How to store cut pumpkin?

The pumpkin ripens in early autumn, for this it is allowed to finally acquire the taste inherent in its fruits. It should be juicy and sweet, without any flaws. The gardener or summer resident finally decides whether the fruits are ready to be harvested. But since it is possible to get hundreds of kilograms of fruits from one hundred square meters, they must be stored until spring.

The pumpkin is harvested in clear and sunny weather. When the rainy season is approaching, it is not recommended to postpone harvesting. Also, when the weather threatens with frosts in the morning, do not postpone the harvest, because otherwise the harvest can be lost: the fruits do not tolerate freezing. If for some reason it was not possible to collect all the pumpkin, and some fruits continue to ripen, then use polyethylene - it will protect the fruits from cold wind and possible rain.

Harvesting fruits in the rain should be accompanied by their protection from further rainfall. Dry them thoroughly. All moisture will completely evaporate from the peel and surface layers in about half a month. The pumpkin should not be close to each other - for airing it is recommended to keep at least a few centimeters between the fruits. Ripening is determined by the deafness of tapping on the surface of the fruit - this indicates the hardening of the peel. The stalk should dry completely.

If neither one nor the other conditions are met, then it is impossible to remove unripe fruits from the garden - they will not be tasty enough, and they will not lie for a long time. The stalks should not be removed from the fruit, otherwise the pumpkin may rot prematurely, because, having ripped off the leg, you open the way for mold and microbes, which very quickly develop in the pulp of the fruit. Pumpkins are transferred by grabbing them from the side, and not taking by the stalk, it will simply break.

The standard storage temperature is not higher than +28. It is allowed to keep the pumpkin in the cellar at several degrees of heat. If there is a lot of harvest, then it is recommended to equip racks in the cellar in advance: you cannot keep the fruits piled on top of each other for a long time.

Inspect the pumpkin carefully before storing it. They must be fresh and dry (on the surface) with no signs of mold or rot. If this still happens, cut the damaged fruit, and that that did not have time to be amazed by the pathogenic microflora, separate and hide in the refrigerator or freezer. In addition to dryness and coolness, so that mold does not attack the fruit, darkness will serve as prevention. Pumpkin should not be stored in bright light.

You can store cut and peeled pumpkin, but for a short time. For a refrigerator, it is no more than 3 days, for a freezer - depending on the created frost (frozenness) - from a week to a month. The preservation of any product is based on the Van't Hoff principle: if you raise the temperature of the product by 10 degrees Celsius, the spoilage is accelerated by about 2.25 times.

Slices, pieces of pumpkin, peeled, or in it, can be stored for the same period under certain conditions. If the refrigerator gives out the temperature not plus 3-5, but +1 or even 0 (some models can provide minus 1-3), then the development of mold and mildew, the activity of microbes is sharply inhibited.

A cut pumpkin can last up to 10-12 days, but no longer.It should be well packed in a container or bag. Otherwise, odors from other products that have penetrated the packaging will spoil the taste of the pumpkin. Temperatures above +5 are unacceptable for long-term storage in the refrigerator.

The freezer gives out a temperature of -15 and below. At -15, the cut pumpkin has a shelf life of up to 3 weeks, but after thawing it does not look quite fresh. Overexposed pumpkin is suitable only for cooking, for example, pies, which are filled with other vegetables and herbs. If the freezer freely gives out minus 25-30, then you can save the pumpkin for 40-50 days. Do not hesitate to use such a frozen product. The pumpkin is also kept wrapped in plastic or cellophane.

If the fruit has acquired large dimensions and does not fit in the refrigerator or freezer, it is cut. Pumpkin processing is performed as follows:

• A large fruit weighing about 10-20 kg is cut into 10 approximately equal parts.
• The pulp with seeds is removed. However, you can only take out the seeds.
• Fruit pieces are sequentially loaded into the microwave and kept for 2 minutes. This makes it easy to peel the skin.
• What remains after processing (elastic juicy pumpkin pulp) is packed in plastic bags. The product is chilled or frozen.

Opened pumpkin should not be stored at room temperature. Even when closed, it will go rotten the next day, and after three days mold will begin to germinate, the spores of which fly in the air. Only whole fruits can be stored on the balcony. Protect them from direct sunlight. Storing grated, chopped pumpkin at room temperature or in the summer on an open balcony is not allowed.

Keeping a cut pumpkin in the cellar, including in winter, is unacceptable. Even the complete absence of rodents and insects does not guarantee its safety. Spores of mold and mildew flying in the air will spoil it in 3-4 days. Only whole fruits are stored in the cellar. Long-term varieties - in terms of the safety of the harvested crop - are represented by the following varieties.

• "Mamontovaya";
• "100-pound";
• "Gribovskaya winter";
• "Almond";
• Zhdana;
• "Dachnaya";
• "Mozoleevskaya-15" ;;
• "Kherson";
• "Gymnosperms";
• Polyanin;
• "Freckle";
• "Slavuta";
• "Juno";
• "Gilea";
• "Shrub orange".

Storage times for different varieties can vary markedly. The fruit should be large and with a hard rind. The flesh of these fruits is denser, making it difficult to cut into pieces before being placed in the refrigerator. Such varieties are often kept in the cellar - in one piece.

Living conditions, for example, a pantry, a kitchen, a living room, are the same everywhere. Even when the pumpkin freezes on the open balcony in winter, it stays much longer than in the warmth, the general conditions coincide with the conditions on the loggia or in the hallway. The fruits should not be opened, otherwise only rot will remain from the damaged (and cut) pumpkin in a week.

The general terms for unopened pumpkin at a temperature of plus 6-28 are until the New Year. If some of the fruits that you have not eaten have lasted much longer, try to eat them as soon as possible. An opened, cut pumpkin, even when deeply frozen (minus tens of degrees), is unlikely to last more than two months. Try not to bring the product to a state in which it will be unpleasant to eat.