How to prepare cilantro for the winter at home, the best recipes

In summer you can enjoy fresh herbs every day. But what if you want to cook dishes with aromatic herbs all year round? For example, you can organize the preparation of cilantro for the winter at home.

Features of harvesting cilantro for the winter

All spices contain a large amount of vitamins and other useful substances, but, unfortunately, only in fresh form. To prepare coriander for the winter and at the same time retain most of the nutrients, you need to do it correctly.

It is recommended to cut fresh herbs on a dry, sunny day. If you cut cilantro in the rain, the greens will not last long, even if they are well dried. But it is not recommended to collect coriander in hot weather. It is best to cut herbs early in the morning, when the dew has dried a little.

Product selection rules

Green cilantro should be cut before flowering begins, when it is still young and juicy. If you miss this moment, the spice will taste bitter. Coriander is cut when the stems reach a height of 10-13 centimeters.

Juicy, bright green plants are suitable for harvesting for the winter. There should be no leaves that have turned yellow or been eaten by insects. Only from such a spicy herb can you make delicious preparations for the winter.

Preparing containers

There are many ways to prepare herbs for the winter, so the containers for storing them can be different. The most commonly used are plastic bags or glass jars. Before placing the workpiece in containers, they should be thoroughly rinsed and dried.

How to preserve cilantro for the winter?

In order to preserve any greens for the winter, most often they are chopped and put in the freezer. But you can find other better recipes that will help you preserve cilantro for the winter.

Drying greens

You can prepare coriander by simply drying it. Dry the herb naturally or in the oven.

Naturally

A common way to prepare cilantro for the winter is to dry it. The greens are chopped and laid out on newspaper.Dry cilantro in a dark and well-ventilated area. The coriander needs to dry well and be free-flowing. This usually takes several days. But it is better to overdry the workpiece than not to dry it. If you don't dry it completely, it will quickly become moldy. It is advisable to store dried spices in glass jars away from sunlight.

In the oven

The second drying method is in the oven. This usually takes several hours. Coriander is finely chopped. The oven is preheated to 70 degrees. The workpiece is transferred to a baking sheet and put into the oven. You need to dry cilantro at a temperature of 50 degrees. The workpiece is checked regularly. Ready dried cilantro should be free-flowing. When drying in the oven, you need to constantly watch the greens and not miss the moment when they are ready.

Freezing cilantro

The easiest way to prepare any greens for the winter, not just cilantro, is to freeze them in the freezer. When properly frozen, most of the nutrients in greens are preserved.

In the package

The cilantro is thoroughly washed in running water and laid out on a newspaper or towel to dry the water on the greens. Then it is finely chopped and transferred to plastic bags. The preparations are put into the freezer. You should remove cilantro for cooking only after it is completely frozen.

In vegetable oil

For this recipe, the coriander is also washed and dried, then finely chopped. It is better to freeze the spice in an ice tray. This will make it easier to get it out and you won’t have to defrost the entire piece. Chopped greens are poured with sunflower or olive oil, then poured into molds. Put it in the freezer. This preparation is good for frying various dishes. Coriander gives an unusual aroma to the oil.

In butter

Melt the butter, wash the herbs, dry them and chop them finely. Pour it into the oil and pour it into a special form or plate. You can also use ice cube trays.

Cilantro chutney with garlic and nuts

Ingredients for making chutney sauce:

• 100 g peeled walnuts;
• 40 ml vinegar;
• a bunch of fresh cilantro and dill;
• several cloves of garlic;
• add salt to taste.

How to cook:

1. Grind the nuts in a blender along with cilantro, dill and garlic.
2. Salt the sauce and add vinegar to it.
3. To stir thoroughly.

Chimichurri sauce

What you need to make the sauce:

• fresh oregano;
• cilantro;
• parsley;
• basil;
• olive oil;
• vinegar;
• lime juice;
• sugar;
• garlic.

How to make chimichurri:

1. Grind the greens and garlic in a blender.
2. Add sugar, salt, vinegar and lime juice.
3. To stir thoroughly.
4. You should get a homogeneous thick mixture. The sauce is perfect for meat dishes and poultry.

Snack butter with cilantro and vegetables

Melt the butter. Chop the cilantro. To prepare snack oil, you can use pepper, onions, lemon zest and other spices to taste. Pour oil over the spice-vegetable mixture and place in the freezer to freeze.

Cilantro in marinade

An unusual recipe for cilantro for the winter - in a marinade.

How to pickle spices for the winter:

• First you need to prepare the marinade. To do this, bring water (350 ml) to a boil, add salt and pour in 1 tbsp. l. vinegar.
• Wash the coriander, chop it and put it into jars (you need to leave a little space).
• Pour the marinade into jars; it should completely cover the greens.
• Let the jars cool, then add 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil.

The jars need to be sterilized for 20 minutes, allowed to cool and then stored in the cellar.

Pickling greens

Pickling cilantro in jars is as easy as shelling pears.

How to pickle herbs in a jar:

• Rinse the coriander in water, dry and chop.
• For 1 kg of spice you will need 250 g of ordinary table salt.
• Before storing, rinse and dry the jars, lay out cilantro and salt in layers.
• Each layer must be pressed so that the greens release juice.

When the jar is full, cover it with a lid and place it in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf. You can also put the workpiece in the cellar.

Canning

What you need for preservation:

• cilantro;
• 2-3 cloves of garlic;
• 1-3 tbsp. l. any oil;
• salt.

Preparation process:

• Wash the greens and chop them.
• Peel the garlic and grind in a blender.
• Before storing the jars, sterilize them and grease them with oil in advance.
• Mix cilantro with salt and garlic.
• Transfer the mixture into jars and cover with metal lids.
• Roll up the cans.

Ready preserves should be stored in a cool place. This could be a refrigerator, cellar or loggia (if it is not insulated). The preparation is suitable both for preparing various dishes and for dressing salads.

Storage in oil

Another way to keep the spice aromatic throughout the winter is to use sunflower or olive oil.

Preparation process:

• Rinse the cilantro thoroughly, let dry a little and finely chop.
• Pour in oil and stir to form a homogeneous mass.
• Sterilize the jars, then transfer the workpiece into them.
• The layer of oil on top should be approximately 1 cm.
• Close with lids and roll up.

Ready cilantro should be stored in the basement or refrigerator. It can be used to dress various salads.