How to preserve radish for the winter at home in a cellar or apartment, can it be frozen?

Storing radishes is a process that gardeners should know. Knowing all the subtleties, a person can enjoy the vegetable not only in winter, but also in spring. This will allow you to diversify your daily dishes and enrich your food. And although radish varieties differ in taste, they are all beneficial for the human body.

What tools and materials will be needed

Tools and materials for preservation are selected depending on the chosen method. These can be wooden boxes, barrels or buckets. With this method of covering, the root crops must be sprinkled with sand. You can also use plastic bags. A prerequisite is that they must be dense.

Collection and preparation

Before you start digging up root crops, you need to make sure they are ripe. If you adhere to timely deadlines, the vegetable will reach the optimal size, which is typical for a particular variety. It is not recommended to delay the harvest time. If root vegetables become overripe, they will become tough and lose their taste.

Without any regret, you need to get rid of small root vegetables. Do not store healthy and diseased vegetables together. If the fruits are deformed, they are thrown away. Selected specimens are dug out of the soil, after which the tops are cut off.

Drooping roots are also trimmed, being careful not to damage the root. Before being sent for storage, a shaft-shaped pile is formed from the root crops and covered with a 15-20 cm layer of earth. After this, the vegetables are sorted, choosing only elastic and healthy fruits without flaws. To preserve the taste juicy and fresh, it is necessary to provide the radish with comfortable storage conditions.

At what temperature should it be stored and for how long?

The scheme is as follows:

• refrigerator - +2 °C, from 1 to 1.5 months;
• freezer - -15 °C, up to a year;
• balcony - 0 °C, up to 8 months;
• cellar or basement - 0 °C, 8-10 months.

It is important to observe the specified temperatures. Tested by gardeners and farmers.

Choosing a storage location

This issue should be approached with great responsibility. There are several options for storing root vegetables.The choice depends on the amount of harvest and the availability of space where you can place the vegetables. They use several methods at once to check their quality, or choose just one.

Storing for the winter at home

People who grow root vegetables want to enjoy them for as long as possible. To please yourself and your loved ones with fresh vegetables, they make preparations for the winter. Thus, on vitamin-free days, you can pamper your body with fresh radish and replenish your supply of vitamins. At home, it is possible to ensure the storage of vegetables.

How to properly store radishes for the winter

There are various ways to store radishes at home. Each of them has its own characteristics that must be taken into account before choosing.

Cellar storage

Any variety of this vegetable feels best in the basement or cellar. In such rooms the temperature is no higher than +3 °C with a humidity of 85%. Before placing root crops for winter storage, they are carefully prepared. The room itself should not be infested with parasites and fungi. If insects live in it, get rid of them.

Boxes with holes filled with radishes are carried into the basement. Each layer is sprinkled with slightly damp sand. In the same way, radishes can be stored on racks. To maintain comfortable conditions, the sand is periodically moistened, and rotten and damaged specimens are disposed of. If you don't do this, healthy vegetables that were nearby may spoil.

Wooden barrels are also suitable for storing radishes. In addition to containers, they choose neighbors - vegetables and fruits that will not have a negative impact on storage. Carrots and potatoes are the best company. It is not advisable to place apples or pears nearby, as they can accelerate the germination of radishes.In addition, vegetables from such a neighborhood begin to absorb foreign odors.

In the apartment in the refrigerator and freezer

How to store crops if the house is not equipped with a cellar and basement? There is only one answer - a refrigerator. To do this, all vegetables are placed in polyethylene bags with holes made so that they can breathe freely. Containers are placed on the lower shelves.

If the refrigerator has special drawers for vegetables, there is no need to put radishes in bags. In this case, you need to keep in mind that vegetables cannot be stored in this form for a long time. It is recommended to eat root vegetables as soon as possible. This option is suitable if the vegetable needs to be on hand in the near future.

Experienced gardeners do not recommend using the freezer for this purpose. Freezing will make the vegetable tasteless and soft. It can be frozen only in one case - the treatment of colds. Grated root vegetables are packaged in bags and stored in the freezer. If necessary, take out just one and use it immediately.

It is better to store vegetables on a shelf in the refrigerator rather than freeze them. At the same time, they are checked for the presence of rot or mold. Over time, they become soft and unfit for consumption. Such instances should be disposed of.

On the balcony

If a person does not have a country house, storage conditions can be organized on the balcony. They will feel best in wooden boxes sprinkled with sand on top. If the frosts are very severe, containers filled with vegetables are covered with cotton blankets. This option is suitable for Margelan, black and green radishes.

The balcony or loggia for storage must be glazed. This is important because optimal temperature is a key feature in this matter.Glass prevents sediment from settling, because moisture promotes the development of rot and mold. The temperature on the balcony should never be below 0 °C.

Conservation

In addition to storing fresh vegetables, you can roll them in jars and thus get a completely different taste. Preserving your crops for the winter is a great idea. There are a lot of recipes for creating blanks. Most Popular:

1. Pickling. Vegetables are peeled and washed thoroughly, then cut into small pieces and sprinkled with salt. Remove excess moisture by placing everything in a colander and rinsing again. Divide the required amount into jars, sterilizing them first. Prepare a marinade based on water, vinegar, salt and sugar. Remove the boiled liquid from the heat and let cool. Then pour into jars and close with plastic lids.
2. Pickled vegetables. Peeled root vegetables are crushed using a fine grater and garlic and salt are added to taste. The mass is placed in jars, compacting it tightly. Store in a dark and cool place. The product is ready for use after 2 weeks, by which time the radish will have completely fermented.
3. Vegetable salads. The radish, along with other vegetables, is chopped and sealed in jars. Other ingredients include dill, parsley, celery, carrots, white cabbage and garlic. Assorted vegetables are also packed tightly into jars, adding vinegar, salt and sugar. Under covered lids, containers with vegetables are sterilized in water.

Regardless of the chosen option for preparing radishes, store the jars in a dark and cool place.

Features of storage of different varieties

How to preserve a vegetable so that it does not lose its taste? Features regarding the preservation of root crops depend on their type.It is better to keep Margelan and black in the refrigerator, after placing it in a bag. This method has the advantage that the percentage of air humidity inside the bag increases, contributing to an increase in carbon dioxide. Due to this, the shelf life of green and black radishes becomes even longer.

Summer

The first to be stored are summer varieties, including pink and red Chinese, Viennese yellow and long white. The remaining soil is removed from each root crop, cutting off the roots and tops. If you leave them, the radish will dry out in a few days. It is better not to count on long-term storage of summer varieties, since they are not intended for this. They begin to deteriorate after 5-6 days, so the storage period does not exceed a week.

To extend shelf life, radishes are placed in the refrigerator. Before doing this, perform the following procedure:

• select the most suitable specimens;
• remove parts with flaws;
• placed in a polyethylene bag.

Black radishes should only be stored in bags with holes to allow fresh air to reach the collected vegetables. Temperature fluctuations should not fall outside the range of +1 °C to -2 °C. Relative humidity also plays an important role. Comfortable conditions - 85-90%.

Following these simple rules will help increase the shelf life to 1 month.

Autumn

Winter storage is a long period that some varieties of radish may not withstand. Daikon is an autumn plant and, if certain rules are followed, will last until early spring. For this purpose, use a basement or cellar. But before laying the vegetables, the room is prepared.

Winter

Winter varieties of radish that have good shelf life are most suitable for long-term storage.To extend the deadlines, the harvest is harvested almost at the last moment. At the same time, frost must not be allowed to occur. The suitable period is late September to mid-October.

The duration of storage depends on many factors, including the type of vegetable, room, preparation and harvest time. If you don’t take into account at least one point, your work will not bring the desired results. Therefore, you must follow all rules and recommendations. In addition, they have been tested over the years by experienced farmers, agronomists and simple gardeners.