooking:

1. It is suitable for cooking vegetable caviar, it is stuffed with mushrooms.
2. Add to salads. It goes well with sour apples, cabbage, pumpkin and carrots. The best dressing for a turnip salad is sour cream, unrefined butter, natural yogurt with citric acid or apple cider vinegar.
3. The root vegetable is added to millet porridge, soups, and filling for pies.

Conclusion

There are several ways to store turnips, you just need to know the rules for collecting and storing vegetables. By listening to the advice of experienced gardeners, the root crop can be kept fresh and fragrant for six months.

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