Summer residents say that the earth pear is one of the most grateful and unpretentious crops. Cultivate it can even on soils, where the main ingredient is sand and clay. It should be noted that nature itself has done everything to ensure that the tubers could get to us with the maximum amount of useful. That is why it is desirable to observe the harvesting time of Jerusalem artichoke and not to rush. And just about the intricacies of collection and ways of storage, we'll talk below.
When to collect Jerusalem artichoke?
Surprisingly, just an earth bulb can be collected later than the deadlines, but not earlier. As a rule, the period of full maturation is about 120 days, and the beginning of harvesting falls on late autumn. As a rule, the city residents already at the end of September and beginning of October begin "conservation" of the dacha and finish their trips. It is not surprising that after harvesting they receive small and not especially tasty Jerusalem artichoke tubers.
The secret is that it is with the end of the autumn that carbohydrates and other useful substances begin to move massively from the stem of the plant to its tubers. When the time is right, from the bush it is possible to collect up to ten kilograms. And when we start to hurry, and cut off the above-ground part, the whole migration of juice with useful substances is broken and the harvest is not of such quality.
If you believe the experienced gardener, the timing of harvesting Jerusalem artichoke at the very end of autumn, almost freezing. During this period, the stems were lignified. Once freezing on the doorstep, you need to cut them. About a week later, there comes a time when you can harvest Jerusalem artichoke. Thus, the harvest ripens. And when you start digging it, the tubers have already grown to their maximum size. By the way, if you leave the tubers to winter for beds, even after freezing they will not lose their nutritional characteristics and taste.
When to collect Jerusalem artichoke and how to store it?
The whole problem with harvesting is the short storage of Jerusalem artichoke. Even in a cellar and maximally selected conditions, tubers will not last long for their quality. That is why many recommend to keep their harvest unassembled, more precisely not dug.
Ideally, they recommend making partial harvesting of Jerusalem artichoke. After ripening a week or two you get quality and delicious tubers. Dig up just as much as you can eat in a short period of time.
The rest of the crop is left right on the beds. If you live in the region with a harsh winter, you can cover the landings. For these purposes, dry grass or leaves, agrovolokno for shelter, is suitable .
If the timing, when it's time to harvest the Jerusalem artichoke, do not cause doubts, then with the moment how to store it, there are different opinions and advice. Some summer residents insist on storing in a garage or a basement under a layer of sand. This decision will justify itself if the harvest is eaten quickly. It is also advised to store the tubers at the very bottom of the refrigerator, after wrapping them in a wet cloth. The fact is that tubers have the property of very quickly losing moisture and deteriorating. For a long
- in the spring to harvest the harvest before the warming, otherwise the tubers will start to germinate and the nutritional value will drop significantly;
- do not forget about various kinds of pests: mice, rats, any other rodents will not mind eating your preparations;
- but for residents of warm regions, this option may become the main one, because landing can and protect, and the land in a frozen coma will not turn and you can always dig for yourself a new portion of useful tubers.