How and how much cauliflower can be stored at home, rules and choice of place
Cauliflower is a dietary vegetable containing vitamins C and B. It is better absorbed due to the soft structure of the inflorescences. But because of its sweetness, the variety is more sensitive to storage conditions than white cabbage. Cold and heat are destructive for him. How cauliflower is harvested and prepared and how it is stored determines the taste and benefits of prepared meals and storage.
Features of storing cauliflower
What you need to know about a strain before choosing a storage method:
- none of the methods will keep overripe heads of cabbage;
- the immature crop matures after being collected from storage;
- with free access to air, cabbage heads stay strong longer;
- cabbage, tightly packed in a container, spoils faster;
- in the cold, the inflorescences turn black, become bitter.
Overripe cabbage heads are yellow, crumbly and disintegrate into inflorescences. For lack of air and space, the vegetable releases waste products which accelerate decomposition.
The shelf life of cauliflower is influenced by the integrity of its inflorescences. Crumpled and broken inflorescences can be stored.
How to prepare for long term storage
What heads of cabbage can be stored:
- with a clean surface of uniform color;
- dense, with entire inflorescences;
- juicy.
Spots, yellowing, lethargy are signs of fungus and wilting. In storage, they will spread to healthy vegetables. Discolored inflorescences will not catch juice, and in dishes they will look like cotton wool.
What to do with cabbage after purchase or harvest:
- divide the cabbage heads into pieces;
- cut roots, leaves;
- Rinse;
- dry thoroughly.
In this form, the cured buds are ready to be refrigerated, dried and stored. When collecting unripe heads of cabbage, they are dug up with a root and a clod of earth, laid in boxes or laid out in open glass jars, placed in a cellar. A maturing vegetable crop should be watered regularly.
Necessary storage conditions
Storage requirements:
- temperature - 0 ... + 6 degrees;
- darkness;
- good ventilation;
- 95% humidity.
Cabbage heads turn yellow and dry out from heat and sun. A cellar is best suited for storing fresh buds depending on the conditions.
Home Storage Methods
The fridge and freezer are the best places to store cauliflower at home. It is important not to refreeze the vegetable. Sensitive inflorescences will not withstand further shock treatment and will turn into a tasteless porridge during the second defrosting.
In the fridge
It is better to use a refrigerator to store fresh vegetables purchased in an apartment. In cling film, the inflorescences will remain for 2 weeks. You can use a plastic container with holes and place it in the crisper or place it on the door. Do not put cabbage under the freezer, on the upper shelves, near the back wall. These are the places with the lowest temperatures that are not suitable for long-term storage of the cauliflower variety.
In the freezer
Dried and washed heads of cabbage are disassembled into portions, wrapped in cling film in 2 layers and loosely laid out in the freezer. If necessary, take out 1-2 portions, which will be enough for one-time cooking.
Before freezing, vegetables can be blanched: immerse in boiling water for 5 minutes, remove, dry and also wrap in plastic. Freshly frozen and blanched inflorescences are stored for as long. Pre-cooking better preserves the firmness of the product after defrosting. Before preparing food, cauliflower is thawed in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
In the cellar
When storing, it is important to spread the heads of cabbage at a distance from each other. The stock should be regularly reviewed and yellowed, blackened specimens removed.
If you spread it well and do not remove the spoiled vegetables in time, the neighbors will quickly deteriorate along the chain, and then the whole crop.
In a clay talker
For better insulation, the heads of cabbage, laid out in a container, are coated with clay diluted with water. Also, the heads can be dipped in a liquid clay solution, left to dry, laid out in the boxes in a single layer and sprinkled with sand on top.But the negative side of this way of preservation is that it is difficult to check whether the cabbage heads have gone bad or not.
In wooden boxes
A flat container with low sides will do. Heads of cabbage in them will fit in a single layer. Drawers with loose boards have better air circulation. The containers are placed in a row on the racks. Above one box, you can put the second one crosswise so as not to block the air for the lower vegetables.
Hanging
The advantage of the method is to save space, ventilate and insulate the cabbage heads. To hang the cauliflower, you need wood, metal strips and a thin rope.
It is possible to build special frames for hanging inflorescences in several bars. It is only important to observe the interval between vegetables.
In paper
The method makes it possible to do without boxes and structures. Heads of cabbage are wrapped in paper and laid out on shelves. So the vegetables do not interfere with each other. Paper wrapping will serve as an alternative to clay smear. It is also suitable for storing inflorescences in boxes.
On the balcony
An insulated loggia with a temperature of at least 0 degrees in winter is suitable for storing cabbage. As in the basement, cabbage heads can be snagged if you close the windows with dark paper, film, blinds.
Boxes should be covered or each head should be wrapped in paper.
Growth
With an early cold spell, the heads are dug up immature and developed. Unearthed cabbage heads with clods are placed in the basement:
- in boxes with soil;
- in a fenced embankment.
2 days before digging, the beds are watered.Heads of cabbage with a diameter of 3 centimeters or more are ready to grow. In an artificial environment, they are planted tightly, covered with soil to the lower leaves. The store must be ventilated frequently. To exclude light penetration on the inflorescences, cabbage heads are closed with lower leaves, and not tightly tied. Cabbage matures in 2-4 months.
About storage times
Different storages store cauliflower from several months to a year:
- cellar - from 2 months;
- refrigerator - up to 30 days;
- freezer - up to 12 months;
- balcony - 30 days.
In a cool dark closet, a closet in an apartment, the safety of cabbage heads depends on humidity and temperature. The dried product can be stored for up to 2 months, the canned product - 1 year.
Alternative methods
In the absence of a cellar and space in the refrigerator, the vegetable is stored dried or canned in a dark, dry place in the apartment.
Drying
Cabbage heads are washed, disassembled into inflorescences and laid out on a baking sheet in a thin layer. Preheat the oven to 60 degrees and put a baking sheet in it for 2 hours. Periodically you need to check the condition of the inflorescences. When they turn yellowish, but elastic, remove the baking sheet. The finished drying is laid out in clean glass jars, covered with parchment. Dried cauliflower is stored in the pantry, in the kitchen cabinet.
Canning
To prepare for winter storage, the roots and leaves are separated from the tops. Cabbage is covered with onions and nuts, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, beets, garlic. To prepare the marinade, 9% vinegar is poured into salted boiling water. For half a liter of water - 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of vinegar.Cabbage is mixed with chopped accessory ingredients and distributed in sterilized jars. Then pour in the marinade and boil for 10 minutes.
Canned foods are prepared without sterilization. Banks are poured with brine - boiling water with 2 tablespoons of salt and dissolved sugar. Then add a teaspoon of vinegar and roll. For taste, bay leaves, cilantro, black pepper and cloves are placed in canned cabbage. Conservation can be stored at home, in a dark place, at room temperature.
How to properly store fresh cauliflower
What else you need to know about preparing and storing fresh, colorful heads of cabbage:
- early varieties persist less well than later ones;
- mature buds should not be overexposed on the beds;
- to eat a useful product all year round, you will need to plant several varieties with different ripening periods;
- remove the ripe heads of the early varieties and put them in the cellar;
- do not leave the cut heads of cabbage in the sun;
- choose a container, packaging with holes;
- Arrange the vegetables at intervals of a few centimeters.
The main enemies of fresh cauliflower are heat, sun and suffocation. At high temperatures, the vegetable loses moisture and taste. Good conditions are coolness, fresh air and darkness. Therefore, the best storage for fresh vegetables is the cellar.
Common Mistakes
Colored cabbage heads deteriorate rapidly if:
- close the cans with a tight-fitting lid;
- grow under artificial lighting;
- leave for a long time without inspection for damage;
- transfer from cold to hot and vice versa;
- tie and hang in bundles;
- freeze, put dry inflorescences in the refrigerator.
You should not be greedy and try to save lazy heads of cabbage, as well as tightly fill them in deep boxes to save space in the cellar or on the balcony. Plants will begin to actively release ethylene gas, which accelerates wilting, and the crop will die.
Additional tips and tricks
How to store cauliflower longer:
- fertilize moderately with nitrogen during cultivation;
- before canning, soak garden-fresh buds for 10 minutes in salt water to reveal any insects hidden inside;
- blanch in salted water to avoid bitterness;
- freeze once;
- store in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf, below, on the door.
Whole cabbage heads can also be stored by placing each in a plastic bag. But in this form, the cabbage will take up more space in the refrigerator.When choosing a storage method, you need to consider the nutritional value. More vitamins are found in fresh and frozen cauliflower.