Eggplants are best stored dried or frozen. In this case, vegetables can lie for 12 months. Shelf life when stored in the cellar is 3 months, and in the refrigerator - 15 days.
Harvest time for eggplant
Harvest time depends on the climate, vegetable variety and care. Don't wait until full maturity. Harvesting is carried out when technical ripeness is reached. The fruits should be elastic, but the seeds are still weakly expressed. Early ripe eggplants are harvested 91-110 days after germination, late varieties are harvested after 130-140 days.
Varieties for long-term storage
If you plan to store the crop for a long time, then late and mid-season varieties are suitable. You can use the following: Diamond, Sophia, Policeman, Romantic, Namesake, Torpedo, Universal-6.
In order for vegetables to be stored for a long time, they must be:
- without defects;
- without dents, holes, cracks and other mechanical damage;
- without signs of the presence of pests and diseases;
- with a smooth surface;
- with a green stem.
How best to store eggplant
The optimal conditions are:
- temperature up to +6 degrees;
- humidity within 75-85%;
- dark and dry room;
- systematic ventilation.
Training
To increase the shelf life of eggplant, it is necessary to prepare. The crop should be harvested on a warm and clear day. If you use a pruner, then the stem is left within a few centimeters. You should immediately cover fresh eggplants or move them under a canopy to protect them from direct sunlight. Next, spoiled vegetables should be discarded. Undamaged specimens should be dried indoors or outdoors. You don't need to wash them.
Storing fresh eggplant
Fresh fruits are best stored in a cellar or in a niche-pantry. The temperature in the cellar is always between 0 and 5 degrees. The room should be ventilated so that there is no stagnation of air and dampness.
You can store vegetables with straw and paper. They are wrapped in paper, laid out on a three-centimeter layer of straw. Can be covered with a bag made of natural fabric.
There is another way. You need to take wooden boxes with slats. Put ash or sand on the bottom of the boxes. Arrange the fresh eggplants and cover with the remaining materials. You can make up to five such levels.
Some gardeners put several fresh eggplants in paper bags, then tie them with a thread for tightness.
An unusual but effective storage method with sawdust. In the soil of the cellar, you need to make a hole in one and a half fruits. It is covered with straw or sawdust. Next, the vegetables are inserted so that there are cuttings at the bottom. The second row of eggplants is laid cuttings up. Further, everything is sprinkled with sawdust.
Storage on the balcony and in the refrigerator
You can store vegetables on a warm loggia. A warm blanket is placed under the boxes, wrapped around them on all sides. So vegetables are stored for several months. In the refrigerator, storage is only possible for a few weeks. First you need to dry the fruits, wrap in paper, put in containers and close the lid. The paper needs to be changed every two or three days.
Eggplant can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 year. The temperature should be around -11-12 degrees. Preliminary preparation:
- rinse under running water;
- remove damaged areas with a knife;
- cut into cubes or rings;
- dissolve 100 g of salt in 1 liter of water;
- soak the pieces for an hour;
- boil water, put vegetables there and cook for five minutes;
- throw in a colander to drain water;
- put on a board and send to the freezer.
When the vegetables are completely frozen, they are transferred to a container with a lid or a tight bag.
Read also: Secrets of growing eggplant: a rich harvest of southern vegetables from seedlings
Another related article: We choose the most favorable days for sowing cabbage for seedlings - features of varieties, lunar calendar and folk signs
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