Parsley is a frequent guest in every kitchen; housewives cannot even imagine some dishes without this piquant fragrant spice. In summer it’s easy - just go to the garden and pick fragrant leaves, but in winter it’s more difficult - you have to be content with purchased greens. You don’t have to do this - you can prepare spice supplies in advance. Before storing parsley at home for the winter, it is recommended to learn a few simple rules and tricks that will allow you to have fragrant greens on the table throughout the year.
Preparing parsley, harvesting
Before you start preparing spices, you should understand the peculiarities of harvesting and preparing greens for storage. You need to choose healthy plants; the leaves should be a rich dark green shade. It is recommended to stock up for the winter throughout the warm season - this will not affect the taste and beneficial properties, the main thing is to collect high-quality raw materials, without signs of pests and diseases.
If you plan to harvest greens and rhizomes, it is better to start digging the crop in the fall. It is at this time that the spice accumulates in the underground part the maximum amount of elements beneficial to health.
Divide the collected parsley into parts - leaves separately, free the roots from sand and soil, rinse and dry. Act carefully so that the soil does not get on the curly leaves - it will be difficult to wash it out.
Storing fresh parsley in the refrigerator
If you plan to use parsley in the near future, there is no need to prepare it - within a few weeks the spice will not lose its presentation, taste and beneficial qualities. It is recommended to store curly leaves and roots separately, using containers that can be tightly closed.
Before sending parts of the plant into containers, be sure to rinse them and allow the water to drain (use a colander for this). After washing, remove excess moisture with a napkin. It is not necessary to completely dry the spice - a small amount of moisture will prevent the leaves from drying out.
Methods for winter storage of parsley
There are several simple ways to preserve the aroma and beneficial qualities of the spice.It is not necessary to use all the recipes or conduct experiments - you can choose the most suitable and simple options that will allow you to easily cope with the preparations.
You can use the following methods for winter storage:
- freezing (can preserve all vitamins);
- drying;
- pickling;
- storage in oil.
There are no particular difficulties in preparing spices for the winter; even an inexperienced housewife who is starting an interesting and useful activity at home for the first time can cope with the processes.
Freezing
The most popular among housewives is frozen spice - you can store parsley in the freezer without losing its taste and beneficial qualities. You can do it simply - rinse the greens, completely remove moisture, form into small bunches and place in containers for freezing.
The disadvantage of this method is that after defrosting, the presentation is slightly lost, and problems with slicing appear.
A more convenient way to freeze is to chop the greens first. Place the resulting pulp into bags (it is recommended to take small bags for one use) and place in the freezer. You can add other aromatic herbs and chopped garlic. In winter, it is enough to take out a cube of spice and add it to a sauce or soup to get a fragrant dish fragrant with the summer warmth. They freeze parsley for the winter by simply grinding it with salt - this preparation is added to butter in winter and used for sandwiches.
Drying
Another method of processing plant raw materials - drying - will help preserve the aroma, wonderful qualities, taste and medicinal properties for the winter. The preparation does not require any special difficulties:
- Wash the plant material and remove damaged leaves.
- Place on a napkin or towel and remove moisture.
- Spread in one thin layer on a baking sheet previously lined with parchment.
- Place the plant material in the oven (temperature should not exceed 50 degrees).
- Dry by stirring the leaves regularly, allowing them to evenly remove moisture.
Fill glass containers with dried parsley that can be tightly closed. You can also use linen bags for winter storage, but in such cases you will have to regularly check whether the leaves are damp.
You can dry parsley in pre-chopped form. Using spice powder is simple - add it to an almost finished dish.
Pickling
Pickling parsley for the winter is a simple process, but it allows you to preserve all the beneficial qualities of the greens. For five parts of crushed leaves - one part of salt. It is important to take a product without iodine content - iodized salt can shorten the shelf life of pickles.
Pickle the parsley Simply - chop into a homogeneous paste, grind with salt, fill pre-washed containers. Place the greens tightly into the jar, compact them with your hand, trying to remove air bubbles.
Important! The last stage of pickling for the winter is to cover it tightly with a lid and put it in the refrigerator or basement.
In oil
For the winter, you can prepare parsley in oil, which is often served as a ready-made sauce for meat dishes. The recipe is simple:
- Chop the parsley.
- Place the plant material in a jar.
- Add a little salt if necessary.
- Pour vegetable oil over the parsley.
Store the preparation for the winter in the refrigerator. If necessary, take the required amount of greens, cover tightly with a lid and send back to the cold.
Parsley is a spice that has many advantages, and one of them is excellent storage for a long period. You can use it for winter preparations in different ways, each of them is good in its own way, so you don’t have to limit yourself to just one. The main thing is that the spicy aroma and piquant taste will delight you all winter, reminiscent of warm summer days.
