It’s hard to imagine our life without vegetables. Without potatoes, carrots and onions do not cook a healthy soup. And without the beetroot and borscht never get tasty. It's good that vegetables are always at hand with us, and it seems to us that this has always been the case. But there were times when little was known about vegetables. Beet, for example, was brought to our region only during Kievan Rus. And she came to us from Byzantium.

Today it is not a secret for anyone that this vegetable is unique and irreplaceable. Beet contains a whole set of useful elements, which, alas, can not be found anywhere else. And it is also proved that its useful properties are not lost during prolonged heat treatment, which is good news.

Content

• 1 Benefits of beets
• 2 Growing and harvesting
• 3 Storage Preparation
• 4 Options for winter storage of beets
  • 4.1 Bulk storage
  • 4.2 Storage in boxes and baskets

The benefits of beets

Why is this vegetable so useful? Let's figure it out. So let's get started, in the composition of this red root is almost whole periodic table. These are iron, potassium, magnesium, copper, zinc, rubidium. Vitamins B. B. and B, citric, oxalic, malic and folic acids. The beet contains fructose, glucose, sucrose, pectins, various amino acids. As well as carrots, it contains a large amount of fiber, due to which metabolic processes and the work of the intestines are improved. Also, thanks to beets, fat metabolism is regulated, blood pressure returns to normal.

It is recommended to use for obesity, diseases of the liver, thyroid gland, hypertension, atherosclerosis. It has an anti-inflammatory effect, helps fight depression. And even who would have thought, struggling with a hangover. After the above, the conclusion suggests itself that it is necessary to eat beets. And as often as possible, especially in winter. Moreover, from the beet you can cook a lot of simple and delicious dishes. And borscht, and beetroot, and vinaigrettes.

With the benefit and importance of this vegetable figured out, now let's discuss what needs to be done so that tasty beets, regardless of the season, are always at hand. Everyone knows that in the winter beet need store in a cellar or basement. But, as it turns out, this is not enough for it to remain juicy and firm until the next harvest. To do this, you need to properly grow and collect the fruit.

Growing and harvesting

In fact, the right to store beets easy. After all, she will be able to lie longer than carrots or potatoes. Subject to certain simple conditions. So, in order for our harvest to lie as long as possible, the following rules must be observed, namely:

• choose cold-resistant varieties;
• grow properly;
• carefully harvest;
• carefully sort;
• provide the necessary conditions for storage in the basement.

Before sowing, it is necessary to take into account that the highest quality and healthy harvest of beets, like carrots, is produced on fertile loamy or sandy soils. If the soil is acidic, then there is a high probability of scab damage. As a result, the skin of our fruits become covered with roughness, cracks and warts. That, in turn, can provoke the appearance of other sores. The most common diseases are:

• gray rot (it usually appears on the frostbitten and damaged when digging sites);
• white rot (threatens fruits that have been overfed with phosphorus and nitrogen);
• Fusarium, fomoz (manifested as black spots and voids).

All diseases, no matter how they appear, affect mainly the keeping quality of root crops. Therefore, the main task of the gardener to prevent their occurrence. Also an important process is the selection of beet varieties. Not all varieties are suitable for long-term storage. Varieties with high keeping quality:

• Bordeaux 237;
• Mulatto;
• Cold-resistant 19;
• Сататная;
• Single-edged.

In our latitudes in the gardens, most often you can find a sort of cylinder. He is known for great taste. However, for long-term storage, this variety is not suitable. Do not do in this matter without proper harvesting. It is considered correct when the beets are harvested earlier than carrots. After all, she is more afraid of cooling than carrots. You need to dig very carefully, trying not to damage the fruit. Do it need with a shovel or fork. Desirable in dry weather. This will allow you to harvest a clean crop. After all, the more land on the fruit the greater the likelihood of infection by disease. Together with the lumps of earth, gray and white rot can get into the cellar. What will go is not for the benefit of beets.

Storage preparation

The excavated crop is left for a short while in the sun. In order that the soil which remained, dried up and with a ease cleaned off. But only for a short while, otherwise the beets will start losing the moisture that is valuable to it. It is strictly forbidden to wash and wet, otherwise the entire crop will rot before the beginning of winter. When all the fruits dry up, you can proceed to sorting.

Choose fruit with a healthy appearance, without any damage. Desirable medium sized. This is much tastier, it has less veins to appear in the spring. Large and small can be selected for use in the first place. Selected fruits should be removed foliage. We do this with scissors or with a sharp knife, but in no case with our hands. It is necessary to cut off not at the root, but so that the tops of one centimeter in size remain. Tails of beets can not be touched. Selected and peeled beets placed for a week in the ventilated place. Without direct sunlight. There the crop dries out completely. After that, you can safely transfer to the cellar. We usually also harvest carrots.

Options for winter storage of beets

For centuries, this vegetable people stored in two ways:

• in room;
• outdoors (in excavation pits, trenches).

Today, almost no one leaves the room to spend the winter beetroot outside. All hide it either in basements, cellars or at worst on the balcony. Where and how to store the harvest is a purely personal matter of each person. However, in order for storage to be effective, you still have to adhere to some rules. So, there are several options for storing beets in the cellar:

• bulk in bins;
• in baskets and boxes;
• on shelves and racks;
• on top of the potatoes.

Bulk storage

Allowed to spread the beets just to the ground. However, it will be much easier to build bins. The walls of which should not exceed one meter. And if you also make a wooden grid to the bottom, then as a result we will have excellent air circulation. What will allow the crop to be aired. Bins should be made ten centimeters from the cellar walls.

In order to avoid contact with excess moisture. For optimal preservation, some gardeners sprinkle beets with sand or powder with sifted ash. And you can also use fern leaves. To do this, they dim the bottom, and then put them on top of the fruit.

Storage in boxes and baskets

If you decide to leave the winter harvest in boxes or baskets, then before that you will need to do something else. And if, more precisely, the roots will need to be treated with brine, then dried, and only then put in baskets and boxes. You can also store beets in boxes of sand. Only sand should be river. And still well dried in the sun. In this way, carrots are often kept. The main thing is to monitor the humidity of the sand.

Storage on the shelves is considered the simplest, all that is needed is to simply decompose the beets with pyramids and that's it. And, finally, the most common way is to store on top of potatoes. It is possible just in bulk, and it is possible in bags. If you chose this option, know that you acted very wisely. Because the beet takes away excess moisture from the potato in order to remain firm and juicy. Saving these potatoes from excess water and rapid decay.

Whatever method you choose, the climate of the cellar should be consistent with the norm. Under such conditions, it will be comfortable to spend the winter on both potatoes and carrots. So, the optimum humidity should not exceed ninety percent. And the air temperature should not be below zero, but also not higher than two degrees of heat. If the temperature is higher than the tops of the beets begin to germinate.

Observing the above mentioned tips, you can easily keep your crop safe and sound. And you can enjoy various dishes from healthy beets all winter. After reading this article, we can conclude that the methods of storing beets and carrots are very similar. And there is. And these recommendations can be safely applied to carrots.