How to save carrots and beets for the winter

Carrots and beets require careful handling both during harvesting and storage. In order to prevent spoilage and rotting of the crop, it is important to properly prepare the root crops and provide them with optimal conditions.

Harvest Rules

By following the rules for collecting carrots and beets, you will ensure their long shelf life.

How to harvest beets

Beets must be harvested before the first frost. Depending on the region, the appropriate time for harvesting is early or late October. Beetroot does not tolerate low temperatures, so harvesting should not be delayed too long.

Most often, beets are harvested in sunny weather, but they must be dried in the shade. After high-quality drying, the root crop will be easier to clean from dirt. The final step is cutting off the roots and cutting the tops. Breaks must not be allowed, otherwise in these places the vegetable will begin to rot quickly and will not survive the winter months.

How to harvest carrots

Carrots, in turn, are even more exposed to rotting processes. Harvesting carrots is also carried out before the first frost. It is impossible to tap it on the ground — otherwise it will crack, and it will have to be urgently eaten.

At the same time, carrots can be washed with warm water — beets cannot be cleaned like that. On the day of collection, the carrots must be washed, then dried in the fresh air and placed for 10 days in a room where appropriate conditions must be provided — good ventilation, temperature up to 14 ° C.

If the collection of carrots occurs on a rainy day, then after harvesting it should be spread out in a uniform layer in the garage or in the house in one layer on the bedding. In this case, the litter should be dry, and the vegetables should not touch each other.

After the carrots have dried, you will need:

1. Clean the root crops from dirt. In the case of clay soil and drying of lumps of dirt, you can leave them.
2. Select damaged roots. For long-term storage, use only strong, whole, healthy vegetables. A damaged peel opens up an entrance for the penetration of harmful microorganisms, which will quickly lead to rotting of the entire crop.
3. Sort carrots by size. Small vegetables should be used first, then medium ones, and then you can move on to large ones.
4. With a sharp knife, cut the tops 1-2 mm from the root crop. Some people cut the tops 1-2 weeks before harvest, but this makes harvesting carrots more difficult and is unlikely to increase the shelf life of vegetables.

Vegetables that are not suitable for long-term storage due to damage should be used in cooking first.

Harvest storage rules

Proper storage of the crop will provide you with tasty and healthy vegetables throughout the winter.

How to store beets

It is recommended to store beets in the cellar, in the basement, since in such storages the optimal conditions are temperature up to +2 ° C, humidity up to 90%. If these conditions are not provided, then the beets will begin to wither, deteriorate, and it will not survive the winter.

The cellar / basement must be insulated, waterproofed and protected from groundwater. It is also necessary to provide a ventilation system indoors. Make sure that it does not contain the remains of last year’s crop — if you accidentally skip one rotten vegetable, then it risks ruining the entire crop. Disinfect the premises with slaked lime or a sulfur checker.

If there is no cellar and basement, then you can store beets in the apartment. To do this, you can put the vegetable in a plastic bag without tying it, and put it at the door next to the balcony.

You can also store beets on the balcony if it is glazed. For this it is enough:

1. Put the roots in a wooden box.
2. Sprinkle each layer of vegetables with shavings, sawdust or sand (these materials should not be combined).

The main thing is that the roots do not touch each other.

You can store beets in the same bag with potatoes, especially if there is not enough free space in the apartment, in the basement or in the cellar. Such a “neighborhood” is useful for both types of vegetables.

If it is enough for you to keep the beets for one month, then you can store them in the refrigerator.

How to store carrots

For long-term storage of carrots, it is necessary to purchase dry loamy sand, which forms a breathable cushion, eliminates fumes from vegetables and prevents the growth of harmful microorganisms. Sand will need to be poured into the box in layers, wetting it with water. Vegetables must not touch. The maximum layer height is 4 cm.

There is another option for storing carrots, when sawdust is used instead of sand. However, in this case, they can no longer be wetted. Sawdust prevents crop wilting and the development of pathogens.

If the carrots are stored in plastic bags in the cellar, it is impossible to tie the bags too tightly — otherwise this will disrupt the optimal humidity and lead to wilting of the root crops.

If the carrots are constantly rotting, you can use a shell of hard clay. Dilute clay with water in a bucket until a fluid uniform mass appears. After that, each root crop must be dipped in clay and dried. Make sure the clay completely covers the root crop. Move the carrots to the cellar or basement and place them in baskets/boxes. It is not necessary to cover the crop with lids.

Why beets and carrots spoil

Beets and carrots, if crop storage errors are made, can deteriorate. There are several reasons why vegetables begin to rot:

1. In the harvest laid down for winter storage, there were initially spoiled root crops.
2. The temperature in the room changes dramatically from warm to cold and vice versa.
3. Indoors high humidity, excessive formation of carbon dioxide.
4. Storage technologies have been broken.

Care must be taken when digging up root crops, as they are easily damaged even with the slightest blow. Knocking them on the ground, throwing them from place to ground, there is a risk of cracks and other damage. They will not be visible, however, in the future, fungal diseases and rotting processes will begin to spread from these places, which will spread to other vegetables located nearby.

In the case of a sharp change in temperature, condensation will appear. With its formation, the risk of rotting vegetables increases. For this reason, it is undesirable to store root crops in plastic bags: in extreme cases, holes can be made at their bottom.

If vegetables are allowed to freeze (and it occurs when the temperature drops to -1 ° C), then this increases the risk of rotting stocks.

The shelf life of carrots and beets decreases with excess and lack of moisture. If there is excessive humidity in the room, it is recommended to move the vegetables to another, more suitable room. If the humidity is insufficient, it is necessary to provide conditions for humidifying the room. The optimal indicator is 98%. If you sprinkle fluffy lime next to the root crops, you will be able to somewhat reduce the high humidity.

Carrots are often damaged by the carrot fly — this pest destroys the crop even at the stage of its cultivation. If the carrot was damaged by a pest, then it will have to be processed — for example, canned, frozen, dried. It is no longer suitable for long-term storage for the winter.