For normal development, a person needs a large number of useful elements, among which a very important place is occupied by vitamins. You can replenish their stock in the body in two ways: by using special medications or by introducing into your diet fresh fruits and vegetables. For human health, it is better to use the second option. Necessary for people carotene and vitamin C can be obtained from leeks , which is very easy to grow in your garden.
In this article, you will learn when to harvest leeks and how to store it properly, so that it remains usable for as long as possible.
Terms of harvesting leeks
When exactly you need to harvest leeks depends on how long you will use it. If you eat your leaves at once, then you can rip it off during the entire period of their growth, that is throughout the summer and autumn.
For long-term storage (until spring), leeks should be excavated in autumn, roughly in early October, but the harvest should be finished before the frost. If your region is mild in winter, then it can be hidden right on the garden and collected as needed.
In order that the leek can be stored for a long time, it must be properly collected. To do this, the plant should be carefully (in order to damage as little as possible its ground part) from the ground and prepare for storage.
You can store leeks differently, but, despite the way you choose, after digging out you should:
- completely remove yellow and damaged leaves;
- Cut the remaining leaves to 2/3;
- reduce the root by half.
The rest of the onion is washed and dried well. After this you can start the workpiece.
How to store harvested leeks?
- To use it when preparing various dishes, you can cut the onions of the onion into medium rings, fold them into a bag in a small layer (about 5 cm) and send it to the freezer. Such a preparation can be carried out in the summer, tearing off separate leaves from bushes, which you do not plan to leave for the whole winter.
- As a spice, you can use finely chopped and well dried onions. You can do this both in the oven and in the electric dryer. It should be borne in mind that at a temperature below + 50 ° C the maximum of useful substances remains. It is better to mix it with other herbs.
- The best stems can be stored in the refrigerator and entirely. To do this, they must first be cooled at a temperature of -2 to +2 ° C. Then pack the chilled greens in perforated bags, a maximum of 8 pieces. After that, the bags are put in the refrigerator and stored at a constant temperature, not lower than -5 ° С. If you do not do this and just put it in the cold, the leek will remain fresh for only a week.
- If you want to use leeks in the preparation of salads, then you need to immediately after digging put it in a container with sand. This is done like this:
- At the bottom of the box, cover a layer of sand 5 cm;
- we establish vertically the bush of onion;
- between them we pour 15 cm of moistened river sand.
While maintaining the temperature in the room where the box with the onion will be from -1 ° C to + 11 ° C and 85% of the humidity of the air, the greens will be stored for half a year.
Many scientists argue that with prolonged storage and freezing in vegetables, the content of nutrients decreases, but leeks all the way around. In the white part of the stem, only the concentration of vitamin C is increased, in half a year, about half as much.
Observing the time of harvesting and storing leeks, you will always be provided with this useful product.