Numerous types of greens surprise gourmets and chefs with a variety of tastes, versatility of use. A sprig of dill can drastically change the future dish, adding to it a refreshing spice, diluting the one-color composition of the products with a bright green color. Such culinary bonuses grow literally on every bed, but what to do when the winter is covered with snow, and you want a summer variety of flavors? The answer is simple: to prepare greens for the winter. Fortunately for lovers of bright and useful, the grasses successfully pass the harvesting processes, in order to please the memories of the freshness of summer evenings in the future.
Contents:
- Uses and methods of harvesting for the winter
- Drying
- Freezing
- In vegetable oil
- Herbal salt
Useful component of regulars
Usual grasses have an amazing arsenal of fertile qualities, vitamins and minerals. Even a small amount of spicy spices can improve the overall health of a person, strengthen immunity. The main types of greenery, which are not unusual guests of kitchen cabinets, but affecting the supply of useful substances:
- Parsley - a carrier of an impressive amount of carotene, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus;includes vitamin C, provitamin A.
- Dill - contains vitamin C, carotene, potassium salts, nicotinic acid.
- Basil is rich in vitamins C, B2, PP.
- Ruccola - contains a lot of B vitamins, sodium, copper, iron.
- Spinach is a real storehouse of vitamins of group A, PP, C, E. It affects the amount of calcium, magnesium, fiber and beta-carotene.
- Kinza - promotes the absorption of nutrients, in addition, destroying carcinogens.
Each variety implies its own way of harvesting with maximum preservation of the vitamin composition. However, the most sparing in terms of preserving the taste and favorable properties is the drying and freezing.
Drying
The simplest and most affordable harvesting technology used by landladies from all over the world. This method guarantees the least loss of vitamins, nutrients, which allows storing fragrant beams for several months. Drying occurs in just a few simple steps:
- The greens must be thoroughly rinsed with cold water, thus freeing off particles of dirt, dirt, sand.
- After a refreshing shower, the leaves should be dried, spread out in organized rows on paper towels, napkins.
- From the herbal branches to collect small bundles, wrap the bases of branches with thread, cling leaves downwards. Best of all, the drying process will occur in a ventilated room, in the shade. It should be remembered that direct sunlight eliminates the spicy odor and dramatically reduces the amount of vitamins, and moisture provokes decay.
- Drying, as a rule, takes from 15 to 30 days. Time limits depend on the type of greens, air humidity and a number of other circumstances.
In such a simple way, you can dry parsley, dill, oregano, marjoram, mint, lemon balm, celery, coriander, basil and some other types of herbs. Dried herbs perfectly emphasize the taste of the prepared dish, enhance nutritional value, give a spicy flavor, light piquancy of taste.
Freezing
This way of harvesting your favorite herbs guarantees the preservation of the maximum percentage of vitamins and other nutrients. There are many kinds of freezing, each of them has its own advantages. Here are some of them:
- Bunches: greens for frosting this method should not be cut, just cleaned of dirt, carefully folded in small bunches portionwise, in order to have less trouble in the future with defrosting the product.
- In the forms for ice: a futuristic way, convenient for preparing the first dishes. Finely chopped herbs are placed in ice molds, poured into water, left in the freezer. Spicy cubes can be used in their primary frozen form, toss into a practically prepared dish a couple of minutes before it is ready.
- In food film: the most comfortable option. Grasses should be finely chopped, put on food film, wrap with a tight roll. Mass can be obtained at any time, cut off, without defrosting, from the roll of the necessary size piece, return the fragrant billet to the freezer.
It's best to freeze parsley, coriander, this method of preserving the product provides the maximum amount of vitamins, but the original odor, unfortunately, is lost.
In vegetable oil
Elegant addition of any meat, fish dish, nutritious salad, stewed vegetables. Oil with a delicate aroma of tarragon or rosemary without financial and time costs is prepared independently in the walls of the native kitchen.
To create such a filling, you just need to add a few twigs of fragrant herbs in a bottle of olive or sunflower oil and insist for a month. As a result, you will become the owner of a unique herbal oil, which for a long time will serve as an elegant addition to kitchen manipulation.
Herbal Salt
White gold with a fragrant train of used herbs has been prepared since ancient times. The number of recipes is huge, because each cook has his own unique secrets of cooking a magic additive.
Herbal salt preserves the fragrant flavors of herbs. It can be stored in cute jars for several months. Use it as a supplement to salads, soups, main courses. In addition, such a variation of the spicy elixir of life significantly reduces the intake of sodium chloride.
The cooking process is extremely simple: finely chop your favorite herbs, tiny particles should be mixed with sea salt( ratio 1 to 3), the mass formed should be 2-3 weeks of time to dry and become the owner of a rich, bright taste.
Having prepared greens for the winter, you will provide yourself with the most valuable vitamins for the whole year!