Frozen dill is an indispensable ingredient in the winter when preparing tartar sauce, first and second courses, filling for potato pies, salads, appetizers, and casseroles. Frozen parsley is also suitable for most of the dishes listed above. Therefore, housewives strive to preserve the freshness, taste and aroma of these greens with the help of spacious modern freezers.
What greens can be frozen
It is advisable to freeze greens with a relatively small amount of moisture, which, when frozen, disrupts the structure of plant cells and, after thawing, can turn, for example, green salad and onion feathers into an unattractive semblance of a “rag”. Basil is usually not frozen either - culinary specialists believe that after this its specific spicy aroma disappears. But dill, parsley, garlic arrows, celery, wild garlic, nettle leaves and sorrel retain their structure and taste well when defrosted. The most popular herbs for freezing among the listed plant species are dill and parsley.
How to properly freeze greens
Spicy plants are frozen for each type separately or in the form of mixtures. Containers, plastic bags or cells for making ice are used as containers.
Freezing dill
1. Soak the greens in clean water for several minutes to remove dust and dirt from the stems and leaves. Wash in several waters. Place in a colander and then on a towel to remove excess moisture. Give the dill time to dry, stirring it periodically.
2. Remove rough stems from the plant, leaving only tender branches.
3. Freeze the dill whole (it is then easily crumbled or cut with a knife), or finely chopped. Pack the prepared greens in small bags, removing as much air as possible from the container.
Freezing parsley
Freezing parsley is not much different from freezing dill. Therefore, the preparation of this greenery for storage in the freezer is carried out according to the technology described above.
The mixture of dill and parsley can be frozen and portioned
To do this, cleanly washed, chopped greens are placed tightly in ice trays and filled with a small amount of water. After freezing, the cubes are removed from the container and placed in a bag.
