How to prepare arugula for the winter: freezing, drying, canning and growing on the windowsill

How to freeze arugula for the winter: many ideas and tips for preserving valuable greens and variety in the menu - for caring housewives.

Is it possible to freeze arugula?

Fresh arugula is an unusually tart spice that is added to many vegetable, fish and meat dishes. Appetizers, side dishes and soups acquire a subtle mustard flavor and nutty notes thanks to these greens.

Arugula is not as popular in our country as dill and parsley, and all because of its specific taste, but it is very useful, as it contains essential oil, iodine, zinc, iron, manganese, magnesium and a number of vitamins. Arugula is rightfully considered a medicinal plant, and this herb is also low-calorie and useful for losing weight.

In the absence of the opportunity to grow this useful plant all year round, housewives have invented several interesting storage methods. One of them is freezing.

Will the taste be preserved?
Freezing, especially shock freezing, does not harm arugula in any way; this green will retain a maximum of vitamins and its unusual taste, except that it will not look as impressive in a salad as its fresh counterpart.

How to store fresh arugula

Fresh arugula leaves can be stored for about 10 days. To prevent mustard grass from spoiling prematurely, keep it in the refrigerator in a plastic container. Some housewives place the leaves, cut side down, in clean water.

Preparing for freezing

Freezing is the best way to extend the shelf life of medicinal herbs. How to prepare arugula leaves:

1. Choose only healthy arugula leaves, without spots, preferably medium size.
2. Be sure to rinse the greens from dust and dirt in warm water.
3. Dry the arugula thoroughly before freezing. To speed up the process, place the leaves on a napkin or towel to absorb moisture. Excess water forms a coating of ice, and this spoils the appearance and taste of frozen arugula and other types of greens.

Advice
If you grow arugula yourself in the garden, then collect the leaves for harvesting early in the morning, before the sun's rays hit them. These greens are the crunchiest, tartest and healthiest.

How to freeze and defrost arugula, how long to store

How to freeze fresh arugula, instructions:

1. Freeze whole leaves or smaller parts. In the latter case, tear the greens with your hands.
2. Use airtight freezer bags or plastic containers.
3. Stack the leaves so they take up less space. Also, be sure to squeeze out excess air from the packaging.
4. Pack the arugula in small bunches so that the portion is enough for one use. After defrosting, greens do not keep for a long time, eat them immediately.
5. Label the package with the date of freezing so that you can use the arugula on time.

There are also more original ways to freeze healthy greens, for example, to make additives for salads and side dishes based on them:

1. Finely chop, or better yet, tear the arugula leaves.Some housewives puree the greens in a blender, obtaining a uniform paste. Melt quality butter. Mix the greens with oil, add grated fresh garlic and salt if desired. Pour mixture into ice cube containers. Now you will have a flavorful addition to mashed potatoes, vegetable salad, boiled cereals and other dishes.
2. Mix arugula with olive or other vegetable oil, mustard, etc.
3. Prepare healthy mixes from different types of herbs, spices and oils.

Best before date

Keep Frozen arugula can be used for up to 1 year, but provided that the product was frozen once. Repeated freezing leads to loss of valuable properties, color, aroma and shape.

Defrosting rules

Thawing is carried out gradually if these are fresh leaves without additives. Place the bags in the refrigerator first and then keep them at room temperature. Preparations with oil can be added to salads and other dishes immediately after removal from the freezer.

Don't be surprised if the bright green arugula turns a little dull when removed from the freezer. This will not affect the taste and benefits.

Drying seasonings at home

You can preserve arugula for a long period by drying it. These greens are added to dishes as seasoning.

The arugula is dried, having previously been washed to remove dust. The leaves are crushed both before and after drying, whichever is more convenient for you.

How the drying process occurs:

1. Place the prepared selected arugula leaves on a newspaper sheet or baking sheet covered with paper.
2. For drying, choose a warm and ventilated room, but the greens should not be placed in direct sunlight - this will lose all the benefits.
3. The moisture from the leaves will evaporate in about 7-10 days.Stir the arugula occasionally to ensure it dries evenly.

Advice from purity-en.htgetrid.com magazine: it is better to not let the greens come into contact with the metal surface to avoid oxidation. This is why paper is used. Also, do not cut arugula with a knife; it is better to tear the greens with your hands. This applies not only to preparations, but also to recipes with fresh leaves. Herb cut with a metal knife does not look so beautiful; the metal reduces the beneficial properties of the spice.

Faster way to prepare dried arugula and other spices - use an electric dryer or oven. The dryer has special functions for greens.

Using the oven, rules:

1. Temperature - 40-50 degrees.
2. The door must be slightly open.
3. Place the arugula on a baking sheet in a thin layer.

Dried spices are stored in airtight glass jars. The shelf life of this product is 12 months. Periodically check the jars for unpleasant odors, mold, and pests.

Using arugula in canning

Cooking with arugula will diversify your winter menu. It can be salted separately or added to vegetable salads or in a marinade. To pickle, sprinkle the peeled greens with salt (1 tablespoon of salt per 100 g of leaves) and place the mixture in clean glass jars. The salad can be stored in the refrigerator or cellar for no more than one year.

Preserving these greens is not as popular as regular freezing, but it’s worth a try, especially if it’s a harvest season.

Growing arugula on a windowsill: tips

Some housewives took a risk, planted arugula seeds at home and were not disappointed: fresh green shoots with tart leaves grew on the windowsill.You will need a deep container, all-purpose potting soil and quality seeds, which are available at gardening stores.

Growing homemade greens is difficult because the plant requires a lot of heat and long daylight hours. Use special lamps, protect plantings from drafts, do not neglect fertilizing, and then vitamin-rich greens will be present in your menu fresh all year round.

Prepare several types of sauces at once, dry a jar of seasoning and leave five to ten bunches of fresh herbs for freezing: let arugula in your winter menu be a universal addition to dishes.