To store beets for several months, you must first sort them. Remove damaged beet heads - bruised and rotten.
Use them to make beetroot juice or salads, since they cannot be stored. After sorting the beets, do not wash them. If you wash them, the heads will start to rot.
Once you've prepared the beetroot, cut the leaves off each head with a sharp knife, so they don't suck the moisture out of the heads.
Leave all the beet heads in a well-ventilated area to dry. While the beets dry, they should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
Beetroot is best stored in a cellar, as sunlight cannot penetrate there and the temperature is low. Another option is to store them in a room that is not too warm to prevent the heads from sprouting.
To store beetroot well, you will need a box full of sand. Before it is used to store beets, the sand must be dried in the sun.
The sand is poured in a dense layer at the bottom of the box, the beets are placed on top and more sand is poured on top. It protects beets from rapid evaporation of moisture, protects against rotting and mold.
Every two weeks you should examine the beets and if you see them sprouting, cut off the sprout, so that it does not draw moisture. Beets, which wilt must be removed from the sand.
If a rotting process occurs on any of the heads, immediately remove it from the sand, cut out the damaged part and use the healthy one for the preparation of salads.
You can store beets if you arrange them in a dry, dark place in the form of a tall pyramid, with a layer of sand poured between the rows. It should be so dense that the heads do not touch.
Also read about what beetroot leaves are good for and what beetroot contains.
