How to freeze sorrel for the winter in the refrigerator

Every summer resident wonders how to freeze sorrel for the winter.
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Sorrel lends itself well to freezing and retains its taste even when frozen.

In today's article we will figure out the best way to freeze sorrel in order to preserve its beneficial properties to the maximum.

Is it possible to freeze sorrel?

Sorrel is famous for having an interesting sour taste. Therefore, it is used to add sourness to the dish.

But these greens are also rich in many vitamins that humans need.

But the question arises: “Is it possible to freeze sorrel leaves so that you can use them in cooking in winter?” The answer is yes, you can.

But there are several nuances. This crop is very demanding on freezing conditions. Therefore, if you make a mistake, you will not get fresh, aromatic greens, but limp leaves with a metallic taste.

How to freeze sorrel in the freezer

There are different types of freezing:

• leaves;
• in pieces;
• blanching;
• puree.

Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages.

How to freeze whole sorrel leaves

This method will be useful if the greens are used as an additional appetizer to the main dishes.

You will need:

• sorrel;
• water;
• pot;
• towel;
• plastic container.

Algorithm of actions:

1. Carry out preliminary preparation by boiling sorrel in a water bath.
2. Remove the greens from the boiling water and place in a colander to drain. Rinse thoroughly under running water.
3. Leave to drain for a few minutes.
4. Put down a towel. Place the resulting sorrel leaves. Leave to dry for 30 minutes.
5. After half an hour, turn the leaves the other way. Leave to dry again. The duration is the same.
6. Place the product in a container, close it tightly with a lid, and refrigerate.

This frozen product should be placed in a cool, dark place for 1 hour before use.

How to freeze chopped sorrel

This method can be used if the sour plant will be used to prepare salads or soups.

You will need:

• sorrel;
• water;
• plastic bags;
• paper towel;
• Bowl;
• board;
• knife.

Comment! You can use any leaves here, even old ones!

Algorithm:

1. Pre-prepare the greens: rinse using a bowl, if the harvest is large, boil, cool, and dry thoroughly with a paper towel.
2. Grind the plant bunches: first finely chop the leaves into strips with a knife using a cutting board, and then chop finely.
3. Pack the resulting mass into bags. Carefully tie each one so that there is no air access to the greens. Refrigerate.

Salads require defrosting before preparing. But for soups you can use frozen product immediately.

Portion cubes with water

This preparation is useful for regular use. Moreover, it can be used both for daily dietary recipes and for higher-calorie dishes.

The process requires the following components:

• sorrel;
• water;
• molds (silicone or plastic);
• Bowl.

Algorithm:

1. Make preliminary preparations.
2. Dry the greens thoroughly and chop them.
3. Package the product into forms. Fill with water (no more than 1 tablespoon for each mold). Leave to freeze for several hours.
4. Remove the frozen product from the molds and place in a bowl. Place in the refrigerator.

It is ideal to use this form of frozen sorrel when preparing various sauces, pies or omelettes.

Portion cubes with butter

This method is loved by many gourmets. These cubes are also used daily without prior defrosting.

You will need:

• sorrel;
• butter;
• molds (silicone);
• plastic bag.

Algorithm:

1. Prepare the greens.
2. Melt the butter by placing it in a warm place for several hours.
3. Dry the plant, chop it, mix thoroughly with oil.
4. Pack the resulting mixture into molds and put it in the freezer.
5. Take out the cubes, transfer them to a bag, wrap, tie, and put in the refrigerator.

This frozen product can be used for appetizers, main courses, and warm salads.

Blanched sorrel

This method is useful if the dimensions of the freezer are very small. And the frozen product itself can be used for a variety of recipes.

You need to prepare:

• sorrel;
• water;
• pan;
• molds or ziplock bags.

Algorithm:

1. Pre-prepare the greens.
2. Dry and cut the product. Place in a colander to drain any remaining water. Lower it to boil in a water bath for a minute.
3. Let the water drain. Dry the greens.
4. Pack the mixture either in molds or in bags. Close carefully.
5. Remove to frost.

This frozen form is best used for soups.

Sorrel puree

This method is suitable for those who plan to use such a plant for hot snacks.

You will need:

• sorrel;
• water;
• pot;
• Bowl;
• blender;
• molds;
• plastic bag.

Algorithm:

1. Prepare the main ingredient.
2. Place the leaves in a bowl and puree them using a blender.
3. Allow the mixture to cool.
4. Pack the greens into molds.
5. Place the containers on the bag, wrap, tie, and put in the freezer.

Later, without prior defrosting, you can use this form for completely different dishes: soups, hot appetizers, salads, pies.

How to keep sorrel fresh longer in the refrigerator

Before we start talking about freezing sorrel leaves, let's talk about how to keep the product fresh in the refrigerator.

There are several ways to do this.

Storage in a glass jar

Wash the leaves and place them on a kitchen towel in a single layer. This is necessary to drain excess water.

This will take approximately 20 minutes.

Next, place the leaves vertically in a regular glass jar. Cover with a plastic lid and place on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

In this form, the product can be kept fresh for a month.

Storage in a bag

With this method there is no need to wash the leaves. It will be enough to wipe with a damp cloth.

Leave the leaves for a quarter of an hour to dry. We put them in a regular plastic bag, tie them and make several holes. Place it on the bottom shelf.

In this form, the product is stored for approximately 15-20 days.

In its own juice

Place the sorrel leaves in a glass jar. Then place it in a pot of water to create a water bath.

You need to heat it over low heat.

Gradually the leaves will begin to sink to the bottom of the jar. At this time you need to add new leaves. This must be done until the jar is completely filled.

Then let it cool, cover with plastic lids and put in the refrigerator.

How to freeze sorrel: recipes

How to freeze fresh sorrel

Most often, the tender leaf part of the plant is frozen, but, if desired, the stems can also be used. It is not recommended to freeze fresh sorrel with whole leaves; it is better to chop it.

The sorrel is cut into strips and placed in bags for freezing, from which as much air as possible is then removed. “Sausages” with green slices are put into the freezer for storage.

See the video from the channel “Cooking with Irina” - Sorrel for the winter

How to blanch sorrel for the winter

To do this, put the chopped leaves in a colander and lower it directly into a pan of boiling water. This manipulation takes exactly 1 minute. After the specified time has passed, the colander is removed from the water and the excess liquid is allowed to drain thoroughly.

Blanched sorrel can be frozen in a bag, rolled into a tight tube, or in silicone molds. For the last option, the vegetable is laid out in molds and compacted tightly with your fingers. This preparation is placed in the freezer for several hours for pre-freezing. After the greens have set, the green briquettes are removed from the molds and transferred to containers or bags.

Sorrel ice cubes

Finely chopped sorrel is placed in ice trays and filled with a small amount of water. Forms with greens are frozen. After the water is completely frozen, the ice cubes are removed and poured into bags.

Such sorrel ice cubes can be used in cosmetology.

Sorrel puree for the winter

Sorrel for making puree is ground in a meat grinder. The finished puree is placed in small ice trays and frozen. After the initial freezing, the sorrel briquettes are removed from the mold and poured into a separate bag.

Freezing sorrel in oil

For this method, you can use either vegetable or butter.

In the first option, chopped leafy vegetables are placed in ice trays and filled with vegetable oil.

The butter must first be thawed. Do not destroy the structure of the oil by heating it over a fire or in the microwave. Soft butter is mixed with a sufficiently large amount of chopped herbs, and then the whole mass is laid out in ice molds.

The completed forms, in both cases, are sent to the freezer for a day, and after thorough freezing, they are removed and transferred to containers.

How to prepare sorrel for freezing

Before you put the leaves to freeze, they need to be properly prepared so that they do not lose their freshness and, most importantly, their sour taste.

The fact is that if stored improperly, greens will give off a distinct metallic taste.

The first rule is to use only fresh leaves. Do not attempt to freeze flaccid specimens or specimens showing signs of disease.

Young leaves about 10 cm long, collected or purchased no later than 12 hours ago, are ideal for freezing.

Remove yellowing or wilted leaves.

ON A NOTE.

If you harvest yourself, use scissors instead of just picking off the leaves.

First, sorting is done. Then the selected leaves are washed. Please note that you do not need to grate the sorrel. Let the water wash the grass itself. This way you won't crush the leaves.

Unlike, for example, mint, this type of spicy herb does not need to be completely dried. Let the water drain (or shake off large drops yourself) and you can put the harvest in the freezer.

In general, this crop is frozen along with the cuttings. However, if you do not eat them, it is better to immediately cut off the petioles.

How to freeze sorrel for the winter in the freezer

Next, we will consider several ways to freeze the product, ranging from the standard in bags to the unusual sorrel puree and sorrel with butter.

How to freeze in bags

Using plastic bags when freezing is a classic way to preserve crops until winter.

The leaves are placed in a bag. Try not to make a “heap”, but to make the package as flat as possible. Place the leaves tightly, but do not squeeze too hard to prevent the juice from escaping.

Calculate the volume yourself, but we recommend adding the greens in portions so that you don’t have to take out all the frozen stuff at once.

Once you have the desired amount, carefully squeeze out any excess air from the bag and tie it closed.

Now all that remains is to put the workpiece in storage until winter.

ON A NOTE.

When using plastic containers instead of plastic bags, the greens can be placed in layers, interspersed with parchment or cling film.

Freezing whole leaves

If you want to get the maximum benefit from sorrel, you need to freeze it whole.

The leaves are sorted and placed into portions. There is no point in freezing everything at once. It is better to make several servings and take the right amount of herb at once.

Whole green leaves can be frozen in bags and containers or done without containers.

If you choose the latter method, here's what you need to do:

1. Wash and dry the selected sorrel.
2. Make several servings by tying the petioles of the leaves.
3. Place cling film on the tray and place tied bundles on top.
4. Place in the freezer to freeze.
5. As soon as the greens are frozen, place them in packaging bags. This item is needed to protect the product from the aromas of other products in your freezer.

Methods for freezing chopped sorrel

You can also store fresh herbs already chopped.

The advantage of this method is obvious. The vegetable will not need to be chopped after defrosting, but can be immediately used for its intended purpose during cooking.

At the same time, the greens retain all their flavor tones in full.

The procedure itself is extremely simple. You wash the product, shake off excess moisture, finely chop it and place it in portions in containers.

Next, everything goes into the freezer to freeze. You can use both containers and small bags. Do what is most convenient for you.

How to freeze into cubes

A rather unusual method is freezing in ice cube trays. Usually these are cubes, although they can come in different shapes. Not at all important.

We take silicone molds and place finely chopped leaves on the bottom of each cell. Fill with cooled boiled water and freeze.

Next, it is better to remove the cubes from the mold and put them in bags or deep containers. This is, first of all, necessary so that the greens do not absorb foreign odors and retain all the shades of their taste.

Freeze with salt

Chop the sorrel and place it in containers. Salt, stir and put in the freezer.

ON A NOTE.

It is better to use sea salt. It will taste better this way.

How to freeze with dill

And this method complements the previous one. First, mix finely chopped dill and sorrel, then add sea salt, mix and put in the freezer.

Freezing sorrel with nettles

Take nettle and sorrel in a ratio of 1 to 2. Wash and place both types of greens in a bowl. Then pour boiling water over it and, uncovered, leave for half an hour.

Next, drain the liquid, transfer the green mixture into bags, briquettes or containers and place in a freezer.

How to freeze with butter

Mix chopped sorrel and butter in a saucer or deep plate.

Transfer the resulting mixture into silicone molds and freeze.

When the cubes are frozen, transfer them to a bag and store them.

Is it possible to freeze blanched sorrel?

This is a very interesting method that will significantly reduce the space that the products take up in the freezer.

The algorithm is like this:

1. We prepare properly;
2. Finely chop;
3. Pour into a bowl and place on low heat;
4. Blanch the leaves. Very little water is needed;
5. Take out the sorrel and cool it;
6. We lay out the blanched leaves along with the juice and send them to freeze.

REFERENCE.

A blanched product loses its taste and healing properties faster than a frozen one.

How to make pie dressing

Sorrel is often used to make unusual pies as a filling.

You can prepare it in advance. To do this, we prepare the pouring properly. Then coarsely chop and gently mix with sugar.

It is very important not to crush or crush the leaves. The leaves should retain their structure and not turn into mush.

At the same time, we sterilize the jars.

Next, put the leaves in sugar in the jars, roll them up and put them in the refrigerator.

NOTE!

With this method, freezing is not necessary.

How to freeze as sausages

In fact, this is ordinary freezing in a plastic bag. You simply make a sausage out of an ordinary parcel. By the way, you can wrap the greens in cling film together with the bag.

How to make frozen sorrel puree

To make sorrel puree, use a blender. Place the crushed mixture in silicone molds and place for freezing.

By the way, it is permissible to use not only ice cube trays, but also larger containers.

How to freeze sorrel soup dressing

Soup with sorrel is one of the main dishes of spring, which can also be enjoyed on cold winter days. To do this, you need to freeze the greens.

It is best to use this method. Cut the greens into medium pieces and place them in an ice tray. Fill with water and set to freeze.

Then put the cubes into a bag.

When making soup, simply use the desired number of herb cubes.

How to freeze sorrel for the winter

Category: Freezing Published: July 23: 950

Freezing is the easiest way to prepare vegetables, fruits and herbs for the winter. Quick-frozen foods better preserve all vitamins, as well as appearance, taste and aroma, than with any other preservation method. Almost all foods can be frozen, and especially those that are in short supply in winter. These include sorrel. This vitamin and medicinal plant contains mineral salts, flavonoids, carotene, tannins, vitamins C, K, PP, B1, B2. Sorrel improves digestion, liver and gall bladder functions, and is useful for anemia and cardiovascular diseases, as it strengthens the walls of blood vessels. But there are also contraindications: oxalic acid, which is contained in sorrel, is harmful for people with kidney and urinary tract diseases, for patients with gout and rheumatism, stomach and duodenal ulcers, gastritis with high acidity, as well as during pregnancy.

When consumed fresh, oxalic acid does not have any harmful effects on the body. But when sorrel is cooked, the oxalic acid becomes inorganic and can cause health problems over time, so you should not consume sorrel for a long time or in large quantities. At a high concentration of inorganic oxalic acid, it can irritate human tissues and fall out in the form of tiny crystals, forming stones in the kidneys and bladder.

How to freeze sorrel for the winter?

It is better to freeze sorrel immediately, within 3-4 hours, after you brought it from the dacha or market, this way more vitamins will be preserved. First, we carefully sort through the sorrel and remove blades of grass, wilted, damaged leaves, and cut off the cuttings. Then we rinse thoroughly in plenty of water so that grains of sand and dirt settle to the bottom of the dish, because the sorrel is in contact with the surface of the earth. Shake the leaves out of the water and lay them out to dry on a towel. But you don’t need to dry it for a long time so that the sorrel doesn’t wilt. Then we cut it into strips. Advice. It is better to freeze sorrel in May-June, before the flower shoots appear, and use the top leaves. When it is young, it contains more vitamins and less oxalic acid, which accumulates in old leaves.

Place the sorrel in small food containers in portions for one-time cooking and lightly compact. Since plastic containers take up a lot of space, they are used when the freezer is large.

If the freezer is small, you can tightly wrap the chopped sorrel in cling film or put it in small plastic bags, also in portions. Using gentle pressure, release the air and seal it tightly.

Sorrel can be frozen for the winter with other types of herbs, for example, dill and parsley - very convenient.

Frozen sorrel is in no way inferior to fresh summer sorrel in appearance and taste. It does not need to be defrosted first, but can be immediately added to the dish being prepared, for example, green borscht or cold soup. It is especially good to cook sorrel dishes at the end of winter or spring, when there are not enough vitamins. But it should be remembered that sorrel contains oxalic acid, so it should not be consumed often. And in order to neutralize the small amount of oxalic acid contained in young leaves, you need to add a little milk or other dairy products to sorrel dishes when cooking. At the same time, oxalic acid reacts with calcium contained in dairy products and forms a calcium salt, which is completely harmless.

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Which sorrel is suitable for freezing and which is not?

Only fresh, juicy product is suitable for freezing. Do not store old, tough leaves. They will not give the desired taste, but can only ruin the entire preparation.

You should not take those leaves that have already begun to turn yellow or have too hard petioles.

Also note that you need to collect sorrel for freezing before shooting.

Common mistakes

Now let's see where you can make a mistake when storing sorrel.

• Place chopped sorrel in one bag. This is not exactly a mistake, but rather a flaw. If you put all the greens in one bag, then you will have to pick out the right amount later. And this is not very convenient.
• The sorrel is completely dried. This greenery quickly withers when dry, so the leaves are stored slightly damp.
• The leaves are crumpled before storing. This leads to tissue damage and affects the taste of the product. It becomes sour and acquires a metallic taste.
• Sorrel stays in the quick-freezing chamber for a long time. As a result, the product simply “freezes out” and loses its properties for which it is valued.

How to freeze sorrel in the freezer for the winter

You also need to prepare several bags (use those designed for storing food), a container, a knife and a cutting board.

To prepare sorrel, it is advisable to choose the leaves of a young plant. They contain the maximum amount of vitamins and the taste is richer.

We carefully sort through the leaves, remove damaged areas and any debris. Place the sorrel in a container and fill it completely with water, rinse each leaf. Spread a towel on the table and lay out the washed leaves to dry for 10-15 minutes.

We cut the stems from the dried leaves - they will not be frozen, but will take up extra space.

Cut the leaves crosswise into strips. To save a little time, you can stack several leaves and cut them that way.

Approximately figure out how much product you will need to use at one time, and distribute the entire volume received in portions.

We put the sorrel into bags and roll the workpiece into a roll with our hands, at the same time letting out as much air as possible.

All that remains is to put the workpiece on the freezer shelf - and the process is over! Delicious and healthy borscht and pies for you!

Answers to frequently asked questions

How to defrost sorrel?

Sorrel is not defrosted, but used frozen. A defrosted product loses its appearance and, most importantly, its taste.

Which is better, fresh sorrel or frozen?

Of course, any fresh product is healthier and tastier than frozen. But sorrel retains the vast majority of its beneficial properties even after freezing.

Which freezing method should I choose?

Depends on your tasks. If you need a filling for pies or a dressing for cabbage soup, it is better to store finely chopped leaves.

If you are preparing salads, use the whole leaves.