How to store a pumpkin in an apartment? Practical tips

Pumpkin storage is not a troublesome business, but in order for the product to retain all the useful components, it is necessary to know its basic subtleties. It should be noted that not all varieties can stay for long. Best preserved are large-fruited species. Before you figure out how to store a pumpkin in an apartment, you need to know when to harvest and how to properly prepare the product.

When to clean the pumpkin from the garden?

If conditions permit, it is better to leave the crop on the site as long as possible. Collect the pumpkin should be in dry and sunny weather. It can only be ripped off after it has reached the necessary ripeness: the whips have dried up, the stalk is hard and prickly, and the color is even and full.

If you harvest in the cloudy weather, pumpkins must dry for fifteen days indoors. When there is sunny weather, you can take them outside. It is necessary to prevent rot.

If frosts are expected, at night it is necessary to cover the crop with a film or other material that can protect from the cold. To tighten with cleaning it is not necessary, as the frosted vegetable will not lie for long. In the affected areas, it begins to rot and deteriorate. Such a product can only be used for processing or for preservation.

Preparing the pumpkin for storage, you need to check that its surface was smooth and smooth, without cracks and damage. Care should be taken with the peduncle carefully not to break it. The tighter the pumpkin is, the better it will remain.

How to choose a pumpkin?

One of the most useful products is a pumpkin. Storage at home is not particularly difficult, it is enough to know the basic nuances. It is considered that the most delicious pumpkins are those that have a round shape and medium sizes. Vegetable, the weight of which is within 3-5 kilograms, will be less fibrous and sweeter.

The pulp of a quality product is dense and elastic. The color should be bright and saturated. It is important that the pumpkin is well rested, otherwise it will be tasteless. Determine the degree of its maturation can be on the tail: it must rotate from the parent stem and be dry and dark.

How to prepare a vegetable?

Before storing a cut pumpkin, you need to properly process it. First of all it is necessary to rinse thoroughly. It is better to do this under running water. Then you can cut the bottom and the top with a sharp knife and cut the pumpkin in half. Seeds should be cleaned with a spoon. Regardless of whether the product will be stored entirely or not, it is necessary to clean it from the peel.

Cold storage

Winter varieties of pumpkins are stored much better than summer. But they should not be put in the refrigerator. Vegetables should be placed in a dark and cool place, where there is no increased humidity, so that fungi do not multiply. It can be a kitchen, a pantry, a cellar or a heated balcony. In the refrigerator, the product is about three days.

If there are racks in the room, they need to be lined with straw. Pumpkin should be laid with a peduncle upwards so that the vegetables do not touch each other.

The storage conditions of the pumpkin should be as close as possible to the room, but the temperature can be reduced to 5 degrees Celsius. If the floor is cold, it is worth laying it with straw or hay. As the frost increases, the layer can be increased. Vegetables need to be inspected periodically. When they have the first symptoms of decay, the product is better placed with the edge.

Freezing

Thinking about how to store a pumpkin in an apartment, many housewives choose the simplest and most proven way - freezing. Preliminarily, the product can be cut into pieces, slices or straws, and then packed into food film or folded into a sealed container. Damaged pieces should be put on the edge and used first.

The easiest answer to the question of how to store a cut pumpkin is to freeze it. But then after defrosting it is necessary to cook it all, repeated freezing will lead to loss of valuable components and deterioration of taste.

Storage in a cellar

In many houses there are cellars, so people prefer to leave vegetables for winter there. But in order for the product to lie well, the cellar must be dry and disinfected. For convenience, you can equip it with shelving. Thinking about how to properly store a pumpkin, you need to remember that vegetables should not touch each other, and the shelves need to be insulated.

Can I store a pumpkin in the street?

In rural areas, people often put the vegetable in a haystack. From above it is covered with a film, so that moisture does not cause rotting.

If the winter is consistently cold, you can store the pumpkin outdoors under a canopy. In the frozen form it will retain all the taste and useful properties. But in this case it is worthwhile to be wary of a thaw, as the product will rot. This pumpkin is used for feeding pets.

Storage in the apartment

While in search of an answer to the question: "How to store a pumpkin in an apartment?", Do not forget about the loggias and storerooms. Vegetables can be decomposed directly on the floor, but not in close proximity to each other, otherwise rot will begin, which quickly damages all pumpkins. If the room is cold, you can cover them with warm material.

Pickling

Reflecting on how to store a pumpkin in an apartment, many housewives as a result prefer a saline. Fruits must be prepared beforehand: peel and remove seeds. Small pieces should be placed in sterilized jars and poured cold water until complete coverage. On top, you need to sprinkle salt abundantly. Banks should be tightly closed with a lid and stored in a dark place.