The leaves of Savoy cabbage are more delicate in structure than that of white cabbage, and therefore more likely to be damaged. How much such products can be stored, as well as how to keep it throughout the winter, read below.
Characteristics of Savoy Cabbage
To understand how to store the vegetable in question, you must first familiarize yourself with its main characteristics. This will help you choose the most optimal storage option and create the right conditions for this. The plant belongs to two-year-old crops. It is a related white-headed variety.
Important! Savoy cabbage is not suitable for sourdough.
Heads of cabbage consist of soft leaves, painted in different shades of green as they move towards the stump. Leaf plates do not have hard veins, corrugated, with pronounced pimples. The weight of one head of cabbage varies between 0.5–3 kg.
By maturity, the variety under consideration is divided into:
- early - ripens in 105-120 days;
- mid-season - ripen in 120–135 days;
- late - reaches maturity in 140 or more days.
Which varieties are more suitable for winter storage
For long-term storage, late-ripening varieties are suitable. Unlike the early ones, after cutting a head of cabbage, vital processes still occur in it.
The most suitable varieties for storage:
How to choose and prepare cabbage for winter storage
For storage, you need to select the most dense, heavy heads of cabbage. When buying in a store, you need to pay attention to the condition of the uppermost leaves - they must be saturated green color, elastic. Dry integumentary leaves indicate that the head of cabbage has long been cut from the bed - such products will not be stored for a long time. If the culture is grown at home, then heads of cabbage can be left in the beds until the air temperature drops to -5 ...- 7 ° С.
This approach helps to improve the taste and extend the shelf life of cabbage. If the autumn is rainy, warm, then harvesting is postponed until the end of October - mid-November. Wet forks are very poorly preserved, so 5-6 days before cutting, they need to be covered with a film in order to dry out. If you plan to store heads of cabbage with a root, then plants are dug up. If the root is not needed, cut with a sharp clean knife.
Important! Heads of lighter than 500 g quickly dry out, so it is better to send them for quick processing.
Next, all products need to be sorted. Heads of at least 500 g weigh, dense, green, without signs of damage by diseases and pests, are selected for laying for storage. The products prepared for storage are poured with crushed chalk and laid out in a dry room on shelves or fabric litter. In this state, the forks are left for 2-3 days. Then shorten the stump to 3 cm.
Where can I store cabbage for the winter at home?
You can store forks in a garage, cellar or basement. At home they can be stored on the balcony. The main thing is that the basic requirements regarding the temperature regime and the layout of the heads themselves are met. Best of all, the vegetable retains the nutritional value when using containers made of wood, in which there will be enough space to ensure the free arrangement of the forks, eliminating contact between them. You can also lay out heads in separate nets and store them in limbo.
Basic requirements for cabbage storage facilities
The main criteria that the premises must meet are:
- lighting - should be completely absent;
- temperature - 0 ... + 3 ° С;
- air humidity - 90%;
- the presence of ventilation.
The shelf life of the cabbage of the variety in question will largely depend on the quality of preparation of the premises selected for this purpose. If a garage, cellar or basement will act in this capacity, you need to take care of the elimination of rodents. In addition, inspect the walls for fungus. Even if it has not been identified, antiseptic treatment should be performed.
For this purpose, you can use copper sulfate in a concentration of 7%. Using a roller, it is applied to all walls, ceiling, flooring. Instead of copper sulfate, you can buy a bactericidal primer for internal work and cover the walls, ceiling, floor with it. After processing, it is necessary to carefully ventilate the room. Such manipulations should be carried out at least 3 weeks before laying the vegetable for storage.
Did you know? Czechs use savoy cabbage for cooking meatballs.
Ways to store cabbage
There are several methods that will help to save Savoy cabbage throughout the winter:
- open;
- closed;
- packaging;
- pyramid.
Open
In the storage room, wooden shelves are organized, consisting of slats with a gap between them of 4 cm. The forks are laid out with stitches upward at a distance of 5 cm from each other. An open storage method may involve storage along with the root. In this case, it is thoroughly cleaned of soil. Then tied to a thread and suspended from the ceiling.
With this approach, the most important thing is that pieces of land do not fall between the sheet plates, otherwise the products will quickly deteriorate. You can keep the cabbage in limbo and without root. To do this, heads of cabbage place each in a separate grid. The method is used if all the required indicators of humidity, temperature and lighting are met in a warehouse.
Closed
This technique involves storing cabbage in wooden crates. Previously sand is poured onto the bottom of the container. Then lay a layer of cabbage and again a layer of sand. In one drawer 3-4 such layers fit. The technique is used in rooms where the humidity threshold is lowered, and all other requirements are met.
Cabbage packaging
This method is suitable for those who do not have the ability to store heads in the garage / cellar and their number is not so large. It involves laying in the refrigerator. Previously, each forks are placed in a transparent plastic bag, in which holes are made for ventilation. If they are not done, condensation will collect on the leaves and they will begin to rot. In the same way, forks are packaged for storage on the loggia.
Pyramid way
This technique is one of the varieties of closed storage technology designed for rooms with a low humidity threshold. The fruits are laid right on the floor. Pre-lay a layer of sand. The largest heads of cabbage are placed on it. Then pour them with sand and lay forks a little smaller. At the very top should be the smallest heads of cabbage.
How long is savoy cabbage stored?
Duration of storage depending on the method used:
- open method - up to 12 months;
- closed, including the pyramid - 6-7 months;
- in the refrigerator or on the loggia - 3-4 months.
Did you know? Sour cabbage were the first to do the Chinese. They soaked it in wine and introduced into the diet the slaves who built the Great Wall of China.
Despite the fact that Savoy cabbage has a very delicate leaf structure, it is perfectly preserved throughout the winter. The most important thing is to choose a late-ripening variety for this and properly prepare the warehouse.
