This vegetable does not lose taste and nutritional value throughout the winter, that is, when the diet suffers from a lack of vitamin fruits and vegetables. The main thing is to know how to store a pumpkin.
Temperature and storage time
The most important thing is to understand at what temperature to store pumpkin in winter.
The best is 5-15°C.
With her, the fruits of the entire autumn-winter period remain juicy and edible, sometimes until spring and even early summer.
The longest - up to a year - it can be stored in the freezer.
In addition to temperature, humidity and ventilation are also important.
Ideal indicators - 60-70% humidity, then the vegetables will not dry out and at the same time the risk of developing rot, mold is minimal.
How to store a pumpkin in an apartment
After harvesting, the question arises of where to store the pumpkin in the winter at home. When the house has a basement, the problem is solved easily. But in its absence, it will not be easy to organize storage of rather big fruits throughout the winter.
On the loggia or balcony, the pumpkin is stored very well.
It must be laid out on shelves of racks lined with cardboard, thick paper or cloth.
The room should be glazed, regularly ventilated.
Do not allow dampness, fungal infections of surfaces and freezing.
Since the pumpkin loves shading, the racks should be hung or covered with a thick cloth.
Fruits should not be in contact with each other. If there are a lot of pumpkins, but there is not enough space, then you can lay them more densely, separating one from the other with cardboard or paper.How and how long can you store pumpkin in the refrigerator
In the refrigerator, the pumpkin is stored in case of incomplete processing of the fruit or after trimming damaged winter stocks; it is irrational to send whole fruits to the shelves. Unskinned areas are wrapped in cling film or foil, store up to 2 weeks or even a month, provided that the refrigerator is a modern unit with an excellent antibacterial system.
To prevent evaporation of moisture from the surface of the cut, it is covered with a very thin layer of vegetable oil, preferably odorless. The thinness of the layer can be provided by a cooking brush.
Freezer storage
The freezer is the best place to store pumpkins in normal apartment conditions.
It's convenient - you take it out and you can cook. In addition, the vegetable may lie there up to 12 months.
It is only necessary during the preparatory work to remember how to properly store the pumpkin in the freezer.
To freeze it, you need to cut it into pieces that will later be used for cooking.
These slices are placed in special freezer bags or containers.
My Method
I usually keep the pumpkin whole. But as soon as I cut it, I store one unused part in the refrigerator - for the next use. I send the other unused part to the freezer - for the long term.
If the pumpkin is intended for stew or other compound vegetable dishes, it can be frozen with "neighbors" in the dish: carrots, apples, peppers.
Drying is a great storage method!
If the apartment does not have a place to store fresh fruits, then it is recommended to dry them.
Before drying, pumpkins should be cut into slices up to a centimeter thick, cleaned of seeds and rinsed with very hot sweetened water.
Well-dried slices are placed in an electric dryer or in a preheated and turned off oven.
Dry them at a temperature of 50-60 degrees.
The drying time in the appliance is determined by the instructions for it.
Drying time in the oven 5-6 hours. Periodically, you need to turn on the oven to maintain a constant temperature, but do not allow it to rise to 80 degrees, otherwise the pumpkin will not dry out, but will be baked.
Modern electric ovens allow you to maintain a low temperature regime of 50-60 degrees. In such ovens, you can dry vegetables at night and not worry about anything.
Dried slices are stored, shifted with thick paper or baking parchment, in a dark, dry place.
Also, in the absence of storage space, it will not be superfluous to make various preservations from pumpkins: juices, mashed potatoes, candied fruits, salads, jams. Personally, I roll up a lot of such goodies:, and be sure.
Seeds are collected, washed and dried. Use as a delicacy or decoration of salads, pies. In addition, it is a very useful product for both men and women.
Storage rules in the cellar or basement
An ideal place for storing crops would be a dry, ventilated basement that does not freeze even in severe frosts.
Only beginners in country matters can doubt this method and think about whether it is possible to store a pumpkin in the cellar.
In the room you need to put racks, cover the shelves with dry high-quality straw and put the fruits with the stalks up at some distance from each other.
Periodically, they should be rotated in place, inspecting pumpkins and straw under them for rot, mold, and pests.
Fruits with traces of damage are not subject to further storage and are processed.
If the pumpkin remains intact, only the damaged areas are removed from the peel, then the cut points are covered with a bactericidal plaster and taken into the house. This fruit can be stored at room temperature for up to a week.
All these rules apply to the storage of mature zucchini, however, they have a slightly shorter shelf life.
Storing a cut pumpkin
If the pumpkin has not been fully used, then it can be kept as fresh as a freshly cut one until the next use.
If the pumpkin is not peeled and will be stored in a large piece:
- tightly tighten the cut with cling film;
- put the product in the refrigerator. So it can be stored up to 3 weeks.
If you use it after this period, then the top layer of pulp is recommended to be thinly peeled off.
Peeled and cut into pieces are stored differently:
- you need to lightly grease the slices with vegetable oil using a cooking brush;
- wrap with cling film or foil.
It is not recommended to store the cut pumpkin in the refrigerator for longer, it is better to freeze it.
When to harvest pumpkin and how to store?
Only a properly and timely harvested pumpkin will survive well.
Harvest time - end of September - beginning of October before the morning frost.
Briefly summarize.
- Fruits should be harvested in dry sunny weather.
- They should be cut in such a way as to preserve the whole dry, hard stalk (without it, the pumpkin will quickly deteriorate).
- Cut pumpkins should be laid out in a well-ventilated place.
- Undamaged fruits are selected from the dried fruits - they remain for storage, the rest are processed.
- Small scratches on the peel can be sealed with a bactericidal plaster and the pumpkin can be left for winter storage; it must be used before others.
- Ideal storage conditions: dry, ventilated, darkened room with an air temperature in the range of 5-15 degrees. Some varieties are well stored in the warm rooms of city apartments or houses. It is impossible to organize storage in hot, damp or freezing rooms.
- Under the fruits you need to lay a bed of straw or similar materials, spread them with their stalks up at a distance from each other. Dumping them in bulk is unacceptable, because from the lack of fresh air, some fruits will deteriorate and cause damage to the rest.
- Harvest needs to be inspected from time to time. If traces of damage or spoilage are found, the orange vegetable is taken away, the damaged areas are removed and processed.
Useful video
The timing and quality of storage of pumpkin also depends on the variety. You can see the secrets and features of the varieties in this video:
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How to store pumpkin in winter? To keep a pumpkin for the longest possible time, you will need not only to choose the right variety for storage, but also to organize all the necessary conditions for this. What varieties of pumpkin are best for storage?
Almost all table varieties of pumpkin can be safely stored for several months, if you create an ideal atmosphere for vegetables.
This includes air temperature and humidity, enough free space, the absence of pests, as well as sources of infection. Forage varieties are more whimsical and cannot boast a long shelf life.. Such pumpkins are best used immediately for their intended purpose.
The leaders in terms of storage time (i.e. keeping quality) are mid-ripening and late-ripening pumpkins, especially when it comes to storage in a cellar or basement.
Almost all large representatives of this variety are perfectly protected from pathogens, and also have a dense bark.
The following varieties can be cited as an example of mid-ripening: Zhdanna, Vita, Gymnosemyannaya, Prikubanskaya and Arabatskaya.
Late-ripening varieties are distinguished: "Vitamin", "Interception", "Pearl", "Vita", "Muscat", "Baternat Ponka", "Winter Sweet", "Testi Delaype". All of them are united by a bright orange color, dense peel and tasty pulp.
Optimal conditions
What are the storage conditions for pumpkins in winter? It is worth being wary of too low temperatures, otherwise your stocks will simply freeze, and the shelf life will decrease by 3-4 months. Try to find a place in your cellar or apartment with a temperature of +3 to +15 °C. It is in such an environment that the pumpkin will feel most comfortable..
Regarding the level of humidity, it is better to stick to moderate indicators - 75-80%. If this threshold is exceeded, then cobwebs, mold, spots and other signs of damage will begin to appear on the bark of the pumpkin. It is better to remove such specimens immediately, and move the pumpkin to another place.
Where is the best place to store pumpkin in winter?? It is not so important which place was chosen for storing pumpkins for the winter, the main thing is to maintain the required temperature, humidity and provide conditions such as good ventilation, lack of dampness, dust and debris. Also, do not allow direct sunlight to hit the crop.
With proper supervision, it will be possible to store a pumpkin in almost any room of the house: in a room, on a balcony or loggia, on a veranda or in a pantry. Cellars and cellars are standard receptacles, ideally adapted for storage of melons.
Sometimes an attic, garage or underground can be adapted for these purposes. Always try to judge by the possibilities of your area and the materials at hand to be sure that there is enough space for the pumpkin.
What is the best way to store pumpkin?? Do not tightly wrap the pumpkin in plastic or plastic bags - excess moisture will accumulate in the form of condensate and contribute to the development of harmful fungi. You can put parchment paper or a small layer of dry straw under the fruits.
Don't let the pumpkins touch each other and the wall. The litter should be replaced from time to time with fresh, when the old becomes damp.
How to store a pumpkin for the winter in an apartment? If the room is relatively warm, you can hide the vegetables under the bed, where the temperature is slightly lower near the floor.
It will be great if the room is equipped with shelves - it is on them that you can attach all the pumpkins.
First of all, do not forget to change the straw in time, holding absolutely all pumpkins with their stalks up. Damaged pumpkins or those that have begun to become covered with dark spots on the side should be removed from the rest, eaten or thrown away.
Shelf life
How long can pumpkin be stored? Traditionally, pumpkins are stored for no more than 2-3 months, so it is better to use them regularly for cooking various dishes until they deteriorate. The longest shelf life can be 6 months, depending on the variety of pumpkin.
Tips for choosing and storing pumpkins in this video:
Ways
How to save a pumpkin for the winter? Here will be listed the main methods generally accepted among experienced gardeners. They include the immediate In this article, you will learn when and how it is most prudent to harvest in order to ensure proper and long-term storage of stocks.
The first and most desirable storage method is recognized. It is in the basement that it is easiest to create the environment necessary for this plant.
If you have neither a cellar nor a basement, then it is quite real. It takes just as much time and money to prepare, but you're sure to secure yourself a supply of pumpkins for an extended period.
In addition to the option of storing fresh pumpkin, you can produce. This is a good way to preserve pumpkins, which, due to the significant evaporation of moisture from the pulp, can increase the allowable storage time frame.
Pumpkin can be used not only as a food product.
It may sometimes be necessary to dry pumpkins for decor and crafts, for which decorative varieties are suitable. This is a long and laborious process, but it will please the result. will be useful during the preparation for Halloween and other holidays, and will also interest creative children who love to craft.
Another method is this. Such a pumpkin is stored for up to a year, used to make delicious and nutritious cereals, pies and soups.
What are the best ways to store pumpkins?? Almost all methods are good, but deciding which one to give preference to is an individual matter. You need to consider storage space and how long you can let the gourd sit unused.
If you often eat pumpkin, you can do without a cellar and store supplies right in the house. For longer shelf life, drying or freezing is required. The latter can retain most of the useful and gustatory properties of the pumpkin, as well as increase its lifespan.
How to keep pumpkin longer? There are many possibilities for special processing of pumpkins, such as blanching, boiling in sweet syrup or "dipping" in saline. They sterilize the pumpkin pieces, destroy dangerous microbes, and create a protective layer that will repel pests.
If you are storing the pumpkin on a loggia or balcony, cover the pumpkin with a thick, breathable cloth. It will protect vegetables from the harmful effects of sunlight.
Peculiarities
If lumps of dirt remain on the surface, carefully remove them with a brush or paper towel, then let the vegetables dry.
You should not cut the tails of the pumpkin - leave 5-8 cm at the stalk so that the pumpkins do not lose moisture and microbes do not penetrate the fruit.
For better arrangement of cardboard boxes, and, unlike pumpkins, they can be stored together. Pumpkins definitely need to arrange bedding in the form of straw or paper, leaving a little free space between the fruits.
At the same time, you can put all the vegetables on the balcony, in the basement, attic or on the shelves of the pantry. The temperature, both for pumpkin and zucchini, should not exceed +15 ° C.
Consider the features of storing pumpkins on an industrial scale. For these purposes, the plants are equipped with special storage facilities, which maintain stable ventilation, thanks to which fresh, dry air circulates freely around the entire perimeter.
To protect the vegetables from direct sunlight, you can use some kind of blanket that covers the unfolded pumpkins. Otherwise, all lights in the vault are blocked.
It also maintains a constant humidity of 75%. The temperature must be periodically checked (+5-10 °C). Pumpkins are laid in one row at a small distance of up to 10 cm from each other, tails up. Once every few days, the entire crop is inspected, and spoiled pumpkins are removed.
Late and sweet varieties have the greatest keeping quality. For long-term storage, these types of pumpkins are primarily chosen.
During frosts, they resort to the help of warming, which includes not only bedding, but also covering materials.
Summary
How to store a pumpkin until spring? Different storage methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. You need to choose one or another method based on many nuances. Having correctly selected a pumpkin variety, it remains only to carry out the appropriate processing in order to sterilize the product and prepare it for long-term storage.
The shelf life of the harvested crop will depend on the type of premises, conditions of detention and the condition of the pumpkin. Decide on the purpose of collecting pumpkins. Will you prepare it for the winter, how often will you have to eat it, will it be useful for decorative and festive purposes, etc. The answers to these questions will be the fundamental decision that will tell you how to deal with the pumpkin.
Everyone knows. But how to store pumpkin at home? What if you don't have any utility rooms?
The key to successful storage of pumpkins in winter is timely and technologically correct harvesting. Depending on what summer it was, the timing can vary significantly.
The main guide that pumpkins need to be harvested is the dried stalk: as soon as it completely changes color from green to grayish, the process can begin.
And it is worth observing a few essential rules:
- It is necessary to keep the stalk intact, to prevent its separation from the fetus.
To do this, carefully lift the pumpkin to loosen the tension of the tops, and cut off the fruit with the stem length at least four centimeters.
- It is very important that pumpkins stored in storage are dry.
In this case, they are insured against damage by rot and mold, which, rapidly spreading, can destroy the entire crop in a short time, literally in three to four weeks.
If you take care of the cleanliness and dryness of your precious harvest in advance, pumpkins can be perfectly stored until the calendar spring.
- If it is rainy during the harvesting period from the beds, and the pumpkins are already ripe, then an additional essential condition for the successful preservation of the grown products will be obligatory drying fruits in a closed ventilated area for at least ten days.
- It is also desirable, if the volume of the crop allows, each pumpkin wipe with a dry clean cloth and inspect for damage, foci of rot and mold.
- All suspicious products must be separated from healthy and determine for early use or processing.
Optimal storage conditions for pumpkin
How to store a pumpkin in an apartment? For successful storage of the pumpkin crop three essential conditions must be strictly adhered to:
- maintaining a stable temperature regime;
- exclusion of the possibility of direct sunlight;
- Avoid fruit contact with each other.
The temperature range favorable for pumpkin storage is quite wide. Exceeding both values leads to rapid deterioration of the fruit..
Not only temperature fluctuations, but also changes in air humidity affect the safety of fruits extremely negatively.
On the whole
What are the optimal storage conditions for pumpkins in the winter at home? In a city apartment, there is a choice of the two most successful ways to store fruits in their entirety.
The first option involves storing pumpkins at home in winter for glazed balcony or loggia subject to the following conditions:
- the temperature in the room does not fall below plus two degrees;
- pumpkins should be covered with an opaque breathable material that excludes the penetration of sunlight;
- if the pumpkins are stored without additional containers (boxes, baskets, boxes, etc.), it is necessary to ensure their isolation from the cement floor, linoleum, plastic;
- it is advisable to put plywood, boards, thick fabric under the pumpkins, in extreme cases, newspapers;
- in the event of severe frosts, pumpkins should be insulated by covering them with additional warm material (a blanket, insulation, etc.) on top.
Not everyone has a prepared loggia or balcony, but an equally reliable way to keep pumpkins for a long time is storage directly in the apartment in places with the lowest air temperature, that is, on the floor, ensuring that the fruits are isolated from each other and there is no sunlight.
Both options for storing pumpkins for the winter at home have their advantages and disadvantages., as well as the risks associated with damage to the crop. When stored on a loggia or balcony, it is important to monitor the prevention of the occurrence and spread of rot and mold due to high humidity.
In room conditions, on the contrary, it is necessary to prevent the fruit from drying out, to ventilate more often, and if the air is very dry, it is advisable to use humidifiers.
cut fruit
Often pumpkins are so large that it is impossible to consume all at once. In this case, it is important to follow some rules that will allow you to keep the pumpkin in the refrigerator without losing the quality of the product and its benefits.
- Wash the pumpkin and cut it as you need for cooking.
- Extract seeds with semi-seed pulp from all (!) pumpkins.
- The part of the product that you do not plan to use immediately does not need to be peeled, so the pumpkin will better retain its juiciness.
- Wrap the unpeeled part of the pumpkin in cling film or foil, or put it in an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator on any shelf.
In this form cut pumpkin can be stored for up to ten days.
Sometimes you need to immediately cut a pumpkin for several dishes, but they will be cooked one by one (for example, for juice, salad, mashed soup, for stewing or baking). How to store cut pumpkin at home?
In this case, the whole pumpkin should be washed, peeled, freed from seeds, cut into pieces, sealed and put in the refrigerator on the top shelf. How long can you store an already peeled pumpkin?
So it will retain its original qualities for two to three days. and can be successfully used for any dishes, except for juice.
The seeds extracted from the pumpkin should not be thrown away, as they contain a lot of vitamins.. Put them in a plastic container and put them on a battery to dry naturally. Ready for use in a couple of days. If desired, they can be fried, but remember that some useful qualities are lost.
Pumpkin is one of the most useful products of our gardening. It is unpretentious both in cultivation and in storage at home. Compliance with simple rules will allow you to enjoy its taste until spring. And, of course, read about how to use pumpkin for making.
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Pumpkin is a real treasury of vitamins (especially vitamin A - carotene) and trace elements that the body needs so much in winter. However, the question arises: how to store a pumpkin at home? The answer is waiting for you below!
Not all varieties of pumpkins are suitable for long-term storage (obviously, late-ripening varieties are best stored):
- Muscat pumpkins, which are especially valued for their excellent taste, are stored for no more than 2-3 months.
- If you want to treat yourself to a healthy vegetable in winter and spring, then it is better to plant winter (late-ripening) varieties large-fruited or hard-barked pumpkins, although they are not so airy and soft in taste.
By the way! There are two completely opposite opinions: some believe that large pumpkins are better stored, while others, on the contrary, are of small sizes.
Video: varieties and secrets of pumpkin storage
When to harvest pumpkins for storage: timing, external signs and collection rules
Everyone knows that the pumpkin begins to actively ripen from September, but they often resort to its collection only in October. Accordingly, it is very important to be able to determine by appearance that the pumpkin is ripe and ready for storage, and also to have time to harvest before frost.
How to store pumpkin fresh: rules and methods for long-term storage
- Whole fresh. It is optimal to put it in a cellar or basement, but it can also be stored in an apartment.
- cut into pieces. It can be stored in the refrigerator for a short time, but it is better to put it in the freezer (freeze).
- Make jam.
Video: pumpkin, apricot and lemon (or orange) jam
- processed into juice.
Video: pumpkin juice with pulp for the winter
Optimal storage conditions
- storage location should be cool, dark, relatively dry and well ventilated.
- the ideal temperature for storage is + 2-4 degrees (in the apartment - + 15 .. + 22 degrees).
- humidity should not exceed 75-80%.
If the humidity is high, then the pumpkin can simply rot.
In other words, the most ideal conditions for storing pumpkin, thanks to which the vegetable will definitely retain its useful and gustatory qualities, can be created in the basement or cellar.
In the cellar or basement it is possible to store a pumpkin more than 6-9 months, i.e. all winter, spring and even part of summer (until the new harvest).
As for storage containers, it will not be required: in the cellar or basement it will be enough arrange pumpkins on wooden racks, that they didn't touch each other and preferably stalk up or sideways.
Advice! If during storage you notice that the pumpkin stem is starting to rot, then first of all you need cut to healthy tissue, and then fill the cut with brilliant green or dust with wood ash.
Of course, you can store the pumpkin and at home, under the bed, but it is quite obvious that the shelf life will be noticeably shorter ( up to 3-6 months). Moreover, if on your floor linoleum, then it is better to put wooden planks under the pumpkin so it definitely won't rot.
Interesting! There is an opinion that thicker-skinned pumpkins may well be stored in an apartment, but nutmeg ones are best stored only in a basement or cellar.
By the way! Pumpkin also keeps well. on the balcony in wooden boxes. The bottom of the box should be covered with paper, and the fruits themselves should be covered with a flannel blanket on top.
Video: pumpkin storage
How to store cut pumpkin at home: in the refrigerator and freezer
Naturally, most city dwellers have a dacha, but no cellar or basement. That is why a logical question arises: how long can you keep a pumpkin in an apartment?
Cut pumpkin can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7-10 days.
To prolong the shelf life of a cut pumpkin, it is best to put it in the freezer, i.e. to freeze.
Freezing pumpkin for the winter
Not all varieties lie well at home (unless you have a basement or cellar) and lose vitamins over time. But with deep freezing, vitamins are stored much longer, like the pumpkin itself.
You can store pumpkin in the freezer for up to a year.
And pumpkin can be frozen. cut into slices or cubes(conveniently for making porridge, soups, casseroles), as well as mashing (this way you can achieve the maximum usable volume).
Benefits of Storing Pumpkin Puree is that you do not need every time you need a glass of puree for a recipe (for example, for making a pie), cook it - just thawed it and that's it.
- cut into 2 halves;
- clean from seeds;
Never throw away the seeds! They can be dried, and then clicked with pleasure and benefit.
- cut off the top crust;
- cut into small pieces, so that in the future it would be more convenient to work with them;
- and then cut the pumpkin pieces into smaller pieces: cubes or slices;
Or make puree pre-cooked in the oven or double boiler until soft, and then chopped in a food processor or blender.
- put the pieces in plastic bags or even better in special containers for freezing;
Pour cooled puree into serving containers.
- put in the freezer;
- take out and defrost as needed.
Video: how to freeze a pumpkin for the winter
Thus, now you know that there are no particular difficulties in storing pumpkins at home: you just need to follow simple rules in order to enjoy a tasty and healthy product all winter long.
In contact with
Pumpkin is a vegetable that can be stored for a long time if the right conditions are created for it. If they are observed, all nutrients and vitamins are preserved in it in almost the same form and quantity throughout the winter, as they were in a fresh vegetable. That is why it is so important to know how to store a pumpkin in winter at home in a private house or in a city apartment.
You need to collect pumpkin from garden beds after the vegetable has fully matured. It is impossible to keep it until frost: frozen fruits will rot very quickly. For long-term storage, it is best to choose pumpkins of late varieties in a state of consumer maturity (immature fruits will not lie for a long time) without any significant damage to the peel.
The pumpkin is harvested on a sunny, rainy day. It is separated from the lashes with a knife, always along with the stalk. Fruits without it are unsuitable for storage: in places where it is damaged, they begin to rot.
To preserve the pumpkin in the winter, it is useful to hold the harvested crop under the sunlit and well-ventilated canopies for at least a week. During this time, the peel will dry out and harden, which will have a good effect on the duration of storage.
Next, all damaged fruits with deep scratches, traces of rot are selected and set aside for processing and consumption in the first place or short-term storage. The rest are transferred to where they will be stored throughout the long winter and spring.
Store vegetables in a cool and dry place. Storage temperature - up to +10˚С (should not fall below +1˚С), humidity - not higher than 60-70%.
The main ways to store pumpkin
The method of storage that is preferred depends on the number of pumpkins harvested and where the fruit will be stored. For those who own a private house, the choice is obvious - to store in the cellar or in the underground or basement. In an apartment where there is no separate room, for storing pumpkins in winter, you can allocate space in an ordinary refrigerator or on a glazed and insulated balcony or a cool pantry. Some especially keeping varieties are perfectly preserved even at room temperature throughout the winter.
In a cellar or basement
If you have a cellar or basement at your disposal, in which you can keep vegetables harvested from your garden or bought, then there you can find a place for a pumpkin harvest.
The cellar must always remain dry, ventilated and not freezing even in the most severe frosts (the temperature for saving should be about 2-10 ° C). For winter storage of pumpkins in the cellar, racks are prepared, which are covered with fresh light straw, needles or sawdust. Vegetables are laid on them in 1 layer up with their stalks so that they do not touch each other anywhere. The second option is to pack vegetables in nets and hang them on ceiling poles.
During the storage of the pumpkin crop in the basement or in the cellar in winter, vegetables are reviewed several times from all sides and, first of all, those that tolerate storage worse than others are taken for use.
On the balcony
If there are a lot of pumpkins, you can try to keep them on the balcony (only glazed). Storage conditions - +2 ... + 15˚С and humidity 60-75%. They are placed on wooden racks covered with thick paper or strong cloth. The fruits are placed in one layer, stalks up. They leave a space between them, they should not touch each other. From above they are also covered with a cloth to protect from sunlight.
If it is relatively warm outside, then the balcony is ventilated. In winter colds, vegetables are additionally covered with a warm blanket so that they do not freeze through. Frozen fruits rot very soon. If there are a lot of pumpkins, they can be placed more densely, but at the same time, each one must be separated with cardboard or thick paper.
In fridge
The best place to store cut pumpkins at home is in a regular refrigerator. If the vegetable was not used entirely, then the remaining piece can be saved by wrapping it with cling film and placing it on the shelf of a household refrigerator. The shelf life of cut fruits is up to 3 weeks. Before using from such a piece, you need to cut off a thin layer with a knife, and only then use it for cooking.
A peeled pumpkin should be prepared for storage a little differently - grease the surface with vegetable oil, and only then wrap it with a film or foil. In this state, it can be stored for up to 2 weeks. It is not advisable to store fresh peeled fruits on a shelf in the refrigerator for longer, as the pumpkin loses useful compounds and is exposed to the negative effects of harmful microorganisms.
In the freezer
Pumpkin for long-term use is best stored frozen in the freezer. To do this, it is washed, cut into small pieces of a suitable size for cooking and packed in sealed bags or small plastic containers. They are placed in the freezer. In it, frozen pumpkin can be stored without losing its properties and nutrients for almost 1 year. Sliced squash can be bagged with other vegetables if they are to be used together in certain dishes.
Drying
- Wash, cut, peel and remove seeds.
- Cut into thin slices (0.5-1 cm thick).
- Then put the pieces in a colander, dip in salted boiling water for 1 or 2 minutes, and then immediately into very cold water.
- Let the water drain, put on the table and dry a little.
Then put the slices in an electric dryer or in a preheated oven on a baking sheet.
Dry in appliances at a temperature of 50-60˚С. First, you need to maintain just such a temperature, you cannot raise it higher: when drying at 80 ° C, for example, the pieces will not dry out, but will bake. In the oven, this drying period takes approximately 5-6 hours. After that, if the pumpkin is not completely dry yet, then dry it at a temperature of 80 ° C for about 2 hours. Transfer the dried slices with paper or parchment, put them in boxes with tight-fitting lids. It is better to store them in an apartment in a dry and unlit place, for example, in a cool pantry.
Conservation
This is another affordable way that pumpkin can be stored for a long time. From it you can cook a variety of homemade preparations - from juice and compote to jam and sweet "sweets" - candied fruits. In jars, a canned vegetable will not lose vitamins and other useful substances and will be available for consumption at any time.
Shelf life
The shelf life of pumpkin is different and varies depending on the method of saving. Whole vegetables will be stored for the longest time in the basement, cellar, least of all - in cut form in a household refrigerator. In the underground storage, they can lie for about a year, that is, until the new crop is harvested. The canned product is stored for a minimum of 1 year, a maximum of 2-3 years (in a cool and dark place).
