How to store seasonal fruits and berries longer. How to keep berries fresh longer

Sakura is most often associated with Japan and its culture. Picnics under the canopy of flowering trees have long become an integral attribute of welcoming spring in the Land of the Rising Sun. The financial and academic year here begins on April 1, when the magnificent cherry blossoms bloom. Therefore, many significant moments in the life of the Japanese take place under the sign of their flowering. But sakura also grows well in cooler regions - certain species can be successfully grown even in Siberia.

We have prepared a hearty, incredibly appetizing and simply easy-to-prepare dish for you today. This sauce is one hundred percent universal, as it goes with every side dish: vegetables, pasta, or anything. Chicken and mushroom gravy will save you in moments when you don’t have time or don’t want to think too much about what to cook. Take your favorite side dish (you can do this in advance so everything is hot), add some gravy and dinner is ready! A real lifesaver.

Agriculture is one of those types of human activity, the successful outcome of which is not always directly proportional to the efforts made. Unfortunately, nature does not necessarily act as our ally when growing plants, and often, on the contrary, even throws up new challenges. Increased reproduction of pests, abnormal heat, late return frosts, hurricane winds, drought... And one of the springs gave us another surprise - a flood.

With the arrival of the dacha season, the question arises of growing strong and healthy seedlings our favorite vegetables: cabbage, tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplants and many other crops. At the same time, the question arises - how to grow decent seedlings and subsequently get healthy plants and a decent harvest from them? For example, I have been growing seedlings for several seasons now and protecting my garden from diseases with the help of biological preparations Alirin-B, Gamair, Glyokladin, Trichocin.

Let me confess my love today. In love with... lavender. One of the best unpretentious, evergreen and beautifully flowering shrubs that can be successfully grown in your garden. And if anyone thinks that lavender is a Mediterranean or at least southern resident, then you are mistaken. Lavender grows well in more northern regions, even in the Moscow region. But to grow it, you need to know some rules and features. They will be discussed in this article.

Once you have tried such an invaluable product as pumpkin, it is difficult to stop searching for new recipes for serving it to the table. Korean pumpkin, despite its pungency and spiciness, has a fresh and delicate taste. After cooking, you will need to cover the salad and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. My nutmeg pumpkin is very juicy and sweet, so there is no need to mash it. If the pumpkin is of a different variety, you can mash it with your hands so that it slightly releases the juice.

Lettuce, as the earliest and most unpretentious green crop, has always been held in high esteem by gardeners. Spring planting Most gardeners usually start by sowing lettuce, parsley and radishes. IN Lately desire for healthy eating and a large selection of greens in supermarkets make gardeners think, which of these plants can be grown in their beds? In this article we will talk about nine of the most interesting, in our opinion, varieties of salad.

The flowering of indoor roses always comes with one more “bonus” - capriciousness. When they say that it is easy to grow roses in rooms, they are lying. For indoor roses to bloom, you need to create literally ideal conditions. And constant care, attention and response to any plant signals is the main key to success. True, no matter how capricious roses may be, they can be grown quite successfully in a potted format. And attentive flower growers should not be afraid of this.

Pollock is best prepared as a casserole, separating the fillet from the skin and bones. Pieces of fish are mixed with a colorful assortment of vegetables and topped with a sauce of cheese, sour cream and eggs. This fish casserole has a presentable appearance, and its taste is a bizarre mixture subtle nuances. Vegetables and fillets will be soaked in sour cream, the cheese will harden into a golden brown crust, and the eggs will bind all the ingredients together. Pieces of fish are generously sprinkled with Italian herbs, and pollock acquires an unusual piquancy.

Despite the fact that calendar spring begins in March, you can truly feel the awakening of nature only with the appearance of flowering plants in the garden. Nothing signals the arrival of spring as eloquently as clearings of blooming primroses. Their appearance is always a small celebration, because winter has receded and a new gardening season awaits us. But, besides spring primroses, there is still something to see and admire in the garden in the month of April.

Rapidly growing and turning into wild thickets, hogweed disrupts the existing ecosystem and suppresses all other plants. Essential oils, contained in the fruits and leaves of hogweed, cause severe forms of dermatitis. At the same time, it is much more difficult to control than other common weeds. Fortunately, today a product has appeared on the market that can quickly rid your area of ​​most weeds, including hogweed.

Carrots come in different colors: orange, white, yellow, purple. Orange carrots contain beta-carotene and lycopene, yellow due to the presence of xanthophylls (lutein); White carrots have a lot of fiber, and purple ones contain anthocyanin, beta and alpha carotenes. But, as a rule, gardeners choose carrot varieties for sowing not by the color of the fruit, but by the timing of their ripening. About the best early, middle and late varieties we will tell you in this article.

We recommend a fairly easy pie recipe with a delicious chicken and potato filling. An open pie with chicken and potatoes is an excellent hearty dish that is suitable for a hearty snack; it is very convenient to take a couple of pieces of this pastry on the road. The pie is baked in the oven for one hour at 180 degrees. After this, we lay it out on a wooden surface, having first released it from the mold. It is enough to slightly cool the baked goods and you can start tasting.

The long-awaited spring for many indoor plants is the period of the start of active growing season, and for the majority - the return of their decorative effect. While admiring the young leaves and emerging shoots, you should not forget that spring is also a great stress for all indoor plants. Sensitive to changes in conditions and universal, all indoor crops face much brighter lighting, changes in air humidity and temperature conditions.

You can easily prepare homemade Easter cake with cottage cheese and candied fruits, even without any pastry experience. You can bake Easter cake not only in a special form or in a paper mold. For your first culinary experiences (and more), I advise you to take a small cast-iron frying pan. Easter cake in a frying pan will not turn out as high as in a narrow pan, but it never burns and is always well baked inside! Cottage cheese dough made with yeast turns out airy and aromatic.

In the summer, almost every house has fresh berries brought from the forest or from summer cottage. Any housewife wants to keep these natural gifts fresh for as long as possible. After all, it is in this form that they are most useful to eat. It's not that hard to do. The main thing is to know a few tricks.

1. The shelf life of strawberries is from 1 to 2 days after purchase or removal from the garden. In the refrigerator, the shelf life of strawberries is from 2 to 4 days (if the berries are very ripe, only 1 to 2 days).
Strawberries grown on nitrates should not be stored in the refrigerator for a long time - they themselves will begin to turn into nitrates (and they are carcinogenic substances). Therefore, it is better to purchase berries at once, as it will be much healthier for the body.
Do not wash the berries before placing them in the refrigerator.
It is better to store strawberries in a glass or plastic jar.
The ground berries with sugar are placed in jars and loosely rolled up. No need to sterilize. The shelf life of strawberries ground with sugar is 5-6 months in the refrigerator.

2. Raspberries can be stored for a week. In order for the berries to stay in the refrigerator for so long and not spoil, they need to be processed in this way: taking 10 parts water to one part 9% vinegar, prepare a mixture, hold the berries in this solution for 10 minutes, then place them on a dry cloth , leave until the water droplets dry. After this, you need to put the dry berries in a glass container, cover with a lid and place in the refrigerator.

3. Blueberries can be stored in the refrigerator for a week. To prevent the berries from spoiling, they are placed in a plastic container. In this way, you can only store blueberries that were picked in dry weather. You cannot wash the berries before storing them. You can keep blueberries fresh longer. To do this, the berries need to be poured into baked glass bottles, compacted tightly. The neck of the bottles must be sealed with sealing wax. These bottles must be kept in a cool place.

4. The maximum shelf life of fresh gooseberries in the refrigerator is 5 days. It can retain its freshness for so long, provided that it is picked unripe. Ripe berries can be stored in containers in a cool place for no longer than 2 days.

5. For long-term storage blackcurrants are torn from the branches, cleared of leaves and placed in a dry glass container, covered with a lid. The jar of berries is placed in the refrigerator, then opened every 5 days to allow the currants to breathe a little. So the berries can be stored for 3 weeks.

7. For storage in the refrigerator, cherries are picked along with the branches, choosing slightly unripe berries. The fruits are placed in one layer in a spacious container and covered with cherry leaves on top. Another layer of berries is placed on top of the leaves. The container is then sealed and placed in the refrigerator.

First, a little chemistry lesson. Ethylene is an odorless and colorless gas that helps some fruits ripen. Some fruits contain a lot of it (for example, apples and pears), and some have negligible amounts.

• apples,
• apricots,
• avocado,
• bananas,
• melons,
• figs,
• nectarine,
• peaches,
• pears,
• plums,
• tomatoes.

They should not be stored with other fruits and vegetables. Unless you want them to finish it faster.

For example, if you put a banana in a paper bag, it will ripen faster because the ethylene will be trapped in the paper. Or you can put an apple or pear along with a banana.

It is also worth considering the fact that ethylene comes out faster from damaged fruit. As a result, one cracked apple can cause the entire package to spoil faster than usual.

What and where to store

After going to the market or store, you need to put what you bought in the right place. Otherwise, all your efforts and money will be wasted.

Stored in the refrigerator:

• Artichokes
• Beet
• Brussels sprouts
• Celery
• Cherry
• Grape
• Green bean
• Lima beans
• Leafy vegetables
• Leek
• Spinach
• Sprouts
• Zucchini

For refrigerator storage, you have three options: store without a bag, in a plastic bag, or in a paper bag. A plastic bag traps moisture inside, so it's best not to tighten it tightly or poke a few holes.

It is advisable not to wash vegetables and fruits before putting them in the refrigerator. If you wash them, dry them well, otherwise mold may appear, and this is not very good for other products and your health.

After ripening the following are stored:

• Avocado
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Plums

Store in water:

• asparagus
• greenery

You need to store it the same way as if you were storing flowers: cut off the ends and place in a glass with a small amount water.

Store in a paper bag:

• mushrooms

Do not wash and store in a plastic bag:

• Broccoli
• Carrot
• Cauliflower
• Corn
• Cranberry
• Green onions
• Lettuce
• Peas
• Radish

Do not wash and store in one layer:

• Blackberry
• Blueberry
• Strawberry
• Raspberries

The listed berries cannot be washed or placed in large quantities in one tray. The berries are very tender, and their skin is also soft. When washing, you damage them, juice leaks out and they simply turn sour. If you store them in small trays in one layer, they will last much longer.

Stored on the kitchen table:

• Apples
• Bananas
• Tomatoes
• Basil
• cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Ginger
• Grapefruit
• Lemon
• Oranges
• Mango
• Papaya
• Pepper
• Persimmon
• A pineapple
• Bananas
• Watermelon
• Pomegranate

It is not advisable to place the listed vegetables and fruits in direct sunlight or near the stove. From time to time you need to move them from place to place so that the fruit does not lie on the same side for a long time. This is especially true for tomatoes.

Store in a cool, dark place:

• Garlic
• Potato
• Pumpkin
• Leek

It’s not for nothing that cellars are so popular in villages. After all, it is in them that not only pickles and jam are stored all winter, but also potatoes, onions, pumpkin and garlic.

Summer is a time for a variety of berries and fruits that you should treat yourself to. But sometimes there are so many of them that there is no way to eat them right away.

Tender berries (strawberries, raspberries) should be stored in the refrigerator in one layer. They should not be left in a jar or in plastic packaging.

Scatter the berries on any flat surface (shallow plate, baking sheet) and cover with a napkin.

Berries with a dense, non-porous surface (blueberries, blueberries, cherries) can be stored in a bowl covered with a napkin.

You can freeze forest and garden berries yourself; they do not spoil for months in the freezer. To freeze sweet cherries, wash and dry the berries, remove the stems, place in a plastic bag and freeze.

Tender soft berries are frozen unwashed. You need to take a baking sheet, line it with a linen or paper towel, scatter the berries on it in one layer and put it in the freezer for an hour or more. Place frozen hardened berries in a bag. glass jar or a plastic container designed to be frozen.

This way they will not freeze and will remain firm and suitable for consumption when slightly frozen.

Frozen fruits and berries are almost no different from fresh ones in their taste, nutritional value, and vitamin content.

At the same time, they compare favorably with fruit compotes in that they are not subject to sterilization, i.e. heating at temperatures above 100 degrees, as a result of which they are better preserved taste qualities and nutritional properties of fresh fruits.

To freeze the berries, rinse them thoroughly, remove the cuttings, place them in a plastic bag and place them in the freezer.

Small and chopped fruits and berries should be frozen in bags in the form of briquettes 2-3 cm thick.

Slices of fruit such as pears, apples or apricots can be frozen in sugar syrup. To prepare it you need to take 100-200 g of sugar per 0.5 liter of water. The syrup should be heated slowly to dissolve the sugar and then cooled. You need to leave space in the bag (expansion will occur when freezing), placing a kilogram of fruit there and pouring 0.5 syrup.

When it is time to defrost the fruit, you will need to place it under hot water right in the package. But you can defrost at room temperature or even in microwave oven. Thawed fruits and berries should be consumed immediately after defrosting. Under no circumstances should re-freezing or storage be permitted!

Storage table for berries and fruits

Apples lying side by side will spoil faster. Therefore, be sure to store them at a distance from each other, you can wrap each apple in wax paper.

The property of apples to secrete a substance that promotes rapid ripening can be successfully used if you bought any other unripe fruits (and some vegetables and fruits always go on sale unripe).

If you put the fruits in a dark, dry place, at room temperature, close to the apple, they will ripen faster. Plums, dense hard pears, avocados can be placed in a paper bag, pierced in several places, next to an apple or banana.

Pour lemon juice over the unused avocado half or rub the surface with a lemon cut, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. It is advisable to leave the bone.

A bowl of fruit on the table is a classic subject for a still life. However, not every still life is good from the point of view of preservation. beneficial properties fruits, since some vitamins are unstable to light.

Choose fruits with thick skins, such as citrus fruits, to liven up your kitchen decor.

Farm fresh berries are a great choice because you can be sure of their freshness, especially if you picked them yourself or the farmer assured you when they were picked. In the store, pay attention to:

• The berries have the color they should have; Avoid any berries with strange spots, odd colors or shades.
• The berries are whole and in good condition. If you see signs of bumps or staining on the container, it may mean the berries are broken and squashed.
• Make sure there are no signs of mold. This often occurs in berries that have been sitting for a long time and were not immediately sold out.

Be prepared to eat the berries quickly. Berries are perishable food product. Our ancestors would have eaten them off the bush or within hours of picking them, so we hope to use up large quantities of the berries in an attempt to preserve them for longer! Try to consume them within 3 days; Some berries can be stored for up to a week, but it is better to avoid such long storage of soft berries as they are likely to quickly become moldy.

Storing raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. These soft berries are best kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator. For more detailed information about each type of berry, read:

Storing blackberries. Blackberries can be stored in an uncovered container in the refrigerator. Blackberries spoil quickly and are best eaten the day they are purchased or picked, but they should keep in the refrigerator for a day or so.

Storing mulberries. Ripe mulberries can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a few days. Their fragility means you should keep them for as short a period of time as possible. And naturally, eat them soon after picking or purchasing, washing carefully before eating.

Storing cranberries. Store fresh cranberries in the refrigerator for up to one week. She must be in plastic bag or closed container. Cranberries freeze well and are also easy to dry.

Storing cloudberries. Store in the refrigerator for several days and process in delicious jam, as fast as possible.

Storing goji berries. Dried goji berries are stored in a container at a temperature not lower than 30°C. If the temperature is a little higher, place them in the refrigerator. Use according to the best before date on the bag, although they will last longer if refrigerated.

• Goji berries taste best at room temperature.