Benefits and types of greens

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

With the onset of the summer season, greens become an integral part of many dishes, including light vegetable salads. The most popular among all the variety are onions, parsley and dill. But in fact, there are quite a few types of it, and each of them has its own taste and useful properties. All types of greens and names will be presented to your attention in the article.

The benefits of greens for the human body

Due to the extensive vitamin composition, all types of fresh herbs have one or another beneficial effect on the body:

• slow down the aging process due to the high content of antioxidants;
• relieve or alleviate inflammation;
• help with flatulence;
• participate in the fight against toxins and carcinogens;
• normalize digestion;
• repair the liver;
• promote the growth of hair, nails, and also refresh the skin.

Types of greens for food: names and theirfeature

As already noted, greens have quite a lot of useful properties. Let's take a closer look at several popular and sought-after species and find out what characteristics they have.

Parsley

Ingredients:

• contains plenty of vitamins C and A;
• rich in iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc.

Useful properties:

• reduces high blood pressure;
• lowers blood sugar;
• has anti-aging properties;
• protects against the formation of cancerous tumors;
• diuretic;
• used to relieve swelling;
• improves eyesight.

Use: Parsley is added to many dishes, both hot and cold appetizers. Suitable for a variety of soups. Does not lose its taste during heat treatment, gives a pleasant aroma.

Cilantro

Ingredients:

• from vitamins A, C and E are present;
• minerals include potassium, magnesium, calcium.

Useful properties:

• maintaining the work of the heart;
• strengthening the walls of blood vessels;
• relieves pain in pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract;
• detoxifies the body.

Use: add cilantro to soups, meat and fish. Seeds (coriander) are used as a seasoning for pickling vegetables and salads.

Dill

Ingredients:

• have vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B5, B9, PP;
• from minerals - sodium, potassium, iron.

Usefulproperties:

• contributes to the treatment of hypertension;
• supports the work of the heart and blood vessels;
• restores the liver;
• cleanses the intestines;
• fights insomnia;
• removes excess s alt from the body;
• stimulates milk in breastfeeding women.

Use: wide range of uses in many dishes. Adds flavor and piquancy to meat, fish, vegetables, soups, salads, mushrooms, cold and hot appetizers. The main additive for conservation.

Chives

Ingredients:

• rich in vitamins C, A, E.
• contains a lot of potassium, phosphorus and calcium.

Useful properties:

• prevention of colds and flu;
• immunity boost;
• appetite improvement;
• strengthening teeth.

Use: Onions are best eaten fresh, added to cut vegetables, salads, or chopped before serving in soups or other dishes where appropriate.

Greens for salads. The main types and their characteristics

There are a huge number of salad recipes and greens play an important role in them. It is an indispensable ingredient, as it gives the dish freshness, bright taste, and makes it crispy. Let's take a closer look at the most commonly used types of greens for salads in cooking.

Arugula

Ingredients:

• lots of vitamin C;
• rich in iodine.

Useful properties:

• considered a natural aphrodisiac that attractsmen;
• supports immunity;
• invigorates;
• calms the nervous system;

Usage: This type of salad green is a good addition to many culinary delights containing cheese, seafood, fish, meat, vegetables. Added to soups, okroshka.

Cress

Ingredients:

• vitamins C, PP, group B;
• minerals - potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus.

Useful properties:

• improves digestion;
• stimulates appetite;
• fights slags;
• normalizes blood pressure;

Use: young leaves are added directly to the salad. Due to its sharpness, they can replace horseradish.

Celery

Ingredients:

• high content of vitamins C, A, PP;
• minerals are very scarce.

Useful properties:

• diuretic;
• powerful antioxidant, has a rejuvenating effect;
• removes toxins from the body;
• good for the heart;
• helps with high blood pressure.

Use: Leaves and stem are used in salads. In addition, celery is used in the preparation of juices and sauces.

Iceberg

Ingredients:

• rich in vitamins A, C, K, E;
• lots of fiber and minerals like potassium, iron, phosphorus.

Useful properties:

• normalizes metabolism;
• helps you lose weight;
• increases immunity;
• strengthens the cardiovascular system.

Use: this salad is used as an addition to meat, fish dishes, combined with many sauces.

Types of vegetables and herbs

All cultivated vegetables can be classified into the following types: fruits, roots, legumes, bulbs, leafy.

To vegetable greens include bulbous and leafy. It is worth noting that, unlike the others, these species have a number of features:

• sprout early, fully mature in spring season.
• solve the problem of vitamin deficiency after the winter period;
• composition is full of a variety of minerals and a high content of vitamins in them;
• lose freshness quickly, very short shelf life.

Properties of vegetable greens

Let's take a closer look at the characteristics of the most commonly used vegetable greens on the farm:

Sorrel

Ingredients:

• contained in a large amount of carotene, vitamins B, C, A;
• minerals - potassium, calcium, magnesium.

Useful properties:

• improves digestion;
• removes toxins;
• helps with diabetes;
• relieves hypertension.

Use: sorrel soup is very popular, it can be added to salads, used as a filling for pies or other pastries. However, when exposed to temperature, many beneficial properties are lost.

Spinach

Ingredients:

• combination of B vitamins, as well as A, C, E K;
• a lot of iron, enoughthe amount of manganese and copper, ascorbic acid.

Useful properties:

• powerful antioxidant effect;
• included in the diet of cancer patients, helps fight the disease and speed up the rehabilitation period;
• keeps calcium in bones;
• returns visual acuity;

Use: young leaves are added to salads. Freezing is possible, in which case spinach is suitable for soups.

Leek

Ingredients:

• vitamins B, C, E;
• magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, folic acid - contained many times more than in onions.

Useful properties:

• normalizes digestion;
• helps with colds;
• reduces the development of cancerous tumors;
• improves eyesight;
• reduces cholesterol levels.

Use: Can be eaten raw or added to salads and soups.

Contraindications for use

Green is not equally useful for all people. In some cases, some types of greenery grown in the garden can even harm human he alth. The use of such a product is not recommended for the following pathologies:

• gastritis - provokes problems with digestion of food;
• pancreatitis - it is strictly forbidden to use spicy, including such types of greens as green onions, mustard, wild garlic;
• Urolithiasis - you can cause an exacerbation by eating lettuce leaves, which stimulate the formation of stones.

Besidesrestrictions associated with diseases, the period of pregnancy should also be noted, during which it is better to refuse parsley, as it can cause premature birth.

Proper storage of greens

In order for all, regardless of the type, greens (photos of some products are presented to your attention in the article) to remain fresh and fragrant for as long as possible, you must follow the storage rules:

• the place where the greens will be should be cool, it can be a refrigerator;
• it's good if the greens are immersed in water by their roots, this method will significantly prolong its freshness;
• the bundle should not contain wilted leaves or rotting parts of the plant;
• if the greens are placed in a bag, then it must be left ajar, and holes should be made around the entire perimeter;
• Storage in the freezer is suitable for some types, you can’t add such greens to fresh salads, but it’s ideal for cooked dishes.

Growing greens

The best and tastiest greens, of course, are those that are grown in their own garden. However, not all so simple. To get a quality crop, you need to know the subtleties and tricks of growing it, take into account seasonality and the peculiarity of each variety.

Growing advice

Features of cultivation of green crops:

• greens are mostly frost-resistant crops, so they are sown as soon as the snow melts;
• the soil must have goodfertility;
• greens are best planted after crops fed with organic matter;
• if you apply mineral fertilizers, then nitrophoska will do;
• the distance between plants when planting should be 15-20 cm;
• moisturize the soil before sowing;
• optimal planting depth for medium-sized seeds is two centimeters;
• one week after the emergence of sprouts, apply nitrogen and potash fertilizers;
• do not forget about periodic loosening and thinning.

Spring greenery

In early spring, as soon as the snow melted, it is already possible to plant a number of crops and enjoy fresh he althy greens after a long winter beriberi. These plants include:

• Rhubarb - the crop grows after three weeks, the petioles are used for food, they are cleaned and various dishes are prepared - jams, drinks, fillings for pies, etc. Soups are cooked from the leaves.
• Sorrel - can be obtained after planting last June. Rich in vitamins, widely used in cooking.
• Different types of perennial onions are sown in July, and already under the snow it sprouts. You can collect leaves in three weeks, when the snow melts, and until the end of August.
• Parsley - planted in winter or spring, this determines the timing of germination. In the first case, greens can be obtained immediately after winter, and in the second, you will have to wait about a month.

Summer greens

During the summer season, a variety of greens grown in the gardenincreases significantly. From the beginning to the end, many green crops are cultivated, such as:

• Asparagus - the first young shoots can be obtained in early June. They are the most valued, as they contain many vitamins. Asparagus is boiled and eaten or added to salads.
• Tarragon - harvested from late spring to late autumn. Thanks to its aroma and spicy taste, it has become an indispensable seasoning for both meat and fish.
• Lettuce - first appears leaf, and after a while and head. However, the full formation of heads takes another two months.
• Spinach - ripens a month after germination. Used for food before the flowering period, then it loses its beneficial qualities.
• Dill - early spring sowing, It is recommended to pluck only after a month. If you regularly sow the seeds every couple of weeks, then you can enjoy this fragrant greenery until autumn.

So we looked at the main types of greenery and their names. You also learned about their benefits and how to use them in food. Now you know that in fact, greens are not only tasty, but also very he althy. Eat right and stay he althy!