How to store grapes at home for the winter in the refrigerator and cellar

Grapes have beneficial properties for the human body and a pleasant taste. You want to keep them fresh for as long as possible, so that in the cold season you can replenish your supply of vitamins. Not any variety is suitable for such purposes, but the process itself has many features and tricks. How to properly store grapes so that they do not lose their commercial and taste characteristics over a long period of time?

Grape varieties for long-term storage

The density of grapes, the degree of their ripening, the level of sugars contained in them, greatly affect the duration of successful storage.For laying for the winter, experienced growers advise using varieties with medium or late ripening, the fruits of which have a dark color and are covered with a thin layer of spring.

It is this substance that protects the grapes from excessive evaporation of moisture, damage by pests and mechanical damage. For bookmarking for long-term storage, moderately ripe loose brushes are selected. Bubki should be firmly attached to the stalks, not have damage and signs of disease. The higher the sugar content of grapes, the longer it will be able to maintain its characteristics.

Professionals recommend the following varieties for winter storage:

• Moldova;
• In Memory of Negrul;
• Senso;
• Moldovan Black;
• Muscat of Alexandria;
• Alden.

The bunches of grapes of these varieties are not prone to fungal diseases, retain their wonderful smell and taste characteristics for up to six months, and also do not change their original color for a long time.Also, these varieties are suitable for transportation over long distances.

Tips for growing and harvesting grapes

Long terms for successful storage of grapes are not guaranteed only by a good choice of variety. To achieve maximum results, it is necessary to strictly observe the conditions of agricultural technology and adhere to the recommended rules for collecting fruits. Constant and strong moisture at the end of the growing season does not have the best effect on the preservation of fruits, therefore, 1.5 months before it is planned to harvest a ripe crop, watering the plants is completely stopped. This will allow you to increase the amount of sugars and reduce the amount of excess fluid.

To increase the shelf life of the crop, about 25% of all bunches are deliberately removed in advance. If you do not carry out this procedure, then the grapes will begin to crumble, become lethargic and unsuitable for long-term storage.Properly and timely applied top dressing also affects the safety of the collected brushes.

It is better to fertilize vineyards with phosphorus-potassium fertilizing, since the introduction of organic or mineral components with a high nitrogen content will not bring the expected benefits.

It is necessary to introduce preventive measures for grapes against fungal diseases in time, since the affected clusters should never be sent for long-term storage. Ripe grapes should be harvested on a dry and sunny day. Tassels after cutting from the bush are quickly hidden in the shade. It is impossible to carry out work early in the morning or in the evening hours, because it is at this time that heavy dew falls.

If the grapes are to be stored in a hanging position, then the bunches should be cut with a small piece of vine up to 9 cm long. Only tassels with a stalk are put in boxes.When cutting brushes with fruits, it is impossible to damage the wax coating on them, so it is advisable to wear gloves when working and try to touch the fruits less with your hands.

Storing grapes for the winter at home

At home, it is not so easy to keep grape brushes until the very cold weather. It is required not only to grow and correctly assemble high-quality blanks, but also to carry out a number of preparatory measures. First of all, they carry out a thorough inspection of the bunches, with the help of tweezers remove berries that have signs of spoilage or are simply dry. In order not to shorten the shelf life of grapes, in no case should they be washed before being stored.

Storage for the winter is prepared in advance, because the fruits are capricious and need special conditions. If the house has a good basement, then the humidity inside it should not exceed the recommended parameters.Otherwise, you cannot send grapes there. Good ventilation is provided in the storage, sometimes it is necessary to organize ventilation so that there is no increase in dampness and the appearance of fungus.

If in winter the temperature drops to negative levels, then additional warming will be required, because for the preservation of grape fruits, the regime should be maintained from +1 to +8 ^{С. This temperature ensures maximum fruit preservation.}

With an increase in this indicator, the fruits quickly lose their moisture reserves and begin to dry out. Humidity is recommended to be maintained at 80%. If this indicator exceeds the recommended value, then it would be nice to put a bucket filled with sawdust, charcoal or quicklime in the corner.

To prevent the formation of mold, the walls of the storage for grapes are whitened with a solution of quicklime.To prevent the appearance of pests, the premises are fumigated with sulfur. All work must be carried out a month before the harvest is planned, otherwise the grapes may be poisoned by chemicals. The crop is not recommended to be located near products with a sharp and strong odor or vegetables from which excessive moisture is released.

If the harvest is small, then it can be stored until winter in jars filled with clean water.

For this technique, the brushes are cut along with a branch of the vine, the larger end of which is dipped into a bottle of water, fixed at a certain angle so that the bunch can hang freely. So that putrefactive processes do not begin in the water, one tablet of acetylsalicylic acid or activated carbon is thrown there. In order for the vine to better absorb trace elements and nutrients from the water, a new incision is periodically made on it. Subject to the above recommendations, grapes are stored for at least a couple of months.

The harvested crop can be stored in a large spacious room on a wire. To do this, twist the tails with twine and tie the tassels in pairs. After that, the grapes are hung on a tightly stretched wire, thick twine or pole. In order to prevent contact of grape brushes in a suspended state, the height of their attachment should not be the same.

Aesthetic external data and original taste are stored for about 3 months, but how long exactly this period will be depends on temperature indicators and the established humidity in the storage. It is recommended to lay cellophane or burlap under the grapes so as not to trample on the falling fruits. If this is not done, then there is a great risk of the appearance of a vinegar fly, which spreads bacteria to a he althy crop.

Boxes are also used to store grapes, the bottom of which is pre-lined with sawdust.

The thickness of the layer should be at least 2 cm. Folded brushes should not touch the neighboring ones. The container is filled to the top, alternating layers of grapes and sawdust. Sawdust is poured on top, and a lid is placed. It is not worth covering the box tightly so that the air exchange processes are not disturbed. It is not recommended to use sawdust from coniferous trees in this case, because they negatively affect the taste characteristics of grapes. If possible, replace sawdust with cork powder.

You can build wooden racks for storing grapes, the depth of which will be about 75 cm, so that it is convenient to inspect and remove the brushes. The distance between the shelves is left within 30 cm. The bottom is lined with straw ash, which will serve as an additional antiseptic and help protect the crop from common diseases and pests. The grapes are folded in one layer, with the ridges away from you.This procedure makes further examination of the brushes more convenient.

Can it be refrigerated?

Storing grapes indoors (cellars, glazed outbuildings, balconies) does not always give a positive result, especially if you need to store berries for a long time. This is explained by the fact that under the current conditions it is very difficult to maintain a constant level of temperature and humidity, as well as to fight pests and pathogens.

In the case when the crop is small, there is a real opportunity to store it in the refrigerator, where it is quite easy to provide the best conditions for storage. Industrial refrigeration units allow you to regulate not only the temperature, but also the gaseous medium. At home, it is enough to organize the temperature regime at the level of 0 … +2 ^{С, and maintain the humidity at least 90%. Subject to these parameters, fresh fruits are stored for up to six months.}

Before being sent to the refrigerator, the grapes are in no case washed or wrapped in cellophane. The brushes are folded up with scallops, not allowing them to touch each other. Fruits can also be placed in the freezer. It is believed that dark grapes retain their qualities fresh better than light ones, any varieties you like are suitable for freezing.

Repeated exposure to low temperatures should not be allowed.

Before being sent to the freezer, the brushes are washed, allowed to dry, the berries are carefully sorted and laid out on a tray. All this is sent to the refrigerator for a couple of hours, then for half an hour in the freezer. Grapes are taken out, packed in bags or containers and immediately sent back to freezing.

The temperature there is kept at -24 ^{C. If you need to defrost the berries, then they are placed in water heated to room temperature for an hour and immediately eaten.Also, to defrost, the product is placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator overnight, as a result of which the whole process will proceed more slowly, and the taste will be better.}

General tips for storing grapes

Long-term storage of grapes leads to evaporation of moisture and drying of the berries, as a result of which they become not so sweet and tasty. You can get out of this situation if for 10 seconds. dip the fruits in sugar syrup (20%), then immediately transfer to ice water and wait until it cools completely.

If the temperature in the room tends to rise, then in order to keep the fruits of the grapes longer, you will often need to inspect it and remove the damaged fruits. It is recommended to raise and lower the temperature in the storage using vents. When this indicator approaches a negative mark, it is necessary to organize warming up.

When storing the harvested grapes on the shelves, it is inspected by gently lifting it by the tail. Those brushes that are suspended on ropes or a vessel with water are not touched once again. When examining bunches stored in boxes, it will be correct to lay them out in a clean bowl. If the owner is sure that the recommended storage conditions are observed in the storage, then it is better to limit yourself to a superficial inspection and not disturb the delicate grapes.

When mold is found in the room, they immediately organize thorough ventilation and fumigate the basement with sulfur. It must be remembered that grapes cannot be stored in the light, as they may lose their taste and unique aroma.

Recommended