How to keep mint fresh for the winter. Methods for harvesting and storing mint

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

How to keep mint fresh for the winter? This question worries everyone who is engaged in harvesting and wants to eat tasty and nutritious throughout the year. After all, mint is a fragrant seasoning that contains a large amount of menthol.

Where is mint used?

This is a very widely used plant in various fields. You can find out how to keep mint fresh for the winter from our article.

For example, a plant is popular as a food product. Japanese and peppermint are used in cosmetics. And in herbal medicine - water and peppermint. Peppermint is also used in pharmacology.

Fragrant mint lovers

In the summer, many herb fans make preparations. From these fragrant twigs it is easy to prepare a he althy decoction or tea. The fresh leaves are also used to add to soft drinks or fresh baked goods. By winter, all mint is covered with snow.

But many wish to preserve its unique properties all year round. But not everyone knows how to keep mint fresh for the winter so that you can enjoy its healing properties regardless of the season.

Still quiterecently, most housewives had only one way - to dry. Recently, due to new culinary traditions and the development of technology, methods have increased significantly.

Helpful tips

Preparing mint for the winter should begin with its collection, and then proceed to processing.

The best raw materials for long-term storage can be obtained from two-, three-year-old plants. Collection is best done in the evenings or in the morning, when there is no dew on the plants. Also, the weather should be cool and dry. Mint is best harvested by cutting off about a third of the stem. The fact is that its hard part is not suitable for storage for the winter. However, if left until the end of the season, it can produce fresh growth.

When to collect mint for the winter? It is best to start harvesting it in the middle of summer - July or August. In most Russian regions, mint begins to bloom by this time. It is easy to determine this by lilac-pale or pinkish inflorescences. By this period, a large amount of essential oil is accumulated, which is concentrated in the tops of the shoots, flowers and foliage. There are also many other active substances. It is for them that this culture is so valued.

Preparing for winter storage

Before the greens are sent to the refrigerator, they must be dried. Mint is carefully sorted out. Damaged or dry parts of the plant must be disposed of. And then rinse and dry.

There is a secret howkeep mint leaves fresh for the winter. To do this, collect your processed greens in bunches. Put in containers with a minimum amount of water, and cover with a film on top. You can also use a transparent plastic bag. Then send the containers to the refrigerator.

Mint shoots, as well as leaves separated from the stems, are wrapped in paper napkins. They are placed in containers or tightly closed bags. Only in this form, mint will retain its freshness, its beneficial properties and its original appearance for about a month. But then nature will take its toll. Color and elasticity will be lost, and nutrients will begin to disappear every day.

How to keep mint fresh for the winter for a longer time? There are several ways to do this.

Preparing mint for the winter

You can successfully dry mint at home. This will not require you to work hard and long preparations.

Mint must be divided into small bunches. At the same time, place the tops of the shoots in large paper bags. After that, the bundles are tied up and hung out in a dry place with good ventilation. The main thing is that there is no access to sunlight.

Under such storage conditions, the grass will not be exposed to ultraviolet radiation, as well as thermal radiation, dust, wind, and will become inaccessible to insects. To taste, you can include other spicy herbs in your bunches, which will add spice to them. Most often, oregano, sage, thyme and St. John's wort are used. Such fragrant bouquets will not only decorate the wintertea drinking, but also help from many ailments.

It is often advised to dry mint on pallets. In this case, it must be spread out in a thin layer, and do not forget to also protect it from exposure to the sun, wind, insects and possible pollution. To make the process go faster, the grass will have to be ted from time to time.

How to store mint in winter?

Mint, like many other herbs, is often dried in modern electric dryers. Only in these cases, you need to remember about the characteristics of spicy herbs.

In order to preserve the maximum amount of essential oils in mint, it should not be exposed to high temperatures when raw. For drying spicy herbs, the temperature regime should be 25-30 degrees. No more. Therefore, set the most gentle mode in the electric dryer. And drying mint for the winter in the oven is not recommended at all.

If it is dried out, it will quickly lose moisture, because this process is very intensive. So even in an electric dryer on the most gentle mode, mint can be overexposed. Don't let that happen - watch the time. Because of this, it can become too brittle, and the leaves will lose most of their useful properties.

When you hang bunches of mint around the apartment and you feel that the humidity is rising in the house, you need to take them to another place as soon as possible. Otherwise, mold will appear on the leaves. This will make the mint unfit for consumption.

When mint is overdried, it is easy to recognize by its characteristic color. It becomes brown. In this form, the grass has no smell anduseless for he alth.

Rules for storing dried mint

Mint with sugar for the winter is often harvested by diligent housewives. This method is best for adding it to tea.

If you just dry it, then at room temperature it must be done for several days. To determine the readiness of the plant, simply press on its leaf. When it easily separates from the stem and crumbles in the hands, drying can be safely completed. After that, grind the raw materials and pack for long-term storage.

After drying mint, it is important to store it properly. Of course, chopped greens take up little space, but at the same time they lose color and aroma more intensively. Therefore, it is best not to grind it into powder ahead of time. And if it still comes to grinding, then do not use a coffee grinder. Instead, use gentle manual methods.

Glass jars are best for storage. They should be dry, with a tight-fitting lid. So neither moisture nor pests will penetrate inside. In a dry place, spicy herbs will retain their aroma for up to six months.

Can I freeze mint?

This question can immediately be answered in the affirmative. This became possible with the advent of powerful freezers in everyday life. At low temperatures, mint seems to be preserved. All processes in it stop. As a result, you get a spicy herb that has retained its color and most of its flavor and aroma properties.

When you already know if you can freeze mint, it will be useful to understand the ways. It is best to do this in bunches. But it is also possibleindividual leaves. They are packed, pre-washed and dried. You need to store such mint in foil or plastic containers.

Frozen mint is a real find for fans of fragrant hot drinks on long winter evenings. Mint leaves are often used in portions, frozen into ice cubes.