You can freeze early nettles. Harvesting nettles for the winter. Best Recipes

Fresh nettle contains a large number of vitamins K, B2 and C (four times more than lemon), so it must be consumed all year round. Let's look at several options for freezing nettles for the winter to preserve them. healing properties and taste.

Why do you need to freeze nettles for the winter?

Many people unknowingly destroy nettle thickets, but it contains much more useful substances than the greens already familiar to our tables. For a long time it was used only in the summer or dried, but with the advent of new technologies, people wondered - is it possible to freeze nettles for the winter? The first experiments were crowned with success, but there were some mistakes, thanks to which it was possible to compile certain rules plant storage. Now you can enjoy your favorite cabbage soup and pies at any time of the year.

You only need to collect young shoots of nettles or their tops. If the plant has bloomed, you need to cut it and wait until new leaves appear. It is recommended to cut the stems in June so that it has time to grow by August. Thus, you can prepare dishes with fresh nettles at the beginning and end of summer.

Preparing nettles for freezing

Before freezing nettles for the winter, they need to be cleaned and prepared. After assembly, the plant should be washed as quickly as possible and left to dry, otherwise the leaves will lock and darken.

1. To begin, place the stems in a container with salted water for half an hour. This is enough to get rid of small insects and particles of earth and sand.
2. Carefully remove the nettles and rinse under running water.
3. We spread it in a thin layer on paper towels; they absorb moisture faster, and the leaves should not lie for more than two hours.
4. Place the tray in the shade under a draft.
5. Approximately every 15-20 minutes we turn the greens so that they dry on all sides.

Some people blanch the shoots in boiling water after washing, but then some of the beneficial substances are lost.

Frozen nettles are added during the cooking process, without allowing it to melt. The only exception is the preparation of nettle filling, where it cannot be used in any other way.

Choosing a method for freezing nettles for the winter

There are several ways to properly freeze nettles for the winter, each of them has its own advantages and is used for specific purposes.

• Freezing in a bag- after drying, place the leaves in portions into bags and place them in the freezer without tamping. This method saves appearance, but requires a lot of space.
• Crushed nettle- cut the leaves, like seasonings in store packages, place on a baking sheet and cover with cling film. In this form it goes into the freezer. After freezing, it is poured into bags.
• Frozen nettle juice- grind fresh herbs and dilute a small amount water. Next, squeeze out this mixture through cheesecloth and pour into ice cube trays. After freezing, pour the pieces of ice into one bag and store them in the freezer.
• Nettle puree- finely chop the nettle leaves and mix with a small amount vegetable oil. Place the finished mixture into ice trays. Further everything is as in the previous version.
• Bunches of greenery- We place the washed and well-dried branches into small bunches and wrap each one with cling film. After wrapping, store them in the freezer.

It is advisable to use various ways- the cubes are good for broths, and the branches are good for decorating or preparing cabbage soup and filling.

Nettle is probably the most frequent visitor to our gardens and vegetable gardens. Stinging, burning, zhigalka, stinging, nettle, great nettle, stinging nettle, strekava, strekuchka - and how they called it in different times! This plant has gracefully shaped foliage, and it seems completely safe in appearance, but the main thing is distinctive feature The problem with nettle is that it can burn your hands. The name “nettle,” which is familiar to us, is translated from Latin as “burning,” and we all understand why. But which of us has at least once Did you get burned by nettles? It has long been known that its burn is not harmful to humans, because nettle sprays us with formic acid - and this acid is not only harmless for us, but on the contrary, it is very useful. If you are stung by a nettle, consider yourself treated or prevented from arthritis. poor circulation, neuritis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatism and many other diseases. But be that as it may, we try to avoid the nettle thickets. Or maybe it’s worth taking a closer look at nettles, and harvesting nettles for the winter won’t be at all superfluous?

Possessing wonderful properties, nettle has earned respect back in Medieval Europe. It was one of the 12 magical plants, that is, it was used in various rituals of white magic. It was even believed that nettle saves those who carry it with them from danger. Our ancestors were also confident that nettle protected the house from evil spirits, so bunches of this plant were hung over doors and windows, nettle rugs were woven, which were certainly laid near the door - no matter who entered the house, he could not cause any harm to the owners.

Nettles have often appeared in fairy tales and legends. You probably already remembered the fairy tale about how a girl was forced to weave shirts from nettles in order to save her brothers from the evil spell. A fairy tale, as they say, is a lie, but there is a hint in it. They actually made fabric from nettles. WITH Old Russian word"nettle" is translated as coprina or "silk". For many years, nettles were cultivated in fields and in greenhouses specifically for the light industry of that time. It was also grown to make sails for ships and fishing nets. In Siberia, nettles were used to make paper. Amazing, isn't it? But the fact remains a fact.

Nettle, moreover, has a unique vitamin composition. It's a joke - in its leaves ascorbic acid four times more than in lemon! In addition, nettle leaves contain carotene, vitamins K and B2 and pantothenic acid. This unique plant can rightfully be called a storehouse of health. Healing and beneficial features nettles have long been used in folk medicine, both in cosmetology and in cooking. With such a wide range positive influence on human health, it was simply impossible to ignore this wonderful plant and not add it to your daily diet. Young nettle leaves are used to prepare soups, salads and main courses. This is especially true in spring and autumn during the period of risk of vitamin deficiency, when our body so needs support. Where do we rush first when spring comes? Of course, go to the pharmacy to buy mineral and vitamin complexes, which often benefit only the pharmacies and manufacturers themselves. Meanwhile, it’s time to turn to nettles - a wonderful source of vitamins and microelements, because they are much more nutritious than any other greens. Fortunately, many have already appreciated the taste and benefits of nettle.

For example, residents of an ancient Russian town with the telling name Krapivna (near Tula) have been organizing a Nettle Festival in late May - early June for several years in a row, where guests can taste traditional Russian pies with nettles and look at clothes made from nettle fiber. And in the small British town of Marshwood, the World Nettle Eating Championship has been taking place since 1986. Hundreds of fans come here every year thrills from all over the world.

In summer, there is an abundance of nettles in vegetable gardens, but here’s what to do in winter, how to take advantage miraculous properties this plant in the cold season? Of course, prepare nettles for the winter in order to get some benefits and diversify your menu. Nettles can be harvested from May to August. So let's talk about this.

So, without canning, and therefore without loss useful vitamins, harvesting nettles for the winter is possible in two ways: drying and freezing.

For the first method you will need: young nettle shoots, which you can collect in the spring. If you are late in collecting nettles, do not despair, you can cut off the old shoots of the plant and after a while fresh young shoots will appear in their place. Or go for nettles in the forest, where there is always a chance to find young shoots of this plant, and do not forget to take gloves with you for collecting nettles.

To properly prepare nettles using the first method, you first need to prepare them for drying.

Drying nettles

Wash cut young nettle stems thoroughly under cold water. Do not use hot water under any circumstances - the leaves will immediately soften and wither. Then dry the washed shoots thoroughly. To do this, shake them off the water and place them on a table or, for example, on a tray, after placing paper towels or a piece of gauze on them, which will absorb excess moisture. Nettles laid out to dry should be stirred as often as possible. If the paper towels on which the nettles are placed have become saturated with moisture, they must be replaced with dry ones. Now let's proceed directly to the drying process itself. Spread the dried nettles in a thin layer (no more than five centimeters) on paper towels or plain white paper and put in a dark, ventilated place where direct contact will not penetrate Sun rays. You can also dry nettles by collecting them in small bunches and hanging them in a well-ventilated area. It's your choice. Once the nettles have dried, store them in paper or fabric bags. In city apartments, you can dry nettles using a dehydrator or, more simply, an electric dryer with a fan. The advantages of this method are its simplicity and the absence of the need to constantly monitor the condition of the raw materials - most modern dryers are equipped with thermostats and timers.

By the way, part dried nettles can be ground into powder, add 2 tbsp. spoons of cumin and it will turn out great dry nettle soup dressing, which can be used as a seasoning for hot dishes, adding 5-10 minutes before cooking. Nettle “seasoning” will improve the taste of dishes and help the body cope with vitamin deficiency. By the way, thanks to the content of phytoncides in nettle, dishes with it are stored much longer.

Harvesting nettles for the winter using the second method - freezing nettles. For this you will need: nettles, plastic wrap, a tray or large cutting board and plastic bags.

Let's start freezing. First, rinse the nettles thoroughly. Then dry it by spreading it on a cotton cloth or gauze. Next, for convenience, you can chop the nettles if you use them for fillings or sauces, or leave them in the form of whole leaves. Before bagging the nettles, place them on a large cutting board or tray, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the freezer. And after it is completely frozen, put it in bags, without compacting it, let there be a little free space. Frozen nettle is an excellent addition to cabbage soup. Try it, amazingly delicious!

Nettles can also be pickled, fermented and even pickled.

Salted nettle

Ingredients:
1 kg nettles,
50 g salt.

Preparation:
Wash and chop young nettle leaves and shoots. Place in jars, sprinkling with salt. It is advisable to store the jars in the refrigerator, since salted nettles quickly deteriorate in a warm place. Salted nettle is most often used to prepare first courses.

Pickled nettle

Ingredients:
1 kg nettles,
2-3 carrots,
2-3 apples,
cranberries, cumin,
20 g salt.

Preparation:
Wash the young shoots and nettle leaves thoroughly. Then put it in some container (for example, a small bowl) and mix with salt. Place the nettles in a jar, layering grated carrots, apples, cranberries, caraway seeds. Be sure to put pressure on top, otherwise the nettle will become moldy.

What do you think of pickled nettle? The main thing is that with such processing, nettle retains its color and looks very appetizing.

Pickled nettle

Ingredients:
1 kg nettles,
salt, sugar, vinegar to taste.

Preparation:
For pickled nettles, collect top part young shoots 6-8 cm long, no more. Rinse them thoroughly in hot water(in this case, the nettles are washed precisely hot water). Pack the shoots tightly into a sterilized jar, cover with boiling water and let stand for 5-8 minutes. Then drain the water into a saucepan and add sugar, salt and vinegar. Bring the marinade to a boil and pour it over the nettles. Cover the jar with a lid and place in a pan of hot water. Be sure to place a small kitchen towel under the jar, otherwise the jar may crack. From the moment the water boils, sterilize the half-liter jar for 5 minutes. Pickled cabbage is ready. Seal the jar with a tin lid and after it has cooled completely, store it in the refrigerator.

Harvesting nettles for the winter will provide you and your family with important vitamins for the whole winter.

Nettle with spinach

Ingredients:
1 kg nettles,
2 kg spinach,
1 liter of water.

Preparation:
Collect fresh, young, dark green leaves and rough stems (before flower stems form) of stinging nettle, and remove damaged, dried leaves. Rinse in cold water, especially contaminated ones, soak for 1-2 hours, cut into pieces of 8-10 cm and put in a pan. Pour hot water and boil for 4-5 minutes. Place the hot mixture in jars, cover with lids and sterilize jars with a capacity of 0.5 liters - 25 minutes, 1 liter - 35 minutes.

Nettle with sorrel

Ingredients:
1 kg nettles,
2 kg sorrel,
1 liter of water.

Preparation:
The method for preparing nettles with sorrel is the same as for nettles with spinach. Only instead of spinach they use sorrel. You can take sorrel in the same quantity as nettles, rely on your own preferences.

You can also preserve it for the winter as a wonderful dressing for nettle soup.

Winter seasoning for soup with nettles

Ingredients:

700 g nettles,
300 g sorrel,
100 g green onions,
1 teaspoon salt.

Preparation:
To prepare a dressing for soup with nettles, rinse the greens thoroughly with cold water, chop finely, place in an enamel bowl, add salt and 1 glass of water. Bring the greens to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. After time, pour into sterile jars and seal with sterilized lids.

How nice it will be to add a little summer green to your favorite soup in winter!

It turns out that, despite its “prickly” character, nettle is a true, faithful green friend of man. Many tasty and delicious dishes are prepared from nettles. healthy dishes, added to various salads as a vitamin spring green, in casseroles and omelettes, amazingly tasty cabbage soup is cooked, and used as a seasoning. With our preparations for the winter, you can prepare dishes from nettles not only in summer, but also in winter. That's how delicious and useful weed grows in our beds. So let us skillfully and gratefully use what nature gives us.

Bon appetit and a bright, healthy and green summer, like young nettle leaves!

Larisa Shuftaykina

Canned nettle prepared according to this recipe is suitable as vitamin supplement in green borscht and soups in winter. It will make these dishes more tasty and unusual.

And young nettle, even in the form of canned food, is a valuable source of nutrients that we so need in winter.

To prepare a nettle preparation according to this recipe, you will need fresh, young, stinging nettle, growing far from railways and highways. Be sure to wear gloves while collecting and preparing to avoid burning your hands.

Canned nettle recipe

With this method of preserving young nettles, salt is not needed.

1. Rinse young stems and leaves of nettle under running water and cut into pieces.

2. Place in a saucepan and add hot water in a ratio of 1 part water to 3 parts nettle.

3. Boil the nettles for 5 minutes, place in clean 0.5 liter jars.

4. Cover with lids and sterilize for 30 minutes. After this, roll up the jars of nettles.

In this form, harvested nettles can be stored almost all winter in the cellar or even in a closet or under the bed at room temperature.

How to close nettles with sorrel

If we preserve nettles with sorrel, we will get a delicious vitamin dressing for different recipes soups in winter.

How to prepare nettles and sorrel at home? The proportions are as follows: for 1 part nettle - 2 parts sorrel and 1 part water.

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1. Wash the nettles (we also take the stems) and sorrel. Cut as you like. To fit more leaves into the jar, you can cut them smaller.

2. Place in a saucepan and fill with hot water. Bring to a boil over high heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Also, as in the previous recipe, transfer to washed half-liter jars, cover with lids and sterilize for 0.5 hours. After sterilization, the jars need to be rolled up.

In winter, open a jar of nettle and sorrel leaves, and quickly green borscht not only makes you and your family happy, but also replenishes your vitamin supply.

In the same way, you can close preparations such as nettle and spinach for the winter. The proportions and method of preparation will be the same. It contains vitamins, microelements, proteins and carotene. The combination of nettle and spinach increases hemoglobin, and the vitamin E present is very beneficial for the skin.

Salted nettle for the winter

For this recipe you need to pick off the nettle leaves; the stems are not included.

1. Wash the collected nettles and separate the leaves.

2. Pour boiling water over for 5 minutes. Squeeze excess water. Let cool slightly.

3. Finely chop and hang. Add salt at the rate of 4 tbsp. spoons per 0.5 kg of nettle.

4. Stir and let stand for a while so that the salt disperses.

5. Place into small, clean jars. Store in the refrigerator.

It is very easy to make soup from such nettles:

1. Boil 1.5 liters of water.
2. At this time, fry vegetables - onions, carrots, bell pepper, tomatoes that are in the house in vegetable oil.
3. Chop 1-2 potatoes and add them all to the pan.
4. Put salted nettle, there is no need to add salt to the soup.

Cook until done. Before serving, add sour cream and half a boiled egg to the plate.

This year I'm going to freeze as many different greens as possible, and today I'll tell you how to freeze nettles for the winter. It will be useful to you not only in cooking. This is a wonderful base for decoctions and tinctures for rinsing hair, lotions and face masks. Don't miss the opportunity to stock up on this very useful plant! Frozen nettle retains all its healing properties and vitamins; in winter, in the absence of fresh herbs, it will definitely be used.

If there are thickets of nettles near your home, arm yourself with scissors, gloves, bags and collect as much as you like. If there is nothing like that, buy it at the market; grandmothers sell it from early spring to autumn. Just make sure that the young leaves are from the tops; the old ones become hard, prickly and are not suitable for culinary purposes. But they are quite suitable as cosmetic raw materials.

Collected or purchased nettles must be processed immediately. After cutting, it is not stored for a long time; after a few hours, even in the refrigerator, it withers and darkens.

How to freeze nettle leaves for the winter

We will need:

• A large bunch of young nettles;
• tight bags;
• sharp knife or scissors.

Freezing nettles for the winter in a bag

First of all, let's sort through what we bought or collected. We will throw away the darkened leaves; if the shoots are rough and tough, we will separate the leaves from them, and we will also throw away the stems themselves. We will harvest the young leaves for culinary purposes, and those that have already become tough will be useful in home cosmetics. We figured out what it was for, put it in large bowls or basins and filled it with cold water. Let the nettle stand for half an hour so that the dust and impurities are soaked off, and don’t forget that small spider bugs can also be in the leaves.

Now rinse the nettles thoroughly under running water and leave in a colander. Shake it several times so the water drains faster.

Then scatter the leaves on a towel in one layer and let dry. We stir from time to time. Choose a place to dry without drafts and do not leave it for long, otherwise it will wither. Half an hour will be enough for the leaves to dry.

We take a large handful of nettles, cut them not very finely, larger than when cutting greens for salads.

Immediately put into bags. I have regular ones, without a latch. I add a couple handfuls of chopped nettles, release the air, and tie the bag at the top. I leave it flat, I don’t roll it, so the leaves don’t wrinkle or break. I put it in the freezer.

The second way is to scatter the slices on a board and put them in the freezer. Freeze, package in small portions, tie, stick a label and sign.

Frozen nettle is added to first and second courses without defrosting, like any other greens. I’ve come across recipes for baking with nettles, but I haven’t tried them, I can’t say anything, but in soups, especially in green borscht, it’s very good!

Well, in conclusion, a few useful tips, they will help you preserve and use freezing correctly.

✍ — It is unacceptable to defrost and re-freeze nettles, they turn black!

✍ — When removing from the freezer, quickly select as much as you need and immediately put the rest back.

✍ — If you freeze nettles for different purposes, then write what is for what. When frozen, the greens are similar, then you won’t be able to figure out where you have the cooking bags and where the preparation for masks and decoctions is.

Nettle soup is made from young spring nettles when the body needs to replenish the winter lack of vitamins. Useful substances the plant contains a lot. Nettle improves metabolism, has choleretic and wound-healing properties. But you want to use this “healthy weed” not only in the spring, so many people are interested in whether it is possible to freeze nettles for the winter for soup.

It turns out that freezing prickly greens is possible. Most often prepared for cooking soups fresh leaves, in this case they retain the maximum of nutrients.

Recipe for freezing nettles for soup

Ingredients

Servings: – +

• fresh nettle 500 g

Per serving

Calories: 25 kcal

Proteins: 1.5 g

Carbohydrates: 5 g

25 min. Video recipe Print

Rinse the nettle under running water and shake off lightly so as not to damage it. And then put it in a colander to drain. After this, carefully dry with a towel.

The most convenient way to freeze is chopped greens, then you can throw them into the soup straight from the freezer. The nettle is lightly pressed with a thick paper towel so as not to burn your hands, and cut thinly. Gloves may be used.

Divide the greens into portions and place them in the freezer. Well, no more actions need to be done with nettles.

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Important: it is worth considering that the benefits of this medicinal plant will only be possible if it is collected away from roads, in an environmentally friendly area.

Freezing secrets

It is best to cut nettles for freezing very sharp knife. In this case, as much juice as possible will be retained in the nettles.

Before freezing, plants should be turned on minimum temperature in the freezer. The greens will freeze faster, which means they will be of better quality. Frozen food cannot be thawed and then re-frozen.

Advice: It is advisable to collect young shoots of nettle. If the plant has already grown, then you need to tear off the tops with 2-3 pairs of leaves.

Shelf life

Greens should be stored for up to 1 year. But it is worth remembering that what more product exposed to freezing, the less useful substances remain in it.

Storage containers

You can store frozen nettles in any plastic or polyethylene container. But for convenience, you should put 1 serving of greens in it. Therefore, you need to make sure that the containers or bags are small size and closed tightly.

The recipe explains in detail how to freeze nettles for the winter for soup. In fact, the whole process is very simple and does not take much time. And in winter you can often cook stews and green borscht using this incredibly healthy dressing.

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