Tips and methods on how to properly store cabbage in the cellar until spring

Cabbage is a nutrient-rich vegetable that is used in many dishes.

You need to know how to properly preserve the harvest harvested in the fall so that it lasts until spring. It is most convenient to use a cellar as storage.

We will tell you in the article whether and how to properly store cabbage in a cellar (basement, underground) until spring.

Features of fresh storage for the winter

Proper organization of storage conditions will allow you to preserve cabbage for months, providing your family with fresh vegetables throughout the winter.

Among the main factors influencing the safety of the crop are two:

1. Choosing a suitable variety and selecting healthy heads of cabbage from among them.
2. Proper cellar arrangement.

Having an equipped basement, it is easy to create suitable conditions for storing vegetables. For cabbage it is:

• temperature from -1? C to +2? C;
• humidity – from 90 to 98%.

Only under suitable conditions will cabbage retain its freshness and last a long time.

Preparation

Before placing cabbage in the cellar, check whether all conditions for this have been created. It is also necessary to inspect and prepare the vegetable itself.

Preparing the basement

In order to use the cellar for cabbage storage, the following work needs to be done:

• remove the remains of last year's harvest;
• sweep away dust and debris;
• carry out protection against rodents;
• treat the basement from mold, using, for example, whitewashing with lime;
• install wooden platforms or shelves.

Preparing the vegetable

Before placing vegetables in basement storage, you should choose a storage method that is suitable for your particular case. After this, you need to sort the crop.

Heads that meet the following parameters are suitable for long-term storage:

• the variety is designed for long-term storage;
• the forks are dense, having a round or slightly flattened shape;
• the heads should be of medium size.

Substandard vegetables, including those that are too small or very large, should be eaten first. This is due to the fact that medium-sized vegetables hold best.

It is also necessary to inspect the cabbage heads themselves.. It is best to remove wilted and rotten top leaves. This must be done due to the high probability of their contamination with spores of pathogenic fungi and pest larvae.

If the heads are wet, then the vegetables should be dried. This can be done both outdoors and indoors.

What's better: ways

There are several ways to store cabbage in the basement. Each of them has its own characteristics. For some, it will be necessary to finalize the arrangement of the cellar (for example, to secure beams), for others, to stock up on related products (sand, clay, etc.).

Wooden boxes

Boxes made from boards allow you to compactly store your crops cabbage for a long time. The container itself must be clean and have sufficiently large gaps for good air circulation.

Cabbage is placed in boxes after cutting off the roots and removing the upper spoiled leaves. The boxes are not covered on top.

They are installed on wooden podiums on the floor or on rack shelves, but always in one row so that air flows to the stored vegetables from all sides. The vegetable is stored in this form all winter..

Boxes should not be pushed tightly against walls or other boxes made of cardboard, plastic or wood to prevent air permeability.

Tying up

This method is the simplest. To implement it, the following conditions must be met:

1. Cabbage should have an uncut stem, which is tied to.
2. The cellar should have a beam or board attached to the ceiling on which vegetables will be hung for storage.
3. A rope is needed to hang the cabbage heads.

Advantages of this method:

• reliable protection against rodents;
• good ventilation;
• long-term storage - until May.

Disadvantages of this option:

• the need to install beams;
• It is difficult to place a large harvest in this way.

In a suspended state, cabbage is stored very well, except that its upper leaves will dry out, but the head itself under them will be clean and strong.

In sand

Sprinkling with sand allows you to preserve the natural moisture of the vegetable, and it will be stored until spring. This organization can be done on a wooden platform or directly in boxes.

Sand is selected only dry. Step-by-step instruction:

1. A layer of sand is poured.
2. The heads unfold.
3. More sand is poured in so that all the cabbage is completely covered with it.

If you arrange storage directly on the floor, then the bottom layer of sand should be thick enough to prevent the vegetable from freezing.

In cling film

Storage in film is one of the modern methods, characterized by ease of organization and low cost. Storage with this organization is long-term, until May-June.

Procedure:

1. The head of cabbage is inspected and the top damaged leaves are removed.
2. Using cling film on a roll, the head of cabbage is carefully and very carefully packed so that 2-3 layers are obtained.
3. The heads of cabbage are lowered into the cellar and placed in a prepared place. This could be a platform, shelves, bags, etc.

Advantages of this storage method:

• hygiene;
• good preservation of heads of cabbage;
• attractive neat appearance.

Flaws:

• labor costs for packaging;
• the need to have a supply of film.

The video will show you how to store cabbage in the cellar in cling film:

In paper

For storage you will need plain paper or parchment. Newspapers are not a desirable choice because they contain printing ink, which should not come into contact with food.

With this storage option, the forks are protected from light and moisture, and also have sufficient thermal insulation. But in terms of crop safety and better insulation, paper packaging is inferior to cling film.

In clay

This method is often chosen in cases where there has been experience of unsuccessful storage of the crop and its damage to rot:

1. A fairly liquid clay solution is prepared.
2. Each head is dipped in clay.
3. Dry it.
4. Hang by the stem on a board or on a beam under the ceiling of the cellar.

The advantages of this method are even greater than those of simple tying. Disadvantages include the complexity of processing and the need for time-consuming drying. Storage duration is until spring.

Before eating cabbage stored in clay, it must be thoroughly peeled and washed.

In bulk (pyramid)

This method is ineffective. To organize it, use a wooden platform with sides around the perimeter. The platform should have gaps for air access and should be preferably 0.2 m away from the floor level.

The cabbage is laid out on the resulting platform in layers, starting from large ones and moving on to smaller ones. Eating heads of cabbage begins from the upper layers, gradually dismantling the pyramid to the platform.

Another drawback is that if one of the lower heads of cabbage is damaged, you will have to disassemble the entire pyramidto get to the spoiled cabbage.

How to increase the period?

The average shelf life of cabbage in the cellar is 3-6 months. But this figure is approximate, since Storage time largely depends on a large number of factors:

• variety and type of ripening;
• condition of heads of cabbage before laying;
• humidity and temperature in the cellar;
• proper preparation of the cellar premises;
• proximity to other vegetables and fruits in the same room.

If it is necessary to ensure long-term storage of cabbage, higher than average, it is recommended to choose hybrids.

They can lie until the new harvest is harvested, sometimes even until the end of August. Wherein varieties should be winter, late-ripening. Only under such conditions can the shelf life be extended to 8-10 months.

What can and cannot be done together?

Along with cabbage, other vegetables that are grown in season are also stored in the cellar. Is it possible to store cabbages under such conditions?

If it is not possible to separate vegetables into separate rooms, you must adhere to a number of rules.

The “neighbors” for the vegetable are:

• beet;
• carrot;
• potatoes and other vegetable crops.

Neighborhood Rules:

1. Vegetables infected with diseases should not be stored together with healthy ones.
2. Cabbage should not be stored mixed with other vegetables.
3. It is advisable to maintain a distance between heads of cabbage.
4. Apples and pears should not be placed near cabbage, as they, due to the release of ethylene, stimulate the ripening of vegetables and fruits located nearby.
5. When storing tomatoes with cabbage, their taste becomes worse.

6 recommendations

Expert advice will help you better cope with the task of storing your cabbage harvest. Among them are the following:

1. Early ripening varieties are not suitable for long-term storage. They can lie for a maximum of 2-2.5 months.
2. Late-ripening varieties are the most preferable for storage, especially hybrid ones.
3. Elongated and loose forks are stored worse than round and flattened forks that are dense to the touch.
4. If cabbage is bought at the market for storage, then it is better to purchase from mid-September, not earlier.
5. It is advisable to collect the vegetable in dry weather, since otherwise it will be necessary to organize the drying of the heads of cabbage.
6. Damaged vegetables should not be stored together with healthy ones.

Conclusion

Preserving cabbage in the cellar until spring is a completely solvable task. To do this, you can choose one of the proven methods, taking into account the peculiarities of the cellar organization. If all conditions have been met, then the cabbage harvest may well last until the next harvest.