How to store Jerusalem artichoke: drying, freezing and preserving the product

When growing earthen pears on your own at your summer cottage, there are several effective approaches to processing the crop. And so that you don’t have to figure out how to store Jerusalem artichoke at all, you just need to dig up only the amount of product that will be eaten in the near future.

The remains can be collected if necessary; the root crop tolerates frost well. Storing a product in an apartment also implies an impressive variety of options. Jerusalem artichoke can be dried, canned and frozen, which provides an impressive variety of flavors in ready-made dishes.

Methods for storing Jerusalem artichoke on a personal plot B

Jerusalem artichokes can be traditionally stored in a basement with low temperature and high humidity, but it must be remembered that even a slight increase in temperature can negatively affect the tubers. If you have a small plot of land available, then storing the earthen pear can take the following form:

• The easiest way is to dig a hole of medium depth, into which the remains of the crop are laid out, which will not be needed throughout the winter. It is best to place them in wooden boxes.

Tip: Jerusalem artichokes can also be stored in wooden containers at home - on the balcony, but only if it is not heated and is not insulated in any way. When the temperature rises to +2ºС, the nutritional properties of the product begin to rapidly decline.

• Burts of snow. The optimal option for outdoor storage of earthen pears. We clean the area and pour the tubers onto it in an even layer. Lay out 10 cm of snow on top and again a layer of tubers. After completing the construction of a multilayer structure, it must be sprinkled with sawdust and insulated with straw.
• Storage in trenches. Before the ground freezes, we dig a shallow trench in it, the bottom of which we line with spruce branches. We place plastic flower pots on them filled with root vegetables cleared of dirt. We cover everything with a layer of snow, followed by insulation (hay or branches) and cover everything with a sheet of roofing felt.

The main thing to remember when using outdoor conditions for storing Jerusalem artichoke is that the skin should not be exposed to fresh air. It promotes the release of harmful components that negatively affect the condition of the body. An additional prevention of this phenomenon can be the use of special non-toxic paraffin compositions.

How to properly dry and freeze earthen pear?

Storing Jerusalem artichoke at home is not limited to using the refrigerator, especially since the tubers will last no more than a month in it. And then if you put them in an airtight container or plastic bag. Peeled and chopped root vegetables will remain fresh for just a few days.

It is better to create homemade preparations in one of the following ways:

• Freezing. We clean the Jerusalem artichoke root, wash it, and cut it into strips or cubes. Blanch the product in milk-curd whey at maximum temperature for 5-10 minutes. Then cool the product and store it in the freezer.
• Use of sand. We take canvas or plastic bags, line them with wet sand, peat or sawdust and fill them with an earthen pear. You need to carefully tie the container, then the product will stand without problems on a not very warm balcony or unheated loggia until the weather warms up.
• Tconventional drying. Before drying the earthen pear, it must be peeled, washed and cut into thin slices. We use only good tubers without wormholes or damage. Place the resulting pieces in a thin layer on a tray and keep them in the open air, protecting them from direct sunlight until the plates are ready.

Tip: To cut Jerusalem artichoke, it is recommended to use a ceramic or bone knife, because... the metal is heavily oxidized, causing the instrument to become unusable.

• Heat treatment. Jerusalem artichoke fruits can also be dried in the oven, it will be much faster. In a liter of water, dilute a teaspoon of baking soda and bring the resulting solution to a boil. Blanch the tubers cut into pieces in it for no more than 9 minutes. Then wait until they cool, cut into thin slices and dry until ready in the oven at a temperature of 60ºC. Place the finished product in an airtight glass container, otherwise there will be bugs in it.

Dried Jerusalem artichoke can be ground into coarse flour. This powder can be used in so many unusual and traditional recipes.

Tasty and healthy preserved Jerusalem artichoke

There are dozens of recipes for earthen pear preparations. Moreover, the direction does not make do with standard pickles and salads. If desired, you can make delicious jam from Jerusalem artichoke.

• Pickled Jerusalem artichoke. We will need carrots, the root vegetables themselves, two tablespoons of vinegar, table salt and honey per liter of water. We clean the vegetables and cut them into arbitrary pieces, put them in sterile jars. From the remaining ingredients we prepare a marinade, which we pour over the food. Pasteurize the containers for a quarter of an hour and roll up.
• Jerusalem artichoke salad. For a kilogram of tubers we take half a kilogram of carrots, lemon and salt. Chop the vegetables, grate the lemon on a fine grater or grind it in a blender. Mix these ingredients, add salt to taste and wait until the mixture produces juice. Then we put the mass into jars, pasteurize for half an hour and roll up.
• Jerusalem artichoke jam. For a kilogram of earthen pear we take the same amount of pumpkin pulp, lemon and a glass of granulated sugar. Peel and cut the root vegetables and pumpkin into pieces, grind the lemon on a grater or in a blender. Mix all the ingredients and leave for about an hour. Then put the mixture on the fire, bring to a boil and simmer for no more than five minutes over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour the finished product into jars and seal tightly. During the day, the jars should be kept upside down under the blanket.
• Nutritional composition to enhance immunity. Mix two glasses of sea buckthorn juice with a glass of boiled or distilled water. Cut a kilogram of root vegetables into cubes, fill with the resulting liquid and cover with a glass of sand. Place the mixture on the fire and bring to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and pour into jars. Pasteurize for half an hour and roll up.

When using the above methods, it is possible to preserve the maximum amount of useful substances in the product and optimally enhance its taste.