Popular ways to store cabbage for a long time
Cabbage is a valuable vegetable. Due to the balanced content of vitamins, essential microelements, fiber, this plant has become a unique dietary product. There are many different delicious dishes, the main ingredient of which is cabbage. Due to the fact that this vegetable does not require special care in growing, has a good yield, is stored for a long time and has an affordable cost, cabbage has become a popular food product.
Not a single feast can do without a salad of sauerkraut or fresh cabbage. This vegetable goes well with meat, fish, potatoes. It is widely used in folk medicine as an effective medicine for many ailments. Every self-respecting housewife should know how to store cabbage, so that this storehouse of useful substances is always at hand.
Read also:how to ferment cabbage for the winter in a bucket in the old way?
Popular varieties of cabbage for long-term storage
Over the centuries-old history of the popularity of cabbage, breeders from different countries have been able to create numerous varieties of this wonderful vegetable, suitable for the climatic conditions of a particular area, which are distinguished by high yield and storage duration without losing their taste and useful properties. Moreover, varieties of cabbage are constantly being bred, even healthier, tastier. They are more resistant to various kinds of diseases. The most popular type is White cabbage.
Late and mid-late varieties that have a long growing season are ideal for winter storage. It is good to ferment dense heads of such cabbage and store in the cellar.
Due to climate change, the formation of heads of cabbage occurs in extreme heat, due to which the development of the plant slows down, and, accordingly, the volume does not increase. But you shouldn't get upset too much, domestic scientists were able to breed heat-resistant F1 hybrids of white cabbage specifically for cultivation in Russia. Here are their names:
- Maryana;
- Wizard;
- Olympus;
- Quartet;
- Orbit;
- Valentine.
Such hybrid varieties of cabbage for long-term storage are unpretentious to dramatically changing weather conditions. The maximum weight of one head of cabbage variety Valentina or Orbita is eight kilograms, which is why they are very popular among Russian farmers.
Proven over the years, high-yield cabbage varieties for long-term storage:
- Glory. The heads of this medium late cabbage have good cracking resistance. It will be possible to get a good harvest within three to four months after planting. The weight of one head of cabbage can reach five kilograms. Storage of this type of cabbage is at least 90 days.
- Turkiz. An excellent variety for fermentation. Heads ripen in four months. Keeping cabbage fresh in winter won't be a big deal.
- Moscow late. Large heads of cabbage, some weighing about eight kilograms, retain their useful qualities for a long time if the cabbage is stored in a cold place.
- Amager. Ripening of the variety occurs after four months. The average weight of one high-density head of cabbage is four kilograms. During the storage of cabbage in winter, its taste only improves.
- Creumont F1.Small juicy heads of cabbage (maximum two kilograms) can be stored in the cellar until spring. You can harvest cabbage four and a half months after planting.
There are many more wonderful varieties of this important vegetable that deserve attention. Through trial and error, many gardeners and farmers will be able to find suitable high-yielding varieties for themselves.
Storing cabbage in the cellar
Before you start harvesting and sending it to a storage location, you need to know how to properly harvest cabbage so that it can be stored for as long as possible.
Depending on the variety, cabbage should be picked either at the end of August or in the middle of October. When harvesting, the following conditions must be met:
- Do the cleaning on a sunny warm day. Dig carefully with a shovel. Do not cut off stubs and roots.
- Go through the cabbage. Remove damaged leaves. Remove the forks if the stump starts to rot or has been damaged pests.
- Dry the collected fruits.
It is necessary to exclude the appearance of rodents in the cellar. It is also necessary to dry the cellar itself to exclude high humidity, which contributes to the formation of mold and decay. It would be nice to treat the walls and shelves in the cellar with an antiseptic.
For storage in the cellar, use the following methods:
- In boxes. To do this, you need to cut off all the cabbage and put it in wooden boxes. It is desirable that they be with holes or slots. The boxes should not be placed directly on the floor, but on some kind of support.
- Pyramid. This method requires a special wooden platform with gaps between the boards. On it, in a checkerboard pattern, the harvested cabbage is laid according to the principle - the largest at the bottom, and the smallest at the top.
- Cover with sand. To do this, put the cabbage in boxes and cover them with sand. The second option involves filling the floor of the cellar with a thick layer of sand, and putting the heads of cabbage in it.
- Wrap in paper. To do this, each head of cabbage must be wrapped in several layers of paper. Newsprint can be used, but not for the first layer due to the lead in ink. After wrapping, the cabbage should be placed in bags or boxes.
- Suspended from the ceiling. For storage in this way, the roots should be left near the cabbage. It is necessary to hang a board or timber under the ceiling of the cellar at a distance of at least 30 cm from the nearest wall. Further, nails must be driven into the side of the timber at the same distance. The distance should correspond to the size of the largest head of cabbage. The collected cabbage will be hung on these nails.
If everything was done correctly, the harvest will be kept safe and sound until spring.
A new way to store cabbage
Many farmers have repeatedly wondered how to preserve cabbage for 12 months. Fortunately, scientific and technological progress does not stand still, and in addition to new varieties, effective ways of storing cabbage in winter are also invented.
Here's what you need to do to have fresh cabbage dishes on the table all year round:
- Select tighter heads of cabbage.
- Tear off all loose leaves.
- If there is damage, it must be removed.
- Each head of cabbage must be wrapped with thin cling film (three layers), purchased in advance from the store.
- Place in boxes or bags and send to a prepared storage location.
- Once a month, stocks should be checked for rot, which should be trimmed immediately.
Storing cabbage in cling film will keep it in good condition for almost a year. Thanks to this cheap modern method, a healthy fresh vegetable will always be present in the diet, the regular use of which contributes to the normalization of metabolism in the body, longevity and the preservation of beauty.