Not so long ago, a refrigerator could not be found in every house, but the housewives still managed to keep the grown crop of vegetables for the winter. Knowing some of the intricacies of storing vitamin products, you can also do without a refrigerator and even without a special cool cellar.
The main principle that must be observed when you select vegetables for long-term storage is their integrity. Even slight damage can cause decay not only of a single instance, but of all its other brethren.
The most popular vegetable on the tables of Russians remains potatoes. Before storing it, the tubers need to be dried well in the open air or in an aired, dry room. Its storage temperature is from 2 to 30 degrees with an air humidity of 85-90%. Such conditions can be created on an unheated balcony before the onset of frost. Potatoes can be stored in a dry, dark place in the apartment. To do this, you need a special plywood box with holes. Ensure that the drawer is well ventilated - it should stand on a stand at some distance from the walls.
Storage conditions for carrots: constant temperature from 1 to 3 degrees, high humidity - up to 90-95%, limited air access. Such conditions can be created by storing this vegetable in closed wooden boxes with thick walls. It can be laid in pyramids and sprinkled with sand or wrapped each in several layers of the newspaper. A small amount of carrots can be stored in a regular three-liter glass jar without a lid.
Beets will also be perfectly preserved in a layer of sand, peat or sawdust. It can even be stored in plastic bags. Dry the roots before storing, cutting leaves, but leaving stalks.
Of course, cabbage is best stored in a ventilated cellar. Before storage, the inhabitants of the Caucasus carved a stump, leaving an apex kidney in a head, and stringed a head on a dry corncob without grains. This method of storage provided ventilation between the leaves of a head of cabbage and allowed them to maintain their freshness for a long time. Wrap cauliflower for storage in leaves and hang in a cool, ventilated room in a net.
Green leafy vegetables - lettuce, spinach, sorrel, you can keep fresh for several days, if you wash the leaves, dry them and lay on the bottom of the pan, which you cover with a lid. You can store asparagus in it. To do this, pour a little water on the bottom of the pan and place the asparagus stalks upside down in it. Remove the pan to a dark place.
Fresh cucumbers and zucchini can be saved by putting in a bowl of salted water. Lemons are perfectly preserved in ordinary cold water, only it needs to be changed every 2-3 days.
Onions and garlic are very unpretentious in storage - their dry feathers can be woven into braids and stored hanging in a cool, dry place. Onions can be stored even on the heating battery - warm air will prevent it from germinating. Garlic can dry during this storage. But its cloves can be poured with vegetable oil and stored in it. With this method, garlic will retain all its beneficial properties, and the oil will acquire a mouth-watering taste and aroma.
