Rules and methods for storing fresh greens in the refrigerator and dried for the winter
Each experienced housewife has her own secrets of vegetable processing. They know how to store fresh herbs so that they do not lose their beneficial properties, do not wither. In expert hands, lettuce leaves, dill and parsley always look fresh and appetizing when taken out of the refrigerator.
Product Storage Features
You need to know what affects the quality of greens cut from the garden or bought in the market. Under proper conditions, bunches of dill, parsley and mint retain their aroma, color of stems and leaves for a long time. Greens keep best in the refrigerator. It rests there for a week, if properly prepared.
Oxygen
Exposure to oxygen does not benefit cut greens. Leaves and stems in the open quickly wither and darken.
Lighting
Sunlight negatively affects cilantro, parsley, spinach and other leafy vegetables. In cut plants, the leaves begin to turn yellow and quickly lose vitamin C. Even when leaving the market, it is better to cover a bunch of greens from direct sunlight.
Humidity
High and low percentages of humidity in the storage environment are also harmful. With an excess of moisture, leafy greens rot, with a lack of moisture, they wither.
Preparation for storage
If there is no time to process the picked (purchased) greens, wrap them in a towel and put them in the lower compartment of the refrigerator for a while. During the day, you need to find 20-30 minutes to properly prepare it for storage.
Cleaning
Remove yellowed and damaged leaves and stems. Remove random debris, cut the roots.
Sorting
Divide the different types of leafy vegetables into separate piles.
Size
It is best to cut the long rough stems of parsley, basil and dill. They are not necessary.
the dishes
You must have a basin large enough to wash yourself. Put the sorted greens in it and fill it with water for 25 minutes. It is not necessary to drain the water from the pond. The sand that has settled on the bottom will fall on the leaves and stems. You need to get the greens, drain the water, rinse the basin. The procedure can be repeated.
Casting and rods after 2 washes are absolutely clean.
Drying
Take the greens out of the water, put them in a colander or on a special device for the sink. You need to get rid of excess moisture. It is easier to dry the grass on a towel. You can use papers. They are handy for removing water from greens.
Preservation methods
Leafy vegetables retain their characteristics from 1 week to several months. The duration depends on the storage location.
Glass jar
In a clean glass container, placed in a cool place, leafy vegetables are stored for 1.5-2 months. Greens are stored as long as possible (2 months) if they are first crushed, then tightly packed in a container, sprinkled with salt on top and covered with a lid.
Other storage option:
- prepare leafy vegetables (sort, wash, dry);
- folded in a container with the leaves down, the stems up;
- the jar is closed with a lid.
Paper napkins
Napkins are folded in several layers, a bouquet of greens prepared for storage is placed in the center, wrapped. The package is sprinkled with water, placed in a waterproof bag and sent to the refrigerator. Store green vegetables in the vegetable drawer.
Plastic bag
First, put a paper towel in the bag, then sprinkle the herbs. It must be dry. The zippered bag is closed, the usual is tied, put in the vegetable compartment (refrigerator).
In the freezer
Chopped (whole), packaged in an airtight container (bag, container for freezing) green vegetables are kept in the freezer for 6 months.
Vacuum container
Without access to air, green vegetables rest for about 30 days; after opening the container, the shelf life is reduced to 7 days.
wet paper
Use wrapping paper. Many housewives use old kitchen towels. Dampen the packing material before packing the herbs. The package is well wrapped, put in a bag, placed in the refrigerator or other cool place (balcony).
The secrets of successful long-term refrigeration
Crispers are suitable for storing fresh herbs. They are in all refrigerators. The temperature is constant and optimal.
How to properly preserve certain types of greenery
With the help of simple techniques, housewives manage to store herbs even at room temperature.
salad
You need to take a deep salad bowl, it is better not to be transparent. Add the dried lettuce leaves. Roll up a paper towel in 2-3 layers and place it on top. Seal the container tightly with a piece of cling film. With this preservation method, the leaves remain fresh even on the 7th day.
Rocket
Delicate stalks of arugula are gathered into a bouquet, wrapped in cling film.
sorrel
Wild and varietal varieties are stored in a container, a bag. The shelf life depends on the packaging time.
| Sorrel Packing Time | Shelf life (days) |
| The day of the cut | 14 |
| One day after cutting | 7 |
Spinach
In the crisper, spinach is kept in a perforated bag for 5 days. For long-term storage, the leaves are frozen, stored in the freezer:
- 4 months if the package is regular;
- 6 months if freezer bag.
dill
Dill leaves remain fragrant and elastic for a long time if there is water in the container. When using a special container, the shelf life is 2 months, in a bank - 45 days. Without water, in a bag - up to 3 weeks.
Parsley
In a special container for herbs, the sprigs of parsley stay fresh for about 2 months. Fresh water is regularly poured into it. The stems are kept in a jar of water for about 3 weeks. Without moisture in an airtight container, parsley will not fade for 2-3 weeks.
Onion
Onion feathers are added to salads, soups, main dishes.It is used as a filling for pies. It is easy to keep it for 2-3 weeks. Proper storage recipe:
- pass;
- discard spoiled feathers;
- remove the remains of soil from the roots, wash them under the tap;
- gather in a heap;
- moisten a towel with plain water, wrap the roots;
- wrap a bunch of onions on a cloth with paper;
- put in a package;
- attach;
- send to the refrigerator shelf.
Ramson
Fresh wild garlic is not stored for a long time, the petioles and leaves quickly lose their beneficial properties. In the refrigerator, it stays fresh for no more than 4 days. In practice, 2 storage modes are used:
- put in a bag, remove the air from it;
- put in a jar of water, immerse only the lower parts of the petioles in the liquid.
With a large amount of raw material, wild garlic is frozen and salted. Store in the freezer for 1 year, with the use of salt - 3-4 months.
Celery
This culture has many varieties - leafy, petiolate, rooted varieties. Stem and petiole celery is grown for green vegetables. They make bouquets of fragrant greenery, decorate the kitchen with them. In a jar of water, the stems stand for a week.
Foil is used to store petioles in the refrigerator, wrapped in polyethylene. The shelf life depends on the packaging:
- sheet - 10 days;
- polyethylene - 3 days.
Basil
Fragrant basil is comfortable in a flower vase. The rods do not need to be washed. Just cut off the ends and dip them in water. The spicy aroma will fill the kitchen for a long time if the water in the container is changed daily.
Coriander
Stems are cut at one level.Water is poured into a jar (⅓ volume), a bunch of cilantro is placed there. A bag is placed on it. Secure it with an elastic at the neck. The coriander thus packaged is sent to the refrigerator.
Greens are not washed with this method of storage. The water is renewed every 3 days. The tips are trimmed periodically. Unwashed cilantro can be stored for a long time in a bag. It stays fresh for 2 weeks. Experienced housewives put a peeled onion inside the bag, change it every 4 days.
How to revive
You can revive faded greens. You will need a container, water and vinegar. In slightly acidic water, the turgidity returns to the leaves and stems. For half a glass of liquid, 0.5 teaspoons is enough. the vinegar. We need cold water. Wilted vegetables should be kept there for at least 1 hour.
Hot water can also be used. With its help, it is easy to return the flavor to parsley. Just rinse the stems and they will smell again. Lettuce leaves in a warm bath should be kept for 15 minutes. Contrast temperatures revive withered beams nicely. They are first immersed in hot water, then in cold water.
Preparation for winter
Sorrel is canned for the winter, delicious soups are prepared from it. Cilantro for salads is placed in jars, poured with vegetable oil, stored in the refrigerator. Finely chopped dill and parsley are sprinkled with salt, stored in the refrigerator in an airtight glass container.
The most common ways to preserve leafy vegetables, herbs, drying and freezing. When certain rules are followed, most nutrients are retained in frozen dried leafy vegetables.
Drying
You can not dry salads, garlic feathers, chervil.All other varieties of green vegetables grown in the country can be harvested in one of two ways:
- naturally;
- using a special device (electric dryer, oven, microwave).
Under natural conditions, greens are dried in the shade. In the light, it loses its color, turns yellow. It is laid out in a thin layer on a flat surface or tied in bundles and hung vertically.
Baking sheets, small sheets of plywood, flat plates and trays are used for drying. Place paper or a cotton cloth underneath. To exclude rotting, the layer of grass is thin (1-1.5 cm). It is periodically turned over so that it dries evenly.
Greens are dried in an electric dryer at a temperature of 40 ° C. Time takes from 2 to 6 hours. Exact recommendations for drying herbs are given in the instructions for the device. They must be observed. In the oven, the grass is dried with the door open for 2-4 hours. Set the temperature to 40°C.
Microwave drying takes a minimum of time:
- the clean and sorted raw materials are placed on a cardboard plate;
- put a towel on it;
- set the maximum power;
- set time - 3 minutes.
If necessary, the time is increased to 5 minutes. Grass dried in any way is ground using a household device or crushed by hand. The finished spice is poured into canvas bags, cardboard boxes. Keeps for up to six months.
Frozen
A large percentage of nutrients are retained in frozen leafy vegetables and herbs. In winter, it is useful to add frozen food to ready meals. Not all medicinal plants can be stored in the freezer.When thawing, lettuce leaves turn into mush, onion feathers become watery, and basil loses its aroma.
Frost tolerant:
- celery;
- Dill;
- sorrel;
- parsley;
- spinach.
How to wash and dry greens is described above. Only clean, dry raw materials are frozen. It is stored in bunches or grated. Beams are formed by type or combined. The choice is up to the hostess, it depends on how to cook and their assortment.
Packages are wrapped in plastic wrap and sent to the freezer. After quick freezing, they are put in a bag, a piece of paper is placed there with the date and the name of the greens. Dried, chopped grass is laid out in cups of yogurt and sour cream. Containers and freezer bags are used for storage.
With the advent of silicone molds, greens began to be frozen in water. Ice cubes are convenient to use when preparing hot dishes, sauces, drinks. Cooking them is simple:
- finely chop the leaves, fine stems;
- put in molds;
- fill with water;
- put the form in the freezer;
- Pour the frozen cubes into a container, a bag, put in the freezer.
Tips & Tricks
Leafy plants stay fresh longer at temperatures close to 0°C. Lack of air also prolongs the life of useful plants. Supermarkets have a large selection of vacuum containers. It is convenient to store parsley, dill, celery and other spicy plants in it.
Greens are stored in a plastic bottle for about a week. It can be put or put in the refrigerator, it is very convenient. Cork does not let air through, so optimal storage conditions are created inside. For salads, the grass is frozen in olive oil.It is poured into molds instead of water.
Leafy greens cut from the garden or bought in the market should be prepared and sent to storage within 24 hours. Delay degrades quality, diminishes usefulness.