Potatoes, garlic and onions are among the gifts from the garden that require greater attention in relation to their conservation. If kept for a long time at an unsuitable temperature, they can germinate and this, in the case of potatoes, can lead to the formation of toxic substances due to which they may no longer be edible.
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Potatoes, garlic and onions are among the gifts of the garden that require more attention in relation to them storage. If held for a long time at one unsuitable temperature, they can sprout and this, in the case of potatoes, can lead to the formation of toxic substances due to which they may no longer be edible.
Who has one at his disposal cellar that remains cool for the whole year it can easily remedy the problem, but also those who have to settle for one home pantry or the kitchen cabinet will be able to put some into practice tricks to extend the life of both potatoes and garlic and onions.
Index
Potatoes
Le potatoes they are one of the most loved and consumed tubers throughout the year. However theirs storage can cause some problems due to sprouting. It would indeed be good do not consume sprouted potatoes or potatoes whose skin has green spots, as these signals identify an increase in solanine concentration inside vegetables, a substance that, if accumulated excessively by our body, can be toxic and cause ailments such as vomiting, dizziness or intestinal pain. Attention also to potatoes that have green spots when peeled. Always try to eliminate them before cooking, which in itself will be able to reduce the solanine content of the potatoes by about half, especially if they are cooked in water or fried. The first fundamental advice is d try not to buy excess potatoes and to verify from time to time how long after their placement in the pantry they begin to germinate, so as to be able to adjust accordingly as regards their consumption.
Potatoes they must not be stored in the light, to prevent them from turning green and must therefore always be kept in the dark. The temperature inside the storage environment plays a fundamental role in their germination. Who owns a cellar whose temperature usually stops around 10 ° C you will be able to keep potatoes for several weeks without sprouting. In fact, the temperature seems to constitute the main factor in this regard. Even those who do not have a cellar with these characteristics will still have to pay attention to always keep the potatoes away from light and humidity. In this case it can help transfer the potatoes into wooden crates lined with dry cotton cloths or with layers of clean cardboard. Also the conservation in dry and clean paper bags it can be useful for this purpose.
For those lucky enough to be able to collect potatoes from your own garden, the main advice so that they do not spoil prematurely due to humidity lies in the fact of do not rinse them with water before placing them in the pantry or in the cellar, but to leave them exposed to the air, but always to the sheltered from light for a few days, so that the earth gradually detaches from their peels and can be removed more easily with the help of a dry cloth. Whether the potatoes come from your garden or if they have been purchased and placed in a box, it is also useful to cover it with newspaper sheets to prevent it from filtering light and to periodically check that the moisture does not form inside it. The wooden boxes can be easily replaced by cardboard boxes.
Onions
Onions can be stored in the cellar or pantry with methods very similar to those of potatoes. They will not sprout if inside the room where the temperatures are they will keep around 10 degrees. In the cellar it is advisable to arrange the onions inside a wicker basket covered with newspaper, within a cardboard box or paper bag. As for the pantry, they can be arranged inside one carton box, such as a shoe box or inside medium sized paper bags, like those of bread. The use of paper bags instead of cloth for storing potatoes and onions allows you to keep moisture build-up at bay and the proliferation of microorganisms.
In case you have harvest onions from your garden, let them rest in the air but away from direct sun by arranging them on newspaper sheets. They need a drying period before being collected in the pantry. You can arrange them inside wooden boxes forming layers to be separated from each other with paper. It is advisable to periodically check the onions so as to verify that moisture does not form and that there are no rotten parts.
Once you open an onion, the remainder can be sliced or diced e frozen for future use. The open onion can also be stored for two or three days in the refrigerator inside the fruit and vegetable drawer. The spring onions they can be boiled for about ten minutes with white wine, vinegar and a pinch of salt and preserved in oil in glass jars to be stored in the dark for a whole year.
Garlic
Even in the case of garlic, the ideal storage temperature, which will allow it not to sprout and can be kept in the cellar for months, it is around 10 degrees. If not, the garlic might start sprouting after a short time. The advice therefore remains to make sure you have a cellar where there is the most suitable temperature in case you plan to buy it in large quantities or if you know you need to keep it for a long time after harvest.
For those who have a simple pantry, it is good to transfer the purchased garlic, without washing it previously, inside paper bags such as those used for storing bread. Garlic will need to be placed at the sheltered from the light, but the possibility of breathing must still be guaranteed, in order to avoid the formation of humidity and rot. The garlic, once opened, it can be peeled, sliced or chopped and stored in the freezer for a few months in a food container or bag. Otherwise, to have garlic always available even once opened, it can be stored in the kitchen in an aluminum container with a lid, where it can remain perfectly intact even for a whole week.
Marta Albè
Read also:
- 5 WAYS TO BETTER STORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
- HOW TO STORE FOOD USING THE DESIGN
- FOOD STORAGE GUIDE
