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Recommendations on how to store beets in the cellar or basement until spring. How to store beets? Some useful tips How to properly store beets in a city apartment

Vegetables will not last long at room temperature. They need to be kept cold.

Rinse the root crops thoroughly, cut off the tips on both sides and dry. The cut points should tighten.

Put the vegetables in a tight plastic bag and tie it tightly, releasing excess air and blocking the entry of new. For reliability, you can put the vegetables in a second bag and tie it too.

Place the beets in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. It's okay if water droplets appear inside the bag. The condensation will disappear in a few days.

Beets can be frozen both raw and boiled. Pre-cooking will save you time in the future when preparing meals.

Peel raw or boiled vegetables from the skin, and then grate them on a coarse grater or cut into small cubes or sticks.

Divide the beets into plastic containers or bags. You can use vacuum freezer bags or regular plastic bags. From the usual will have to release the air on their own.

Close the containers, zip or tie the bags, and place the blanks in the freezer.

How to store beets in the cellar

Beetroot will keep well in the cellar if you pour it on top. But if this method does not suit you, there are several more reliable methods.

Remove the vegetables from the buttocks and dry thoroughly on fresh air. The cut points should tighten. But make sure that the beets do not lie for a long time in direct sunlight.

Put the root vegetables in strong plastic bags, release the air and tie. You can additionally sprinkle the beets with coniferous sawdust, although it is well stored even without it.

Cut off the tops of the beets, leaving about 1 cm. Then dry the vegetables in the fresh air and clean them from the ground.

Line the bottom of wooden or plastic crates with 2–4 cm of sawdust, sand, or moss. The filler must be dry.

In one layer, spread the root crops on top at a small distance from each other.

Cover vegetables with stuffing.

Repeat layers until you run out of beets. Sprinkle a thick layer of filler on top.

It is worth taking care of the winter preservation of root crops even during harvesting. Often the cause of spoilage is that the beet roots were dug up earlier or later than the time, with the wrong tool, and even damaged the skin.

When is the best time to harvest?

The optimal time for digging varies by region. AT middle lane this is the beginning or middle of October, in the south - the end of October, and in a dry and warm autumn - the beginning of November, until persistent cold sets in. During harvesting, the weather must be dry.

How to properly dig beets

Some summer residents simply pull out root crops for the remains of tops. This leads to mechanical damage, and during winter storage, the beets begin to deteriorate. Despite the fact that the vegetable is partially above the soil surface, its roots hold tightly to the ground, and if you pull sharply, part of the root will come off and remain in the garden. Subsequently, the place of separation will become a source of infection with pathogenic microbes. Therefore, it is better to dig out with a garden pitchfork, and if necessary, dig in with a shovel.

The dug out root crops are piled up, then the earth is carefully removed from them. Do not hit the vegetables against each other or hit them with a knife, otherwise the skin will be damaged. It is better to leave a little earth than the beets will be spoiled during winter storage. In peeled vegetables, you can slightly cut the root so that about 7 cm remains, and also cut off the lateral thread-like roots. The tops are not completely removed, leaving a few millimeters.

Drying

You can dry vegetables before storing them on shelves, racks or, weather permitting, right on the ground. Root crops usually dry out in a few hours, but if they were dug up in wet weather, this process can take a day or two or more.

Beet requirements for storage conditions in the basement

The main difficulty in storing beet tubers is that this plant does not have a dormant period. This means that at a temperature of +7 ° C, new tops begin to grow. Therefore, it is necessary to provide the vegetable with such conditions under which it will not freeze and at the same time will not start growing. The optimum temperature is from +1 to +2 °C, up to +4 °C is allowed. Humidity should be at least 90-95%. This is important, because at lower humidity, the roots begin to wither.

Underground storage of beets: the main methods

in boxes

Suitable for storing vegetables for long-term storage wooden boxes with solid walls, with a capacity of not more than 20 kg, with a loose-fitting lid (a gap is needed for ventilation). If there is high humidity in the cellar, vegetables should be sprinkled with slaked lime mixed with sand, dry viburnum leaves, salt or sawdust, and stored in this form.

Lime forms an alkaline environment in which microorganisms do not survive, and other materials absorb moisture well. Of course, you do not need to pour everything at once, but with one thing. To prepare lime filling, mix 10 kg of sand with 200 g of chalk or lime. With this method of storage, the beets must be washed very thoroughly before cooking.

In wooden boxes

This method involves the construction of compartments with a height of about 1 m. Wooden shields are used as partitions, fixing them perpendicular to the underground wall. Wooden shields are also laid on the floor, and beets are poured on them. The width, height and depth of the structure should be 1 m, this is enough for the vegetables to be well ventilated.

On shelves

Each basement has racks (shelves) where vegetables can be stored until the middle of winter. Beets are simply stacked in the form of pyramids on the shelves and used if necessary. It's not the most efficient The best way, but for short-term storage it is quite suitable.

over potatoes

Experienced gardeners consider this method one of the best. In their opinion, the beets take away the excess moisture that the potatoes evaporate, and therefore do not fade. The disadvantage of this method is that it will be inconvenient to get potatoes from under the beets.

In baskets

If there are baskets with holes (for example, wicker), you can store beets in them, pouring them with dry, calcined sand. By the way, this method ensures the safety of vegetables not only in the basement, but also in a city apartment.

Why does beetroot keep poorly?

Many gardeners are concerned about this issue. It would seem that everything is done correctly, but during the winter a large amount of beets have to be thrown away. It's all about diseases: they not only worsen the taste of vegetables, but also cause them to spoil prematurely. The following is a list of the main diseases in which root crops deteriorate most often.

Gray rot

This disease develops on those specimens of vegetables that have mechanical damage or are stored frozen. This is usually the result of careless or untimely cleaning.

white rot

The appearance of this type of rot is caused by the fact that during the ripening period the plants received too much phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers.

phimosis and fusarium

Infection with these diseases occurs even at a time when the beets are in the garden bed. During the harvest, you need to carefully inspect the tubers in order to reject the sick. The disease is provoked by microorganisms, and if you put damaged specimens underground for storage, healthy root crops will certainly become infected and begin to rot. More information on how to identify tubers affected by these diseases can be found in textbooks on beet farming.

Heart rot

A rather specific disease that occurs with an unfavorable combination of several factors. When a dry and hot summer comes after a wet spring, and there is not enough boron salts in the soil, it is highly likely that in winter time roots will start to spoil. When harvested, all vegetables look perfectly healthy, so the only way to prevent this disease from appearing is to water the plants well during the drought period and feed them in a timely manner with complex fertilizer.

Whether you grow beets yourself or buy them in the fall, you will definitely have to decide how to store beets at home. It is necessary that the root crops do not rot, wilted and dry. So that all winter you can cook a variety of dishes from it and serve not only healthy, but also delicious food.

The task is simplified if you are the owner of a well-equipped underground or basement in a private house. Sawdust, dry sand, clay and wooden boxes, that's all you need to keep the beets juicy and unspoiled.

And if you live in a city apartment, but you always need to have some kind of beet stock on hand, what should you do? A few fresh beets should be in the kitchen at all times. Especially if the family loves borscht and salads, and the hostess understands how much this is necessary for everyone: from old to small.

Perhaps, only carrots and potatoes can be more accessible than beets. Yes, and it is easier to save the beet crop until spring than, say, cucumbers or tomatoes.

Light varieties of beets

First of all, you need to know which variety is worth buying for storage, and which one is better to use quickly. It is most profitable to take beets at autumn farmers' markets, from trusted sellers, using the recommendations and reviews of regular customers.

Root crops from large retail chains are processed with chemicals (from rodents and for keeping quality), which does not add usefulness to the human body. Especially when you consider that we are not told how they process what people use for food.

Try to find out what kind of beets the sellers offer if you buy them.
If you are planting yourself, carefully choose the varieties for planting. On the packages of seeds, it is always noted whether the variety is soft or not.

The best keeping quality in the following varieties:

  • Late winter A-474;
  • Libero;
  • Mulatto;
  • single-growth;
  • Cold resistant 19;
  • Gribovskaya flat A473;
  • Boltardi;
  • Bordeaux-237;
  • Renova;
  • Salad.

Probably the most popular and favorite variety among Russian summer residents is the Cylinder. She grows well, has excellent taste qualities, but not stored for a long time (no more than 2 months).

This long, cigar-shaped beetroot is best eaten quickly. All efforts to keep it for the winter at home until the next harvest will be in vain.

When to Clean and How to Prepare

Proper preparation of beets for storage for the winter is an important step. Ideally, medium-sized, even, undamaged tubers are suitable. Preparation begins with harvesting, if you grow it yourself.

Digging up beets seems to be an easy task, except for strained muscles and a buzzing back. However, there are tricks in this simple matter, and it is useful to know them in order to preserve what has been growing all summer with such labor.

  1. You can not scratch the delicate beet skin, just pulling the tubers out of the ground.
  2. Take a fork and pry, lift the plant under the roots, being careful not to injure the tuber.
  3. Lift the tops and pull out the beets.
  4. Shake off the ground.
  5. Scatter to dry so that each beetroot lies loose and well ventilated.

You need to harvest in dry weather before the first frost. Frozen or broken root crops are not suitable for bookmarking. Just one spoiled vegetable can infect and kill neighbors in a very short time. You will have to forget about beet stocks for the winter.

But there will be more worries about pulling rot out of the underground or drawers. Yes, and cleaning the place of unsuccessful storage of beets is not a pleasant task. It is worth missing and rot will infect the room with a fungus that will have to be washed, dried and processed. It is not easy to remove the mold that has settled on the walls.

Keep beets from the garden dry

If the weather is warm, leave the dug beets along with the tops right on the garden bed. Let it lie down for three hours, wind and dry. It is not worth leaving it outside for a long time in order to prevent wilting due to loss of moisture or soaking in the rain.

note

In no case do not wash the beets before storing them.

If you dug up a crop from wet ground, you will have to dry it in a well-ventilated area at a temperature of 10 to 15 degrees, or under a canopy.

Scatter the beetroots in a single layer on paper, burlap, or wood flooring and air it outside for a couple of days to allow the soil left on the tubers to completely dry and crumble. Clean it in the underground or boxes should be exceptionally dry and clean.

good advice

The same drying principles must be followed if you brought a couple of kilograms from the store. Dry the purchased beets and do not store in a bunch in a plastic bag. Without air, it will rot. But too dry kitchen air is not good for root crops. They dry out quickly and should not be eaten.

Do not lose sight of the following steps:

  • If soil remains on the tubers, it must be removed very carefully. In no case do not clean off the dirt with a knife or other objects, so as not to damage the thin skin. Do not be lazy, with hands in fabric gloves, clean each root crop from lumps.
  • Cut off the tops sharp knife. Do not twist the leaves with your hands, do not cut everything at the root. Leave tops up to a centimeter long.
  • Remove the side roots, and cut off the main tail-root to 5 centimeters.

While removing roots and excess tops, sort the root crops immediately. Set aside small or damaged beets for processing and use first. Too large ones are also better stored separately, but they do not need urgent processing. They just need to be better monitored - there may be hidden defects in large tubers.

On a note

Substandard beet tubers will have to be processed and stored in jars, in the form of dressings and salads. Either frozen, previously passed through a grater or cut into pieces. Another option is to cut into thin slices and dry in household dryers such as Sukhovey.

Ideal for long-term storage even root crops with a diameter of 8-12 centimeters. Such beets are stored for a long time and are quickly cooked. It can be taken until the new harvest, and it will not be sluggish or rotten.

How to store beets at home (in the apartment)

In an apartment, they usually do not buy beets in large quantities. But 20 kilograms can be placed in a specially insulated balcony or loggia. To do this, they make special chests with insulating walls or use boxes, wrapping them up. If there is a balcony protected from drafts, the shelf life of beets increases to 8 months.

On the loggia, these chests for storing vegetables perfectly disguise themselves as sofas, performing a dual function.

For those who do not have handy men, but you need to store vegetables, including beets, use improvised means. For example, plastic boxes from stores that are usually thrown away. Such racks can be arranged even on an unglazed balcony.

True, you will have to wrap the improvised storage very carefully and use the tubers before the onset of severe frosts. On the loggia, they perform their task until the next harvest, if necessary.

All these efforts are worth it to use vegetables grown naturally and not treated with chemical preparations for family nutrition. Namely, such you bring from the store. Where do they come from storage facilities, where root crops are protected from rodents and rot by special means. Otherwise, the trade in inexpensive vegetables will become unprofitable.

If the temperature on the balcony does not drop below plus 2 degrees, put the beets in boxes with sand or dry sawdust and stack them on top of each other. The main thing is that the filler is dry and clean.

If there is no loggia or balcony, then the shelf life of beets in the apartment is about 2 months, no more. Find a place where the temperature does not rise above 12 degrees. A pantry or a dark closet in the hallway is perfect.

But in this case, it would be better if you take the time and process the purchased beets, put them in the freezer or pickle them in jars.

In the refrigerator, beets are placed wrapped in parchment, wrapping paper or food foil. You will have to wrap each root crop so that it does not become flabby.

For long-term storage of beets in an apartment, this method is not rational (there is not enough space), although beets can be stored in this way for up to 90 days or even more.

Underfloor storage

If there is an underground or cellar, there are many ways to lay root crops for winter storage, and each owner has his own secret. Everyone knows what beets need for long-term storage. Taking into account this knowledge and based on their characteristics of the basement (deep or shallow; raw or dry), a place is arranged for storing each vegetable.

The subfloor must be prepared in advance: cleaned of debris and dried before laying vegetables for long-term storage. There should not be any traces of mold or moisture in it. Well, if it has shelving. In their absence, the floor is laid with boardwalks at a height of at least 15-20 cm.

Under what conditions beets are stored for a long time:

  • temperature from 2 to 4 degrees with a plus sign;
  • the room is dark;
  • humidity is quite high -80%;
  • drafts are excluded;
  • there is ventilation;
  • temperature constant;
  • root crops are not scattered on the floor.

At 4 degrees Celsius, roots and tops begin to grow rapidly in root crops, which significantly reduces the shelf life and increases the risk that everything harvested will be lost.

Note

You can store beets along with well-dried and properly prepared potatoes for storage. Beet tubers are stacked on potatoes in one layer. So they get the moisture that potato tubers give off.

Useful to consider

  1. Beets keep well in boxes with clean sand. Sand must be calcined in the sun in advance. Pour a layer of a couple of centimeters, lay the beet tubers at a small distance from each other and cover with sand to cover with a layer of two centimeters. It's enough.
  2. To prevent pests from spoiling the beets, take a bucket of wood ash. Each tuber must be powdered with ash before being stored. This is done simply: each root crop is dipped in ashes. Instead of ash, for the same purposes, you can use crushed chalk.
  3. If you plan to store beets in bulk, be sure to place a wooden pallet under the boxes to allow air to circulate. And do not forget that beets can be stored 15 centimeters from the floor, but not on the floor itself, even if it is wooden.

Beets are a vegetable that not only nourishes, but also heals. It is enjoyed by both children and adults. From it you can cook an incredible number of dishes. Therefore, it is worthwhile to think carefully about how to store beets at home, so as not to deprive the home of a source of valuable nutrients during the long cold months.

Outline a plan of action before you need to urgently place beets and other vegetables for storage:

  1. Prepare boxes in advance.
  2. Build a chest when it comes to storage on the loggia.
  3. Buy baskets made from natural materials for vegetables, if the storage space is only in the kitchen.
  4. Consider where to get the filler and which one is better to use.

Even if it seems to you that there are no conditions for more or less long-term storage of beets in your apartment, they can be created. Or come up with devices such as boxes and chests combined with household utensils.

In any case, beets are worth the trouble, just like carrots and cabbage with potatoes. These vegetables form the basis healthy eating. In a house where they want to see the family healthy, beets are served on the table almost daily.

It is impossible to give a single advice on how to store beets at home, since the conditions are all different for us. However, knowing what beets need to stay fresh all winter, you can and should come up with something of your own, special. Convenient, environmentally friendly, not interfering with the life of households with a shortage of space in a city apartment.

And ... They didn’t come up with anything better than wooden chests, boxes or wicker baskets for storing beets for the winter, despite huge selection plastic containers of all sizes and stripes.

The main purpose of cellars and basements is to store vegetables in winter period. The third most popular garden vegetable after potatoes and carrots is beets. It grows well even in harsh climates and does not require particularly complex care. For canning, beets are practically not used, but in fresh and boiled form they are added to many dishes of Russian and Ukrainian cuisine. A lot has already been said about how to store beets in the cellar in winter. I propose to systematize this knowledge and put it on the shelves.

Proper collection and preparation of root crops for laying

For digging beets, it is better to choose a dry and sunny day. Since an impressive part of the “body” of the beet is above the ground, it does not tolerate night frosts. If the vegetable freezes, then it will be bad to lie in the winter. The frozen part will quickly begin to deteriorate and rot. Therefore, choose the right time to harvest. In the middle lane, beets are harvested in October, and in the southern latitudes - at the end of October - November.

Beets are afraid of frost, as most of the root crop is above the ground.

If the digging of beets fell on rainy weather, the root crops will need to be dried. Humidity promotes the active reproduction of pathogens and fungi that damage vegetables, cause rot and mold.

Root crops should be carefully dug up with a shovel or pitchfork and pulled out of the ground by the tops. Perform all actions carefully, trying not to damage the skin. Any crack or scratch on the surface of the vegetable will make it difficult to store, as it " opened door» for bacteria.

After the harvest is harvested, it is worth carrying out a number of simple manipulations:

  1. We clean. Gently shake off and clean off the adhering soil from the root crops. We clean the dirt with hands in garden gloves or a rag. It is better not to use a knife or spatula for this, as vegetables are very easy to damage with sharp objects. Also, do not beat the root crops on hard surfaces or against each other to beat off the stuck ground.
  2. We cut off the roots. We remove the thin lateral roots completely, shorten the central root to 6-7 centimeters. These actions are also performed by hand. If the central root is too thick, you can trim it with secateurs or scissors.
  3. We remove the tops. We collect beet leaves in a bunch and cut to a height of half a centimeter. We do not cut the tops too short, so as not to affect the root crop itself.
  4. We dry. Beets can be laid out on a mat outdoors to dry, weather permitting. Or sprinkle it in a layer in one vegetable in a dry and well-ventilated area. If the harvest was going in the rain, the vegetables should be dried for at least a week.
  5. Let's sort by size. Clean and dried root crops should be sorted by size. It is ideal to store vegetables of medium size, rounded and dense. Too large (as well as too small) root crops are stored worse. We immediately separate spoiled or damaged vegetables. It is best to put them in the refrigerator in order to use them first or recycle them.

The harvest is ready for laying in the cellar. It remains to create the necessary conditions for storage in the cellar itself, properly prepare the place and take some preventive measures.

Cellar temperature and humidity

Keeping beets in the cellar is easy. It is enough to follow the rules specific to the storage of most root crops. In a well-built basement or cellar, protected from cold and moisture, these conditions are easily met. However, in order for crop losses to be minimal and burgundy vegetables to last until the next season, it is worth paying additional attention to several points.

Burgundy root crops are well stored if the conditions necessary for them are observed.

The main factors affecting the preservation of root crops in the winter in the cellar or underground are air temperature and indoor humidity.

Properly store beets at a temperature of 0 to +2 degrees. If the cellar is warm, the vegetables will quickly begin to wither. A slight increase in temperature (up to +4 degrees) leads to the germination of beets. The vegetable also does not tolerate freezing. Therefore, if the weather forecast promises quick frosts, cover the beet boxes with felt, burlap or straw.

The humidity required for the best preservation of burgundy root crops is 90%. This is enough high rate compared to other vegetables.

Good ventilation in the room is also important. The air in the cellar must circulate and not stagnate. Otherwise, rot will quickly form on the fruits.

Before lowering the crop into the cellar, it is advisable to equip the room - make shelves or racks inside. It is not recommended to place boxes with beets on a clay or concrete floor. Also, you can not lean them against the walls of the room, as condensation often forms on them. As a last resort, you can simply build a flooring from planks. The distance from boxes or bags of vegetables to the floor should be at least 15 centimeters.

Beet storage boxes must have ventilation holes. If you are storing root vegetables in sieve vegetable containers, note that the open spaces should not be more than 5cm in size. Otherwise, the smallest representatives of root crops will fall out. You can make special bins for beets, about 1 meter high, like for potatoes.

Before laying the crop, clean the cellar, dry the room and treat the walls with lime. This will help keep the crop from mold and microorganisms. If rodents live in your basement, take care of their timely eviction from your territory.

Inspect boxes of root crops from time to time. Vegetables that have begun to deteriorate should be removed immediately.

Ways to store beets in the cellar

Each vegetable has its own (favorable for him) storage conditions. However, in general, the same rules are typical for the maturation of most root crops. Beets are even easier to store than carrots or potatoes.

It is not difficult to store beets - they are less whimsical than other vegetables.

How to properly store beets:

  • With potatoes. Scatter the beets in an even layer on top of the potatoes in a potato box. In doing so, we create optimal conditions for both vegetables. Potatoes love dryness and spoil quickly during wet room. But beets need a little more moisture than most vegetables. Under such conditions, the beets will not only feel good, but also take away excess moisture from the potatoes, thereby protecting them from decay.
  • In small boxes with holes. Beets are poured into small wooden or plastic boxes. You don't need to cover the boxes. They must have air holes.
  • Pyramids on the shelves Burgundy root crops can be stored directly on the racks and collected in pyramids. Pre-shelves are covered with burlap or straw. Pyramids should not touch the walls of the basement and the upper shelves.
  • Ash or sand . We put the beets in wooden boxes and sprinkle with wood ash or sand. As for the sand, beets can be completely buried in it. The main thing is to pre-ignite it in order to disinfect it. For storage of crops, it is best to take river sand.
  • Sprinkle with salt. This method is similar to the previous one, only table salt is used as an adsorbent. Copiously "salt" the vegetables in the boxes, or dip each root vegetable in a strong saline solution and dry. After that, put away for storage.
  • Mixed with leaves. Lay the root crops with leaves of mountain ash, wormwood or fern. These plants prevent the active reproduction of pathogenic microflora, as they release volatile substances, phytoncides.
  • Immersion of roots in clay. Dilute the greasy clay solution with water. The density of a properly diluted clay mass should resemble sour cream. You can add some chalk to the clay. Dip each root crop individually in the solution and let it dry. Repeat procedure. After re-drying, you can clean the beets for storage.
  • In large plastic bags. This method can be used for small basements where you want to save space. The bags are placed not on the floor of the cellar, but on wooden coasters or bricks. Try not to put more than 40 kilograms of root crops in one bag.

The best way to store beets is to put them in a box on top of potatoes.

By choosing any of these methods and maintaining the required microclimate in the cellar, you can keep the beet harvest until the next season. The best are mid- and late-ripening varieties of beets. For example:

  • Bordeaux 237.
  • Late winter A-474.
  • Egyptian flat.
  • Red ball.
  • Libero.

Knowing how to properly store beets, you can significantly reduce the loss of harvest of this root crop in the winter.