How do you store vegetables in winter? The basis is to ensure the correct temperature and humidity. Simple tricks that our great-grandmothers already used will help preserve freshness. Find out for yourself which ones actually work.
Summer is definitely behind us, but before the unseasonably cold days arrive, it’s worth enjoying autumn. It’s the perfect time to start stocking up for winter. Recently, traditional and natural ways of prolonging the freshness of vegetables have come to the fore again. The basis is to store it in the right conditions – the temperature should not exceed six degrees. Proper humidity and good ventilation are also important. Garlic skins and walnut leaves are grandmother’s tried-and-true methods that make vegetables last much longer. What does science say? After all, the effectiveness of the methods is fundamental.
Storing food in winter. Proven methods of our grandmothers
Garlic peels contain a substance that has an antifungal effect, so, among other things, they protect against mold. You can place them in containers with root vegetables. Horseradish leaves have a similar usewhich are usually used for loading. The glycosides they contain inhibit the growth of pathogens that cause rot.
Onions are also a natural preservative that prevents mold. You can place it next to a box of potatoes, but be aware that direct contact will cause germination.
Walnut leaveswhich our great-grandmothers used, they are also a means of destroying mold and repelling rodents. Have you noticed that nothing grows in front of the nut? This is due to juglone, which has a toxic effect on most plants. Therefore, such leaves are worth placing in vegetable boxes. It is assumed that Rowan leaves also repel rodents. However, as it turns out, the concentration of sorbic acid in them is too low to be that strong. On the contrary, they are ideal for extending the freshness of vegetablesbecause they have preservative and antimicrobial properties.
How to keep vegetables fresh and deter rodents? These twigs can help you
When you store vegetables in the cellar, it is a good idea to protect them from pests. In addition to the above methods, wormwood twigs, which have a very intense scent, are also ideal for this. Thanks to the content of, among other things, essential oils and coumarin, they are an effective means of deterring small rodents. On the other hand, if there is a lot of humidity in the room, it is good to preserve the vegetables appropriately. One of the methods used by our great-grandmothers is to coat them with a thin layer of wood ash. This treatment will also slow down the growth of bacteria and mold.
How to store onions to survive the winter? A method used by farmers
