How to keep cilantro fresh for the winter? Methods for harvesting cilantro for the winter

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

How to keep cilantro fresh for the winter? This question is of interest to many who want to preserve the beneficial properties of this plant for all frosts.

What is cilantro?

How to keep cilantro fresh for the winter, you can learn from this article. Fans of this plant in abundance. After all, she has many useful properties and qualities.

Basically, cilantro is coriander greens. It has been actively used in medicine and cooking for many centuries. Cooks and doctors knew about it in the Middle Ages. When the plant has not yet fully matured, it has a characteristic spicy smell. It is because of him that coriander is so loved by gourmets.

When the plant begins to mature, the west changes dramatically. It becomes softer and softer. But of course, that's not the main benefit of cilantro.

Useful properties of cilantro

It is important to learn how to keep cilantro fresh for the winter because it has a positive effect on the digestive system. This is one of its main advantages. In parallel, the plant can stimulate appetite, is an excellent choleretic agent.

The greens at the same time contain a large amount of useful vitamins and other substances thatcan have a positive effect on your well-being and he alth. In addition to vitamins, these are all kinds of trace elements. With the help of cilantro, you can get rid of scurvy, it actively treats stomach problems. Cilantro is especially appreciated in the Caucasus, adding it to various dishes as a seasoning.

When cilantro is cut in the summer, it is customary to store it in the refrigerator. To do this, it is best to wrap in paper or put in a jar of water. However, cilantro is not available all year round, so you have to contrive to get the benefits of it during the winter months as well. For this, many make preparations of cilantro greens for the winter. Plus, it's easy to do it at home. There are several common methods. You can use the one that is closest to you and seems the easiest.

Where does cilantro grow?

It is believed that cilantro is native to the Eastern Mediterranean. The Romans brought it to Western and Central Europe. In the same way, it ended up in Great Britain after the Roman conquest in the first century AD. It took root well there, and was cultivated for a long time in the counties in the southeast.

Cilantro came to America during the Age of Discovery. She was also brought to New Zealand and Australia.

In Russia, the first mention of cilantro occurs in the 18th century. They write about her as a garden plant. In particular, its detailed description in 1784 is given by the domestic scientist and agronomist Andrey Bolotov. It is also known that in Russia it was called"intestine". This clearly indicates that this plant came to our country from the East. The influence of Turkic or Iranian languages is noticeable in its original name.

Ways to prepare cilantro for the winter

One of the easiest and most common ways to prepare cilantro is drying. It allows you to store herbs for a long time and not lose their beneficial properties. After all, after drying, all valuable substances remain in it. Thus, it can be stored for about a year.

So you've decided to eat cilantro all winter long. Harvesting for the winter should begin with the fact that the plant should be thoroughly washed first in a basin, and then under running water. Please note that earth, sand and insects should not remain on the sheets. After that, let the water drain, and the leaves themselves dry a little. Next, the cilantro must be coarsely chopped, because after drying it will significantly decrease in size.

Now take a tray or any flat dish, cover it with paper and spread the cilantro in a thin layer. Leave it to dry in a dry and well-ventilated place. For example, in the attic or on the veranda of a private house. An oven is also suitable for the drying process, it must be heated minimally - to a temperature of about 40 degrees.

Stir the greens from time to time so that mold does not start in it. Whole branches can also be dried for the winter. To do this, they are tied into small bundles and hung upside down. At the same time, cover with a cloth or light paper. This is the oldest waydrying, which our ancestors used many centuries ago.

When the cilantro is completely dry, pour it into a clean glass jar or into a canvas bag. The main thing is that mold or food moth does not start in this seasoning. Then you can store cilantro for at least a year.

Freezing cilantro

If you care about not only nutritional, but also the external properties of the plant, use freezing. This way you can preserve its bright color, which is the decoration of many dishes, and nutrients.

How to freeze cilantro in the freezer? To begin with, it should be sorted out and washed thoroughly. Then dry with paper towels.

Next step. Cilantro is either cut or frozen whole in sprigs. In both of these cases, it is tightly packed in plastic trays or bags and in this form is already sent to the freezer. There it is stored until the next summer season.

If you make stocks of several varieties of greens, then each container is recommended to be signed and dated. So finding the product you need will not be difficult.

Remember that cilantro will taste slightly different after freezing.

Cilantro in marinade

For long-term storage, it is advised to place cilantro in the marinade. Harvesting for the winter in this form will provide you with excellent salad dressing for several months.

For the marinade you will need 300 milliliters of water, a pinch of s alt and a tablespoon of 9% vinegar.

First, boil water, s alt it and add vinegar. Wash cilantro andDivide into several small jars. But not to the very end. The marinade should be completely poured over the greens so that it completely covers it. When the jars are cool, pour in one large spoonful of vegetable oil.

This is one effective way to keep cilantro fresh for the winter.

Cilantro with s alt for the winter

To save cilantro for the whole winter in the refrigerator, you can still pickle it. To do this, you will need a lot of glass jars, herbs and s alt at the rate of 20 grams per 100 grams of seasoning itself.

It is necessary to use only fresh coriander, which has not yet had time to bloom. Carefully sort it out so that there are no dry or yellow twigs left. Then wash thoroughly, dry and cut.

Put already chopped seasoning in jars, tamping and sprinkling with s alt. It should be tamped so that juice appears. After that, close the jars with lids and put them in the coldest place in your refrigerator. Best away from doors and as close to the freezer as possible.

In conclusion, it should be noted that cilantro is best combined with meat dishes. Often it is added to fresh salads, soups. The plant is often used in oriental cuisine, for example, in khachapuri or lobio. Often used in pita bread, eaten with cheeses. This gives the dish a pleasant and rich taste.