Preparing green leaf salad for the winter: recipes. How to keep leaf lettuce and watercress fresh for the winter? Is it possible and how to freeze green salad and watercress leaves for the winter? Is it possible to have sushi?

Features of preparing green salad and watercress for the winter. Recipes and tips.

The busy season of homemade preparations is in full swing. Everything is ripening and ripening, just have time to collect, wash and put it in jars/freezer.

Much has been said about the benefits of lettuce, and its fresh taste delights every lover of natural food.

On the other hand, experienced housewives know about the “fastidious” nature of salad - how difficult it is to keep it fresh for a long time. However, through trial and error, they found their secrets and nuances in this matter.

Continuing the topic of homemade preparations for the winter, let's talk about proven methods for green salad and watercress.

Is it possible to prepare leaf lettuce for the winter?

frozen cubes of chopped green salad leaves with water from the freezer
Although lettuce is very fancy and quickly loses its appearance, taste and healthy qualities, it can be prepared for the winter.

There are a number of nuances at the preparation stage for this process:

• use a product grown in your own garden beds
• carefully dig up the leaves along with the root and only on a dry morning when there is no dew or rain
• rinse under running water and drain in a colander
• spread lettuce leaves on the table on top of paper towels and wait until the product is completely dry

There are several ways to prepare lettuce leaves:

• whole in plastic containers lined with paper napkins/towels
• crushed to puree in hermetically sealed bags
• finely chopped and mixed with boiled water in an ice container in the freezer
• preservation and marinating with other seasonings and herbs

Preparing greens for storage

Before processing lettuce leaves for storage, they must be washed and dried thoroughly:

• The leaves are sorted, removing roots and rotten parts with a plastic knife.
• Place in a spacious container and fill with cool water.
• Rinse thoroughly.
• If necessary, change the water several times (greens usually have a lot of sand and earthen dust).

The second important point in the preparatory work is blanching the leaves (short-term temperature treatment):

• Pour boiling water over the salad in a bowl.
• After a minute, the water is drained.
• The greens are poured with ice-cold clean water.

Blanching preserves the healthy vitamin and mineral complex in the salad, as well as its elegant bright green color.

Then the greens are placed in a colander or large sieve. When the water stops draining, the leaves are laid out on clean kitchen towels (cloth, paper). For good drying, the greens are not placed in a bunch, but each leaf separately.

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It is not recommended to cut or chop the salad using metal - an ordinary kitchen knife, blender or meat grinder. Upon contact with metal, an oxidation process occurs, which worsens the taste of the greens.

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Is it possible and how to freeze green salad and watercress leaves for the winter?

there are a couple of containers with sprouted watercress on the table before preparing it.
If you set yourself the goal of freezing greens for the winter, then you can definitely do it.

However, there are nuances for green salad and watercress. Let's start with the second one.

It is known that leaves from the freezer, after defrosting, turn into a rag and lose their appearance and taste. This is just about watercress. If you want to enjoy its fragrant and crunchy leaves, it is better to sow the seeds in cotton wool and grow them on the windowsill all winter.

Housewives freeze green salad for the winter in a number of ways:

• entirely
• in puree form
• mixed pieces with boiling water in ice containers

The first method involves freezing clean, dry leaves in airtight containers lined with paper towels. In this case, line the bottom and surface under the lid with paper.

Once defrosted, use the entire container of leaves at once. Repeated freezing will result in the product being thrown into the trash.

If it is more convenient for you to freeze in hermetically sealed bags, then:

• wash the lettuce leaves and let the excess water drain off
• blanch them by dipping them in boiling water for 1 minute
• quickly place under running cold water
• leave on the table until completely dry
• put into 1-dose bags and seal tightly
• put it in the freezer

Other convenient means for freezing whole lettuce leaves are:

• food foil
• zip bags

The second and third methods are good if you plan to season ready-made food with this paste. For example, add during the preparation of first courses, omelettes, stews.

Store the pulp crushed in a blender in ziplock bags.

Is it possible to dry lettuce for the winter?

beautiful green lettuce leaves in the garden
Like any other greens from the garden, leaf lettuce is suitable for drying for the winter.

• Carefully select the leaves that will dry. The ideal option is young, without damage.
• Cut off the roots.
• Rinse under running water.
• Drain in a colander and place on paper towels until completely dry.
• Then either dry in the oven/electric dryer, or spread on a flat surface and cover with gauze. Leave the salad in an area with shade and a moderate draft.
• Place the finished product in a glass container and seal it tightly.

When you add this salad to your dishes in winter, you will not get a special smell, but all its vitamins will be available in dry form.

Benefits of lettuce leaves

• Greens are rich in vitamins B, E, PP, minerals, ascorbic acid. It contains magnesium, potassium, iron.
• Leafy vegetables are low in calories.
• Normalize blood cholesterol levels.

Thanks to their rich composition, their use has gone beyond cooking. The product is gaining great popularity in cosmetology - masks, tonics, and lotions are made based on extracts.

The main thing is to wash the salad thoroughly before eating. It is best to do this in a solution of salt and soda to avoid intestinal infections.

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Preparing green salad for the winter: methods and recipes

beds with lush green lettuce leaves grown on your own plot
We discussed several ways to prepare lettuce leaves in the sections above.

Let's take a closer look at the recipes for its canning and pickling.

Recipe 1

beautiful fresh leaf of green salad from a bunch before marinating
Prepare:

• bunch of clean lettuce leaves
• 0.5 heads of garlic
• celery leaves and dill to taste
• sugar and salt in a ratio of 2:1
• 0.5 teaspoon citric acid
• half a liter of water

Cooking:

• Place garlic cloves on the bottom of the pan
• Place celery on top, chopping it to your liking
• then whole lettuce leaves
• sprinkle with chopped dill
• in a separate container, bring the water in which the bulk ingredients have dissolved to a boil
• pour on top of the laid greens and put pressure
• When the pan has cooled, remove the weight
• place the finished product in the refrigerator or basement for storage

Recipe 2

selected green salad leaves in a bowl on the table before marinating
Prepare:

• a bunch of lettuce and linden leaves
• 4-6 cloves of garlic
• 3/4 cup 6% wine vinegar
• sugar and salt in a ratio of 2:1.5
• fresh dill, black peppercorns, ground red pepper to taste
• Bay leaf
• 4 glasses of water

Cooking:

• wash the lettuce and linden leaves and let them dry completely
• chop them with dill, cutting them into 2 cm strips
• line the bottom of the pan with the green mixture and sprinkle with seasonings and chopped garlic
• bring the marinade consisting of water, sugar, salt and vinegar to a boil
• pour it over the greens and place everything under pressure until it cools completely
• transfer to a cool storage place

Recipe 3

green lettuce leaves are wrapped in plastic before preparing for canning
Prepare:

• lettuce leaves
• vegetable oil for frying
• salt to taste
• vinegar, which you usually use for canning
• optional other seasonings and herbs

Cooking:

• Tear clean released green salad leaves with your hands and place in a warm frying pan with plenty of oil,
• fry for 5-7 minutes over low heat, stirring the product,
• add spices and herbs and simmer for another 2-3 minutes,
• Place the finished product in sterile jars and seal them tightly,
• When they have cooled completely, transfer the canned food to the basement/cellar.

Marinating salad

Another common storage method is pickling.

✍ For one serving you will need the following ingredients:

• Lettuce leaves – 2-3 bunches;
• Garlic - to taste;
• Citric acid – 1 tsp;
• Sugar – 1.5-2 tbsp. l.;
• Salt – 1 tbsp. l.;
• Water – 1 l.

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Cooking steps:

1. At the first stage, you will need to wash and sterilize the canning jars and lids. The easiest way is to place them in a cold oven and gradually increase the temperature.
2. After the container has cooled, pre-prepared and chopped salad is placed into it in layers.
3. It is recommended to place chopped garlic cloves and a mixture of peppers between the vegetables.
4. For the marinade, salt, sugar, vinegar or citric acid are diluted in water.
5. Pour vegetables over them and place a press on them. Wait until it cools down completely.
6. Place in the pantry, away from direct sunlight, or in the refrigerator.

To add additional taste, dill, parsley and spices are added to the jars.

How to keep leaf lettuce and watercress fresh for the winter?

fresh watercress grown in the ground in winter
Taking into account the fact that these types of salads are not intended for long-term storage, you will have to periodically sow them in pots on the windowsill.

To make green and watercress leaves delight you in their fresh form, proceed as follows:

• store in the refrigerator for 7-10 days
• freeze on its own or mixed with other herbs, for example, cilantro, basil - for a period of 1 month to 3

In the first case, use the product either without washing or after completely drying.

Acceptable means for storing lettuce in the refrigerator are:

• foil
• cling film and trays
• plastic containers and bags
• container with water
• polyethylene with perforation
• glass containers with lids

Watercress is perfectly stored in any edible oil.

To freeze lettuce leaves, choose:

• plastic containers/bags
• combination with other greens, folded under cling film on a paper napkin in a tray.

However, the ideal option for those who like to eat green salad all year round is to regularly germinate its seeds in wet cotton wool/soil on the windowsill.

So, we looked at the features of storing and preparing green and watercress leaves for the winter. We've added to our collection of home-canning recipes.

Choose the best way for you to store lettuce and delight your family and friends with savory dishes using it.