How To Store Different Vegetables

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Vegetables are one of the most useful gifts that nature has given us. They are rich in vitamins and minerals and it is good to consume them both in the warm and cold months. Therefore, it is good to know how to store them for as long as possible.

For example, extremely useful fresh tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are best stored in a basket hung in a ventilated place. Onions and garlic, on the other hand, are best preserved in a split or mesh. They must be hung in a dry and ventilated place, taking care not to freeze.

When used in the kitchen, it is good to take only the required amount of them, as the temperature of the kitchen will lead to faster decay of the products.

The Bulgarian is used to preparing sauerkraut every year. This is also a type of vegetable storage. To make it tender and firm, and the cabbage soup - sharp and pleasant to drink, a handful of crushed corn is sprinkled between its rows.

When you decide to store a certain vegetable, it is good to make sure that it is not stored in the same room with the fruit. This is necessary because some fruits, especially apples, secrete ethylene plant hormone, which shortens the shelf life of vegetables as it makes them ripen faster.

Only undamaged vegetables are selected for long-term storage. If defects are allowed, then rot, pests or diseases can be transmitted to the rest of the vegetables. They should also be sorted by regular inspection to remove any rotting vegetables.

The perfect time for picking and storing is dry. Thus, moist vegetables will rot much faster.

Potatoes, for example, are vegetables that require storage in a dark, cool and moist place. This makes them suitable occupants of the basements. They can be spread on the floor, pre-lined with cartons, or arranged in crates.

It is advisable to take potatoes first from the bottom of the crate so that they can slide and roll over on top. This will make it much slower. The room temperature should not fall below 4 C. If this happens, the potato starch may turn into sugar and the potatoes may acquire a sweet taste.

In general, all root vegetables such as carrots, celery, beets are also stored in moist and cool basements. It would be good for these vegetables to be covered with moist sand.

Different vegetables have different shelf life after which they rot, no matter how well stored. For example:

- Cabbage, celery roots, radishes, carrots, onions, garlic and beets are stored at an average temperature of 1 C degrees Celsius and last half a year;

- Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, zucchini, eggplant, peppers and celery are stored at a temperature of 10-15 C and are valid for several weeks;

- Beans, green beans, broccoli and cucumbers, stored at 10-12 C, are fit for consumption for up to 2 weeks;

Tomatoes, fresh herbs, radishes, lettuce, spinach and asparagus, lasting up to 11 C, are valid for only 3 days.

And one tip - to freshen a withered vegetable, you just need to put it for an hour in cold water, to which you add 1 tablespoon of vinegar. The effect will be astounding.