Such a wonderful spice, like parsley, perfectly complements almost any dish, making it tastier and more aromatic. This greens is not only used in culinary recipes, but also popular as a cosmetic. Many girls and women add it to multicomponent masks for skin and hair.
Contents:
- When and how to harvest parsley for billet
- Freezing parsley
- Drying parsley for the winter
- Salting
But, unfortunately, you can enjoy the wonderful properties of this fragrant greens only in the warm season. With each cool day, the amount of parsley in the garden is reduced, and then it disappears completely. But there is a way out! You can prepare parsley for the winter. And in different ways.
When collecting parsley for billet
Collecting greens on a workpiece, it is necessary to adhere to the most important rule: parsley should not lose its useful qualities. In this regard, keep to a certain plan, namely:
- the best period for collecting parsley - until the plant has released color. The leaves at that moment did not yet have time to be overwhelmed, but remained soft and tender;
- harvest on a sunny day in the morning, but after the dew has dried;
- collected parsley and pick and discard too lethargic and yellowed leaves.
After harvesting, be sure to gently rinse the greens and spread it on the waffle towel until it dries completely. Then you can start preparing the product. Here are a few ways that you can take a note.
Freezing parsley in the freezer
Frozen parsley, you retain all the aromatic and useful properties of greenery, do not break the integrity of the plant. The impact of cold is by far the easiest and fastest way to harvest greenery for the winter.
You can freeze this spicy greens in several ways: in bundles, in the form of a paste, in oil. For the latter, it is convenient to use ice molds.
To freeze whole bunches of parsley, the prepared greens remove from thick stems and are packed in plastic bags in batch bunches. This method of harvesting is the most effortless, and frozen parsley can be stored for a very long time.
But sometimes you can not consume a whole bunch of parsley, and you can not refreeze frozen frost. In this regard, experienced masters have come up with an excellent way to freeze parsley in ice molds. Thus, a cube of fragrant greens can be put in a bowl before serving or use a few cubes when preparing a dish.
For this method, parsley is finely chopped with a knife or ground to a pasty state in a blender. In a blender, you can grind not only the leaves, but stems. Finely milled or chopped greens with a teaspoon is placed in the form. Chopped parsley with a knife is hard to hold in shape, and to make the greenery stronger, add a little clean boiled water to each serving.
Frozen cube with parsley can be used for cosmetic purposes, if you add lemon juice instead of water, they can easily wash. It is proved that parsley has bleaching properties and, mixed with lemon, will help to get rid of pigment spots and freckles.
To prepare an aromatic dressing for dumplings, dumplings, porridges and potatoes, pour olive or melted butter into the molds.
You can also store parsley in oil without freezing. In sterilized cans, chopped parsley is densely laid and covered up with sunflower or any vegetable oil. Store this parsley in a cool dark place.
Drying parsley for the winter
Dried parsley, like frozen, does not lose its aromatic and useful properties. It is more convenient to use and compact in storage. In order to dry parsley, you will need to chop the greens finely and spread it on wide sheets of paper. From above, the greens can be covered with a thin layer of gauze.
Special appliances or an oven are also used for drying. In the latter, it is not easy to do this to a novice. It is necessary to set the optimal temperature( not more than 60 degrees) and constantly monitor the state of greenery.
After drying, the greens acquire a more intense flavor, and to save it, put it in a dry jar and tightly close the lid. In this form it can be stored for several years.
Dried parsley is added to the filling to unsweetened pies, minced meat, ready-made dish, sauces and so on. It has a number of useful properties:
- normalizes metabolism;
- helps in the treatment of stomach ulcers, depression;
- solves the problems of cosmetology and inflammation of the gums.
Dried greens can be brewed with boiling water and taken as a tonic externally or as a decoction inside.
Salt
In addition to the above described methods of storing parsley, there is another, less popular, but also often used - method of pickling. On a good bunch of chopped herbs take 1 tablespoon with a slide of salt. The whole mass is thoroughly kneaded until the juice is separated, then placed in cans and stored in a refrigerator. Salt is a preservative, so this parsley can be kept long enough.
In Greece, it is common to compare parsley with gold, because it is a real storehouse of vitamins and trace elements. Do not deprive yourself of the pleasure of eating such a fragrant and healthy herb all year round, cook parsley for the winter and enjoy its wonderful aroma in the winter!