What is the optimal storage temperature for carrots and what happens if you break it?

Carrots are a valuable root vegetable that is a source of vitamins and minerals.

To benefit from the product all year round, you need to stock it up for future use from the fall.

About what the temperature is storing carrots, where and at what temperature you need to store it, read the article.

At what degrees to store?

A unique feature of carrots is their adaptive capabilities. When the ambient temperature drops, the root crop "hibernates": all processes occurring in it slow down 10 times if the degree approaches zero.

Whole vegetables cannot be frozen.... It will lose all its nutritional properties and begin to rot. The optimum storage temperature for carrots is between 0 and +3 degrees.

Before sending vegetables for the winter, they need to be sorted out, setting aside medium and large specimens. The tops are carefully cut off with a sharp knife, leaving a 3 mm long process at the very base of the root crop.

Even with the most favorable conditions, losses cannot be avoided. During the autumn-winter period, from 1 to 10% of the crop will be thrown away.

If above normal

If the temperature constantly exceeds the mark of + 1-2 degrees, then the process of carrot decay starts with accelerated force. With a single jump, nothing terrible will happen.

If below

Carrots do not tolerate freezing very well. Even after a single drop in temperature below -1.5 ... -2.5 degrees, it will become flabby and tasteless, its surface will turn black. This indicates the death of the vegetable cells.

If the cold passes only through the surface parts of the cells of the root crop, then its inner part will remain intact... Such a vegetable can be cleaned of dead tissue and eaten. Otherwise, it will completely rot and it will happen quickly.

Freezing reduces the fruit's natural resistance to microorganisms. They begin to multiply actively in a moist nutrient medium.

Constant drops

If vegetables are stored in conditions of constant temperature drops, they will deteriorate very quickly.... In less than 10-20 days, the carrots will darken, mold will grow on it, it will become soft from the inside and completely rot. An unstable temperature for storing carrots is the worst case scenario.

Is the root vegetable stored in winter with other vegetables?

In order to save space, carrots are often stored with other vegetables. However, you need to pick up such a "neighbor", which will not lead to rapid damage to the root crop.

With beets

Beets and carrots feel good at temperatures from 0 to +2 degrees, therefore they are often stored together in one drawer.

With garlic and onions

You cannot store carrots with onions. Such a tandem is unacceptable due to the fact that it contains a lot of juice and water. By releasing moisture, the onions will cause the carrots to rot and have to be disposed of.

The orange "beauty" is left in bulk in the cellar for the winter, sand is often used... Onions, on the other hand, are hung from the ceiling or stored in nets.

Garlic is harvested in the same way for the winter. Therefore, for carrots, it is also not the best neighbor. Onion and garlic hulls are great for storing carrots.

With radish, turnip

In addition to beets, carrots will feel great next to radishes and turnips. They are laid in layers, sprinkled with sand or peat. They should not be in contact with each other. Although, ideally, each root crop should be stored along with its "brothers".

The most unpretentious varieties

Such varieties as are stored longer than others:

1. Sweet winter.
2. The Queen of Autumn.
3. Red giant.
4. Typhoon.
5. Chance.
6. Olympus.

All of them are late ripening, they are harvested in early autumn.

Important information

To keep carrots fresh for a long time, the following recommendations should be taken into account:

1. Small, crooked roots with many branches are worst kept. They should be eaten first.
2. Only grated carrots can be stored frozen. It will lose a number of its nutritional and gustatory characteristics, but it will remain quite suitable for cooking dishes involving heat treatment.
3. If there are no crates, you can use sugar bags.
4. Substances such as ash, sand, clay, sawdust and even moss can act as a powder for root crops.

Conclusion

If you approach the issue of storing carrots correctly, you can get the maximum of vitamins from it all year round. The optimum air temperature for root crops is the range from 0 ... + 2 degrees. It is important not to allow it to fluctuate and choose the right neighbor for the vegetable.