The best ways to prepare parsley for the winter in dry, frozen and canned form
Parsley gives foods a unique taste and aroma; it is a healthy addition to salads, appetizers, first and second courses. It is used not only fresh in summer and autumn, but also prepared for the winter: dried, canned, frozen.
Greenhouse greens purchased in winter are practically devoid of vitamins and microelements. And garden parsley, prepared in the right way, remains useful throughout the entire storage period.
Which parsley is suitable for winter storage: selection and preparation
To store for the winter, parsley is cut before flowering.. At this time, the leaves of the plant are soft, with a bright, rich aroma. All useful substances are stored in the leaves and stems of the plant.
Advice. It is better to cut greens for storage in sunny weather, when the dew has dried.
Parsley for winter storage should be freshly cut. If you don’t have your own harvest, it’s better to buy greens from a trusted seller at the market than in a supermarket. Herbs bought in a store lose their aroma and taste due to improper, long-term storage.
Advice. Do not buy parsley for long-term storage in packaging in which you cannot examine and smell the bunch.
When buying greens for harvesting for the winter, pay attention to the following signs:
- fresh parsley – uniform dark green color, not weathered;
- the leaves on the branches should not be torn off;
- if you crush a leaf, you can feel the aroma of greenery;
- If you buy parsley with the root, it should be white.
Before harvesting, the green part is separated from the roots, sorted, and dry and yellow leaves are removed.. Then put in a colander and rinse with cold running water. Shake thoroughly and lay on a towel until completely dry.
Parsley is prepared for the winter in various ways.:
- drying;
- freezing;
- pickling;
- canning.
Interesting things on the site:
Features of growing parsley in a greenhouse
Dried parsley for the winter
Dried herb retains its beneficial properties and spicy aroma. Requires little space for storage as it is significantly reduced in size and weight.
Oven drying
Optimum drying temperature 40-60°C. At higher temperatures the product dries faster. But this spoils its appearance, many beneficial substances contained in the plant are lost.
The prepared branches are laid out on a baking sheet. Dry in the oven with the door open for 5-6 hours.
If you cut the green mass and spread it on a baking sheet in a thin layer, it will be ready in 1.5-2 hours.
Tumble Drying
Greens are dried whole sprigs or chopped. Lay out on a pallet. The electric dryer is set to the “For herbs” mode, the temperature is no more than 45°C. For uniform drying, it is recommended to change the trays every 1.5 hours. Drying time depends on air humidity, cut size and quantity of product.
Microwave drying
Cover a flat dish with a napkin on which parsley is placed. The microwave oven is turned on at full power for 2 minutes.Then the product is inspected: if it is not dry enough, the procedure is repeated. This happens until the product is completely ready.
Air drying
The longest, but no less effective way. Parsley is dried in sprigs or chopped form. The greens are laid out on pallets no more than 1 cm thick and placed in a ventilated area. The pallets are covered with gauze. Periodically turn the herbs over, which will speed up the drying time and prevent the product from drying out.
Bunches of greenery can be hung under a canopy with the green part facing down in a well-ventilated place. It is necessary to avoid direct sunlight on the product to prevent it from yellowing.
Drying time varies from 5 to 20 days depending on weather conditions and slice thickness.
Checking readiness
The degree of readiness is determined by appearance. The finished product crumbles easily. Dried parsley changes its taste and smell slightly.
Reference. Properly dried parsley has a green color, a spicy aroma, and a slightly bitter taste.
Storing dried parsley
Parsley, dried and chopped, is placed in clean, dry jars. with lids and store in a dark place.
If you dried parsley on branches, remove the leaves from the stems, chop them, put them in glass jars and put them in a dark place.
Shelf life of dry seasoning -1 year.
Frozen parsley for the winter
Frozen parsley retains its fragrant aroma and characteristic taste practically unchanged. It retains most of the vitamins, and preparing for freezing does not take much time. Parsley can be frozen in bunches, whole sprigs or in chopped form.
For freezing and storing the product in the freezer, use ordinary plastic bags or special food containers for freezing, cling film.
For quality freezing it is importantso that the selected container closes tightly. When frozen in a bag, excess air is squeezed out of it.
Advice. When freezing, choose small containers so that the product is less exposed to warm air when it is removed from the freezer. This affects the quality and shelf life of the product.
Store frozen parsley at a temperature of –5…–20°С. Lower temperatures better preserve the vitamins and nutrients contained in greens.
It is not recommended to re-freeze a defrosted product., as this will affect its quality.
Shelf life of frozen product – 1 year, if it has not been re-frozen.
Advice. Label the container to monitor the expiration date and identify the desired product in the freezer.
Freezing in ice cube trays
Parsley is sorted and washed. Cut off the rough stems - they can be frozen separately and used when cooking broth to give it a spicy aroma.
Parsley leaves are finely chopped with a knife. Place in ice trays and compact thoroughly. Then pour cooled boiled water. The molds are placed in the freezer for 4 hours. After which they are taken out, the ice cubes are quickly transferred into plastic bags, which are placed in the freezer for permanent storage.
Greens can also be chopped in a blender. At the same time, it will give juice, and you will not need to add water. The resulting mass is placed in molds, compacted and frozen. Then the cubes are removed from the mold, placed in bags and placed in the freezer.
Freezing in oil
To prevent the greens from freezing and to retain their color and smell, they are frozen in oil.. To do this, pre-prepared parsley leaves without stems are finely chopped with a knife or in a blender. Place in molds 2/3 full and fill with vegetable oil. The forms are put into the freezer. After freezing, the resulting cubes are placed in bags or containers and placed in the freezer for long-term storage.
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Freezing fresh
When freezing fresh parsley, it is important to ensure that the greens were completely dry and did not stick together into one icy lump. Freeze greens whole and in bulk.
Bulk freezing
Pre-prepared parsley is separated from the rough stems and chopped. Place in containers or bags (loose or rolled up). Sign and put in the freezer for storage.
Freezing twigs
If there is no time to bother with a shredder, parsley is frozen in bunches. To do this, the branches ready for freezing are divided into portioned bunches, each for one use. The bundle is wrapped in cling film or a bag to form a roll. Sign and put in the freezer for storage.
Parsley preparations for the winter
In addition to drying and freezing, there are other ways to prepare parsley for the winter. Let's look at the best recipes.
Pickling twigs in jars
Pickling parsley without marinade is the easiest way to prepare it.
Ingredients:
- parsley – 1 kg;
- salt – 200 g.
The parsley is sorted, the roots are cut off, washed and thoroughly dried. Place in a sterilized glass jar. Sprinkle the mixture with salt.Cover tightly with a lid and store in the refrigerator. To prevent the mass from becoming moldy, additional salt is sprinkled on top.
Greens can be chopped and pickled in the same way.
With dill
Parsley can also be salted with the addition of other herbs, such as dill.
Ingredients:
- parsley – 500 g;
- dill – 500 g;
- salt – 200 g.
The parsley is sorted, washed, dried, and chopped. The chopped greens are placed in a separate container, sprinkled with salt and mixed well. Place in sterilized jars and compact. To prevent mold from forming on top, sprinkle with additional salt. The jars are covered with lids and stored in the refrigerator.
With celery
To obtain a vitamin mixture, several types of greens are mixed.
Ingredients:
- parsley – 250 g;
- dill – 250 g;
- celery – 250 g;
- salt – 250 g.
Parsley and dill are sorted, washed and cut into 1.5-2 cm lengths. Celery is peeled, washed and cut into pieces 1.5-2 cm long. All components are mixed in a separate container, covered with salt and stirred. Then they are placed in clean, dry jars and compacted thoroughly. Let it brew for 1-2 days. During this time, the mass decreases and releases juice. After this, add a little more mass to the jar and close the lid. Store jars in the refrigerator or cool room.
In the marinade
A recipe for pickled parsley that only takes 20-30 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients:
- parsley – 500 g;
- vinegar – 150 ml;
- water – 0.8 l;
- sugar – 50 g;
- salt – 50 g;
- bay leaf – 2 pcs.;
- garlic - 4 cloves.
The parsley is sorted, washed, the roots are cut off, lightly dried and chopped. The garlic is peeled and chopped with a knife. Parsley and garlic are placed in sterilized jars.Prepare the marinade: boil water, add sugar, salt and bay leaf, cook for 10 minutes, add vinegar 2 minutes before the end of cooking. Pour boiling solution over parsley.
Place a towel at the bottom of a wide pan and place a jar of herbs on it. Water at a temperature of 80-90°C is poured into the pan and the workpiece is sterilized over low heat for 20 minutes. Then screw on the lid, turn the jar over and cover it with a blanket. Store cooled jars in a cool, dark place.
In vegetable oil
Vegetable oil will protect parsley from spoilage and extend the shelf life by 3-4 months.
Ingredients:
- parsley – 300 g;
- little vegetable – 200 ml.
The prepared greens are cut and placed in a sterilized jar. The oil is heated in a water bath. Fill the greens with hot oil to the top, leaving no air bubbles. Close with a lid.
This method completely preserves the color, taste and aroma of fresh parsley.
How to prepare parsley root for the winter
Parsley roots are collected in the fall, when they gain mass. and are maximally saturated with useful substances.
Whole, undeformed specimens are selected for long-term storage. Dry it by laying it out in a well-ventilated area. Then they are placed in layers in wooden boxes and sprinkled with sand. The boxes are installed in the cellar or basement. The optimal storage temperature is 0-2°C, relative humidity 80%. Under such conditions, the roots will remain until spring.
If there is no cellar or basement, then parsley root, like its green part, is dried, frozen, salted or canned.
Before harvesting for the winter, the roots are thoroughly washed with running water, preferably with a coarse brush. Then a thin layer of skin is peeled off with a knife and dried. Cut into thin slices or strips.
The root part of parsley is dried under the same conditions as the green mass.:
- in the oven - at a temperature of 40-60°C with the door open for 5-6 hours;
- in the dryer - at a temperature of no more than 45°C with the “For herbs” mode set;
- in the microwave - at maximum mode for 2 minutes (the drying mode is repeated until the product is completely dry);
- outdoors - on pallets, in a well-ventilated place for 5-20 days.
Dried roots are stored in paper or linen bags in a dark, well-ventilated place.
For freezing, the chopped root segments are placed in bags., from which the air is removed and placed in the freezer.
Freeze the roots in ice cube trays, just like parsley.. To do this, the roots are grated, placed in molds, filled with water and frozen. Then the resulting cubes are placed in bags and placed in the freezer for long-term storage.
For pickling, the root is grated, placed in sterilized jars and sprinkled with salt in a ratio of 5:1. Cover with lids and store in the refrigerator.
To pickle the root you will need:
water – 4 glasses;- vinegar 9% – 1 glass;
- sugar – 0.5 cups;
- salt – 1 tsp;
- black peppercorns – 6 pcs.;
- garlic – 4 cloves.
The cooking algorithm is as follows:
- Parsley roots are cut into cubes, immersed in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drained in a colander to drain.
- Prepare the marinade: add salt, sugar, pepper to boiling water and boil for 10 minutes, add vinegar 2 minutes before the end of cooking.
- Place the roots and peeled garlic into sterilized jars, fill the jar ¾ full, and pour boiling marinade over it.
- A cloth is placed at the bottom of the pan and a jar with the preparation is placed on it.
- Water at a temperature of 80-90°C is poured into the pan and the workpiece is sterilized over low heat for 20 minutes. Then screw on the lid, turn the jar over and cover it with a blanket.
- Store cooled jars in a cool, dark place.
Conclusion
During the period of marinades and pickles, do not forget about preparing greens. It is no less healthy than vegetables, fruits and berries, and is used in many dishes. Preparation is simple and does not take much time.
You can store parsley for future use in several ways: dry, freeze, pickle, pickle. Each option will add more variety to the winter dinner table.