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Experienced chefs know that in the preparation of various dishes, you can use not only garlic bulbs, but also the greens of this plant. Young leaves and arrows have a characteristic aroma, pungent taste. They contain many vitamins, minerals and other beneficial trace elements. Garlic greens are able to raise the immune system and have a therapeutic effect on the human body. Such properties of the product are especially valuable in winter and spring, when various pathogenic viruses are activated and there is a lack of vitamins.
But is it possible to save garlic greens for the winter without losing its beneficial properties and how to do it? It is this question that may become relevant in that summer period, when young arrows form on garlic. For diligent housewives who want to get the most out of their garden, we will try to describe in detail the various storage methods and recipes for preparing winter garlic greens.
Green garlic – a universal seasoning
Some gardeners in their plots specially grow garlic on a feather, cutting off a green bunch every 2 weeks and using it for food. The thing is that garlic greens contain more vitamin C than the bulbs themselves. Therefore, even if garlic grows on a head, do not neglect the green leaves and the arrow.
The arrow of garlic is formed at the end of the growing season, in summer. It is edible for 2 weeks before the small onions on its top begin to ripen. During this period, the arrow is cut off, the top and the lower rough part are removed. Young leaves of garlic are also cut and used in the preparation of various dishes or harvested for the winter. The edges and “tails” of the leaves become rough as the plant grows, so they should be removed.
Garlic greens can be used in the preparation of soups, second courses, sauces and other culinary delights. This seasoning can be an excellent addition to meat, fish or vegetable dishes, salads. After cutting a bunch of greens from the garden, you need to lightly fry it in a pan, this will make it softer and more fragrant.
Harvesting garlic greens for the winter
Experienced housewives offer several different ways to keep garlic greens in winter. So, for example, garlic arrows can be dried, pickled, salted or frozen. Each method includes several recipes, the most popular of which we will try to give below in the article.
Drying is an easy way to preserve vitamins
It is known that during the drying process, moisture evaporates from the product, and all useful vitamins and microelements are preserved. For the winter, it is customary to dry spicy and fragrant herbs. The arrow of garlic in this case is no exception.
For drying, it is preferable to use greens of especially sharp varieties of garlic. This will make the taste of the seasoning more tart, bright. The fleshy arrows of the plant are cut before full ripening. The tip with seeds is cut off, the remaining greens are washed with running water and dried, cut into pieces.
You can dry the arrows:
- in the oven at 400C with ajar door;
- in special electric dehydrators;
- on the tablecloth, scattering the chopped arrows in a thin layer and placing them outside in the shade.
Dried herbs can be crushed to make a loose seasoning. It is better to store dry green garlic in a hermetically sealed container.
Freezing garlic greens
Freezing allows you to keep the product fresh and healthy for a long time. The only drawback of this storage method is the need to take up free space in the freezer.
There are several ways to freeze garlic greens:
Freezing in a bag
Fresh garlic greens can be frozen without any preparation. To do this, rinse the product with running water, dry and finely chop. Pour the greens into a bag and place it in the freezer. Several times before the onset of complete freezing, the package must be crushed so that the greens are crumbly.
Batch freezing
For ease of use, garlic greens are frozen in portions in small plastic or silicone molds. To do this, chopped greens are poured into molds and poured with a small amount of chilled boiled water. The containers are placed in the freezer and, after solidification, the ice cubes are taken out of the molds and placed in a plastic bag. If necessary, the hostess can add a frozen cube with herbs to the first or second course.
Freezing fresh herbs of garlic allows you to get a fairly coarse seasoning that needs to be cooked (stewed, boiled) along with the main dish. But there are some recipes that allow you to prepare garlic greens in a certain way before freezing, giving it softness and tenderness.
Freezing Recipes
To get soft garlic arrows, they need to be blanched before freezing. To do this, the product must be washed and cut into pieces 4-5 cm long. Dip the prepared greens in boiling water for 5 minutes, and then in very cold water until completely cooled. Such a sharp change in temperature will allow the hands not to weld completely, but only to make their structure softer.
Blanched arrows are slightly dried, removing excess moisture from their surface with a paper towel, and then laid out in containers or plastic bags, placed in the freezer for later storage.
There is another interesting way to freeze garlic greens for the winter. For its implementation, the arrows must be crushed in a meat grinder or blender until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. A little salt and vegetable oil are added to it. After thorough mixing, the garlic paste is laid out in containers with an airtight lid and placed in the freezer. If necessary, such a paste can be taken with a spoon in the required amount without prior defrosting, since it will not remain completely frozen during storage.
The above freezing recipes allow each housewife, if there is free space in the freezer, to choose her own, the most suitable way to store a healthy product. It is also worth remembering that you can freeze not only garlic greens, but also a mixture of chopped greens and a head, a mixture of fragrant and spicy herbs with the addition of garlic greens.
Pickling garlic arrows
Various pickles become a real find in the winter. Among other recipes, experienced housewives know how to properly pickle garlic arrows so as to preserve their benefits. For example, for novice cooks, the following simple recipe may be useful:
- Rinse young garlic cloves, dry them and cut them into 4-5 cm pieces. Mix them with salt in a 5:1 mass ratio. For example, for 1 kg of arrows, you need to add 200 g of salt. The resulting mixture should be left alone for half an hour. During this time, the greens will release juice. Fill the prepared jars tightly with arrows so that the juice covers the product completely. Hermetically sealed jars with such salt are stored in a dark, cool place.
You can prepare salting according to another interesting recipe that may be of interest to beginners and experienced housewives:
- Arrows, cut into pieces of 4-5 cm, blanch for 3 minutes, cool in ice water. To prepare the brine, add 1 ml of vinegar (25%) and 9 g of salt to 50 liter of water. Bring the brine to a boil. Fill clean sterilized jars with arrows and cold brine, seal tightly. Store in the cellar.
Such simple recipes will help keep the product fresh and healthy for the whole winter. It is important to remember that pickles should be stored at a temperature not exceeding +50C. If such conditions are not established in the cellar or basement, then storage is recommended to be carried out in a refrigerator.
Pickling: harmony of taste and benefits
Increasingly, housewives pickle garlic arrows. Such blanks combine the benefits and excellent taste of the product. Pickled arrows can be an excellent appetizer on the table or an original addition to the main course.
You can pickle garlic arrows according to several different recipes, for example:
- Wash the green arrows and cut into long pieces. Blanch them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then cool with cold water. Prepare brine. To do this, add 1 g of salt and sugar and 50 ml of 100% vinegar to 9 liter of water. Put 2-3 mustard peas and chopped arrows in prepared clean jars. Pour the boiling brine over the ingredients. Banks roll up.
- Chop the blanched arrows and place them in sterilized liter jars. Prepare the marinade: for 3 liters of water 4 tbsp. l. salt, 10-12 black peppercorns, bay leaf. In banks, add 3 tbsp. l. vinegar 9% and pour arrows with boiling marinade. Sterilize filled jars for 15 minutes, then roll up.
Anyone who has cooked and tasted pickled garlic arrows at least once claims that it is simple, fast, and, most importantly, very tasty. Rolled up banks will not take up much space and will become a real treasure in the cellar.
You can find out some other pickling recipes for this product from the video:
Conclusion
Every farmer who grows garlic on his plot should try to use healthy greens, because it is in no way inferior in its properties to the heads of this plant. Use the product in the summer season or prepare it for the winter, only the owner decides. The article also suggested many different ways of harvesting and recipes for preparing this tasty and very healthy product.