Rules for storing cabbage at home in an apartment

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Fresh vegetables are a valuable product. In winter, it is almost impossible to find a head of cabbage that has retained the entire set of useful qualities. If you understand how to store cabbage correctly at home in an apartment, the vegetable will retain not only its attractive appearance, but also all the key ingredients.

Selection nuances

The most accessible source of nutrients for winter nutrition is white cabbage. But in order to find the optimal conditions for long-term storage of fresh heads of cabbage, you need to find out in what period the harvest took place. Vegetables harvested in August and September are suitable for winter storage.

The stalk of such cabbage is quite hard, and the pulp is characterized by a dense and flexible structure, which guarantees long-term storage under appropriate conditions - up to 6 months.

The specimens harvested during peak season are slightly worse. Their durability does not exceed 2-3 months. Immediate consumption of fresh cabbage harvested in May is recommended, as it will not be able to retain its beneficial properties for a long time.

For long-term storage, mid- and late-ripening varieties are preferred. When buying cabbage on the market, it is very difficult to determine its ripening period and variety. A number of simple rules will help housewives. For starters, the cabbage should be round and pliable, the head of the cabbage firm, and the leaves thick.

Guaranteed suitable conditions

Is it worth keeping cabbage at home in an apartment on the balcony, and if so, how to do it? You can preserve the beneficial and nutritious properties of vegetables throughout the winter if several conditions are met:

1. Samples collected in dry weather are suitable for long-term storage. It is very important that there is no moisture on the leaves - this will lead to their rotting.
2. Cracked heads of cabbage are discarded because they don't last long. Use them to make a spicy pickled snack. In this form, the vegetable does not lose its beneficial properties.
3. It is important to consider that the temperature for storing any type of cabbage in the region of 0-1 degrees is the most acceptable. Modern refrigerators have a freshness zone that exactly matches this condition. If the refrigerator does not have a suitable compartment, the temperature should be set to a lower level.
4. Studying the question of how to store cabbage at home in an apartment for the winter, one must take into account what kind of variety we are talking about. If about red cabbage, then before putting it in the refrigerator, you must wrap the forks with plastic wrap. Be sure to tie it tightly so that the area between the film and the heads of cabbage does not remain empty. With this method of storage, it is necessary to periodically change the film, as condensation accumulates on it.

Long-term storage of whole heads of cabbage can be done in various ways. For example, wrap the cabbage in a piece of paper, then place it in a plastic bag with a few holes. The cabbage should be kept in the refrigerator, periodically changing the paper that absorbs moisture from the vegetables.

Russian housewives also buy cauliflower. This raises the question of how to store it at home in an apartment. The above method is suitable for storing it. It can also be used with broccoli.

The only caveat here is that in the first 2-3 weeks, the cabbage is stored along with the leaves, and then they must be peeled.

However, the best option to keep cauliflower and broccoli is frost. For this, the cabbage must be washed, lightly scalded in water (3-5 minutes), then cooled and disassembled into inflorescences. After that, the vegetables must be dried, put in plastic bags and placed in the freezer. You can also preserve Brussels sprouts in the same way.

On the other hand, you can store fresh white cabbage at home in an apartment by freezing it, but in the future it will not be suitable for salads at all. Suitable only for boiling and browning. The freezing process is exactly the same as for broccoli and cauliflower, except that the broccoli must be shredded.

From -1 to + 0, 5 is the optimum temperature. It will help preserve the vegetable. If the temperature in the room where the supplies will be stored drops below and reaches -2 degrees, the heads of cabbage will begin to freeze.

A number of gardeners are of the opinion that frozen upper leaves do not damage the cabbage. Yes, these vegetables are suitable for stewing, frying and cooking. But if, after trying to freeze, you try to store the cabbage at the recommended temperature, you will fail. After thawing, the upper areas are damaged by pathogenic bacteria.

Collected in the country

When using late-ripening cabbage, it should be carefully checked for damage. The cabbage must be thoroughly dried, cut off the cracks with a knife. To prevent rotting vegetables, attention should be paid to the lower leaves and stem. If they are dirty or damaged, the lower part of the head should be cut off by 1-2 cm.

Take into account the following rules about whether it is possible to store cut cabbage at home in an apartment for a long time. Storage methods in the future depend on certain nuances:

1. Estimated storage time.
2. Storage conditions.
3. Cabbage variety.
4. It makes no sense to collect young cabbage for subsequent storage, due to the abundance of moisture, it begins to rot literally in 5-7 days.
5. Specimens collected during the peak season should also not be stored for long periods. For this type, short-term storage in an apartment is suitable.

If you are aware of the temperature at which cabbage can be stored, there will be no questions about preserving the harvest.

Placement in the refrigerator compartment

A separate word is worthy of how to store cabbage at home in an apartment in the refrigerator. The refrigerating chamber has its own characteristics:

1. Open the doors for 1 day before laying. Such a measure is required to ensure the removal of moisture.
2. Forks must be packed in foil before being stored.
3. Wrap the heads of cabbage in 3 layers in order to exclude the contact of cabbage with air as much as possible - this way they will lie for a long time.
4. If the leaves are dark or wet, they should be used in dishes as soon as possible.
5. Do not use the refrigerator for storing large vegetables. Medium-sized cabbage works best for this.

Bonus

The conclusions of the article are as follows:

1. During long-term storage of cabbage in the refrigerator and on the balcony, interaction with water must be excluded.
2. It is allowed to wrap the forks in foil or foil, making several holes in them.
3. Young cabbage is not suitable for long storage.