It's time to collect cauliflower - we do it right

Cauliflower is prone to overgrowth, so you need to know the approximate dates for ripening heads. A delay in harvesting for several days can lead to loss of crop, a decrease in its quality.

The harvesting period of this crop depends on many factors. It is affected by lighting, temperature, quality of care. The defining moment is the varietal characteristic - the ripening period.

When to cut cauliflower from the garden

Determine the readiness of a head of cauliflower for harvesting by its appearance. The diameter of the head at the time of cutting is 10-15 cm. The inflorescences should fit snugly together. If you don’t hurry with the cleaning, the head of cabbage will lose its elasticity and its original color.

Weather effect

Cauliflower does not like heat. If the days are hot, on a thermometer more than 25 ° C, then heads of cabbage do not tie well, mostly leaves grow. Optimal conditions for heading out are created when the street is between 18 and 20 ° C.

Drought does not bode well. In the absence of rain, cabbage can be watered every 3 days. The lack of moisture in the soil affects the quality of the crop. The heads grow small, their taste is mediocre. He does not like sunflower cauliflower, so they plant it so that it is in partial shade at noon, and is illuminated by the sun in the morning and in the afternoon.

Pick time

When choosing a variety, gardeners pay attention to the characteristics of the ripening period. The collection time depends on it. The heads of early varieties of cauliflower are formed ahead of all. They are consumed in the summer. For storage, middle-ripe and late-ripe cauliflower is more suitable, but short summer may not be enough for its ripening. These varieties are grown in regions where autumn is warm and long.

How to cut cabbage

For cleaning, any sharp kitchen knife is suitable. If the head of cabbage is fully formed, its diameter is not less than 10-15 cm, then the stump is cut not under the head itself, but slightly lower. A few leaves should remain on it.

If autumn is running out, and the heads do not have time to fully form, then resort to the following technology:

• prepare containers: plastic box, a dense garbage bag;
• they dig out cabbage along with the root, tear off the lower tier of leaves, put in prepared containers;
• a box (bag) is lowered into the cellar, brought into the greenhouse;
• add a little earth to the container, water it.

This method helps to maintain the crop for 4 months, while the inflorescences gain weight. High air humidity (95%) and the presence of air mass circulation are mandatory conditions for growing.

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In August and September, heads of cabbage are cut regularly. Inspect the head every 2-3 days. It is worth gape, the inflorescences will lose their elasticity and beautiful color.

Is cabbage afraid of frost

In the fall, lowering average daily temperatures to 8 ° C inhibits the formation of heads, but does not spoil their marketability. Spare shoots can form on plants - new, small heads that need to be broken out.

Unlike white cabbage, which gains juiciness during the first frosts, frozen cauliflower cauliflowers lose their marketable appearance, are not stored much. If there is a threat of cooling, the ridge should be covered with a spanbond and not pulled with harvesting inflorescences. Bushes with small heads should be sent for growing before the first frost.

Storage Features

Cut heads do not leave in the light. The crop is stored up to 60 days in the presence of a cellar (room), where the air temperature is not higher than 2 ° C and the humidity is about 90-95%. Keep inflorescences in plastic containers, covered with cling film or suspended from the stumps.

A month or a little less than the head are in the refrigerator without loss of consumer qualities. So that they do not wilt, ahead of their time:

• wrapped in several layers of paper (newspaper);
• put in a food bag;
• wrap in cling film.

For urban residents, the best place to store cauliflower is a freezer. In it, the crop is safely stored all winter. The time spent on preparing cabbage for storage is compensated in the future. Any dish of frozen cauliflower inflorescences is prepared very quickly.

The process of preparing inflorescences for freezing is simple:

1. After cutting for 30-60 minutes, the head of cabbage is soaked in a large volume of water. If there were insects on it, then they will pop up.
2. The head is disassembled into inflorescences, washed with a colander in running, cold water.
3. Boil water in a large pan, add salt to it, blanch inflorescences.
4. They poured cabbage with cold water, dried, laid out on trays for freezing, sent to the chamber.
5. Frozen inflorescences are poured into bags, packaged, put the packing date, sent to the freezer.

Conclusion

The useful properties of cauliflower are many times greater than that of white cabbage. The agricultural technology of growing crops is not complicated. You can store the crop in the freezer, valuable qualities are preserved with proper freezing.