Contents
How to store Jerusalem artichoke at home
Jerusalem artichoke, or earthen pear, is a plant native to North America. It is superior in nutritional value to many vegetables, so they are widely used for food, as well as as feed for livestock. Knowing how to properly store Jerusalem artichoke, you can always prepare a hearty delicious lunch.
How to store Jerusalem artichoke in winter? It is perfectly preserved in the ground
Where to store Jerusalem artichoke in winter: in the ground or in a cellar?
A distinctive quality of Jerusalem artichoke is its good frost resistance. It feels better in the ground than in any other place and tolerates frost down to –20 ° C. Therefore, the crop of Jerusalem artichoke grown in the country should not be dug up entirely. Let most of it stay in the beds. The fruits can be dug up as needed.
But if there is no way to leave Jerusalem artichoke stored in natural conditions, you can do it as follows:
- Storage in the cellar. It is necessary to prepare wooden boxes. Dug tubers are placed in them, not peeled from the ground. They need to be sprinkled with sand or peat. The boxes are covered with plywood. To prevent the fruits from rotting and becoming moldy, there should be no high humidity in the cellar, and the air temperature should be in the range from 0 to + 4 ° С. In the same way – in wooden boxes sprinkled with sand, peat – you can store Jerusalem artichoke on a glazed balcony.
- Residents of private houses can do the following: dig a trench on the site and cover the bottom with spruce branches. Arrange the tubers individually in plastic pots. Place them in a trench, cover them with snow on top, then with hay or spruce branches, and cover everything with a sheet of roofing material. This method is a bit troublesome, but the fruits will be preserved in the best possible way.
Storage features must be observed so that Jerusalem artichoke does not lose its taste and nutritional properties.
How to store Jerusalem artichoke in an apartment
Wash the tubers well, dry and put in bags. Store in the refrigerator compartment where vegetables are usually found. In this form, it will be usable for 2-3 weeks.
Freezing provides a longer shelf life, about two months.
Peel the washed tubers, cut into slices or on a fine grater, pack in bags for freezing.
Jerusalem artichoke can be dried. Cut into plates and place in a dry, ventilated place out of direct sunlight. You can also dry in the oven, but before that, soak the vegetable in salted water for 10-15 minutes.
Knowing how to store Jerusalem artichoke at home will help you avoid decay and spoilage of this nutritious product.