Basil for the winter: TOP 10 homemade recipes with photos and videos

Among the many spicy plants, basil occupies a special place, and in literal translation, the name of the plant is translated as “royal smell”. Depending on the variety of horticultural crops, the content of essential oils and phytoncides, appearance, severity of taste and aroma may differ. Growing greens is not so difficult, but in order to preserve valuable properties, you should know about the features and rules of preparing basil for storage for the winter.

Varieties of basil. Which variety to choose

The main difference between all varieties of basil is the color of the plant, height and taste.Today there are more than 150 varieties of culture. In addition to its culinary use as a condiment, basil greens are often used as a medicinal herb that has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.

According to the degree of coloring of the grass, it is customary to distinguish green and purple species, they served as the basis for further selection. The plant has been known for over 2,500 years and is believed to have originated in Iran and India. The plant was brought to Europe in the 16th century, and in our country it began to be used only in the 18th century.

Green types of basil are sweet and delicate aroma. Their color can be of various scales, ranging from light to rich dark green. The most famous varieties include:

• Genoese - has a pronounced anise smell, is considered an essential ingredient for making pesto sauce;
• Evenol - large leaves give off lemon, peppery and clove flavors, often used in soups and marinades;
• Broad-leaved - thanks to the aroma of pepper and due to the content of essential oils, it gives a special taste to salads, often used in marinades.

Purple varieties have a sharp taste and smell, they contain 2 times more oils than green varieties. Basil is ideal for salads, soups, meat and fish, and sauces, but is never used with mushrooms. Due to its rich color, purple basil is often used to decorate flower beds.

In terms of taste characteristics, the variety of plant varieties is amazing. Representatives of basil can have the following shades:

• cloves;
• pepper;
• lemon;
• mint and menthol;
• vanilla and a number of others.

According to the criterion of growth, it is customary to distinguish undersized, medium and tall varieties. The height of the bushes, depending on the characteristics, can vary from 30 centimeters to 85 centimeters. They may differ in terms of green mass return.

Regardless of the variety, when grown in the Russian regions, the plant gains the largest amount of essential oils in the spring, during the period of green growth activity.

Preparing the main ingredient

Basil is harvested in the form of individual leaves or twigs. This must be done carefully, avoiding injury to the roots. Fresh leaves are used for freezing, they are plucked raw until flowering. For recipes that involve chopping, the method of collection is not critical, and twigs can be used.To obtain good quality blanks, it is important to exclude the ingress of rotten and defective greenery.

The collected basil is washed under warm running water and spread on a dry towel to evaporate moisture. It is required to sort out raw materials, remove excess debris, foreign objects, coarsened stems and leaves with obvious signs of damage.

Drying basil for the winter

Harvesting basil by drying is quite simple, and for this there is no need to use special tools. The advantage of this method is the maximum preservation of healing properties and taste, while the aroma of dry seasoning is slightly inferior in its properties to freshly cut greens.

In home drying conditions, it is often necessary to process raw materials as quickly as possible, so an oven or electric household appliances are preferred to natural drying. Regardless of the method chosen, it is important to know the basic rules of the process.

Naturally

Drying in a natural way allows you to preserve the aroma of the plant and the maximum amount of nutrients. There are two ways to do this:

• drying herbs on a flat surface;
• preliminary collection of plants in bunches and hanging.

The first option is more often used in cases where seasoning is made for culinary purposes. Its essence lies in the fact that pre-prepared greens are laid out on a flat surface and dried in the natural conditions of the room.

The second option is used to obtain medicinal raw materials or to obtain an ingredient for cosmetics. It involves the formation of bundles from branches by tying them at the base, for their further hanging in the room.It is recommended to form them from 6-7 pieces. The ideal place for this drying method is the attic.

It is important that the drying area has good air circulation and is not exposed to direct sunlight.

Excessive moisture will cause the grass to smell of moldy hay, excess light is fraught with darkening of the product. If there is insufficient ventilation, the greenery will begin to rot and deteriorate, it will be impossible to obtain high-quality material. Periodically, the process should be controlled, in order to prevent rotting of raw materials and uniform drying, it is required to periodically turn the raw materials.

In the oven

Drying in the oven must be done carefully, as you can easily overdry the grass. The advantage of this method is speed, but the usefulness of the final product, compared with natural drying, is less. The process is as follows:

• leaf is taken out of the oven;
• heater to 40 ^C;
• leaves are laid out on a baking sheet in a thin layer;
• greens are placed on a sheet in the oven, the door is left ajar;
• basil is kept for 1 hour, the product is stirred periodically;
• the oven is turned off, the greens are left in the oven with the door open overnight.

The readiness of dry basil and the degree of its drying are checked by touch and visually. Properly harvested basil crumbles easily and can be rubbed.

In the electric dryer

In an electric dryer, it is recommended to process leaves, since, in the presence of twigs, it is often not possible to achieve uniform drying. After processing, the following manipulations are carried out:

• leaves are placed on a pallet;
• form an even small layer;
• provide a temperature regime of 40 ^C.

During the process, the degree of drying of greens in the electric dryer is controlled. Some people use the microwave to get dry seasoning, turning on the technique for this at full power for a few minutes. The average time to get the finished ingredient at 700 W mode will be 3 minutes.

Freeze

Freezing allows you to save a large amount of basil, while requiring a minimum of time. There are a lot of ways, so you can use any of them.

Fresh herbs are frozen mainly for later use in teas or as a cosmetic. The blanched method and mashed potatoes are more often used to prepare raw materials for use in culinary purposes, in the preparation of first and second courses.

Fresh leaves

The easiest way is to freeze fresh herbs, the disadvantage is the need to provide storage space in the freezer. They organize the process using ordinary plastic bags or special freezer bags, often using the “tube” method or ordinary plastic containers.

Special products made of polyethylene for freezing suggest the presence of clamps that simplify the process. When laying out the greens in bags for further storage, it is necessary to carefully remove the air inside. This trick will help preserve the grass better and save space in the freezer.

It is not recommended to put a large amount of greenery in the bag, in the future it will be difficult to use the blank, since the plant cannot be re-frozen.

For storage in the form of bundles, greens are wrapped in plastic wrap and rolled into rolls, which are placed in the freezer. When using containers, the seasoning is crushed with a knife, laid out in containers that are sent for storage at sub-zero temperatures.

In order to prepare fresh leaves, use clean washed and sorted basil leaves, water and molds. The advantage of this method is the ability to preserve the vitamins and beneficial properties of the plant as much as possible.

The process looks like this:

• basil leaves are crushed;
• greens are added to a container of water;
• liquid is mixed and poured into molds;
• containers are placed in the freezer.

The degree of crushing of leaves can be different, the freezing time depends on the volume of raw materials. On average, seasoned water freezes within an hour. It is required, before removing the containers, to check the degree of ice formation. Next, the cubes are removed from the molds and stored in plastic bags in the freezer.

Blanched freezing

One of the most common problems associated with freezing is the loss of color on the plant's leaves. This can be avoided by applying heat. Basil is blanched for 3 seconds, that is, treated with boiling water. It is impossible to influence delicate greens for a long time, since such actions will lead to its boiling. Next, the plant is placed on a sheet of parchment and sent to the freezer. After complete freezing, the raw materials are laid out in bags and sent for storage in a refrigerator.

Freezing basil puree

It is convenient to freeze basil in the consistency of mashed potatoes, as it provides concentrated raw materials and the possibility of portioned storage. To do this, the greens are processed, placed for 10 minutes in cold water and thoroughly crushed in a blender. The resulting mixture is placed in ice containers, which can withstand a certain time in the freezer.

With olive oil

Save the harvest will help the method of freezing with olive oil. Such processing of raw materials implies its further use in recipes for the preparation of various sauces in which oil and basil act as ingredients.

The process looks like this:

• basil is processed, thoroughly washed and sorted;
• grind with a blender;
• add olive oil;
• poured into molds;
• freeze in the refrigerator.

The method in oil involves a complete freeze to the state of formation of cubes. They are stored after being removed from the molds in a regular plastic bag in a freezer.

Basil pickling

Harvesting by the s alting method does not involve temperature effects, this allows you to save the maximum amount of minerals and nutrients. Only jars and metal lids are processed by sterilization. For cooking take:

• basil - 400 grams;
• s alt - 200 grams.

Basil leaves are laid out, successively alternating layers with s alt. S alted greens are stored in a refrigerator, under rolled up lids. Such an ingredient is used in dishes in compliance with the rule - s alted basil is put first and only then, if necessary, s alt is added.

Cooking pasta

This recipe allows you to save the basil and makes it possible to use it in soups and second courses. The following proportions are used:

• basil - 400 grams;
• s alt - 2 teaspoons;
• olive oil - 100 milliliters.

Crushed basil, mixed with oil and s alt. The resulting paste is laid out in containers and removed for storage in the refrigerator.

Canning

The method of preserving basil allows you to get a product that can be stored for several months in the refrigerator without loss of quality. For a simple recipe, s alt, sugar, vinegar and basil are used. The secret lies in the fact that the greens are kept in boiling water for 1 minute, then ground with a meat grinder and the main ingredients are added to the hot mixture. Banks are sterilized in the standard way and rolled up under the lid.

You can preserve greens using the following recipe:

• s alt - 50 grams;
• greens - 50 grams;
• olive oil.

This amount of ingredients is calculated for a capacity of 250 grams. Basil and s alt are placed in layers in sterilized jars up to the neckline and then poured to the brim with olive oil. The jar is closed and removed for storage in the refrigerator.

Basil is often used in the preparation of canned tomatoes. The bottom line is that the fruits pierced with a fork are placed in sterilized jars, laying layers of basil. The marinade is prepared as follows:

• water - 2 liters;
• s alt - 100 grams;
• granulated sugar - 200 grams;
• apple vinegar - 100 grams.

Marinade is prepared from the listed ingredients to a boil and poured into jars. Next, the solution is drained, boiled and poured into jars again, after which the containers are rolled up with lids.

Rules for storing basil in winter

Basil should be stored taking into account the allowable period, which depends on the type of preparation. The longest shelf life of a frozen product. There are the following rules:

• frozen - up to 2 years;
• dried - up to 1 year;
• canned - up to 1 year old;
• s alted - 3 to 4 months.

Properly cooked basil can keep for at least a year. After opening, the jars are stored in the refrigerator. To avoid spoilage, the product is consumed immediately after opening the container, therefore, when preparing blanks, large containers should not be used. Containers from 250 to 500 grams are considered optimal. In the case of defrosting, the product is not re-frozen, since the taste and external qualities are greatly lost.

Dried basil is stored in linen bags in a dark place or in an airtight container. It is recommended not to keep the seasoning together with other herbs, to prevent the absorption of foreign odors. Under proper storage conditions, herbs can be stored for more than a year, but over time, the aroma and useful qualities of the plant decrease.

Do not store greens in places with high levels of humidity, as this increases the risk of mold due to water absorption. Periodically, the quality of the product should be checked and the appearance of rot should not be allowed; in the presence of such a problem, seasoning for culinary purposes is not used.

Recommended