Step-by-step instructions and useful tips on how to store carrots at home

Carrots are grown all over the world, but the Russian climate is especially harsh, so every gardener is faced with the question of extending the shelf life of vegetables at least until spring.

If there is a cellar, then the problem is solved by itself, but its absence is not a reason to refuse to grow or purchase root crops for future use.

Read the article about how to store carrots at home (in a city apartment).

Preparing to store fresh vegetables in the apartment

Preparing for storage is not only about cleaning and drying vegetables. It begins in early spring, when the gardener selects seeds. If you plan to save the harvest before the onset of warm weather, you need to take into account many nuances. Read more about preparing carrots for storage. here.

Choosing the best variety

For winter storage, you need to choose late-ripening varieties of carrots that reach full maturity 100 days after planting.

The following varieties have the listed set of qualities:

• Queen of Autumn;
• Dolyanka;
• Flaccoro;
• Nantes;
• Chance and others.

The longer carrots ripen, the less they are attacked by pests and pathogens.Good immunity of vegetables is the key to their long-term storage. You can learn about the best varieties of carrots for storage Here.

To wash or not to wash?

Vegetables intended for long-term storage without film cannot be washed. Large clumps of soil, which may contain microbes and fungal spores, are shaken off. After this, you need to dry the root vegetables under a canopy so that they are not exposed to moisture or direct sunlight. In this form, vegetables are placed in boxes.

At the same time, washing has undoubted advantages, including:

1. Clean vegetables are easy to inspect; even slight damage is visible on them, so spoiled specimens will not be added to the general mass.
2. All pathogenic flora, which can lead to crop destruction, are removed along with the soil.
3. It will be more convenient to inspect and sort through washed fruits in the future.

If you decide to wash the carrots, then you need to dry them thoroughly so that when stored in a bag they do not quickly begin to rot. Washed and unwashed vegetables should be stored separately from each other. Do you need to wash carrots before storing? here.

Trimming and sorting

Sorting is a mandatory condition that must be fulfilled at the stage of preparing carrots for storage. Procedure:

1. Inspect the root vegetables.
2. Distribute them by size. Large and small vegetables are stored in different places.
3. Remove all overripe, rotten and burst specimens. Even one diseased plant can cause the death of an impressive part of the crop.
4. Soft vegetables are edible, but not suitable for storage.

How to trim carrots before storing them, read this article.

In what container?

At home, vegetables can be stored as follows:

• in boxes;
• in plastic bags;
• in clay or chalk mortar, in bulk on shelves;
• suspended in nets or linen bags;
• in jars, baskets or barrels;
• in containers in the freezer.

Conditions

To prevent carrots from spoiling, you need to create optimal storage conditions for them. They correspond to 3 parameters:

1. Air temperature – 1-2 degrees, maximum: +5 degrees. If it rises higher, the metabolic processes inside the vegetables accelerate, which is why they begin to quickly deteriorate.
2. Air humidity – 85-90%. If it is lower, the vegetables dry out, and if it is higher, they rot.
3. The storage area should be dark and clean. Ultraviolet light is destructive to the beneficial substances contained in carrots.

If you plan to store root vegetables on the balcony or in the pantry, you need to disinfect the shelves and have time to dry them.

Be sure to provide good ventilation in the room. If the air stagnates, the root vegetables will quickly become moldy.

How to properly store it at home for the winter?

In an apartment, a large harvest can be stored in parts in different places. This rational approach will allow you not to lose a single root crop.

At room temperature

If you leave carrots at room temperature unprocessed, within a month they will become moldy and rot. To prevent this from happening, vegetables are coated with clay or chalk solution.

To prepare the first remedy you will need clay diluted with water to the consistency of sour cream. Each root vegetable is dipped into the solution in turn, after which it is dried and put in a dark place, for example, under the bed.

The carrots are sprayed with a chalk solution. For every 10 kg of vegetables, use 100 ml of the composition. The chalk concentration in the solution is 30%. Dried root vegetables are placed in wooden or plastic boxes, sprinkled with sand and put in a cool, dark place.

In a refrigerator

In the refrigerator, root vegetables are stored in a vegetable drawer or in jars. It is not necessary to wash it, just remove the remaining soil with the hard side of the sponge. Before placing vegetables in storage containers, they need to be cooled. This will prevent condensation from forming.

Root vegetables are stuffed loosely into the jars; sawdust can be filled into the remaining openings or horseradish root can be placed. The jars are not covered with a lid. In the freezer, vegetables are stored chopped, in a container or in a bag. You can learn about storing carrots in the refrigerator from this articles.

On the balcony

If the balcony is not insulated, then the crop can be kept on it until the onset of the first frost, after which the vegetables are transferred to the apartment. Be sure to protect them from sunlight, dust, dirt and birds that love to eat fresh root vegetables.

Vegetables can be stored on the heated glass loggia all winter. They are poured into boxes, which are filled with sand or sawdust and covered with an awning that allows air to pass through. Read about how to store carrots on the balcony here.

In the pantry

In the pantry, the air temperature is lower than in living rooms, light rarely gets there, so carrots will be stored there best.

If the room is equipped with shelves, burlap is laid out on them and vegetables are poured onto it.. For better preservation, it is treated with chalk solution or clay. Vegetables should be sorted at least once every 2 weeks, removing fruits with signs of spoilage.

You can store vegetables in boxes, placing them vertically and filling them with sand. It allows you to maintain an optimal level of humidity and provides sufficient ventilation.

Alternative methods

The harvest is stored not only fresh or frozen. Vegetables can be dried and used as a seasoning for hot dishes, or canned.

Drying

There are several ways to dry carrots:

1. Outdoors. The washed and chopped carrots are scattered on a tray in a thin layer and left to dry. It is not recommended to place it in direct sunlight, but it is also not recommended to put it in a dark place. Vegetables need to be mixed once every 2-3 days. Alternatively, you can place the pieces on a sieve, then there is no need to turn them over. This is the longest drying option, which takes at least 14 days.
2. Microwave. Vegetables are cut into small cubes, dried and wrapped in paper napkins. Place the bags in the microwave, and put a glass of water in there. Dry vegetables at full power for 3-5 minutes. It is important to monitor the liquid; it should not boil.
3. In the oven. Chopped root vegetables are laid out on a baking sheet and dried for 6-8 hours at a temperature not exceeding 80 degrees.
4. In an electric dryer. This is the most practical, fast and convenient way of drying. The device does all the work.It is enough to wash and chop the carrots, then place them on the grid, choosing the appropriate mode.

Conservation

There are many recipes for canning carrots. Here are just some options:

• hot and spicy snacks;
• pickled carrots;
• carrots in tomato sauce;
• vegetables in vegetable oil;
• fried canned carrots.

Some of the harvest can be used to prepare juices and sauces. To prevent canned products from spoiling, use vinegar, citric acid, spices, sugar and salt. It all depends on the chosen recipe.

Possible problems and solutions

When storing crops, you may encounter 3 main problems:

1. Vegetables rot. If all storage conditions are met, but the root crops deteriorate, most likely the reason lies in their infection during the growth stage. It will no longer be possible to correct the situation. In order not to lose the harvest, it needs to be sorted, washed, grated and stored in the freezer.
2. The root crop is withering. This occurs at low humidity levels. To solve the problem, you can place 1 or 2 buckets of water indoors, or wrap the root vegetables in cling film to prevent them from wilting.
3. Vegetables become moldy. The reason lies in insufficient ventilation. Spoiled fruits must be removed, and the room in which the carrots are located must be ventilated more often.

Conclusion

You can save carrots until the weather warms up and even until the next harvest. If there is little space in the apartment, it is recommended to divide the vegetables into several parts.This storage method not only saves space, but also makes it possible to notice spoilage of products in time in order to take the necessary measures.