How to store turnips at home?

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

We all heard the fairy tale "Turnip" in childhood and were surprised at how big this vegetable grew, that we had to gather such a company to pull it out. What is this product really? When to plant? When to harvest, and how to store turnips? Let's try to understand the article.

Turnip Properties

Turnip belongs to the Cabbage family. This is a very useful root crop, which is rich in vitamins and trace elements. In cooking, this product is widely used for salads, second and first courses. Some craftsmen can make a dessert and an alcoholic cocktail out of turnips. This vegetable is also used in medicine. After all, it has anti-inflammatory properties, improves bowel function, and improves immunity.

The steamed turnip juice calms the nerves and normalizes sleep. Various ointments and tinctures with the addition of this vegetable are also widespread, which help in the fight against joint diseases. The fruits of this plant help in losing weight, in the fight against colds and viruses. In cosmetology, turnips are used to prepare anti-aging, tightening and toning masks. Plant juice improves hair condition, prevents hair loss.

In folk medicine, turnip occupies one of the leading places for its healing properties. Having figured out how to store turnips at home in order to preserve all its useful properties, you can provide yourself with a good supply of vitamins during the period of illness.

Even in ancient times, this root crop was the favorite food of our ancestors, which they called "second bread". After all, turnip grows quickly and gives a good harvest. It could feed the whole family, as well as animals that served as a source of meat.

Sowing time

This root crop is not afraid of frost, drought, heavy rainfall. Therefore, it can be planted 2 times a year. The first sowing is in early spring. This crop diverges during the season. Usually early varieties are planted in this crop. And how to store turnips if there is nothing left from the first harvest? To do this, make the second sowing of late varieties in July. You can do this even at the beginning of autumn. The main thing is to be in time before frost. Otherwise, the harvest may be bitter. However, this can also be de alt with. To harvest, you need to wait for warm weather and let the turnip stand a little.

Although the vegetable is unpretentious, all the same, for a better harvest, you should take care of it, loosen the soil, weed the grass, and if necessary, field.

Crop pests

The main problem in growing vegetables is pests. As soon as the first leaves hatch, they are immediately attacked by beetles, fleas, butterflies, and aphids. They are very detrimental to the crop. It may not develop, turn out small and not tasty. Therefore, at the first appearance of pests, you need to start a fight. Today there is a hugeselection of products for fleas and other pests that do not get into the roots and prevent the fruits from spoiling.

Diseases of turnips

How to grow a good crop and how to save turnips if diseases attack the root crop. The most common vegetable diseases are fungal spores. They can infect the plant during its cultivation, as well as during its storage. Many diseases spoil the leaves of the root crop. They wither, become stained, deformed, the plant does not receive the necessary nutrition and lags behind in growth. In the fight against this, ashes are used. It is diluted with water and sprayed on the infected plant. If this method does not help, then specialized drugs are used. There are diseases that affect the fruits of the plant. In this case, it quickly dies, and here it is necessary to apply emergency methods of treatment, up to the removal of the infected root, in order to preserve the rest of the crop.

How to collect fruits

Proper harvesting is one of the important aspects of how to store turnips at home. If you follow a number of rules when harvesting, you will be able to preserve the crop for a longer period.

When digging up turnips, you need to avoid sharp objects so as not to damage the root crop. A damaged fruit will quickly begin to rot. No need to leave lumps of earth on the harvested crop. Let the soil dry out and then shake it off. You don't need to cut the ground. This can also damage the vegetable. If a spoiled fruit was found, then it does not need to be put in a common pile. He's fasterthe rest of the root crops will begin to rot and infect the rest of the fruits with mold.

Where to store vegetables

Having harvested turnips, the question arises how to store turnips for the winter. After all, the main task is to protect the vegetable from rotting. Therefore, first of all, when choosing a place for storing root crops, you need to take care of the dryness and good ventilation of the room. The ideal option would be a dry cellar, an apartment balcony. A utility room with a temperature not higher than 3o C is also suitable. Wherever vegetables are stored, they should be checked regularly for spoilage. After all, as soon as one fruit begins to rot, the decay will spread to the rest of the he althy root crops.

Storing turnips in the cellar

One of the best places to store vegetables is the cellar. The question of how to store turnips in the cellar in winter to avoid rotting is asked by all lovers of this root crop.

When choosing options for how to store turnips in the cellar, experienced gardeners advise the option with wooden boxes. But don't talk about rodents. Therefore, in order to protect the fruits, at the bottom of the box you need to make a thick layer of cellophane film or sand. Another widely used storage option without wooden containers. In this case, the fruits are stacked on the shelves, without any boxes and packages, sprinkled with sand or sawdust (these materials absorb moisture well). Under such conditions, turnips can be stored all winter.

If the size of the cellar does not allow storing vegetables in large containers, then the option with bags will be more suitable. Beforehow to put vegetables in them, you need to treat each with a clay solution and let the fruits dry well. Such a protective layer will protect the turnip from insects and diseases, respectively, the shelf life will be longer. The bags need to have holes for ventilation. Otherwise, the turnip will rot.

Whatever method is used, the main thing is not to forget about ventilation and regular checks of fruits for damage.

Home Storage

Of course, having a dry, roomy and well-ventilated cellar is good. But not all people live in private homes. Many people live in apartments. How to store turnips at home in winter if there is no suitable room? Of course there are options. Refrigerator is suitable for short term storage. If the turnip is washed, dried and packed in bags, then it can be left in it for a period of no more than two weeks.

You can try to pack each fruit separately in cling film, then the shelf life will increase slightly. If there is a balcony, then it can be used to store vegetables. However, in winter, the temperature here can become very low, and turnips can freeze slightly. Therefore, choosing this storage option, you need to put the fruits in a box with an insulated bottom and cover with a warm blanket. If this does not help, then you will have to transfer vegetables from the balcony to the kitchen or pantry for the cold period.

Alternative turnip storage

Also for lovers of turnip recipes, the option of storing vegetables in the freezer is suitable. Frozen root vegetables also containplenty of vitamins and minerals. From them you can cook dishes no worse than from fresh ones. Let's figure out how to store turnips in the freezer.

To preserve the beneficial properties of this root crop as much as possible, you need to take peeled vegetables, cut into small pieces and put in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Then everything must be done strictly according to the instructions. Immediately from boiling water, place the chopped turnip in ice water, drain the water well, portion it into bags and place in the freezer.

One of the popular ways to store turnips is to preserve them. There are many recipes for rolling this root vegetable with the addition of other vegetables, and even fruits. Each housewife will be able to find a preservation method to her taste.

This method of storage will preserve the quality of this fruit for a long time, and there is no need to select a place for storage. Seam jars can be kept both in the cellar and on the balcony.