How To Store Beets

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

You can keep the beets unchanged until the next harvest. To do this, you need to know when and how to collect and in what conditions to store. There are rules and methods of storage, and we will talk about this in more detail

Preparing beets for storage

The keeping quality of the root crop largely depends on the competent collection. For long-term storage, you need to remove well-ripened fruits. The digging activity is carried out in dry weather. Tops must also be removed correctly. It is cut off with a sharp knife, leaving a small "hemp". You can not break out the foliage with your hands, as the fetus will be injured, which will provoke the development of diseases.

It is important to sort out the excavated crop, sort out all defective specimens, with the presence of soft areas, hardening and damage. Dry the remaining high-quality fruits in a ventilated place. One day is usually sufficient. Beets should not be washed before storage.

Storing beets in the cellar

The ideal conditions for the preservation of root crops is a temperature of about +2, moisture is not more than 85%. Typically, this "mode" is created in the cellar. If the cellar is made correctly and has ventilation, the humidity is always within the normal range.

There are three ways to store beets. It is best to put the dried fruit in wicker baskets or boxes. Experienced vegetable growers sprinkle the fruits with ashes. This removes excess moisture. The second option is sand storage. In this case, you can use a container, such as a bucket. A layer of sand is poured at the bottom, vegetables are stacked in layers, between which sand is poured. This method guarantees optimal humidity and prevents mold / decay.

A small crop can be folded into a plastic bag, a bag of granulated sugar. It is better to make several small "packages" of 3-5 kg and place them on the bottom shelf in the cellar. You cannot tie it, otherwise condensation will appear, and rotting will pass. This option requires regular inspection, as it is not very reliable - the vegetable in the lower layers is practically devoid of "breathing".

Storing beets in the apartment

Not everyone has a cellar, so most of the summer residents keep their "man-made values" in the apartment. Where to place the beets? There are two suitable places: a glazed loggia and a refrigerator.

If you have the opportunity to put a box of sand on the balcony / loggia, then this will be a good storage. It is important to have a thermometer and be comfortable. If it falls below zero, then you need to wrap the container with root vegetables with a blanket or bring it into the room. If possible, overexpose frosty days in the refrigerator, and then take it out to the balcony again. By the way, the sand in the boxes can be replaced with a crumpled newspaper or slip of the tongue.

With a refrigerator, everything is simple. The beets are folded into breathable bags (polyethylene) and placed on the bottom shelf.

Storing beets in the freezer

Your plot is small and you are growing some beets, then you can freeze them. Preparation takes time, but the vegetable will be stored until spring without problems and loss of useful properties. Beets need to be washed, peeled, grated or cut into pieces. All this is packed in polyethylene, compacted and sent to the freezer.

The best neighbors for beets

A compact cellar does not make it possible to place vegetables in isolation, at a sufficient distance. Everything is close by here. In this case, the kindest and safest neighbors will be potatoes and carrots. Many do it easier: beets are placed on top of a box with potatoes. Experienced gardeners claim that potatoes protect against rotting. Turnip is also a useful neighbor.

What to do if the beets are "sick"

Despite the correct storage, sometimes putrefactive manifestations occur on root crops. This fact leads to the rapid spread of infection, which can destroy the entire vegetable supply.

You can avoid this - before laying, you need to carefully examine each fruit and send only healthy ones to storage. It is required to periodically monitor the condition of the beets, since they can be affected by fomoz or fusarium.

It is not difficult to recognize this problem: a black spot appears on the fruits, in the area of which compaction is observed. The affected vegetable loses its keeping quality, voids form at the spot of the spots, which makes it unusable. If such defects are found, it is necessary to exclude the spread of the disease - to immediately isolate these vegetables.

Often, beets have heart rot. With such a problem, the vegetable is not stored for a long time, so it must be immediately placed separately from healthy fruits. This phenomenon can be recognized during harvesting by the state of the tops. If you see underdeveloped, withered foliage and a small head size, set aside such fruits, store them separately and try to use them first.

Now you know how to keep the beet harvest until spring.