How to store grapes in winter?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Grapes are a delicious and he althy treat. Berries have a tonic and tonic property. They have a positive effect on breathing, the work of the heart and blood vessels. How to store grapes so that there is always an opportunity to strengthen the immune system? There are several ways that are described in the article.

Which varieties should I choose?

The duration of storage of bunches is determined by the density and level of maturity of berries, sugar content. To persistent include medium and late-ripening varieties of dark color, treated with a wax coating. This substance serves as protection against pest damage, drying out and mechanical damage.

Clusters for long-term storage should be chosen loose, with large whole berries sitting on the stalks. Unripe and overripe fruits spoil quickly. An important parameter is the sugar content of berries - the more it is, the better the keeping quality. The following varieties are suitable for winter storage:

1. "Moldova".
2. "Lydia".
3. "Alden".
4. "Typhi pink".
5. "Hamburg Muscat" and "Alexandrian Muscat".
6. "Senso".
7. "In Memory of Negrul".
8. "Moldavian black".

This grape is virtually unaffected by fungi. At the same time, it retains its taste and aroma for 4-6 months, and does not lose color for a long time.

Correct collection

Before you learn how to store grapes, you should follow the rules for harvesting and growing. Even if the correct variety is selected, it is not a guarantee of long shelf life.

The conditions for growing and harvesting berries are important:

1. Due to excessive watering, the shelf life of grapes is reduced. 40-45 days before harvesting, irrigation of the bushes should be completed. As a result, unnecessary moisture comes out of the berries, and sugar increases.
2. Part of the clusters is removed from the bushes (up to 25%), which improves the keeping quality of the fruit. If the vine is not unloaded in time, the berries will begin to crumble and wither. They are unlikely to go for storage.
3. You need to properly feed the grapes. If nitrogen fertilizers (mineral or organic) are used in large quantities, then the crop will not last long. And phosphorus-potassium compounds allow you to increase the sugar content and extend the shelf life.
4. Fruits should be protected from fungi and viruses - affected fruits quickly deteriorate.
5. Collection is best done on a sunny day. Cut the grapes quickly, and then transfer them to the shade. Shouldn't be doingassembly in the early morning and late evening.
6. If you store the harvest hanging, the brush should be cut in the area with a fragment of a vine 7-9 cm long.
7. Crates can be packed with combs.
8. To protect the wax coating from damage, assemblers need to work with thin gloves. Do not touch the berries while doing this.

If grown and harvested correctly, you should know where to store grapes so that valuable substances are preserved.

In the cellar

How to store grapes in the cellar? Before laying the bunches, you need to inspect, remove damaged fruits with tweezers. It is not necessary to wash the grapes, as the wax coating will be eliminated, which will cause it to deteriorate quickly. The cellar or basement must be prepared in advance. This culture is afraid of high humidity, incorrect air temperature, mold and pests. It is important to observe the following rules:

1. The room must be well ventilated. It needs to be ventilated periodically. Then it will be possible to protect the crop from dampness and mold.
2. If the temperature in winter is below zero, then insulation will be required, since grapes must be stored at a temperature of +1 to +8 degrees. At high rates, the berries lose moisture and dry out.
3. The air humidity should be 80%. It will be drier if you put a bucket of charcoal, sawdust or quicklime in the corner of the room.
4. To prevent the formation of mold on the walls, the room must be whitewashed with lime. And to eliminate pests, fumigation with sulfur or a pair of quicklime is used. Disinfectionperformed a month before laying the harvest for storage so that the grapes are not poisoned by poisonous particles.
5. Do not leave fruits with smelling foods. Vegetables shouldn't be around either. Some, for example, potatoes, zucchini form moisture, which adversely affects the berries.

After completing the preparation, the grapes must be placed in the cellar for the winter. This is done in several ways.

Water containers

This method is ideal for small crops. How to store grapes with this method? The clusters must be cut with a vine, the long end of which is then transferred to a bottle filled with water. The container should be fixed at an angle so that the brush hangs freely.

Add a tablet of activated charcoal or aspirin to the water - they will not multiply putrefactive bacteria. This will keep the berries fresh. Periodically, it is necessary to perform a cut on the vine so that there is a more active absorption of nutrients. So the berries are stored for at least 2 months.

On the wire

How to store grapes on a wire? The brushes must be tied in pairs with twine, wrapped around the combs. Then you need to hang the crop on a stretched wire, rope or wooden poles. The clusters should not touch each other, so the supports are placed at different heights. This method is suitable for spacious rooms.

Berries stay fresh and do not lose their taste for 3 months. Burlap or polyethylene should be stretched under the clusters so as not to crush the berries. After all, a vinegar fly will appear on damaged fruits, infecting the entire crop.

Crates or wooden tubs

How to store grapes for the winter in this way? Sawdust 2-3 cm thick should be laid out at the bottom of the container, after which grapes are placed on them. It is important that the clusters do not touch. The tub or box must be filled to the top, alternating fruit and bulk material, and then loosely closed with a lid so as not to disturb air exchange.

Sawdust is laid at the end. Before laying the container should be fumigated with sulfur. It is not necessary to use pine or spruce sawdust, as they adversely affect the taste of berries, it is advisable to choose linden or poplar. The best filler is cork powder.

You can use low boxes, which should be lined with straw, clean paper or natural material, on which bunches of berries are stacked, ridges up. Berries are stored in a container for 1, 5-2 months. To protect the crop, you need to inspect it every 2-3 weeks, eliminating spoiled fruits.

On the shelves

Shelving should be about 80 cm deep. Clusters are easy to turn over or take out. The optimal distance between the shelves will be about 30 cm. Straw is a softening bedding. It is preferable to use straw ash, which is considered an excellent antiseptic, and also serves as protection against pests and fungus. Clusters should be laid in one row with ridges away from you to make it easier to inspect the crop.

Refrigerator

Do they store grapes in the refrigerator? The device will keep the fruits for a long period. If the harvest is small, then this option will be the best. In industrial conditions, the fruits are placed in sealed chambers, where the gas environment is regulated.

How to store grapes in the refrigerator? It must be placed in the "freshness zone", where the temperature is from 0 to +2 degrees, and the humidity is not less than 90%. In this section, the product will be stored for up to 6 months without loss of taste and nutrients. Grapes should not be washed before being placed in the refrigerator. The bunches should be laid in one layer so that the ridges are up. Do not wrap tender fruits in polyethylene - this will cause mold.

Freeze

You can store grapes in the refrigerator, in the freezer. In this case, the berries retain their taste and benefits. Fruit should not be re-frozen. Dark varieties last longer than light ones, but different crops are suitable for freezing.

Clusters must be cleaned of debris, damaged berries, and then washed and dried. The fruits should be laid out on a tray and placed in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Then for half an hour you need to remove the grapes in the freezer. Then it should be packaged in containers and frozen. To save, you can use not only all the brushes, but also individual berries. Light varieties are best frozen in sweet syrup: sugar (1 cup) and water (2 cups) are required.

With defrosting, the berries should be poured with cool water for an hour. You need to eat them right away. But it's even better to keep the grapes on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.from 10 am to 6 pm. Then the defrosting will be smooth, due to which the taste will become rich.

Grapes are a wonderful gift of nature, which can be consumed not only in season. With proper storage, the berries will be at home for a year.