Beetroot is a two-year cycle plant, whose root is nutritious, versatile and rich in antioxidants. Storing beets is pretty easy, especially in the refrigerator. If you do all the steps right, your beets will last for weeks or even months.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Selecting Beets to Store
Step 1. Choose beets with the freshest leaves and discard those with wilted leaves
If you want to keep them and keep them fresh, you must make a careful choice at the time of purchase. The leaves sprouting from the root are the best indicator of the freshness of the beets. If they are wilted, the beet is most likely not fresh, so choose another one.
If you are the lucky owner of a vegetable garden, you can wait to harvest the beets until the beginning of winter, even after the first frost, as long as the temperature does not drop below 4 ° C at night. After collecting them, immediately transfer them to a cold place, avoiding leaving them exposed to the sun
Step 2. Discard beets that have obvious imperfections
The peel of the beets must be intact, as well as the thinned end part. The skin color depends on the beet variety, for example the golden beet must have a dark brown skin.
Step 3. Make sure the beets are firm to the touch
If they are soft, it means they are going bad, so they should be discarded. If some of the beets you've purchased or harvested have a mushy texture, sadly, the best thing to do is throw them away.
Part 2 of 3: Preparing the Beets for Storage
Step 1. Cut the leaves and stems
Since they extract moisture from the root, it is best to remove them right away to ensure a longer shelf life of the beets. Before preparing them for storage, remove the leaves with the knife leaving only the first 3 to 5 cm of the stems of the leaves attached to the root. Leave the final tail of the beetroot intact.
Beet leaves are edible, so don't throw them away. They taste great and you can easily cook them like spinach. If you don't use them right away, you can store them in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Since they tend to wither rather quickly, they should be stored separately from the root
Step 2. Clear the soil from the beets
Since they grow underground, they will be covered with earth. Clean them without getting them wet, otherwise they will deteriorate more quickly. Just dust them gently with your fingers.
If you don't want to give up washing beets, be sure to dry them well
Step 3. Store raw beets, dry
As we said, humidity contributes to the spoilage of beets, so it's important that they stay dry. Also, it's best to keep them raw, as they won't last as long when cooked.
Part 3 of 3: Store Beets in a Cold, Damp Place
Step 1. Place the beets in a perforated plastic bag
Keeping them in a bag will prevent them from drying out and becoming soft and shriveled. Make small holes in the plastic bag for moisture to escape.
Step 2. Return the bag to the vegetable drawer
This is the best place to keep beets and other vegetables fresh. If there is not enough space in the vegetable drawer, you can store them on a shelf in the refrigerator.
Step 3. Check regularly that the beets are still firm
If you store them for too long or inappropriately, the beets will become mushy. Examine them from time to time to make sure they are still firm and in good condition.
By properly refrigerating them, beets can last anywhere from 1 to 3 months. From time to time it is best to check that they are not softening
Step 4. Store beets in the cellar if you can't use the refrigerator
Storing them in the refrigerator is simple and effective, but if necessary you can store them in the cellar or in another place where they can remain in the cold and away from humidity. In this case they should be placed in a plastic bag or in a cooler bag.
