Cauliflower is a product with a high content of nutrients... Not the right conditions storage often leads to quick loss taste and marketability of its inflorescences. To save a vegetable from wilting and darkening, you should know how to store it correctly. cauliflower depending on the chosen method.
Early varieties quickly reach technical ripeness, but are distinguished by a high moisture content, friable pulp. These indicators prevent long-term storage. vegetable crops... The purpose of early ripening cabbage is to use in fresh.
For long-term storage mainly intended late varieties vegetable crops, the ripening period of which is 3-4 months. Mid-season varieties are used for freezing. To the most popular varieties and hybrids for winter storage include:
- Amerigo F1;
- White beauty;
- Cortez F1;
- Autumn giant;
- Flora Blanca.
Seed producers indicate on the packaging information about the purpose of the vegetable crop and the ripening time. When choosing a variety or hybrid, they are guided by the recommendations of the breeders.
Storage conditions and preparation of cauliflower
The microclimate in which the inflorescences retain their fresh nutritional and market value must meet several parameters:
- humidity level 90-95%;
- air temperature about 0 ° C;
- good air ventilation.
For storing cauliflower at home, a cool room without natural light... In the light, the heads quickly darken and lose their taste. More warm air promotes the development of various rot, negative temperatures lead to freezing of inflorescences. High humidity is necessary to keep the vegetable juicy.
For long-term storage, strong heads are selected that are not damaged by frost. Harvesting is carried out on the days when the heads of cabbage are completely closed and become dense. Cabbage 8-15 cm in diameter is considered ready for harvesting. The inflorescences should be free of rot, mechanical damage and pests. The yellowed leaves are removed, leaving 3-4 green leaves. The vegetable collected from the garden is immediately moved to a dark room.
Storage methods
There are a few simple ways to save the cauliflower for the winter. Each of them is distinguished by the special conditions for preparing the vegetable and the period during which it does not deteriorate.In the freezer
Freezing is one of the most popular and time-consuming ways to preserve cauliflower. The technology involves several mandatory steps:
- the vegetable is washed under running water from dirt and insects;
- remove leaves, disassemble into inflorescences;
- blanch for 2 minutes in salted water;
- cool the inflorescences, blot with paper towels;
- placed in freezer in one layer until freezing;
- transferred to a container or plastic bag.
To prevent frozen cauliflower from darkening, add lemon juice... It helps to keep original color pulp.
In fridge
The cauliflower is stored in a special vegetable rack. Heads of cabbage are pre-washed, stripped of leaves and packed separately in paper or cling film. Every few days it is necessary to inspect the vegetable, remove spoiled inflorescences and change the packaging. During storage, the product should be protected from sudden changes in humidity and temperature.
Heads of cabbage do not disappear in the refrigerator for a maximum of 3 months. You can extend the period with a saline solution. For this, individual inflorescences are placed in glass jar and poured with brine. For this, 30 g of salt is dissolved in 1 liter of water.
In the cellar
A dark room is suitable for storage if the temperature and humidity are at the required level. Heads of cabbage are placed in 2 ways: suspended from the ceiling or rooted in wet sand. In the first case, the following technology is observed:
- the cauliflower is harvested before the onset of frost;
- ripe, strong specimens are selected without signs of diseases and pests;
- remove external dry leaves;
- tie up each stump with twine;
- hang with inflorescences down;
- the heads of cabbage are positioned so that they do not touch each other, this provokes the spread of rot.
You can place cauliflower on wooden shelves... In this case, the vegetable should be turned over every week for even ventilation.
If there are unripe heads of cabbage left in the garden, they can be moved to the cellar along with the earthen lump and continue to grow at a temperature of 0-4 ° C. Wet sand is used as a substrate. The room is often ventilated.
On the balcony
Saving a vegetable crop on the balcony is more difficult than in a cellar or refrigerator due to unpredictable weather conditions... Heads of cabbage are stored in paper, separately from each other until the night frosts begin (when the temperature on the balcony drops below 0 ° C, you will have to look for another place for storage). The vegetable is protected from sunlight and insects, regularly inspected and spoiled inflorescences removed.
Storage periods
The frozen vegetable retains its consumer qualities from 6 to 12 months. This is the maximum shelf life. In the cellar, subject to all conditions, the heads of cabbage do not lose nutritional value from 2 months to six months. Cauliflower can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3 months. To do this, you need to regularly update the packaging and remove spoiled copies.
How to keep fresh cauliflower? Is it possible to do this for a long time? Yes, there are such ways. Today I'll tell you how to keep cauliflower fresh until spring, and also frozen.
Cauliflower is the second most popular species grown in Russia. Of course, the first place is occupied by white cabbage. What is the origin of its name? From the fact that, depending on the variety, it has a different color? Perhaps. But it is more likely that from the word "blossom". After all, she is really beautiful and looks like a flower. And what delicious dishes you can cook from it.
However, storing cauliflower is sometimes difficult. More precisely, the difficulty is caused by ignorance of some of the possibilities and methods. An important point is the time of her cleaning.
When to harvest cauliflower? Or "Overrelieved?" - Unfit!"
There are a few rules to keep in mind when harvesting cauliflower.
- Firstly, harvest heads begin during the growing season. When they reach a diameter of 8-12 cm, it will be about 300-1200 g by weight. If the vegetable outgrows, it will lose a significant part of its useful and taste... A yellowed and crumbly plant - clearly overripe.
- Secondly, when you remove the cauliflower, cut it carefully with a knife, leaving 2-4 leaves. If it has developed shoots, you can try to grow new inflorescences. To do this, you need to leave one or two strong shoots, and remove the rest. You should take care of the vegetable in the same way as for a normal planting.
- Thirdly, the cut heads should never be left in direct sunlight. Otherwise, they will immediately begin to turn yellow and eventually become simply unsuitable for human consumption. And you don't want to lose your harvest at all, do you?
Something else about harvesting cauliflower. Early varieties ripen within 60-100 calendar days, and the first harvest can be harvested in June. Usually this procedure takes place selectively in 2-3 approaches. When the heads have already formed, but have not grown to the desired size, it is recommended to shade them with broken leaves of the same cabbage. The ripening time of medium varieties is 100-135 calendar days, and the later ones will grow for at least 5 months. In general, you can harvest fresh crops until late autumn.
Cold harvest or longest fresh storage of cauliflower
How to store cauliflower if there is practically nothing to store? I mean a situation where the cold came before the cauliflower was ripe. It is still so small that it is enough for one tooth. What to do in this case? Is it all gone? No. There is a great way called growing. In practice, this is a transplant of cabbage into a cellar or greenhouse. And it consists in the following.
Heads with a diameter of 3-5 cm are dug out together with roots and clods of earth (it is advisable to water them abundantly in two days) and transplanted into a prepared room very tightly to each other (for 1 m 2 - 30-40 plants). They are covered with earth by 15 centimeters, to the very leaves. By the way, they will serve as a source of essential nutrients. The main rule of such storage of cauliflower is no light. Otherwise, everything will go down the drain. Therefore, the heads must be covered, for example, with a dark plastic wrap or a wooden shield.
Conditions for fruitful cultivation and rearing: air temperature + 4-10 ° C, relative air humidity not less than 95%. As a result, the harvest can be obtained in 1-4 months (the variety also affects the time). By the way, this method is suitable not only for unsuccessful cabbage ripening, but also for the usual desire to provide oneself with this vegetable for almost the whole year. This is both the cultivation and storage of cauliflower.
Let's keep the flower alive or how else can you store cauliflower?
There are also such ways to store this cabbage:
- In the cellar, at a temperature of about 0 ° C and a relative humidity of about 95%, boxes (wooden or plastic) or boxes with cauliflower heads peeled from leaves and roots covered with plastic wrap can be placed. So they can be stored for up to 7 weeks. But still check your cauliflower from time to time for various diseases... It is better to check it once more and make sure it is safe than not to check it and then throw most of it on the compost heap.
- At the same temperature and humidity, but suspended from the stumps, you can store cauliflower for about 3 weeks.
- Storing cauliflower in the refrigerator. To do this, place the cabbage heads (no roots and no leaves) in a plastic bag. Give each cabbage its own storage house, that is, one head - one bag. You can wrap the heads of cauliflower, previously peeled from roots and leaves, and in cling film. But, alas, this option will extend her life by only a week.
- Probably the longest way to store cauliflower is to freeze it. Yes it is not fresh cabbage, but a reliable way to eat delicious treats for at least six months.
You can freeze both raw cabbage and slightly boiled cabbage. But in both methods of freezing, you should wash the cabbage heads and disassemble them into smaller inflorescences. The water must be thoroughly drained and the inflorescences allowed to dry out. The method of blanching (boiling) cabbage is the same as for
Of all the various types of garden cabbage (Brassicaoleracea), cauliflower has the most delicate and delicate taste. (May broccoli or kohlrabi lovers forgive me!)
Source: pixabay.com
It doesn't matter how you prefer to cook it - just fry it in croutons until golden crust, steam and serve with a sauce of French blue cheese or bake in a milk and egg filling with mushrooms ... delicious meals from cauliflower you want constantly, and not only in summer season... A natural question arises: how to keep fresh cauliflower for the whole winter? I have to admit right away that this is not easy to do. Cauliflower contains a lot of moisture (up to 90%), so it spoils quickly.
Storing cauliflower at home
Fridge
You can store cauliflower, like any other vegetables, in the refrigerator at home. It's good if you have it large and roomy, with a freshness zone or zero chamber. In such zones, a constant temperature is maintained around 0 ℃ and high humidity, which slows down the reproduction of bacteria and microorganisms, respectively, allows you to preserve the taste and nutritional value of products for a longer time. Under these conditions, cauliflower can last up to 2 weeks. It is not recommended to store cauliflower in a regular refrigerator for more than 7-10 days.
Source: depositphotos.com
Freezer
For long-term storage, freezing is the most common method. You can freeze cauliflower raw, but to save space in the freezer and for ease of preparation, it is better to bring it to the state of "semi-finished product":
- Rinse well the fresh cauliflower head, divide into inflorescences. It is better to immediately make them the same size as you usually use when cooking;
- dip the prepared cabbage in boiling salted water for a few minutes, blanch until half cooked (al dente);
- immerse the boiled cabbage in ice water... This "shock" procedure is optional, but it will sharply stop the thermal process and better preserve the texture;
- place the cooked cabbage in a colander and then on a paper towel to dry;
- pack the product in portions plastic bags, remove the air from them, if possible, without pressing too hard.
Cauliflower can be stored frozen for a year. You need to use it without defrosting, so that it does not lose its density and taste. Frozen cabbage, of course, tastes different from fresh, so it is preferable to add it to soups or vegetable stew, that is, not as the main, but as an additional ingredient.
Source: depositphotos.com
Conservation
You can save your cauliflower with home canning as well. Exists various recipes salting and pickling. The simplest of them: put the cabbage disassembled into inflorescences in jars and pour brine at the rate of 80 g of salt and 1 tablespoon of 9% vinegar per 1 liter of water. Adding herbs and spices is a matter of your taste. If you have natural vinegar, such as apple cider vinegar, then your cabbage will be even tastier and healthier with it. Instead of a store-bought "chemical" one, take it for the marinade, but double the amount, since its strength is 4-6%.
Salted and pickled cauliflower can be served as a stand-alone snack or used in the preparation of various dishes, after rinsing it with water.
Source: depositphotos.com
Summer residents and gardeners (storage of cabbage in the cellar)
It's one thing when you just buy vegetables from the store, and quite another if you have managed to harvest your own rich harvest! In order to properly store cauliflower grown with such difficulty, the happy owners of the beds should get a basement or cellar. It must provide good ventilation and a constant microclimate: temperature from 0 to +4 ℃ and humidity 90-95%.
Source: depositphotos.com
Storing the cauliflower crop
For storing cauliflower in a basement or cellar, you need to take only strong, clean heads, in which the inflorescences fit tightly to each other and do not have dark spots and spots on the surface. We recommend several ways:
- Ripe heads of cabbage, cut together with several bottom leaves, placed in boxes made of plywood or plastic and covered with foil on top. For greater safety, each head can be wrapped in separate paper. You can also arrange the "packaged" cabbage on the existing shelves.
- The dug cabbage heads are cleared of the ground and, tied by a stump root, are suspended from a beam or crossbar. It is important that the heads do not touch each other. These methods keep the cauliflower fresh for 1 to 2 months.
Growing
In fact, this is a transplant of cabbage from the garden into boxes filled with earth, which are installed in the cellar. For this method, it is better to take healthy plants with big amount leaves and not yet formed or small (3-5 cm in diameter) heads, digging them out with a clod of earth so as not to damage the roots. The cabbage is placed deep in a box, sprinkled with earth to the very leaves. Dry and rotten leaves must be removed. In conditions of complete absence of light and at temperatures from +4 to +10 ℃, cabbage will continue to develop and grow, delighting you with a fresh harvest for several months. This method is quite laborious, but it provides the longest storage time and saves the quality of the natural product as much as possible.
Which varieties of cauliflower are best for storage? Depending on the ripening period, cauliflower varieties are divided into three groups: early ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening. Vegetation period early-ripening varieties - 80-110 days, mid-ripening - 110-140, late-ripening - 150 and more.
Due to the nature of maturation, the best resistance to unnatural storage conditions, that is, keeping quality, cabbage has late-ripening varieties, and the worst, respectively, early-ripening.
Therefore, lovers of eating cauliflower at any time of the year are recommended to plant several varieties of different groups... So already in June it will be possible to harvest the first fresh harvest, and in the fall to prepare enough laying cabbage for a long winter storage.
Fundamental rules
How to store cauliflower? Cauliflower is a delicate, fragile young lady and stored much worse than other types.
So that most of the crop does not lose its fresh, healthy appearance, taste and useful qualities v winter period, you need to carefully follow each step of preparation for storage, which begins with competent:
- Do not overuse during the growing season. nitrogen fertilizers, from which the crop deteriorates much faster.
- Cabbage is harvested 2-3 times as soon as the heads ripen. It is forbidden let the cabbage outgrow, since it loses both taste and benefit, and is also not stored at all. A head 8-12 cm in diameter and weighing 400-1100 g is considered sufficiently ripe.
- The head should be cut, leaving on it 3-4 leaves that protect it from damage.
- Do not hold harvested crop in the sun, and immediately remove the cabbage in dark and cool place... The sun's rays dry it out very quickly, which is why it withers and turns yellow.
How to keep cauliflower fresh for the winter? Once the crop is harvested, you need to decide where to store it. Since cauliflower contains a lot of moisture, she won't stay warm for a long time... The only suitable way to store cauliflower is "cold", that is, at a temperature of 0… 6 ° C. Also, so that the cabbage does not dry out, high humidity is needed - 90-95%.
So the right storage space is the right one. necessary conditions: basement, cellar or refrigerator... How to store cauliflower in an apartment? You can't keep cabbage in the apartment at all, only if you put it on balcony where the temperature still does not drop below zero.
Any boxes and boxes can be adapted and insulate their. Then the cabbage will lie for some time after the onset of cold weather.
Another very convenient and most reliable way-. In the freezer, cabbage will definitely not deteriorate and will lie there for more than six months.
Storage period cauliflower can be very different. It depends on the quality of the crop and the chosen method. Thus, the cabbage can be stored from 3 weeks to 12 months... Choosing a way to store cabbage should be based on the purposes for which you will use it.
The ways
In the basement or cellar
If you have a cellar, and you do not need to store cabbage for a very long time, then priority storage method it becomes this one.
At the same time, cabbage completely retains both taste and useful qualities.
The shelf life is up to two months.
Instructions:
- Make sure the conditions in the cellar are correct: humidity should be 90-95%, temperature- about 0 ° C.
- Prepare wooden or plastic boxes and plastic wrap.
- Inspect the crop and make sure it's not there damaged or sick heads. They are not suitable for storage.
- Clear every cabbage head from leaves and roots.
- Carefully pack the crops into boxes, cover them with foil and put them in the cellar.
- Check the cabbage from time to time for rot or disease... Remove the spoiled heads in a timely manner so that they do not infect the rest.
You can store cabbage in the cellar a little differently: hang the cabbage by the stumps... There is no need to change the conditions in the cellar. In a suspended state, cabbage will be stored for about a month.
Just like in the cellar, cabbage can be stored on the balcony of course, under the appropriate conditions.
In fridge
Instructions:
- Rinse the cabbage.
- Remove leaves and roots from it.
- Fold the cabbage into plastic bags and then into the refrigerator. Each head has its own small bag-house.
This method is the least successful, since cabbage is stored only about a week, and even loses its taste.
Week - at all short term... To extend it, you can cabbage pre-saline: wash thoroughly, disassemble into inflorescences, put in jars and pour brine (for 10 kg of cabbage, 5 liters of water, 400 g of salt and the same amount of 8% vinegar). For cooking, it is enough rinse the cabbage from the brine.
In the freezer
How to store cauliflower in the freezer at home for the winter? A way to save cauliflower for the whole year- freeze it.
Of course, after freezing, it will no longer be fresh, but when using cabbage as an additional ingredient to the main dish, this is almost invisible.
The main thing is that you can eat cauliflower throughout 6-12 months after harvest.
Instructions:
- Cool water rinse thoroughly each cabbage head. Make sure you completely remove any dirt and insects that might get lost among the flowers.
- Cut off green leaves and disassemble the cabbage into small inflorescences... You only need to freeze them.
- You need cabbage blanch so that after defrosting it does not become soft, lethargic and discolored.
- Boil water in a saucepan and lower the inflorescences there for three minutes.
- Then drop the cabbage into ice water to stop the brewing process immediately.
- Divide the cabbage into sachets or any suitable container and place in freezer.
To use cabbage, just a little of it will be enough to warm.
An experienced gardener and housewife will share her ways of storing cauliflower in the freezer in winter in this video:
How to freeze at home, and find out from our articles.
Growing
There is another way to eat cauliflower most of the winter. The method is called rearing.
The undoubted advantage is that it will fresh... It is also used if the cold has come earlier than we would like, and the crop has not had time to ripen.
Instructions:
- It is recommended to grow cabbage in the cellar at a humidity of 90-95% and a temperature of 0 ... 4 ° C.
- Prepare several boxes of regular garden land.
- Choose the heads that look the most healthy and have many leaves. They should be in diameter 4-5 cm.
- In a couple of days, as you will "transplant" the cabbage, water it abundantly.
- Dig up the cabbage so that it remains big lump of earth.
- Place the heads deep in the drawer and tightly together.
- Sprinkle them with earth right down to the leaves.
- More often ventilate the basement so that the cabbage "breathes" fresh air.
Depending on the variety of cabbage, it will grow from 2 to 4 months, and you can choose the varieties so that the cabbage will probably last for the whole winter.
The main thing is to maintain the right conditions, or it will ripen much earlier than expected and quickly deteriorate.
Keeping and growing cauliflower takes a lot of effort, but this should not be considered a reason not to plant it.
How to store cauliflower at home? One way to save cauliflower for the winter is with it. leaven in banks. The video will tell you how to do this:
In addition to its benefits, cauliflower has a very mild and delicate taste that you will not find in any other species. This important property makes it most preferred"Cabbage" ingredient for many, many dishes.
Have you thought about how to store cauliflower correctly so that it delights you with its freshness all winter? Many believe that this is impossible, because it is stored in the refrigerator only for a month at best. However, I know for sure that it is quite possible to prepare fresh cauliflower for the winter, and in good conditions it will lie down until summer.
Cauliflower entered our diet quite recently and very quickly took its place of honor not only in everyday life, but also in festive table... In addition to the mass of vitamins, it contains iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium ... Unlike white cabbage, it can be used by people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and in the diet of patients with atherosclerosis and diabetes, this product should be present all the time.
Cauliflower should be harvested in late October or early November, until it is overripe and its head diameter does not exceed 12 cm.It is best to harvest vegetables in dry and clear weather, but immediately after harvesting it is necessary to protect them from sunlight: for example, covering with freshly cut leaves.
The method of harvesting depends on where you plan to store your vegetables. There are the following harvesting methods:
- Cutting buds if refrigerated storage is planned.
- Unscrewing the heads if the cabbage will be stored in the cellar.
- Digging up the vegetables along with the clod if you want to apply the growing technique.
Cellar storage
I'll start my story about how to store cauliflower with the cellar. The room should be kept at a temperature of 0 to 4 ºС. Also desirable good system ventilation and humidity at the level of 90-95%.
Before planting the crop for the winter, it must be sorted by removing the spoiled and loose heads. Further strategy depends on how much you plan to store vegetables. There are 5 main ways to store cauliflower in a cellar.
- Head down. Remove excess leaves from the vegetables and hang each head by the stump from the ceiling beams. This method saves space in the cellar, but it will not work to store the harvest like this all winter: it will sag for a maximum of a month.
- On shelves or in drawers. Cut off the top leaves and roots from the cabbage, arrange it on shelves or in boxes so that the heads do not touch each other. It is very important to limit the access of light to vegetables. To do this, each copy can be wrapped in newspaper or wrapped in plastic. If there is a lot of harvest, just cover it with cardboard or dark film. At least once a week, you need to check whether the cabbage has begun to deteriorate, and it is advisable to change the polyethylene if too much condensation has formed on it. The shelf life in this way is 2-3 months.
- In clay. Coat each head with a solution of clay, let the crop dry and place the resulting blanks in the cellar or basement. Clay "fur coat" will keep vegetables in their original state for 3-5 months in winter.
- In sand. Cut the leaves off the cabbage (no roots need to be removed) and bury it in clean, wet sand. Periodically, it needs to be moistened, and vegetables should be checked, throwing out rotten specimens. The shelf life of the crop in the sand is up to 6 months.
- Growing up. If the cauliflower heads are still too small at the time of harvest, you can grow them in the cellar in winter. In order to do this correctly, a couple of days before harvesting, start watering the crop abundantly, then dig up the vegetables along with large lumps land and transplant them into a pre-prepared bed in the basement. Plants need to be planted very tightly, and they should be covered with earth to the very leaves. From above, the garden bed must be covered with a dark film, cardboard or a sheet of plywood. If you properly organize such storage of cauliflower, you can harvest from improvised beds not only in winter, but also in spring, until summer.
Storage in the apartment
You can also save cauliflower at home in winter: on the balcony, in the refrigerator or freezer. If there are a lot of vegetables, it is best to adapt a cabinet on the glassed-in balcony for storing them. You can pre-insulate it by upholstering it with foam or other insulating material. Vegetables must be cleaned of yellowed leaves and roots, wrapped each head with newspaper or plastic and laid out on the shelves in the closet. Periodically, you need to change the packaging and make sure that black spots do not appear on the fruits.
In the absence of a balcony, cauliflower can be stored in the refrigerator - albeit for a very short time. Wrap the peeled heads in plastic wrap or plastic bags and place in the vegetable compartment. Every 3-5 days, the packaging must be removed, since moisture will condense on it, and the vegetables must be dried and wrapped in a new wrapper. But no matter how much you change the packaging, you will still not be able to keep the harvest longer than 3-4 weeks in this way.
Long-term storage of this vegetable at home is possible only in the freezer. Of course, some of the vitamins are lost in this case, but the frozen product is excellent for culinary purposes. To properly freeze cabbage, it must be cut into inflorescences, washed thoroughly and boiled in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. You can dissolve a teaspoon in boiling water citric acid... After that, the inflorescences are dried, packaged in sealed bags or containers and placed in a freezer. You can freeze vegetables without preliminary boiling, but then the cabbage will change its color and taste. These vegetables can be stored frozen for as long as needed, even until the next harvest.
And finally, another common way of storing cauliflower is salting. For 10 kg of vegetables, you need 5.5 liters of water, 400 g of salt and about 400 ml of 6% vinegar. First you need to boil water, dissolve salt in it and add vinegar. The inflorescences are separated from each other, washed, blanched in salted water for a couple of minutes, placed in sterilized jars and poured with cooled brine. You can also add black pepper and Bay leaf... The workpieces are closed with lids, kept for 2 weeks at room temperature and then sent to storage in a dark and cool place.
Your brownie.