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Root celery is a vegetable crop that, if properly grown and stored, can lay until the next harvest. Its taste and aroma are not as rich as that of leaf combs, and the content of vitamins, minerals and other useful substances is high. Celery root should be removed on time, otherwise it will not ripen or be damaged by frost, which will significantly reduce keeping quality.
When to remove root celery from the garden
Celery root crops can be eaten when they reach a diameter of 5 cm. After full ripening, their size increases significantly, and their weight can exceed 500 g. But it is important to choose the right time for harvesting root celery for the winter not because of its volume. Though it matters too.
Celery has a long growing season - an average of 200 days from germination. The root crop begins to form in the second half of summer, with the bulk of the mass gain occurring from August to September. And the vegetable also needs a ripening period, when the peel acquires the necessary density and becomes able to protect the pulp from moisture loss and infection.
You should not rush or delay harvesting celery root for storage. If this is done too early, the crop will not have enough time to gain enough nutrients, form a dense skin, and will not lie well. Root celery is not afraid of short-term frosts. But exposure to low temperatures reduces its shelf life. Root vegetables will need to be eaten in the near future or processed.
Harvesting times depend on the growing region and weather. Naturally, the early varieties are dug up first, and the later ones are kept in the garden almost until frost. It is also necessary to take into account what will be done with the root crops after collection. Early and mid-season are eaten fresh or processed. They are intended for short-term storage, so the time of their excavation can be determined, although not arbitrarily, but rather approximately. Usually they are guided by the varietal description, which indicates the approximate time that must elapse from emergence to harvest.
Late root celery is another matter. It can be stored until the next harvest, and the harvest time should be determined with maximum accuracy. In addition to the fact that this needs to be done before serious frosts, gardeners are guided by the following signs:
- the first snow, if it fell before a strong drop in temperature;
- yellowing and wilting of the upper part of the leaves, unless this is caused by disease, pests or dry soil;
- roots are dug out after harvesting late varieties of cabbage.
If we talk approximately, then in the south, the culture can be kept in the garden until mid or late November. The harvesting period for celery root in the Middle Lane is October. In the north, late varieties usually do not ripen in the open field. They are grown in greenhouses, or brought from warmer regions.
When to harvest root celery in the suburbs
Late varieties ripen well near Moscow. They need to be removed when the signs listed above appear, if a prolonged frost is not expected earlier. Typically, late root celery in the region is harvested by late October or early November. There are no problems at all with early and mid-season varieties in the Moscow region.
When to harvest celery root in the Urals
Late varieties in the Urals often do not have time to ripen before frost. They are grown under a film cover or not planted at all. In any case, the weather in the Urals is unpredictable and changeable.
If the gardener is not ready at any time to cover the planting with heat-preserving material, the late varieties of root celery should be discarded and the early and mid-ripening varieties should be grown. They are harvested, focusing on the signs of ripening, starting from the end of August, throughout September, and, if the weather permits, at the beginning of October.
When to harvest celery root in Siberia
Only early varieties of root celery ripen well in Siberia. Planting mid-season sometimes ends in failure - year after year does not occur and frosts can begin early.
In Siberia, root crops are dug up when the signs of ripening, described above, appear. For early varieties, this is usually the end of August - early September, mid-season ones are dug up in September-October. Roots that have fallen under low temperatures or have not had time to ripen are used for harvesting and eaten fresh. And in order to keep fresh celery even for a little while, you should plant mid-season and early varieties.
Rules for harvesting celery root
The crop is harvested in dry cloudy weather. The ground should be moist, but not wet. If it rained the day before, it is better to wait - celery dug out immediately after precipitation or watering is stored worse. So you also need to guess with soil moisture - focusing on the mechanical composition of the soil, make it no later than 3 days before harvesting.
They dig out the celery with a pitchfork or a shovel - as anyone is comfortable with, but you need to retreat from the tops at a decent distance so as not to damage the roots. It is possible to pull them out of the ground by the leaves only on light, loose soils, where no effort is needed for this.
Root crops are freed from large lumps of soil. If they were dug in cold weather, they cannot be brought into a warm room immediately, the temperature must be raised gradually. The root celery removed from the wet ground is dried under a canopy or in a well-ventilated cool room.
Then, thin roots and tops are cut off, leaving the columns about 2 cm. Sorting is carried out. Root crops are rejected:
- with signs of mechanical damage;
- too small;
- affected by diseases or pests;
- deformed;
- with a soft top;
- emitting a ringing sound when tapped (this is a sign of emptiness inside).
How to store root celery for the winter
Late root celery varieties grown on loose soils without excessive nitrogen fertilization are stored best and for the longest time. Harvesting in dry weather before the onset of frost, but after the roots are fully ripe, increases keeping quality.
Root celery can be peeled, cut into pieces and dried or frozen, used for winter harvesting. But it's best to keep it fresh.
Root celery is a vegetable with a long shelf life. This is a culture with a two-year development cycle, being in a state of winter dormancy, it slows down the growth processes, and does not stop them altogether. The main task of the hostess during storage of root crops is to prevent their germination and the development of diseases. Under optimal conditions, late varieties will last until the next harvest.
How to store celery root at home
Root celery can be stored in the refrigerator by rinsing with a brush and cutting off any small appendages.It is laid out in bags or wrapped in cling film and placed in the vegetable department.
You can store root vegetables on a glazed balcony or loggia. They will lie longer, the closer the temperature is to the optimum - from 2 to 4 ° C. Root celery is put in boxes or bags and sprinkled with wet sand or peat. It is necessary to sort out the root crops from time to time and moisten the substrate in which they are stored. Humidity should be at 90-95%.
Damaged root vegetables can be peeled, cut into thin petals and dried. For freezing, they are divided into cubes, and in the future they are used only for preparing hot dishes.
How to store root celery in a cellar for the winter
Sorted healthy roots will stay fresh for the longest time in the cellar or basement at a temperature of 2-4 ° C and a humidity of 90-95%. Just like for storage on the balcony, they are laid out with the stalks upward in boxes or bags of peat or sand. The substrate must be kept moist at all times.
Root celery should be periodically removed from the substrate, vegetables that are beginning to deteriorate should be removed, and the sand or peat should be moistened with water.
If there are different fruits and vegetables in the cellar that need different conditions, use a different method. Storage of root celery in winter is possible at temperatures and humidity that are different from optimal, if the root crops are dipped in a mash made of clay and water. Then they are dried and stacked in rows.
After harvesting, storing root celery in a trench filled with earth on the street, counting on the absence of frost, is not worth it even in the southern regions. After all, a real winter may come there, and the soil will freeze. But it's even worse if the roots germinate. It will no longer be possible to take them for food.
Shelf life of root celery
In the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, washed and wrapped in cellophane, healthy roots will lie for about a month.
Root celery can be stored at room temperature for 4 days.
Cut or peeled, wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator, it will lie for up to a week.
Root celery can be stored on a glassed-in loggia in wet sand or peat all winter.
Roots remain fresh for the longest time in the cellar or basement. Under the right conditions, they will last 3-6 months. You need to eat early celery varieties quickly, late ones can lie until spring.
For more than six months, root crops are stored in special vegetable stores with controlled temperature and humidity.
Conclusion
You need to harvest celery root on time, and store it correctly. Only then will it retain its taste, nutrients and beneficial properties. If you grow your root vegetables yourself and handle them correctly from the very beginning, you can eat hot dishes and salads with fresh celery all winter.
