How to Keep the Grape Harvest Until the New Year

grape harvest

For long-term storage, only medium and late ripening varieties with a thick skin and elastic flesh are suitable.

The brushes together with a piece of vine 8-10 cm are cut off with secateurs in dry cool weather, holding on to the comb and not touching the berries, so as not to erase the wax coating on the berries (spring). Harvested grapes cannot be left open under the scorching sun – this reduces its keeping quality. Before laying for storage, carefully remove dry, rotten, damaged and immature berries with small scissors.

In dark ventilated rooms: basements, “warm” attics, attics, sheds at t from 0 ° С to + 5 … + 7 ° С and humidity not higher than 80%. Under such conditions, the following storage methods are possible:

  • Bunches are hung on a rope by a clothespin (like linen) in a cool room, for example, in the attic. You can tie two clusters with a strong rope and throw them over the rope. Ropes are placed at different heights so that the hanging clusters of the upper rows do not touch the lower ones. The method is time consuming.
  • Storage on green ridges is suitable for storing a small crop. For this, clusters are cut along with part of the vine. A vine 5–6 cm long is left above the bunch, and 20–30 cm long under the bunch.
  • The lower part of the vine is placed in a bottle or in a jar of water with the addition of an aspirin tablet or activated charcoal. Grapes will not lose freshness for 2 months. With this storage method, sugar loss is possible.
  • In boxes, in trays lined with clean paper, the clusters are laid out in one layer with the ridges up and stored for 1.5-2 months. Outbreaks of fungal infections are possible, so periodically “stocks” need to be checked.

Storage of grapes in the refrigerator

In refrigerators of any brand, grapes can be stored for up to 4 months at t +2 …- 1 ° C. If there is an option “humidity control”, and it can be set to an indicator of 90-95% – up to 7 months.

Bunches are stacked on shelves with the comb up in one layer. If t -20 ..- 24 ° C can be maintained in the freezer, the berries can be stored in it. Good quality is only possible with a single freeze, so the uneaten in the freezer is no longer cleaned – it is better to freeze the berries in small portions. For freezing, fully ripe berries, preferably dark-colored varieties, are suitable. It is better to thaw frozen berries in cold water gradually – this will help to avoid tearing the tissues inside the berry.