How to store fresh rosemary at home for the winter

Rosemary is a versatile spice that is used in cooking and medicinal purposes. Twigs, flowers and leaves of the plant are used for cooking meat, fish, seafood, vegetables. Greens are characterized by a coniferous smell and moderately spicy taste. The essential oils contained in rosemary allow it to be used for medicinal purposes, by preparing a decoction and tea. Since herbs cannot be stored fresh for long, consider how to preserve rosemary without losing its nutrients.

How to choose a good rosemary?

Most housewives grow a plant on the windowsill. In this case, the greens are harvested before flowering, since it is during this period that it contains the maximum amount of nutrients. For storage, choose the juiciest shoots, up to 20 cm long.

Inflorescences are used for teas and tinctures. After harvesting, they should be sent to dry immediately, otherwise they will wither and lose their aroma with beneficial properties.

When buying a fresh spice, it is important to pay attention to its appearance. The leaves should be with a slight bluish bloom, and the leaves should hold well on the twigs. If the leaves are wilted, have black or yellowish spots on them, you should not buy them.

When buying dried spices, first of all, attention is paid to the expiration date. It is no more than 6 months from the date of packaging.

It is best to buy rosemary, which is packaged in the summer.

Spice should not contain additional ingredients:

• s alt;
• pepper;
• preservatives and other additives.

How to keep rosemary fresh for the winter?

Fresh spice can be stored in the refrigerator and at room conditions. It is recommended to wash the spice immediately before use.

For storage in the refrigerator, the greens are wrapped in parchment paper, and the package with grass is moistened with a spray bottle until the paper is completely saturated with water. Then the spice is placed in a plastic bag and sent for storage in the refrigerator.

The second method involves storing greens in a container of water. With a knife, cut off the tips of the grass, put the bunch in a container with cool water, cover with a plastic bag on top. With the help of a paper towel, the leaves are regularly wiped from the collected moisture. Every few days the water is changed to fresh water.

Pay attention! The optimal storage conditions for rosemary are temperatures not exceeding 5 degrees and high humidity. To keep the spice as long as possible, it is regularly checked for spoiled leaves and twigs.

Drying plants

For long-term storage and use of herbs in winter, they are dried. This is done in several ways, each of which has its own advantages.

Outdoor

It is best to dry the plant in a well-ventilated and dark place. You can put the spice under the awnings on the street.

It is important to keep rosemary out of the sun, otherwise the color and most of the nutrients will not be preserved.

Initially, the greens are sorted out, discarding spoiled leaves. Then the selected rosemary is laid out on thick paper or cloth, and turned over daily. You can dry in individual leaves or in small bunches. In the second case, they are hung upside down in the attic.

After 1.5-2 weeks of drying, rosemary will be ready for use.

In the dryer for fruits and vegetables

Many gardeners purchase special electric dryers for quick drying of herbs. To do this, the branches of the plant are cut into small pieces, about 5 cm each, and then laid out on the grid.

Drying temperature should not exceed 40 degrees, otherwise the plant will lose most of the nutrients.

Inflorescences are dried in a similar way, but 2 times faster.

In the oven

Because it is difficult to control the temperature of the oven, it is not easy to properly dry rosemary in this way. But in the absence of a special dryer, the oven is used for these purposes, setting the minimum heat in it.

The oven door is left slightly ajar, and the rosemary tray is placed on the topmost shelf. The greens are dried for about 4 hours.

Other ways to harvest rosemary

The above methods of storing greens are far from the only ones. Rosemary lovers are constantly coming up with new ways to prepare, and share their recipes with others.

Freeze in oil

This method involves the use of olive oil and ice cubes. Rinse the rosemary sprigs first, then cut into small pieces. Arrange them into shapes, leaving a little space in each cell. After all the cells are filled with greens, they are poured with olive oil and put into the freezer. In this form, greens can be stored all winter. Take out the cubes as needed.

Many housewives freeze the spice without olive oil. Put the branches in plastic containers and take them out as needed.

Pasta

This method of storage has long been loved by gourmets. The only thing is that it involves the addition of additional ingredients.

1. Put 200 g of rosemary into the blender bowl.
2. Add lemon zest.
3. A couple of cloves of garlic.
4. Ginger and other ingredients or herbs, depending on taste preference.
5. All this is poured with a glass of olive oil and crushed.

The finished mixture is laid out in glass jars and stored in the freezer. Use paste to season various dishes by adding 1-2 teaspoons.

Vacuum

In conditions of home harvesting, special vacuum machines are often used. This is the most convenient way to store greens. To do this, just pack the sprigs of the plant in small vacuum bags and place in the refrigerator. Many housewives prefer to mix and store rosemary with other herbs. Vacuumed greens will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.For longer storage, bags are stored in the freezer.

There is another interesting way to get the aroma and flavor of rosemary in ready meals. A few sprigs of greenery are dipped into a bottle of sunflower oil or vinegar. After 1.5-2 weeks, the liquids will acquire a characteristic spicy aroma.

Thus, you can prepare rosemary for the winter in various ways. Everyone can choose the most suitable one for themselves. The main thing is to follow all the recommendations. Frozen rosemary should not be re-frozen. Therefore, they get the spice strictly in those portions that are required for cooking.

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