How to preserve cilantro for the winter at home

Content

1 Shelf life of cilantro
2 Selection and preparation of cilantro for harvesting for the winter at home
3 The best recipes for preparing cilantro for the winter
4 Conclusion

Cilantro is the leaves of a plant called coriander. The herb contains a large amount of vitamins, improves digestion, and has antibacterial and immunostimulating effects. Greens obtained in greenhouse conditions, which have to be purchased in winter, are inferior to those grown in your own beds. Summer is the best time to store cilantro for the winter.

Shelf life of cilantro

Depending on the method of harvesting cilantro, its shelf life varies from several weeks to two years.

Storage method	Period of use
Fresh in the refrigerator	Up to two weeks
Canned	From 3 to 12 months
In the freezer	Up to one year
Dried	Up to two years

Coriander is popular among housewives because it has a unique aroma. It gives dishes a spicy taste.

Selection and preparation of cilantro for harvesting for the winter at home

Cilantro greens for preparing preparations for the winter should be collected on a dry, sunny day, after the dew has disappeared.Raw materials obtained in damp weather are not suitable for storage. Even thorough drying does not help, because coriander leaves still rot and mold.

It is not recommended to cut greens under the scorching sun

The collection of raw materials is carried out in the morning or in the evening, when the heat subsides. The best time for harvesting is when the plant rises 10-12 cm above the ground.

Attention! You should prepare cilantro for future use before the plant loses its color.

If you miss this moment and cut the grass during budding, the greens will have an unpleasant bitter taste.

When buying a plant for storage for the winter, it is better to give preference to private owners. It is not recommended to purchase the product in a supermarket. When choosing cilantro, you need to pay attention to the stems. You should not buy greens with rotten branches, or if there are a lot of stems with yellowed leaves in the bunch.

A plant that has lost its aroma was cut long ago. Cilantro, collected the day before, exudes a sharp, spicy smell. If the bunch is too wet, it was prepared a long time ago, and was “revived” by spraying it with a spray bottle. It is better to refuse such a purchase.

Stages of preparing cilantro for winter storage:

Sort through the greens. Remove dry, damaged, rotting cilantro branches.
Wash the product by soaking it for 7-10 minutes in a bowl of cold, settled water. After this, the spice should be washed again, but the water does not need to settle.
Dry the cilantro by spreading it in a thin layer on a paper towel.

It is not recommended to wash greens in warm water or under the tap.

The best recipes for preparing cilantro for the winter

The best selection of recipes will help you properly store cilantro in winter. Most often, freezing and drying the herb is used, but there are also more interesting methods: with vegetable oil and butter.

Freezing

Microelements and vitamins are preserved in full in frozen cilantro

The preparations can be stored in the freezer for up to one year.

The easiest way to preserve fresh cilantro for the winter is to freeze it in a plastic bag. The grass prepared for storage is finely chopped and placed in zip-lock bags. The air is released from the bag and sent to the freezer.

Important! It should be remembered that re-freezing cilantro is undesirable.

After double defrosting, the grass will lose its beneficial components and its taste will deteriorate. Therefore, it is better to prepare small portioned bags.

Drying

If you prepare green cilantro for the winter by drying, this will preserve its spicy aroma.

The herb can be dried naturally or in the oven. Each method has its own subtleties.

Drying naturally

Algorithm of actions:

The prepared raw materials are cut into large pieces (the greens will dry out during drying).
Prepare a place in a well-ventilated, dry room so that direct sunlight does not fall on the grass while drying. The container is covered with paper, cilantro is laid out on it.

The grass is mixed several times during the day. It takes from two to seven days for the spice to dry completely, but you should not rush. The finished product is stored in hermetically sealed glass jars. The main thing is that it should not be exposed to direct sunlight.

Oven drying

How to prepare cilantro in the oven for the winter:

The washed, dried and coarsely chopped herbs are placed on a baking sheet.
The workpiece is sent to the oven for five hours, heated to 40ᵒC. There is no need to close the door.
After the specified time, the workpiece is checked. It should be completely dry. Readiness is indicated by the grass crumbling.

Dried cilantro is poured into a glass container. Store in a dry place.

Pickling cilantro in jars for the winter

Salted cilantro retains all the beneficial vitamins and microelements present in the fresh product.

To properly prepare a plant for the winter, you must adhere to a certain technology.

Salting algorithm:

The prepared grass is chopped with a knife and placed in a dry container.
Salt is added to the greens (at the rate of 250 g per 1 kg of product). Mix well.
The finished raw materials are placed in sterile glass jars. Sprinkle the top again with a thin layer of salt.
After a few days, the cilantro will settle a little. The container can be filled to the top with grass.

Containers with the workpiece are covered with plastic lids. Sent for storage in the refrigerator or cellar.

Attention! The cilantro prepared according to this recipe contains more than enough salt. Therefore, the finished dish should not be salted.

Pickling cilantro

To make the taste of the preparation more pronounced, cilantro is marinated along with the sprigs

In autumn and winter, pickled coriander perfectly replaces fresh herbs, saturating the body with plant fiber and vitamins.

Ingredients for marinade:

cold boiled water – 500 ml;
vegetable oil – 80 ml;
table vinegar - 1 tbsp. l.;
salt - 1 tsp.

Cooking algorithm:

The marinade is poured into the bottom of a sterilized jar.
Place finely chopped greens in a container.
Pour brine on top.
The jar is tightly closed with a nylon lid.

The preservation is sent to the refrigerator on the bottom shelf.

For an unusual recipe for pickled cilantro, which can be stored in winter, you will need:

water – 350 ml;
salt – 1 tsp;
vinegar - 1 tbsp. l.

Cooking technology:

A marinade is prepared from water, salt and vinegar.Mix the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Washed, dried, finely chopped coriander is placed in sterilized jars, without filling them to the very edge.
The containers are filled with marinade. When the brine has cooled, pour 1 tbsp into each jar. l. vegetable oil.
Jars with a capacity of 0.5 liters are sterilized for 15-20 minutes.

After complete cooling, the workpieces are sent for storage for the winter. A cellar is best suited for these purposes.

Storage in vegetable oil

This preparation of cilantro for the winter will become a complete seasoning for any dish. Instead of a sunflower product, you can use an olive one.

Storing cilantro for the winter with vegetable oil:

The prepared herb is cut into large pieces and placed in a blender bowl.
For 50 mg of raw material, take 80 ml of oil and add it to the cilantro.
Immerse the blender and beat everything until smooth.
The workpiece is placed in ice containers or small silicone molds.
Place the workpiece in the freezer for 3-4 hours.

Place the pieces of frozen cilantro with oil into small zip-lock bags. Stickers are attached to the bags indicating the freezing date and the name of the product.

Another way to preserve the aromatic spice throughout the winter is to prepare cilantro in jars with the addition of vegetable oil.

Technology:

The prepared grass is finely chopped. Cilantro is placed in sterilized jars.
Pour vegetable oil to the top of the container, cover with lids, and roll up.

The blanks are taken to the cellar. It is acceptable to keep them in the refrigerator.

Freezing with butter

Preparing cilantro and butter for the winter will give dishes a special taste and aroma

Cooking steps:

The prepared herb is finely chopped with a knife and placed in a saucepan.
Add softened butter to the greens at the rate of 100 g per 3 tbsp. spoons of grass. If desired, crushed lemon zest, finely chopped pepper, garlic or other seasoning are added to the preparation.
After thoroughly mixing all the components of the workpiece, it is transferred to foil or parchment paper and wrapped in a roll.
The semi-finished product is placed in the freezer for 2-3 hours until the butter completely hardens.

After this, the blanks are placed in plastic bags, and pieces of the required size are broken off as needed.

Cilantro chutney with garlic and nuts

The sauce is added to fish and meat dishes and used as a dressing for vegetable salads.

Ingredients:

fresh cilantro and basil (dill can be used as an addition) - 150 g each;
garlic - 2-3 cloves;
peeled walnuts – 100 g;
vinegar - 40 ml;
juice from half a lemon;
salt - to taste.

How to make cilantro chutney for winter:

Leaves are plucked from coriander and basil sprigs.
Place all ingredients in a blender bowl and blend until smooth.
If the mass is too thick, add vegetable or olive oil.

Before putting the product into jars, the chutney is tasted. You may need to add salt.

Cilantro chimichurri sauce

Chimichurri came to Russia from Argentina

The sauce perfectly complements meat dishes, giving them freshness and piquancy.