How should garlic scapes be stored in winter to keep them fresh longer?

Temperature management of the storage room. Garlic is a plant with relatively strong cold resistance, and garlic scapes, being the flower stalks of garlic, still have relatively strong physiological cold resistance. When the storage ambient temperature reaches their freezing point, the preservation effect is best.

The freezing point temperature of garlic scapes is -0.8 to -1°C (varying with solids content). When the scape temperature is above -0.8°C, tissue freezing will not occur, so it is safe. Based on diverse practical experience, the recommended cold storage index for garlic scape room temperature is -1 to 0°C. Within this range, lower the upper limit temperature control index as much as possible, reduce the temperature difference, and keep the storage room temperature always low and constant. At present, the main problem in room temperature management is the worry that garlic scapes will suffer freezing injury, so the room temperature index is set too high, for example, the lower limit index is above -0.5°C, and the upper limit temperature is above 0°C. When the above problems exist, the room temperature should be balanced by adjusting air volume and keeping fans running.

Controlled atmosphere management. The adjustment indexes for ordinary bag controlled atmosphere storage of garlic scapes are carbon dioxide 10%-14% and oxygen 1%-3%. Carbon dioxide is the upper limit index, and oxygen is the lower limit index. As long as either of the two indexes meets the standard, the bags should be opened for manual atmosphere adjustment and ventilation. At present, the bagged amount is generally relatively large. Considering that the time for the controlled atmosphere effect to form is relatively short, and that in each cycle the garlic scapes remain under low oxygen and high carbon dioxide for only a short time, the carbon dioxide adjustment index should be kept at the upper limit of the range (14%), and the oxygen index should be on the lower limit side (1%). For silicon window controlled atmosphere, the most suitable gas combination is carbon dioxide 5%-8% and oxygen 2%-6%. In terms of the effectiveness of controlled atmosphere, an oxygen concentration not higher than 10% and a carbon dioxide concentration not lower than 5% will not have a major impact on storage. However, if silicon bags generally show carbon dioxide >8% and oxygen <2%, measures should be taken to adjust.

The controlled atmosphere composition of silicon bags is often limited by the air conditions in the storage room. If the carbon dioxide in the silicon bags is low or the oxygen is high, then reduce ventilation and air exchange in the storage room to increase the accumulation of carbon dioxide and the consumption of oxygen in the room. In this way, the carbon dioxide concentration in the bags will increase somewhat, and oxygen will also decrease somewhat. Conversely, ventilation and air exchange should be carried out frequently.