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Many recipes involve adding fresh herbs. However, greens can be found in the beds only in the warm season, and in winter they have to be bought, because then it is grown only in greenhouses. Not all housewives know that useful vitamins can be kept almost intact for the winter at home.
Learn how to freeze greens for the winter in a regular refrigerator, as well as which greens can be frozen and which are not suitable for this, you can learn from this article.
Freezing greens for the winter in stages
First of all, you need to decide which greens can be frozen, and which is better to buy fresh in the supermarket. In principle, absolutely any greens from the garden can be placed in the freezer - there will definitely not be any harm from this, because after such processing all useful vitamins and trace elements are preserved.
The nuance lies in how the product will look after thawing: not all types of green herbs and roots look as appetizing after defrosting as fresh.
For example, it's best not to experiment with freezing lettuce leaves. These greens are too watery and tender, so the structure of the leaves is severely damaged during the freezing process, and after thawing, the salad looks like a shapeless slurry.
In any case, you need to approach the freezing of food thoroughly. To freeze greens in the freezer of a household refrigerator, they must be carefully prepared.
Recipes for freezing greens are not complete without the following steps:
- Collect greens at a time when the leaves are still young and juicy, but already sufficiently developed and strong.
- Rinse in several waters, securing the result under a stream of running water.
- Place the twigs in a colander and let the water drain.
- Dry the leaves on paper or kitchen towels.
- Chop the herbs or collect them in bunches.
- Arrange the blanks in the freezer drawer.
How to properly freeze any greens
Different recipes for freezing greens can differ significantly from each other.
Practice shows that at home it is better to follow these simple rules:
- It is recommended to blanch some types of greens before freezing, but you should not get carried away with this process. After heat treatment, food still loses most of its vitamins, no matter how gentle it is. Therefore, most often it is enough just to thoroughly rinse the bundles and twigs under running water.
- Recipes also often involve pre-drying the greens before placing them in the freezer. It is better to dry the twigs on thick paper towels, periodically they should be turned over and shifted, and soaked napkins should be changed. Do not forget about time: any greens will simply fade if they lie outdoors for more than two hours.
- If a dense packing of green leaves in containers or jars is assumed, a short-term exposure to boiling water is recommended - the greens will soften, it can be tamped more tightly into the container.
- It is very convenient to finely chop the green twigs with a sharp knife before freezing, then the hostess will always have a ready-made seasoning at hand.
- Each family has their own favorite dishes, their recipes and should be taken into account when choosing the type and amount of herbs to be frozen.Ready-made mixtures of several varieties of herbs work well: you just need to open the freezer and get the right amount of seasoning for a particular dish.
Then the greens from the freezer will be as fresh: with a maximum of useful vitamins and minerals, retaining their excellent appearance and characteristic aroma.
How to freeze greens for the winter to keep them fresh and tasty
Until a few decades ago, housewives did not have the opportunity to preserve the vitamins and aromas of herbs in their refrigerators. This has only become possible thanks to modern freezers with quick and deep freezing functions. A significant role was played by the fact that the current refrigerators do not have to be thawed regularly - food can remain frozen until the next season.
Today, there are several ways to store greens in the freezer or in the freezer of a conventional refrigerator. In order for the product to remain beautiful, retain the same useful substances as fresh, and not lose its inherent aroma, it is necessary to choose one of the following freezing methods:
- Freeze greens in bunches. This freezing method is suitable for those housewives who always do not have enough time, but have extra space in the freezer. Any greens from the garden are washed, sorted out and thoroughly dried. Then they collect spicy herbs in bunches (you can arrange several types of plants in each bunch) and fix them with a thread. Bunches of greens are laid out in a freezer in one layer and left for a couple of hours to freeze the greens. Now you can collect bundles and place them in plastic bags or plastic containers - this way, the blanks will take up less space in the refrigerator. The disadvantage of this method is that the stems and legs of the plants are not cut off, the hostess will have to spend extra time on this when preparing the dish, besides, unnecessary parts of the herbs will take up space in the freezer.
- Very fast freezing greens wrapped in foil... This allows you to maximally preserve the original appearance of the greenery, the vitamins and essential oils contained in it. The foil packaging is airtight, but it is better to put the packages in a plastic bag after a few hours so that the seasoning does not spread its aroma throughout the refrigerator.
- If a finely chop greens and freeze in this form, you can significantly save cooking time. Only this method requires very high-quality drying of washed plants, otherwise, as a result of freezing, a large green frozen lump will turn out. The well-dried herb is cut and placed in a container, from where the seasoning can be simply picked up with a spoon.
- Especially popular lately freezing the seasoning in ice cubes... Indeed, it is very convenient, because the cube can be thrown into soup or added to stews, vegetables - the greens will quickly thaw and spread throughout the dish. The only drawback of this freezing is that the cubes with finely chopped seasoning cannot be used in salads or other fresh dishes.
Not all containers can be used for freezing food; plastic or silicone dishes, as well as plastic bags of good density, are best suited. It must be remembered that containers from frozen spices should not be used to store other products, because they are saturated with the aromas of herbs.
If bags are used, all excess air must be released from them. This will not only save space in the freezer, but it will also prevent ice buildup.
It's great if the freezer has a quick freeze function - this will keep the food as fresh as possible. If there is no such regime, you need to try to ensure the earliest possible freezing of greens on your own: if possible, empty the chamber, lay out the bundles in one layer, sort the greens in small batches. After the spices are frozen, you can pour them into a bag or container with a lid.
What greens can be stored in the freezer
Almost any spicy herbs and even their roots can be frozen, only for each plant you need to choose optimal way of freezing:
- Parsley, dill, celery and cilantro it is allowed to store both in bundles and in sliced form. It is very convenient to mix these herbs and sort them in one-off portions. These plants are well kept fresh, just wash and dry the grass.
- Green onions it is recommended to chop and then blanch for no longer than 30 seconds in boiling water. Then put it in a colander and put it in freezer molds.
- Leek freeze at very low temperatures - about -18 degrees. After freezing, it can be placed in a regular freezer with a temperature of up to -5 degrees. Leek is cut into large pieces 2-3 cm thick.
- Of spinach and sorrel it is better to make blanks in ice cubes - these greens are too juicy and fragile. But it is enough to wash and cut the leaves, but you do not have to dry them before freezing, since the molds are still filled with water. To preserve the color, it is recommended to pre-blanch the leaves for one minute.
A properly frozen product is no less useful than one that was recently plucked from the garden. Simple recommendations will help you get the necessary vitamins all year round and make your dishes varied and beautiful.
