It is not difficult to preserve cabbage throughout the winter period. There are at least ten effective and proven methods. Everyone can choose one of them, which is most suitable for specific living conditions.
In all storage methods, there are mandatory general rules:
- It is necessary to select only cabbage of medium and late varieties with a high degree of keeping quality.
- The air temperature in the room should be constant - from 1 degree frost to 1 degree of heat.
- High humidity is required - from 85 to 98 percent.
It is very important to follow all these rules. For example, early varieties are generally not suitable for long-term storage. When the air temperature in the room where the cabbage is stored, more than four degrees Celsius, the vegetables will begin to burst and grow. And at low air humidity, the heads of cabbage will wither and lose their juiciness.
Among the large number of hybrids and varieties, there are the most suitable for long-term storage: Hermes, Blizzard, Megaton, Gift, Harvest, Final (mid-late) or Snow White, Turquoise plus, Lenox, Extra, Kamenka, Marathon (late).
How to keep cabbage fresh until spring
Method 1. Storing cabbage by weight
When choosing this storage method, it is necessary to keep the stump together with the root and the outer leaves of a dark green color when harvesting. They will dry out during long-term storage and will serve as a protective layer for cabbage from the appearance of rot. And by the stump it is very convenient to hang the cabbage at the highest height.
The positive aspects of this method:
- The vegetable units do not touch each other.
- Air access is provided from different sides.
- At any time, you can inspect each head of cabbage so as not to miss the appearance of disease or rot.
- Vegetables take up a minimum of space in the basement or cellar.
Method 2. Storing cabbage in clay
Preparing vegetables for storage in clay will take a lot of work and time, but it's worth it. In such a protective shell, the vegetable retains its juiciness and freshness for a long time, it is not threatened with rotting or drying out until spring.
A clay mixture is made from water and clay. For each glass of water, you need two glasses of clay. After thorough mixing, you should get a thick chatterbox, which must be smeared with each head of cabbage. Not a single cabbage leaf should be visible through the clay bloom. The clay should dry well in the air, after which all heads of cabbage are transferred to storage in a cool room.
Method 3. Storing cabbage in wooden boxes
This method will pay off if you follow the rule of good ventilation between vegetables. Each box will hold 10 heads of cabbage: 5 in the bottom layer and 5 in the top.Each head of cabbage should be with a small stump (about 3 centimeters). The first layer is laid up with stumps, and the second - down. In this design, the heads of cabbage do not interfere with each other and do not interfere with air permeability.
Method 4. Storing cabbage in the sand
There are two options for this method. For the first option, the cabbage heads should be with trimmed stalks. They must be placed in a box of great depth at a distance of at least 5 centimeters from each other and completely covered with dry sand. You can also lay out the second and third layers, depending on the depth of the container.
For the second option, cabbage is needed with stalks (about 8 centimeters in length). At the bottom of the wooden box there should be a twenty-centimeter layer of sand, into which these stumps must be stuck.
Method 5. Storing cabbage in a thermobox
This method is suitable for owners of city apartments with balconies. As a storage container, you can use foam boxes, which are wrapped in warm blankets, or a self-made thermobox.
Method 6. Storing cabbage in stacks
This method is effective for preserving a large crop, but if there is enough space in the basement or cellar. You will need wooden slats, from which the whole structure is assembled, similar to a pyramid. It is important that there are ventilation gaps (at least 10 centimeters) between the slats.
Cabbage should be without stalks. It is laid out in a checkerboard pattern so that the heads of cabbage do not touch each other.
Method 7. Storing cabbage in paper
You will need wrapping paper or regular newspaper and magazine sheets to pack each head of cabbage. Cabbage in such paper clothes can be folded into any containers with large openings for good ventilation (for example, baskets, plastic boxes or boxes).
Care should be taken from time to time to keep the wrapping paper dry. The wet packaging will have to be urgently replaced so that the vegetable does not start to rot.
Method 8. Storing cabbage on shelves or racks
These racks are found in almost every basement or cellar. They are located along the walls and do not require additional conversion for cabbage. Just spread the cabbage heads up with stalks and at a distance of at least 3-5 centimeters from each other.
Method 9. Storing cabbage in chalk or lime
Lime or chalk powder protects vegetables from disease and fungus for a long time. It is necessary to thoroughly dust each head of cabbage, and only then choose a further storage method. Vegetables processed in this way can be stored hanging, on shelves, in pyramids and in boxes.
Method 10. Storing cabbage in the refrigerator
A household refrigerator, of course, is not designed to store a large amount of cabbage, especially since it takes up a lot of space, but several pieces can be placed. For long-term preservation of juiciness and freshness, you can wrap each head of cabbage with cling film. The second option is wrapping the cabbage in paper and storing it in an open plastic bag. It is important to store vegetables in the vegetable compartment.
One of the proposed storage methods will definitely suit you and will provide your family with tasty and healthy fresh cabbage dishes for the whole winter.
