2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
After reviewing the information about which pumpkin varieties are best suited for storage, as well as where and in what form it is better to store it and how to safely keep the cherished harvest in the basement, it is time to move on to the main nuances of storing pumpkin at home. In a standard city apartment, you can save juicy pumpkins in the pantry, on a glazed loggia or balcony, or in the refrigerator. And if too many vegetables were harvested, incredibly tasty candied fruits, the most delicate mashed potatoes, vitamin juice or even pickled vegetable salads can be made from part of the harvest
Storage in the apartment
Pumpkin is a rather large vegetable, so it can be very problematic to store it in city apartments. In addition, the pumpkin needs darkness and coolness and takes up quite a lot of space.
Ideally, if the apartment has a pantry, the pumpkin should be stored there, placing the fruits on shelves specially equipped for them. Most importantly, the pantry should be cold enough.
If there is no storage room in the apartment, you can build several shelves on the glazed balcony or loggia. The pumpkin is placed on them very carefully to prevent the fruit from touching each other. And so that the direct rays of the sun do not fall on the pumpkins, they must be covered with a thick cloth. From time to time you need to inspect the fruits for their integrity. If suddenly severe frosts hit, the pumpkin needs to be wrapped tightly and warmly - it tolerates negative temperatures very badly.
As for storing pumpkin under the bed or in the kitchen, these are far from the best options for storing a valuable vegetable.
Cold storage
It is best to store the pumpkin in the freezer - this will help to save not only space in the refrigerator, but also the time spent in the future on its preparation. This is due to the fact that the pumpkin should be frozen completely peeled and freed from seeds. Agree, it's very convenient.
The pumpkin pulp is cut into pieces and chopped on a grater, after which it is packaged in small plastic bags (excess air must be removed) or in special trays for freezing and the container is hermetically closed. Such semi-finished products are easily stored in the freezer for up to ten to twelve months.
Storing cut fruit
It is unlikely that someone at one time manages to fully use a huge pumpkin. That is why many are wondering how to save cut vegetables. In the event that there are few pumpkins, then the fruits, peeled from seeds and cut into several pieces, can be placed in the refrigerator. If you wrap a cut pumpkin with ordinary cling film, then it will be stored for one and a half to two weeks, and if you pack it in foil, then its shelf life will increase to a month. True, such a wrapper will need to be changed from time to time. And so that the cut pieces do not fade and dry out, they are greased with vegetable oil. If you want to further increase the shelf life of the pumpkin, then it is better to resort to the storage method described above in the freezer.
It usually takes four to five hours to thaw cut vegetables. If you need the pumpkin to defrost faster, it is not forbidden to resort to the accelerated defrosting option in the oven or in the microwave.
Dry storage
Another great way to preserve nutritious pumpkin is to keep it dry. This method will eliminate the need to seriously think about where you can place a huge amount of fairly large fruits, because during drying, the pumpkin noticeably decreases in size. And you can dry it at a temperature of fifty to sixty degrees in an oven or in an electric dryer.
Immediately before drying, all pumpkins are cut into small slices no more than a centimeter thick, after which they are blanched and left to dry thoroughly for a while. And they store dried pumpkin in very tightly sealed containers, shifting its layers with clean parchment. With the right approach, the pumpkin will remain dry for about a year. Well, if you don't want to dry the fruits, you can just salt them.
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