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Harvesting leaf celery for the winter, with an abundance of greens on the shelves all year round, is fully justified. It is hard not to agree that all the vegetables, fruits, berries and greens, tested out of season, did not leave delight. In addition, the presence of vitamins and nutrients in them is doubtful. It is quite natural that every housewife wants to pamper her family with only useful, self-grown crops.
Useful properties of celery leaves
Green leaf celery is a storehouse of vitamins and minerals. The plant is endowed with a unique property to slow down the aging process. It is in the power of fragrant greens to restore the water-salt balance, which is valuable for people of age.
People with an unstable psycho-emotional state should definitely include celery leaves in their diet, stock up on preparations, as they have a positive effect on the state of the nervous system. Eating the plant in large portions normalizes blood sugar levels.
Juicy leaf variety is rich in:
- carotene;
- asparagine;
- nicotinic acid;
- tyrosine;
- essential oils;
- trace elements;
- vitamins: A, B, K, E, C;
- minerals: potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron.
The periodic use of leaf celery in salads, first and second courses contributes to the manifestation of the following properties of the plant:
- antiseptic;
- tonic;
- increases the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood;
- laxative;
- stimulates appetite, improves digestion;
- immunostimulating;
- improves blood circulation;
- antioxidant;
- strengthens the vascular walls;
- regenerating;
- eliminates allergic manifestations;
- restores blood pressure, valuable in hypertension.
It is worth noting that for men, a leafy plant is valuable, as it contains androsterone, a male hormone that improves potency. For women, celery leaf greens are valued for their dietary fiber, which promotes fat burning. With a tendency to edema, the plant should be included in the diet, as the natural component eliminates excess fluid, helps relieve cramps during painful menstruation.
Basic rules for harvesting celery leaves for the winter
It is important not only to grow green beds. It should also be borne in mind that in order for the plant to accumulate the maximum amount of valuable substances in the root, stem and leaves, cleaning should be started before flowering begins.
Celery blooms closer to mid-August and should be harvested at the end of June, the beginning of the third summer month. It is at this time that the culture is considered mature, and valuable energy is not spent on flowering.
You can continue to buy bunches of juicy celery from supermarket shelves, but keep in mind that they are grown in an unnatural way, with the application of fertilizers and other chemicals for growth and will not bring any benefits. Moreover, those who like to absorb the plant in large volumes can provoke undesirable reactions of the body.
How to save celery leaves for the winter
Leaf celery can be stored for the winter without much effort. Adding a product to food saturates any dish with vitamins and microelements. To make stocks in the winter, use one of several proposed methods, and if you want to diversify the diet – all at once.
Preparation methods:
- Drying.
- Frost.
- Dry salting.
- Storage without any manipulation.
Each hostess will choose a favorite method.
Drying leaf celery
To dry the harvest there is no need to invent something. The cut green part is washed, dried and chopped.
Dried plant fragments are poured into a cloth bag or glass container. So harvesting celery preserves vitamins and essential oils.
You can also dry in bunches. To do this, the cut crown is washed, the damaged fragments are removed, and tied. Hang in a dry place with good air circulation. As an additional option, you can dry the grass in a state spread on the table. Since the process is long, it is recommended to cover the greens with gauze.
How to freeze leaf celery for the winter
Today, people are increasingly moving away from conservation, preferring natural harvesting methods. Freezing is an easy and popular way to store crops until the next harvest. In this case, the following algorithm of actions is maintained:
- green leaves are washed, weed leaves are selected;
- let the water drain;
- grind;
- placed in molds for ice;
- fill with water;
- subjected to low temperatures.
Such a cube will give spring notes in the season of severe cold.
You can also freeze leaf celery for the winter using the dry method. To do this, you will need to perform the following steps:
- greens are sorted out, damaged sheets are eliminated;
- you can arrange several types of plants;
- wash all the ingredients, let the water drain, dry a little;
- dill, parsley, celery cut finely;
- scattered in plastic containers or bags.
- stored in the freezer.
If not re-frozen after thawing, the product can serve until the next harvest, saturating with vitamins and minerals.
How to prepare leaf celery for the winter
You can show your imagination and apply other methods of harvesting fresh greens of leaf celery in the winter without losing the useful components of the plant. There are no useless parts in a plant. Celery can be added to ready-made meals and prepared independent healthy products. Leaf celery and recipes for its preparation for the winter are in demand today, as it is a source of valuable natural components.
Pickled celery leaves for the winter
Pickled green parts of leaf celery go well with vegetables, sometimes they are combined with fruits and berries.
To prepare leaf celery for the winter according to the recipe, you will need:
- leaf celery – 1 kg;
- garlic in teeth – 10 pieces;
- bay leaves – 4 pieces;
- peppercorns – 8 pieces.
For the marinade take:
- water – one and a half liters;
- vinegar 9% – 400 ml;
- salt – 100 g;
- sugar – 100 g
It is important to follow the algorithm of actions.
The green mass of celery is washed and sorted out. At the bottom of a sterilized jar put garlic, bay leaf. Sliced fragments of leaf celery are tightly packed on top. The containers are poured with hot marinade, sterilized for 25 minutes. Roll up hermetically.
Seasoning with celery leaves
Spicy celery seasoning is used as a sauce for meat dishes, as a dressing in soups or as an independent dish.
For cooking you will need:
- green parts of a leafy plant – 500 g;
- green parsley leaves – 500 g;
- garlic – 500 g;
- bulgarian pepper – 1 kg;
- hot pepper – 1 pod;
- tomato paste – 500 g;
- salt – 140 g;
- sugar – 150 g;
- vegetable oil – 150 g.
The algorithm of actions is as follows: all the ingredients are passed through a meat grinder, mixed until smooth, the workpiece is closed with tight plastic lids. Store in a cold cellar at 5 degrees. The finished product at the output is three liter containers or 6 half liter cans.
Leaf celery for the winter of dry salting
Dry salting can preserve large volumes of leafy celery greens. The product is used as a flavoring additive to various dishes. It is important to consider that a large amount of salt is used to obtain the final result.
For cooking you will need:
- green leaf celery – 1 kg;
- salt – 250
The greens are pre-washed and dried, chopped, mixed to obtain a homogeneous mass and laid out in jars. When liquid appears above the surface of densely folded grass, the containers are sealed. The workpiece is stored in a cool place, without access to light.
Keeping green celery leaves fresh
Those who prefer to indulge themselves with fresh bunches of celery all year round dig up the plant along with the root in the fall. In an earthen basement they dig it in. You can also cut the crown from the root, dry the petioles, wrap in a film, place on a refrigerator shelf with a temperature of +1.
Following simple recommendations, greens are stored until spring.
Terms of storage
Not everyone has the opportunity to grow greens in the beds. When buying celery pay attention to the following nuances:
- if you press the stalk with your finger, the buyer feels elasticity, fresh celery is not pressed through;
- if you pay attention to the leaf product, then fresh leaves are hard and smooth;
- by knocking on the stems before buying, you can find out if the plant is edible, empty stems are unfit for consumption.
Good quality celery should be intense green in color with no yellowing on the leaves. It is worth noting that bundles purchased from store shelves will last for several days, and in a refrigerator for a decade.
A properly dried plant has a beautiful greenish color, an intense smell and can be stored in a dry room until the next harvest.
Pickled celery, subject to all technological processes, is stored for up to two years at a temperature not higher than +6 degrees.
Roots dug in the cellar retain greenery for two months. In new dry polyethylene bags, at 0 – +10 degrees, green leaves store a little more than a quarter without damage. In the refrigerator and at a temperature of +5 – the leaf variety can lie up to six months.
Conclusion
Harvesting leaf celery for the winter should become an obligatory ritual in the life of every housewife. Celery greens have an intense smell. It is treated differently, but there are dishes without the use of fragrant leaves, which are not fully disclosed. Eating a little of this plant a day can significantly strengthen the barrier functions of the body, and every woman strives for this, taking care of her family. In addition to valuable nutritional qualities, the green leaf heals wounds well, heals burns, and restores the integrity of damaged tissues. Having prepared an infusion based on a leafy plant, people cleanse the body of the accumulation of toxic compounds, toxins, and free radicals.