The best ways to preserve cauliflower for the winter at home

Cauliflower is considered finicky not only to grow, but also to store. In order for the vegetable to remain suitable for eating during the winter, it is necessary to provide both proper care during the growing season and suitable conditions during storage. It is important to choose a suitable place, storage method, and decide on a variety that has long shelf life.

Is it possible to keep self-grown cauliflower fresh for the winter?

Any gardener dreams of preserving his harvest in winter. For long-term storage, a suitable variety is grown; excessive nitrogen fertilizing, which leads to rapid spoilage of food, is not used. When growing independently, it is easier to control the maturation of forks. The harvest is placed in the necessary conditions using various methods: freezing, drying, canning and others.

Selection and preparation of cabbage for storage

To preserve for a long time, choose not overripe, healthy, evenly colored inflorescences. Vegetables are harvested as they ripen. Overripe cabbage loses its taste and shelf life. Forks measuring 10-13 cm and weighing 0.5-1 kg are considered the most suitable.

The harvested crop cannot be kept in the sun - under its influence the inflorescences wither. After harvesting, the forks are transferred to a cold, dark room. Before planting for a long time, cut off the stalks and outer leaves, leaving 3-4 leaves. They will protect the forks from damage and damage.The cabbage is dried and placed in storage.

Depending on the variety

Early varieties have poor keeping quality; only late-ripening varieties are suitable for long-term placement. They ripen within 140-150 days from the moment of emergence. Late varieties have dense, large heads, characterized by long-lasting shelf life. These varieties include Agnia, Amerigo, Green Snowdrift, Cortes, Regent.

Storage space

Cauliflower is stored in different ways. Optimal conditions: temperature - 0...+5°C, humidity - 90-95%. When the recommended temperature drops, the vegetable will freeze; when it rises, it will begin to germinate. The best places for storage are the cellar, refrigerator, balcony.

In a refrigerator

To place the forks in the refrigerator, prepare them as follows:

1. Wash thoroughly and remove leaves. Divide into inflorescences and lay out on a clean towel to dry.
2. The dried inflorescences are wrapped in two layers of cling film, thus limiting the access of air.
3. Place in the vegetable compartment.

In this form, the vegetable can be stored for up to 16-18 days. The cling film is changed periodically, as condensation forms on it inside. This leads to rotting of the product.

On the balcony

If there is no cellar, the harvest is stored on the balcony. The heads are placed in wooden or plastic boxes filled with sand and tightly covered with opaque film. This is necessary to maintain humidity inside the container.

Forks are also placed on the shelves of lockable balcony cabinets. The inflorescences are first wrapped in cling film. Every 5-6 days the vegetables are inspected, the film with condensate is changed.

Attention! When the air temperature drops below 0°C, drawers and shelves should be covered with old blankets.

The best conditions are created on a glassed-in loggia, where the temperature does not drop to sub-zero levels.

In the basement or cellar

In cellar and basement conditions, cabbage does not lose its beneficial properties for 3-4 months. Before planting the crop, the walls, ceiling and floor are carefully treated with antiseptic agents. The room is provided with air circulation through two ventilation holes: fresh air enters into the first, and fumes from stored vegetables are removed through the other. They create the necessary microclimate with air temperature 0...+5°C and humidity 90-95%.

Pre-washed and dried heads without stalks and with 3-4 outer leaves are placed in a wooden or plastic container, laid out on the floor, shelves, and hung from the ceiling. Vegetables are periodically inspected to monitor the onset of rotting and disease. Spoiled forks are removed so that putrefactive processes do not spread to neighboring vegetables.

Storage methods

Experienced gardeners recommend various ways to store cauliflower during the cold season. Before using each method, you should study the rules for processing vegetables.

In paper

Wrapped in paper, cauliflower will keep for 2-3 months. Before installation, the heads are washed with running water and dried. Then the heads of cabbage are individually wrapped in 3-4 layers of clean paper and placed in boxes or laid out on cellar shelves.

Important! Newspapers and magazines are not allowed as a paper layer. Printing ink contains lead and benzene that are harmful to health.

Vegetables wrapped in paper are checked periodically. If there are wet spots on the paper, the products are unwrapped, inspected, and the paper is replaced with dry paper.

In clay

The vegetable is well preserved in a layer of clay.This method is suitable for those who do not have a very large harvest. Each head of cabbage is coated with a solution the consistency of sour cream. Perform the following actions:

1. Clay is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:2.
2. Stir until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
3. The heads are dipped into the solution and hung in the fresh air to dry.
4. After the clay layer has hardened, the forks are placed in boxes, on shelves, and hung from the cellar ceiling.

To remove the dry clay shell, hit it with a hard object. The broken clay does not leave marks on the inflorescences.

Thanks to this method, cabbage does not rot, does not dry out, and remains fresh for 5-6 months.

In boxes

Wooden boxes are used for storage in the basement. Before placing in containers:

1. Remove the stalk along with the green mass, leaving 2-3 leaves.
2. The heads are placed in clean boxes lined with dry paper.
3. Partitions are made of cardboard between the vegetables so that the heads do not touch.
4. You can wrap the cabbage in cling film.
5. Cover the boxes with opaque film to maintain humidity.

Some vegetable growers place cabbage, dug up with roots, in boxes with sand. The stalk and leaves are not removed. A small hole is made in slightly moistened (not wet) sand, into which the lower part of the head of cabbage is placed - the stalk with roots, as if planting the plant in the sand. In this state, the vegetable does not spoil for up to two months.

In limbo

A well-proven method of storing heads is hanging them by stalks. It is not recommended to remove the leaves; they serve as a protective shell against drying out. The cabbage is hung so that the heads of cabbage do not touch each other for better air access. In this state, vegetables retain their quality for about 6 months.

Storing cauliflower with growing

Growing cabbage is the best option if the heads do not have time to ripen by the time of harvesting. 3-5 days before harvest, unripe but healthy vegetables are watered, then dug up with roots and a large lump of earth. Boxes filled with earth are prepared in advance.

The heads of cabbage are planted close to each other and the soil is added up to the outer leaves. Moisten as the soil dries. To ensure air circulation, the room must be ventilated. Depending on the chosen variety, growing lasts 3-4 months, during which the heads gain the required mass.

other methods

The keeping quality of a vegetable depends not only on the variety, but also on the form in which it is stored: frozen, dried or canned.

Freezing

The longest shelf life of cabbage heads is achieved in the freezer - about a year. Frozen vegetables are used when cooking soups and stewing vegetable stews. Before freezing, the heads are thoroughly washed with running water, dark inflorescences, leaves and stalks are removed, and divided into inflorescences. They are blanched in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, after which they are immediately immersed in cold water. Blanched cabbage after defrosting will not become limp, soft, and will retain its elasticity. The prepared inflorescences are placed in food containers or wrapped in cling film and placed in the freezer.

Drying

When dried, the vegetable retains its beneficial properties for about a year. It is used in vegetable soups. To dry the vegetable, use an oven or dehydrator. First, the heads of cabbage are washed and cut into small inflorescences. When using the oven, cover the baking sheet with clean paper, and lay out the chopped vegetables on it in one layer. Cauliflower is dried at a temperature of 55-60°C.Since it contains a lot of moisture, the drying process takes 5-6 hours. The oven door is not closed tightly, leaving a small gap, by placing some metal object 0.5-0.7 mm thick. This is necessary to evaporate moisture from the oven. Otherwise, the vegetable will begin to stew in its own juice.

To dry in a dehydrator, vegetables are placed in special trays and the device is turned on. This method allows you to obtain a higher quality product while maintaining beneficial properties. In conventional vegetable dryers, only the outer parts dry out, leaving a small percentage of moisture in the pulp. This leads to spoilage of vegetables during storage.

Canning

Canned cauliflower stored for a long time. It is rolled up along with other vegetables. For preservation, for example, use the following recipe:

1. Prepare the brine: dissolve 50 g of salt, 50 g of sugar, 1 tbsp in 1 liter of water. l. vinegar and bring to a boil.
2. Spices are laid out at the bottom of sterile jars: 5-6 pieces of black and allspice, 2 bay leaves, bell pepper cut into slices, garlic.
3. Cabbage, previously divided into inflorescences and blanched, is placed in jars and filled with brine. Place the jars in wide pots of water, bring to a boil and boil for 7-8 minutes.
4. After this, the jars are rolled up with lids.

Shelf life

Depending on the conditions, cauliflower retains its beneficial qualities for up to 12 months. You just need to follow the recommended rules when preparing vegetables and choose the appropriate storage method.

Healthy, undamaged cauliflower heads can sit at room temperature for 12-20 days. Long shelf life reaches:

• in the refrigerator under the freezer at a temperature of 0...+3°C - up to 2.5-3 months;
• in the vegetable compartment at +2...+4°C - 50-60 days;
• in the freezer - 12 months;
• in the cellar (basement) at a temperature of 0...+5°C - 2-2.5 months;
• on the balcony at a temperature of 0...+6°C - 1.5-2 months.

Read also:

How to prepare Korean-style cauliflower for the winter.

The best spicy cauliflower recipes for the winter.

Proven ways to store Savoy cabbage for the winter at home.

Conclusion

How to preserve cauliflower for the winter at home? For this they use freezing, drying, canning, as well as various methods of fresh storage. Depending on conditions, cauliflower can be stored from 20 days to 12 months. To extend this period, it is necessary to choose a shelf-stable variety and follow the correct agricultural practices when growing. During the entire storage period, it is important to regularly check the condition of vegetables.