Rules for storing cauliflower at home
Vegetables are an irreplaceable storehouse of vitamins for the human body. Knowing some secrets, you can eat fresh plant foods all year round. Storing cauliflower at home without losing its valuable properties is feasible in several ways.
Rules for storing cauliflower at home
Harvesting
Even a novice gardener is capable of growing and preserving then cauliflower. This vegetable needs warmth, regular watering and feeding, but it is better to avoid direct exposure to the sun beds.
The traditional harvest time is from July to early August, but the peculiarities of the variety play a role here. The quality and degree of preservation of the vegetable depends on the literacy of the collection.
- cut the inflorescences when they reach 10-15 cm in diameter;
- a ripe vegetable needs immediate removal from the garden;
- a tool for cutting the heads - a sharp knife: the inflorescence is captured together with the lower leaves;
- will properly store freshly harvested and fresh cauliflower in a dark and cool place.
If weather conditions require immediate removal of seedlings from open soil, transplant them into a greenhouse or cellar to grow there.
Storage methods
In autumn and winter, the body needs vitamins. It is quite possible to carry them with you from summer. The correct harvesting technique affects the duration of the preservation of vegetables, which is why it is so important to cut the inflorescences on time. You can store cauliflower at home without losing its beneficial properties in certain places and using different methods.
Cellar
To preserve cauliflower for the winter, you need to keep it in a cellar. If the temperature in the storage does not meet the required conditions, you can start some tricks.
- Pre-lubricated and dried in clay, it will remain useful for six months. Prepare a thick solution and lubricate each head with it.
- A similar shelf life will ensure that the culture is stored in a bucket of sand.
- The containers in which you will store the cauliflower must be wooden. Cover the boxes with plastic wrap. Another option is hanging shelves.
Make sure that condensation does not form under the shelter. Check vegetables for diseases. It is allowed to store cauliflower in the cellar for the winter for 2-3 months.
Suspended state
A vegetable suspended by a stump to a bar will last about a month in the cellar. If you decide to use this method to preserve your cauliflower, uproot the plant along with the stem when cutting. Tear off the overgrown leaves from it periodically.
Fridge
Cabbage can be stored in the refrigerator for two weeks.
Refrigerating cauliflower is not the best option if you want to stock up on vegetables for a long time. In the refrigerator, the product must be securely covered. You can wrap it in cling film (in 2 layers), paper or an airtight bag - each head of cabbage will need a separate one. You can save cauliflower without losing freshness, only for 2 weeks.
To properly store cauliflower in the refrigerator, you must first cut off the leaves and roots. Keep the culture in the upper compartments.
Freezer
To keep the cauliflower in the refrigerator for a long time, you can opt for the freezer. The culture can be placed there in any form:
- whole;
- chopped into inflorescences;
- fresh;
- steamed in boiling water.
This is the best way to preserve cauliflower for the winter. A well-tamped product can lie in the chamber without losing its usefulness for about a year.
Other storage methods
In case none of the described methods of how to keep cauliflower healthy came up, pay attention to other, less popular, but effective ways to solve the problem.
Dry the inflorescences in the oven at a temperature of 60-70 degrees, arrange in plastic containers. The shelf life is 1-2 months.
In salted / pickled form, the culture has no expiration date. The selection of heads for conservation must be careful: dense, white specimens without germinated inner leaves are suitable.
Conclusion
It is not difficult to store cauliflower at home so that you can get vitamins from it even in winter. Do not forget to pre-inspect each fruit, because one rotten specimen can destroy the entire party. It all depends on the storage conditions of cauliflower: temperature range - 0-3 degrees, humidity about 90-95%, dark place. Too high a level of ethylene accelerates the aging of the heads. By observing all the rules for storing cauliflower, you will keep the vegetables intact and safe for a long time.