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Many recipes call for the addition of fresh herbs. However, greens can be found in garden beds only in the warm season, and in winter you have to buy them, because they are then grown only in greenhouses. Not all housewives know that for the winter at home you can preserve healthy vitamins almost in their original form.
You can learn about 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, from this article.
Freezing greens for the winter in stages
First of all, you need to decide which greens can be frozen, and which ones are better to buy fresh in the supermarket. In principle, you can place absolutely any greens from the garden in the freezer - there will definitely be no harm from this, because after such processing all the useful vitamins and microelements are preserved.
The nuance is how the product will look after thawing: not all types of green herbs and roots look as appetizing after defrosting as they do fresh.
For example, it is better 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 freezing 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 quite developed and strong.
- Rinse in several waters, fixing the result under running water.
- Place the branches in a colander and let the water drain.
- Dry the leaves on paper or kitchen towels.
- Chop the greens or collect them in bunches.
- Place the preparations 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, products still lose most of their vitamins, no matter how gentle it is. Therefore, most often it is enough to simply rinse the bunches and branches thoroughly under running water.
- Another recipe often calls for pre-drying the greens before putting them in the freezer. It is better to dry the twigs on thick paper towels; periodically you should turn them over and rearrange them, and change soaked napkins.Don’t forget about time: any greenery will simply wither if it sits in the open air for more than two hours.
- If you plan to densely pack green leaves into containers or jars, short-term exposure to boiling water is recommended - the greens will soften and can be compacted more tightly into the container.
- It is very convenient to finely chop the green sprigs with a sharp knife before freezing, then the housewife will always have ready-made seasoning on hand.
- Each family has its own favorite dishes, their recipes, and they need to be taken into account when choosing the type and quantity of frozen greens. Ready-made mixtures of several varieties of herbs work well: you just need to open the freezer and take out the right amount of seasoning for a specific dish.
Then the greens from the freezer will be like fresh: with a maximum of useful vitamins and microelements, retaining their excellent appearance and characteristic aroma.
How to freeze greens for the winter to keep them fresh and tasty
Just a few decades ago, housewives did not have the opportunity to preserve vitamins and aromas of herbs in their refrigerators. This has only become possible thanks to modern freezers with fast and deep freezing functions. A significant role was also played by the fact that current refrigerators do not have to be defrosted 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 regular refrigerator. In order for the product to remain beautiful, retain the same beneficial substances as fresh, and not lose its inherent aroma, you must choose one of the following freezing methods:
- Freezing greens in bunches. This freezing method is suitable for those housewives who always don’t have enough time, but have extra space in the freezer. Any greens from the garden are washed, sorted and thoroughly dried. Then the herbs are collected in bunches (several types of plants can be arranged in each bunch) and secured with thread. Bunches of greens are laid out in the freezer in one layer and left for a couple of hours so that the greens freeze. Now you can collect the bunches and place them in plastic bags or plastic containers - this way, the preparations 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 housewife will have to spend extra time on this when preparing the dish, and besides, unnecessary parts of the herbs will take up space in the freezer.
- Happens very quickly freezing greens wrapped in foil. This allows you to preserve as much as possible the original appearance of the greenery, the vitamins and essential oils it contains. The foil packaging is airtight, but after a few hours it is better to put the packages in a plastic bag so that the seasoning does not spread its aroma throughout the refrigerator.
- If finely chop the greens and freeze In this form, you can significantly save cooking time. Only this method requires very high-quality drying of the washed plants, otherwise freezing will result in a large green frozen lump. Well-dried herb is cut and placed in a container, from where the seasoning can be scooped out simply with a spoon.
- Particularly popular lately freezing seasonings in ice cubes. Indeed, this is very convenient, because the cube can be thrown into soup or added to stewed meat or vegetables - the greens will quickly thaw and spread throughout the dish.The only drawback of freezing this way is that 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 containers, as well as good-density plastic bags, are best suited. It must be remembered that containers containing frozen spices should not be used to store other products, because they are imbued with the aromas of herbs.
If bags are used, all excess air must be released from them. This will not only save space in your freezer, but will also prevent ice from accumulating.
It’s great if the freezer has a quick freeze function - this way the food will remain as fresh as possible. If there is no such regime, you need to try to ensure the fastest freezing of the greens on your own: if possible, empty the chamber, arrange the bunches in one layer, sort the greens in small batches. After the spices have frozen, you can pour them into a bag or container with a lid.
What greens can be stored in the freezer?
Almost any herbs and even their roots can be frozen, you just need to select one for each plant. optimal freezing method:
- Parsley, dill, celery and cilantro It is allowed to store both in bunches and in sliced form. It is very convenient to make mixtures of these herbs and sort them into disposable portions.These plants keep well fresh; you just need to 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 drain in a colander and place in molds for freezing.
- Leek They freeze at very low temperatures - about -18 degrees. After freezing, it can be placed in a regular freezer at temperatures down to -5 degrees. Cut the leek into large pieces 2-3 cm thick.
- From spinach and sorrel It’s better to make the preparations in ice cubes - these greens are too juicy and fragile. But it’s enough to wash and cut the leaves, but you don’t have to dry them before freezing, since the molds are still filled with water. To preserve 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 picked from the garden. Simple recommendations will help you get the necessary vitamins all year round and make your dishes varied and beautiful.
