Is it possible to wash carrots before storing them: should this be done after harvesting and before placing them in the cellar for the winter or not, and what is the correct way? Russian farmer

Features of the structure of the vegetable

The main feature of this vegetable crop is its thin peel and sensitivity to external influences. Any mistake in storage technology, and the vegetable quickly disappears: it rots, withers, and is attacked by pests.

Reference! The root vegetable contains up to 80% water, and under unfavorable conditions - high humidity, dampness or heat - the moisture from the carrots evaporates, and it loses both nutrients and its ability to be stored.

Carrots will last until spring if you provide them with a suitable microclimate in storage areas : temperature no higher than +2°C, humidity no lower than 90%, no drafts, moderate ventilation, no painful bacteria.

Peeler

Wash the carrots under cold tap water. You can brush it with a nylon brush to remove dirt and clods of soil. This is an important process because it washes away all pesticides and contaminants. Sometimes carrots may look a little dirty after washing, but when they are peeled, everything disappears.
Place the plate on the work surface. The plate is necessary so that the peeling carrots fall into it. You can peel carrots over a trash bin, but this often causes the peelings to fall past the bin, creating contamination. You can peel the carrots over the board, and then carefully collect and throw all the peelings into the trash bin.
Hold the carrot between the index finger and thumb of your non-dominant hand. After this, you need to turn your hand so that your palm is facing the ceiling. The vegetable should be tilted at a 45-degree angle above the plate and point the sharp end downward on the plate. The hardest thing about peeling carrots, especially when one is trying to do it quickly, is not to get hurt. When your palm is directly under the vegetable, the chance of cutting yourself is extremely low.

Place the peeler against the thickest part of the carrot. When the tool does not reach the end of the vegetable by 2 cm, it is not a big deal, because you can cut off the upper end later. Most vegetable peelers have two blades, which allow you to peel carrots in two directions. Peelers can cut very thin layers of peel. This doesn't require any effort. By cutting off the thinnest layer of carrots, you can preserve a lot of phytonutrients and other beneficial substances contained on the surface of the carrots.
Run a vegetable peeler along the carrots from the bottom end to the top. Peeling carrots this way will take no more than 10 seconds.
After peeling the lengthwise part of the carrot, you need to cut off the top and bottom ends.

What does washing affect?

Many gardeners doubt whether or not to wash carrots before storing them for the winter. Isn’t this extra work: after all, you then need to dry the washed root vegetables. And the main question: will the shelf life of washed fruit be reduced?

Traditionally, domestic sales included unwashed vegetables, sometimes with lumps of adhering dirt. Under a thick layer of clay or soil, it is difficult to determine the true quality of the root crop . But washing is an additional hassle.

To answer the question of whether or not to wash the harvested crop, you need to proceed from:

the volume of the harvest - whether it is small or large;
availability of running water or sufficient quantity of it;
is there a drying shed, a well-ventilated place;
time and effort to carefully organize this labor-intensive process;
knowledge of the secrets of storing washed carrots.

Storing washed vegetables affects:

the process of selecting spoiled ones: easy to detect, even small negative changes (rot, scratches) are immediately noticeable;
duration of storage, since at the washing stage sources of infection are removed, which may be located on the soil stuck to the vegetables;
further use of root vegetables - processing them is easier and more pleasant.

Cooking time for carrots in a pan

Large root vegetables take much longer to cook. To speed up cooking, divide the vegetable into several small parts. Cooking frozen carrots is no different. Although many recipes specify cooking time for carrots, do not forget to check the doneness. Use any sharp cutlery - a knife or fork. If the tip easily pierces the flesh, then it’s time to turn off the heat and drain the water. How long to cook carrots in a saucepan

Entirely

Fill the pan with the required amount of carrots. Fill with cold water. If you add boiling water, the cooking time will decrease slightly. However, the vegetable will not cook evenly. Cover the dish with a lid. Turn the heat on high and wait until the water boils. Then reduce the heat and set aside for 25-40 minutes.

The exact time is determined by the size of the root crops. Check readiness regularly with a match, knife or toothpick.

Cubes

If you decide to cook chopped carrots, throw the cubes into boiling water. Cook over medium heat for approximately 6-15 minutes.

Is it possible to “bathe” a vegetable before storing it: all the pros and cons

Like any controversial issue, washing carrots has its supporters and opponents, who give various arguments for and against. Let us consider in detail what the advantages or disadvantages of this method are.

Pros of storing washed carrots:

It is easier to detect damaged areas on clean vegetables, discard such carrots, and put aside good, unspoiled root vegetables for the winter.
Water washes away not only the soil, but also the pathogenic bacteria contained in it, reducing the risk of damage to vegetables.
Washed carrots dry faster; stuck dirt can retain moisture for a long time.
During storage, by sorting and inspecting clean vegetables, it is easier to identify defects in order to sort out rotten specimens and not contaminate the rest.
In winter, washed root vegetables are easier to use - less mess when cooking.

Disadvantages of washing before storage:

With a large harvest, the process becomes difficult: additional time must be devoted to it.
If the carrots have already dried after harvesting, then washing will require repeat drying - a necessary condition for success in storing clean vegetables.
The appropriate storage conditions are not always available: clean containers (barrels, baskets, boxes, bags), the ability not to come into contact with dirty vegetables.

A pineapple

When slicing a pineapple, it is very important to cut out all the “eyes” as leaving them in will make it much harder to chew. Professional chefs say the biggest mistake people make when peeling and slicing a flavorful pineapple is not cutting out the brown spots that remain after cutting the skin off the fruit.

To properly cut a pineapple so that it is tasty and juicy, you must first cut off the top and bottom of the fruit. Then, using a knife, cut off the outside of the peel, not forgetting to cut out the “eyes.” This will make it possible to avoid unpleasant sensations when chewing.

Should this be done after harvesting before planting?

It is not necessary to wash this vegetable crop after harvesting . Moreover, more often gardeners do not resort to this storage method than use it.

When should you definitely not wash? If the soil is clayey and wet, and it is difficult to peel vegetables from coarse adherent lumps of clay without damaging the thin skin of the root vegetable. After all, scratches on carrots are extremely undesirable for long-term storage. In the case of sandy or loose soils, favorable weather, and the presence of all accompanying conditions, it can be washed.

After harvesting, it is recommended to dry the washed carrots in a ventilated place, protected from direct sunlight.

How to properly peel carrots?

All vegetables are rich in potassium and healthy vitamins. The lion's dose of the reserve is concentrated directly under the peel. When cutting it off with a knife along with the pulp, housewives make a big mistake.

It is correct to remove the thinnest outer layer of carrot peel. This way, the root vegetable retains maximum benefits.

Vegetables are scraped with a knife. The disadvantage of this method is that it does not work if the peel is mature and dense. In this case, they resort to using a vegetable peeler - a special device with a thin blade and a V-shaped or other shaped limiter.

To remove only one peel, you need to hold the root vegetable correctly - at an angle of 45 degrees to the table. The carrots are scrolled with the left hand, and the vegetable peeler is moved up and down with the right. Peel the vegetable without pressing. Eyes and irregularities are worked on separately.

Should this be done before storing it in the cellar for the winter?

Despite the fact that carrots are a very capricious vegetable, the storage conditions for root vegetables in the cellar are the most favorable. They are stored in the basement with success, both washed and not . To do this, the cellar must be equipped taking into account the criteria for a good storage facility: with air humidity of 90%, without the threat of flooding with groundwater, temperature not higher than +2°C, good air exchange.

After trimming and drying, you can pack a dozen fruits in plastic bags and place them on shelves in the cellar. When pure carrots begin to deteriorate, it will immediately become noticeable. In this case, the shelf life of the carrots will be high, and the carrot itself will have a good appearance and taste.

But when placing root vegetables in the basement, you don’t have to wash them . Methods for storing such vegetables in the cellar are varied: in sand, chalk mortar, clay mash, sawdust, moss, in bags, in bulk.

Attention : If you wash root vegetables before storing them in the cellar, their protective properties increase, because dangerous microorganisms are washed off with water.

Original ways to peel carrots

Few people find peeling carrots a pleasant and fun activity. Usually they want to deal with her as quickly as possible. To do this, folk craftsmen are coming up with more and more new ways of peeling:

Using a grater. The idea is to grate only the top layer of the washed vegetable. This way you can quickly peel both raw and boiled carrots.
High pressure washer. Peel a lot of crooked and small carrots in 5 minutes? As easy as pie! Pour it into a plastic container with holes and spray it with a powerful stream of water. Shake periodically. Not only dirt, but also peels fly off vegetables. See for yourself:

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Here's how to peel carrots in vending machines:

How to carry out the procedure?

Wait for a sunny, warm day to harvest a relatively clean crop, and start washing immediately without delay. In sandy soils and dry weather (at least 5 days without rain), the process of washing vegetables will not be difficult.

What actions need to be taken:

If the weather is rainy, then vegetables are washed immediately after harvesting, without waiting for the dirt to dry on them.
It is not necessary to wash them until they are mirror clean, but if the soil is heavy, clayey, or wet (dirt has stuck tightly to the fruits), they can be cleaned with a soft brush.
If it is not possible to clean carrots under running water, then you need to take warm water, without adding detergents, into any container (bucket, bath).
Wash the harvested crop, changing the water as it gets dirty. But so that each carrot is washed twice: the second time in clean water.
Sort vegetables as needed, removing damaged ones.
Place the sorted root vegetables to dry - under a canopy on clean material (burlap, newspaper, paper). The place must be dry.
After the vegetables have dried, they can be prepared for winter storage.

Pumpkin

To prevent injury and minimize knife slippage, place a clean kitchen towel underneath the pumpkin before cutting. An uneven surface can make cutting a little difficult and can lead to injury, so keep this helpful tip in mind.

When dicing, remove the top and bottom portions and then slowly and carefully peel the vegetable with a vegetable peeler. After cleaning, you need to cut the pumpkin in half from top to bottom. This will increase the stability of the fruit and make subsequent slicing easier and safer.

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Storage methods

Washed

If the quantity of carrots is small, then it is convenient to store them in plastic bags. They take special bags for freezing, put carrots in them and pump out the air creating a vacuum. Large bags can be evacuated with a vacuum cleaner. The bag is then tied tightly and left for storage. You can store it in the refrigerator and freezer, on the balcony, in the basement, in the cellar. Without air supply, root vegetables do not spoil for a long time
In the peels of onions and garlic. The box contains layers of onion skins and layers of carrots. It is stored until the next harvest without losing nutritional components.
In pine sawdust. Just like onion peels, carrots are sprinkled with pine or spruce shavings. Phytoncides contained in pine shavings prevent vegetables from drying out and rotting

On a note. With any of these storage methods, root vegetables remain clean, fresh and ready to eat.

Washed carrots can be stored in a warm basement or stored without a cellar in an apartment. You can use jars as containers or grate the vegetable and dry it.

Carrots for the winter. Processing and storage:

Unwashed

In sand. Carrots are stored in slightly moistened loamy sand in boxes. Sand maintains a constant storage temperature and prevents the spread of bacteria.
In a clay shell. Each root vegetable is dipped in liquid clay, dried and stored in boxes.
In open plastic bags. Bags of carrots (5-30 kg) are stored open to allow CO2 to evaporate. Condensation from the walls of the bags flows through holes made in the bottom of the bag.

You can also use moss as a filler.

Storing unwashed carrots:

Are you looking for a suitable place and ways to store carrots for the winter? We recommend that you read the following articles:

How to store carrots if there is no cellar?
Storing root vegetables in jars and boxes.
How to store vegetables in the refrigerator?
Storing carrots in the ground in winter.
How to store vegetables on the balcony in winter?
How to keep carrots fresh until winter?

Despite the opinion of gardeners that washing carrots is detrimental to their long-term storage, practice shows that if the rules of preparation, laying and storage are properly followed, it can be kept washed for a long time without loss of valuable properties and presentation.

We also bring to your attention useful articles on how to store carrots directly in the garden, in the ground, and how to store carrots together with beets.