How to properly freeze fresh herbs for the winter: recipes for every taste

In the summer, many housewives are faced with a choice: should they freeze fresh greens for the winter, dry them, or pickle them? The first option has a lot of advantages, ranging from the simplicity of the preparation process to the preservation of taste and aroma. In order to get a beautiful and nutritious product out of the freezer during the cold season, and not a wilted mush, you need to try in advance. We will tell you what greens can be frozen, how to do it correctly and how long such a product can be stored.

Why freeze greens for the winter?

In terms of the content of vitamins, macro- and microelements, greens are usually superior to vegetables, fruits and even berries. Thus, parsley and dill, popular in Russia, contain the following beneficial substances in large quantities:

• carotenoids;
• antioxidant vitamins: A, C, E;
• vitamin K;
• folic acid;
• potassium and magnesium;
• calcium and phosphorus;
• sulfur;
• iron;
• chromium;
• zinc.

The human body needs these chemical elements all year round, but in winter it faces a deficiency. What about fresh leafy vegetables and herbs that are sold in stores? Often, producers grow them on depleted soils, using fertilizers and pesticides.Store-bought products are unlikely to help your body become healthier.

The best way to meet your winter vitamin and mineral needs is to prepare your herbs ahead of time. When drying and salting, most of the nutrients are lost, unlike freezing. The latter, with a competent approach, also allows you to preserve up to 50–60% of the taste of the product.

Frozen greens can be added to almost any dish: soups, salads, boiled potatoes, meat, fish. Finely chopped, it is perfect as a filling for savory pies, pies and pancakes. And large leaves from bunches will be used to decorate food.

Which greens can be frozen and which cannot?

From the point of view of preserving nutrients, any greens can be frozen. Quick freezing at temperatures from -18 to -25 degrees allows you to save up to 90–95% of vitamins. Only vitamin C is partially destroyed.

However, there are nuances associated with deterioration in taste. Thus, watery types of plants (green onions, lettuce) after defrosting become sluggish, slimy and change their taste. You can, of course, freeze them and preserve them as sources of vitamins. But will you eat later?

Many people don't like the way basil turns out after defrosting. It goes from a fresh spice to a tasteless herb. Therefore, experienced housewives still prefer to dry basil.

You can freeze not only “salad” greens, but also medicinal herbs: leaves of lemon balm, mint, raspberries, black currants, fireweed, thyme and others. Such preparations are suitable for preparing aromatic teas, medicinal decoctions and cosmetic procedures.

Preparing greens for freezing

To prevent greens from turning into dark green porridge in the freezer, they must be carefully prepared for freezing. Follow these steps:

1. Pour warm (not hot) water into a basin and soak the plants in it for 2-3 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.
2. Rinse under running water.
3. Place on cotton towels in one layer and let dry for an hour. Please note that you should not leave your herbs in direct sunlight.

Greens freshly picked from the garden are more suitable for freezing. The less time passes from the moment of collection to harvesting, the more vitamins will be preserved.

Some housewives blanch herbs (pour boiling water over them) before freezing. This action allows you to extend the shelf life of the product and better preserve color and aroma. However, it destroys some vitamins. Whether or not to blanch the greens is up to you.

Three ways to freeze greens

The choice of freezing method depends on what dishes and drinks you plan to add herbs to in winter.

Sliced

Finely chopped greens are ideal for baking, soup, meat and fish dishes.

The preparation proceeds according to a simple scheme:

1. Grind clean herbs (including stems) with a knife, scissors, or use a blender.
2. Place the raw materials in bags. Preferably vacuum or with a clasp to prevent the aroma from escaping.
3. Flatten the greens in the bags and release the air.
4. Place in the freezer.

You can freeze one or several plants together. For example, a “mix” of dill, parsley and cilantro is good for stew, and sorrel, nettle and beet tops are good for soup.

In bundles

Herbs are taken from bunches to decorate dishes (for example, pizza) and add to salads.

If you want to freeze your greens this way, cut off the stems first.

Small bundles can be wrapped in the following types of packaging:

• cling film;
• foil;
• parchment paper.

Form the greens into “rolls” and place in the freezer. When you want to take out the product, simply open the top of the package and cut off the required number of leaves.

In ice cubes

Housewives rarely use this method, but in vain. Herbal cubes are convenient to throw into soup at the end of cooking. You can also freeze medicinal plants in this form and then add them to tea or use them to wipe your face.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Take out the ice cube trays (preferably silicone), rinse thoroughly and dry.
2. Chop the greens as directed in the first recipe.
3. Press the herbs into the molds 2/3 full. Fill with cold boiled water.
4. Place in the freezer.

Whatever freezing method you choose, store the product at a temperature no higher than -18 degrees. Otherwise, it will quickly lose its beneficial properties. Do not place meat, fish, or seafood in the same compartment with frozen greens, as they absorb extraneous odors very strongly.

Shelf life of frozen greens

With proper freezing technology and temperatures from -25 to -18 degrees, the shelf life of greens is 1–1.5 years. However, the vitamins in the product begin to degrade after 8 months. Therefore, it is advisable not to delay its use.

If greens are stored at temperatures from -8 to 0 degrees, they begin to lose their beneficial properties after 3 months. And its taste is worse than that of the “heavily frozen” one.

Why can't plants stay in the freezer for several years? During storage, moisture slowly evaporates from them, which leads not only to loss of taste, but also to the destruction of chemical elements.

How to defrost a product without losing vitamins?

Many housewives make mistakes not in the process of preparing greens, but when defrosting them.

Please note that the product will lose a significant proportion of vitamins in the following cases:

• you leave it to defrost at room temperature;
• immediately throw into boiling water or hot vegetable oil;
• defrost and refreeze.

As you already understand, beneficial substances disappear during sudden temperature changes. The easiest way to avoid this situation is to transfer the herbs from the freezer to the refrigerator. Here you need to know how to store greens in the refrigeratorso that they defrost gradually.

If you are going to add greens to a salad, cut a bunch directly from frozen. And eat the dish immediately, without waiting for the herbs to completely thaw.

Frozen herbs are added to soups, meat and fish at the end of cooking, when the fire on the stove is no longer burning. Or better yet, just before serving food. Then some of the vitamins can be preserved.

Thus, freezing, storing and thawing greens is a whole science. Wrong actions can spoil the taste and aroma of herbs, destroy valuable substances, and reduce shelf life. But in winter the body waits for vitamin replenishment. Therefore, before preparing the product, carefully read the rules and tips given in the article again.