Many summer residents have rhubarb is growing, but not many people know what to do with it. Although the plant is used for preparing various dishes and making compotes. Freezing rhubarb stems for the winter is easy. But in winter you can make delicious pies from it.
Selecting rhubarb for freezing
Before freezing the stems, you need to choose them correctly:
- Only elastic and juicy stems are suitable for freezing for the winter. Wilted and dried fruits are not suitable for freezing.
- Mature stems need to be peeled, young ones should be left as is.
- The stems should not show signs of damage from insects and diseases.
Both young and mature parts of plants are suitable for freezing. There is no fundamental difference.
How to prepare rhubarb for freezing?
The stems are collected for freezing at any time of the season. The main thing is that the parts of the plant are large and fully formed. Mature stems are peeled before freezing. Young ones do not need to be peeled; they have a thin skin.
After this, the stems are washed under running water and laid out on a towel. It is important that the workpieces are completely dry from water. After the stems are dry, they are cut into squares. Further actions depend on the chosen freezing method.
Methods for freezing rhubarb
You can prepare a plant for the winter at home in various ways. When properly frozen, all the nutrients this plant is so rich in are preserved.
Frozen products should be stored in the freezer for no more than two years. Although it is recommended to eat the preparations in the first year. The longer the raw material remains in the freezer, the less tasty it will be.
Freezing fresh rhubarb
Many people prefer to freeze the plant fresh. To do this, cut off the stems at the root. They should be juicy and thick. The peel is peeled, and the stems themselves are then thoroughly washed in cool water. The plant parts are then laid out on a towel or newspaper to allow the water to dry.
When the parts of the plant become dry, they are cut into medium-sized squares. Place in plastic bags and put in the freezer. Before freezing, be sure to dry the stems so that excess liquid does not accumulate in them during storage..
Freeze rhubarb with sugar
Another way of freezing is with added sugar. The first step of freezing rhubarb with sugar is exactly the same as in the first recipe. Then the chopped stem must be mixed with granulated sugar. For 2 glasses, take half the same glass of sugar. Leave the rhubarb to soak for a few hours.
Place the workpiece in containers or plastic bags. Place in the freezer to ensure the product is completely frozen. After this, you need to take out the workpiece and separate the pieces.
How to freeze blanched rhubarb?
You can freeze raw materials in blanched form. First you need to process the raw material and cut it into pieces. Then proceed as follows:
- Pour water into a saucepan and put on fire. Wait until it boils.
- Place part of the raw material in a colander and place in boiling water for 1 minute.
- After this, immediately place the raw material in cold water for a few minutes.
- Wait until all the liquid has drained and spread the raw materials on a towel. The pieces need to be dried.
- Transfer the raw materials into bags and place in the freezer.
Frozen blanched rhubarb tastes no different from fresh frozen rhubarb.
Freezing rhubarb puree
Before freezing the puree, the stems are prepared in the same way as in the previous methods. Then, when the preparations are ready, they are placed in a blender and crushed to a puree. If desired, add sugar to the puree. The finished puree is laid out in containers and placed in the freezer.
How to defrost rhubarb correctly?
In order to preserve all the useful substances, you need to defrost it properly.It is best to defrost raw materials in a special compartment, which is found in some refrigerators. But if there is no such compartment, then there are other ways to simply defrost the product and preserve its benefits for the body.
It is not recommended to defrost food in hot water, as most people do. It is best to leave the preparations in the refrigerator 12 hours before preparing the dish. Or leave it in the room for 4 hours. The preparations will gradually defrost without losing their nutrients. The product is also defrosted in warm water. To do this, you need to place the workpiece in another bag and place it in a plate with warm water for several hours.
You need to defrost as much product as is required to prepare the dish. Re-freezing does not make sense. The raw materials will be tasteless and watery. The same goes for other vegetables.
