Basil: harvesting for winter in different ways
Basil is one of the very useful spicy plants. Apply it both in fresh and dried form. Used aromatic herb not only in cooking, but also for the preparation of various home natural cosmetics and medicinal decoctions. The preparation of basil for the winter can be different. To some extent, it depends on its varietal identity. How to prepare basil for the winter? This will be discussed in this article.
Such a different basil. Harvest for the winter is partly dependent on the type of spicy grass
There are several varieties of plants:
- Mexican. A tall plant (up to 50 cm) with purple flowers, which has a taste of cinnamon.
- Small-leaved. Basil of sweet taste, almost without tart taste. Leaves are small and narrow.
- Thai. Got a name due to the special popularity in the eastern kitchen. It has silvery leaves and a rich anise smell.
- Lemon. Feature in similarity to taste with a variety of yellow citrus. It goes well with fish.
- The bush. Externally, the plant looks like a magnificent "cap" with small leaves.
- Purple. Another name is regan. This basil has reddish-violet leaves. The most popular in the Caucasian cuisine. The plant is low and thermophilic.
All types of plants are suitable for drying. It is best to keep its flavor in the form of a frozen product purple basil. Lemon and shrubbery try to keep as long as possible fresh, placing the cut off stems in cool water and covering the green grass with a plastic bag.
Basil: harvest for the winter salting method
Go through the green mass by removing the large stems. It is possible to grease the leaves both in the whole form and in the cut. It is better to use a "dry" method than the method of pouring mortar. To do this simply sprinkle the greens with salt and place on jars, a little ramming.
Basil: harvest for the winter freezing method
Before being placed in the refrigerator chamber, the leavestry some seconds, then dip into cold water. After drying, place on sachets and freeze. Often, cut leaves are harvested, placing together with water in ice molds. Cubes are then poured into a bag and stored in the freezer.
Basil: harvest for the winter by drying
Spicy seasoning can be harvested by the gradual evaporation of moisture from the green leaves. To do this, use one of the options:
- Drying in the open air. Spread the greens (remove pre-large stems) a thin layer on paper or cloth and place in a place with good air circulation. Do not dry on exposed sunlight. Place trays with harvested greens in shady places.
- Use of enclosed spaces in hot weatherof the year. You can bind the basil in bundles and hang in attic rooms, where under the roof itself, the air temperature is quite high. The dried leaves are removed from the stems and folded into paper bags for storage.
- A convenient option for processing green raw materialsis the application of an electric dryer. In contrast to ovens and microwave ovens, in her the basil grass is obtained the desired degree of processing. Leaves are not overdried, which protects them from fragility and brittleness.
