Among horticultural crops, cabbage is located in a central place both in sowing areas and product development, and in the amount of food consumed. Head of cabbage is a multi-purpose vegetable used as an additive to main dishes, as well as self-sufficient food in natural form in the manufacture of salads, in boiled form for main dishes and secondary dishes. Cabbage is also fermented and canned.
Description
White cabbage is a biennial vegetable. You can see closer what a head of cabbage looks like in the photo.
Forks are formed in the first season, and to obtain seeds, the forks are kept for a long time at a temperature of plus 8 degrees, which, as a rule, happens when lying in the winter. At low temperatures, the plant growth process is suspended, and a continuing metabolism starts the buds of growth, which are the makings of inflorescences.
For another season, the forks are cut, and the stump is allowed to take root. Long sprouts with inflorescence brushes sprout from it. The flowers of the plant are light lemon, cruciform, with four leaves, therefore cabbage and belongs to the cruciferous genus.
Flowering seed cabbage bushes due to the weather and lasts 15-25 days. Cabbage is pollinated crosses with bees and insects of other species. White cabbage is crossed with Brussels, Savoy, color, leaf, kohlrabi. There is no selection from the Beijing and Chinese, and also do not hybridize with turnips, rutabaga, radish and wild cruciferous.
From the ovary of a flower, a fruit is born - a narrow pod 10 cm long, in the middle of which there is a partition, with dark coffee beans attached from two edges. At first glance, the grains of diverse species and subspecies of cabbage can not be distinguished. Seeds are also similar to grains of rutabaga, rapeseed, mustard, turnip. Seeds are distinguished only when they are planted in the ground and the first leaf on seedlings grows. Cabbage has a flat leaf plate, and rutabaga, rapeseed, mustard and turnip with hairs. According to the seedlings, white cabbage is distinguished from cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Kohlrabi and Savoy.
Storage preparation
Only late-ripening types of cabbage are laid for preservation. The best vegetable material for bookmarking is cabbage firm, elastic cabbage, without mechanical damage and not eaten by insects. The top leaves should tightly fit a cabbage head. With the preservation of sluggish and loose heads of cabbage, the crop simply will not be preserved until spring. The atmosphere in the cellar also affects the safety of cabbage. Just some vegetables and fruits during storage release ethylene into the air, harmful to cabbage.
Cabbage storage
The shelf life of cabbages is affected by: the area on which the plant grew, subspecies, organization of the correct laying of heads of cabbage. In a favorable situation in the cellar, the suitability of white cabbage lasts from three months to six months. A head of cabbage is a storehouse of nutrients and vitamins that must be fully preserved until spring. After 6 months of storage, the leaves of the head dry out, and it loses its taste and becomes outwardly unattractive.
Cabbage is harvested in dry and warm weather. Early harvesting of cabbage is a guarantee of drying out the leaves, and late harvesting of forks. To preserve, take intact, tight, shoot-free, clean, mature heads. On heads of cabbage they keep a couple of top sheets. Inspect and cut the stump below the attachment of the upper leaves, leaving a couple of centimeters. If the cabbage heads are hung up for storage, then the stump is left long enough. To save, choose cabbages weighing more than 1 kg.
Red cabbage , selected for preservation, is laid in the cellar in October. Heads of cabbage are chosen by mature, bright, characteristic colors, weighing 2-3 kg.
The heads of Savoy cabbage are selected weighing 2-3 kg, cut off the stump with a pointed knife, keeping 2-3 of the upper leaves. Whole heads of cabbage are stacked in wooden boxes and placed in the cellar for storage.
Storage conditions
To preserve cabbage, a cellar, a cellar, an underground floor, a cool pantry are suitable. The vegetable storehouse is decontaminated ahead of time in the summer by bleaching the walls and ceiling with a composition of quicklime and copper sulfate. Still treated with sulfur in a proportion of 30 g per 1 square. meter and then carefully weathered.
Snow storage
If by spring the cellar is full of cabbage, then they make a snow pile. In it, heads of cabbage will remain juicy until June. Burt is being built in the shade, on the north side. In March, at a temperature of 4-5 degrees, snow is trampled, making a site of 4-5 meters. Snow walls are built to a height of 1 meter and the forks are layered in the resulting snow pit. Each layer is alternated with 5 cm of snow. Slowly, the shoulder is narrowed and 1 meter of snow is poured on top, and the sides are sprinkled with sawdust or wood shavings also with a layer of 1 meter.
Heading
At the end of the cabbage preservation time, the heads of cabbage are inspected and cleaned from the top leaves showing signs of spoilage. In addition, dried leaves are also removed. Cut the stump by half a centimeter. The processed heads are stored at a temperature of 10 degrees for 14-20 days.
For preservation of heads of cabbage food packaging film will perfectly fit. If you wrap the head with this cellophane, then the cabbage in the basement will lie until spring, retaining its taste and attractive appearance.
How to keep cabbage heads delicious until spring? In cabbages they store exclusively low-lying types of cabbage. Mature, tight forks are chosen. It is not enough to grow a large crop, the main thing is to preserve vegetables until spring attractive in appearance and mouth-watering.