When to harvest leeks and how to store them at home all winter

Piechelsteiner thick German soup

Category: Broths and soups Hot soups Other soups

I love recipes with a history or with an interesting name ... So, I came across this recipe on the Internet. The preamble was this: Bismarck's stew - also called "pihelsteiner" - is a rich thick soup, which is prepared with three different types of meat. He was especially fond of the German Chancellor Bismarck when he was vacationing in the Bavarian resort of Bad Kissingen. Thick and hearty, the Piechelsteiner is included in the gold collection of the 100 most famous recipes around the world. In his honor in the German city of Regen for 130 years, a holiday has been held with night boating, a fancy-dress procession, a colorful fair and fireworks. Well, do you think I could resist such a recipe. Of course not! I cooked it ... very tasty and satisfying, but ... it seemed to me a little rustic. I began to search ... and found it. And what I found, more on that below.

Beef Pork Chicken Onion Carrots Root celery Potatoes Leeks Sweet paprika Salt Black pepper Parsley Broth

How to prepare for storage

If a crop is grown in large volumes in order to leave part of the crop for storage, then it must be collected carefully. The heads are pry off with a pitchfork, they are removed from the soil, holding the feather, also trying not to damage the greens.

Did you know? Leek came to the Mediterranean countries from Mesopotamia, where it was grown 3 thousand years BC. e. On the Apennine and Iberian peninsulas, it still grows wild.

Drying

After harvesting, the fruits are left for a couple of hours on the ridge for ventilation, if the weather does not allow, they are carried away under the canopy. Then it is sorted out, removing leaves with signs of yellowing or damage. The crop is dried for about a week in sunny weather, if the process takes place indoors, drying can last up to 10 days.

Pruning

The storage duration also depends on how the gardener can trim the onion correctly.

Pruning rules:

• shorten the greens by a third;
• the roots of the bulb are pruned so as to leave 1 cm;
• pruning is carried out with a sharpened blade so as not to grind the feather.

  

Steps

1. Leeks are an amazing vegetable, they eat their root, leaves and stem. In this case, part of the white onion itself itself appears to be a false stem. For today's cooking, we only need green leaves, which we thoroughly rinse in cold water in advance, and then let them dry completely. Cut the greens into small pieces as shown in the photo and put them on the tray of the electric dryer.
2. It is necessary to cook the onion until it is completely dry, unlike all kinds of berries and fruits, the whole process will take much less time. It is best to dry greens in the lightest mode in order to preserve the maximum of useful vitamins and minerals. Although heat treatment is considered less aggressive than freezing, it also has a detrimental effect on the compounds of many substances.
3. Already completely dried green onion leaves are carefully transferred to the blender bowl, and then chopped to the desired condition. As mentioned earlier, you can store such a spice in tin or glass jars, they must be carefully processed and dried in advance. We tighten the cans tightly and tightly, and then put them in a dark and dry place for storage.
4. You can use this seasoning for cooking meat or fish, especially fried or baked. Harvesting dried leeks for the winter is ready.

   Bon Appetit!

Ripening terms

The ripening period is determined by the belonging of the vegetable to the group of early (mid-early), mid-ripening or mid-late (late-ripening) varieties.

Early and mid-early varieties (fast growing)

The ripening period of these plants is 90-130 days, and harvesting occurs in the summer or early autumn. The varieties are used for preparing fresh meals and processing. These include:

• Columbus. Bred by Dutch breeders. He is considered the best of the early ripening. An adult plant reaches 70-80 cm in height, while the white "leg" is up to 20 cm long, up to 6 cm wide, and weighs up to 400 grams. It is stored for a long time, without losing either taste or marketability. When growing, it does not need multiple hilling to bleach the productive part.
• Goliath. A very large variety. Here the "leg" of the plant is so dense that almost no "rings" are visible, the leaves are bright and very juicy. The taste is very spicy. Bleached stems can reach 50 cm in height and 6-8 cm in diameter, weighing about 150-200 grams. Differs in rapid growth. Requires feeding due to low immunity to disease.
• Elephant's trunk. High-yielding variety. It is a plant with dark green leaves. Height 60-75 cm. The bleached part of the stem is up to 30 cm long, 2.5-4 cm in diameter, and weighs about 200 g.
• Vesta. A variety bred by domestic breeders. Has excellent immunity to disease. Plant height 100-140 cm, width 2-3 cm, "leg" about 25-50 cm, weight 200-300 gr.

Columbus cultivar

Mid-season varieties

Their ripening period is about 150-160 days. Such varieties are suitable for winter storage and include:

• Winner. The plant is of medium height and has green leaves with a grayish tint. The stem-leg also does not differ in a special length, maximum 20 cm, weight 200 g. The culture has a mild juicy taste. Most often it is used for home preservation.
• Casimir. A variety of German selection, very sensitive to lack of moisture, while it is very productive. The height of the white leg is 23-27 cm, the diameter of the trunk is 3-3.5 cm.
• Giraffe. The plant is tall - up to 140 cm. Leaves are frequent, forming a dense bush. Bleached part up to 30 cm, diameter 5-6 cm, weight up to 300 g. The variety has a mild pungent taste. High-yielding variety. Recommended for consumption both fresh or dried, and for canning.
• Tango. A variety that gives a bountiful harvest. The leaf is erect, dark blue-green in color. "Leg" up to 12 cm long, up to 5 cm in diameter. The taste is semi-sharp. The mass of one plant is 200-250 g. Frost-resistant. Recommended both for fresh use and long-term winter storage.
• Gulliver. The plant with bright green leaves reaches a height of 40-50 cm, has a "leg" 15-20 cm long and 2-3 cm in diameter. The weight of the stem is 150-250 g.
• Camus. A variety of Czech selection. A plant with green leaves of a concave shape, there is a waxy bloom. The bleached part is about 20 cm long, 2-2.5 cm in diameter, weight about 200 g. Frost resistant.
• Bastion. The cultivar is of medium length, gray or gray-green (gray-blue) raised leaves. The length of the bleached part is up to 30 cm, diameter is 4.5-5 cm, weight is up to 220 g. The variety is resistant to disease.
• Jolant. The plant has narrow green leaves with a purple tint. Height is only 35-45 cm, "leg" is up to 10 cm, diameter is 2-2.5 cm and weight is 150-200 gr. The advantage of the variety is its high immunity to various fungi.
• Kilima. The plant is up to 1 m high. Forms a bleached stalk up to 25 cm long, 5 cm in diameter, weighing up to 150 g. It has a delicate semi-sharp taste. Demanding on fertilizers, especially nitrogen, hygrophilous. A productive, cold-resistant, disease-resistant variety.

Giraffe variety

Mid-late and late-ripening varieties

The ripening period of these crops is 180-220 days. They are highly resistant to harsh climatic conditions, especially frost. These include:

• Alligator. The plant is tall - up to 120-140 cm. The leaves are wide and flat. Thickened stem 30 cm long, 5 cm in diameter, weighing 300 grams.
• Karantansky. One of the oldest varieties of leeks. The plant is about 80 cm tall, with a bleached stem about 25 cm long and 6 cm in diameter. Average weight - 300 gr. High-yielding variety.
• Autumn giant. Dutch variety. It reaches a height of 120-130 cm, a large white "leg" can reach a length of 40 cm, a diameter of up to 8 cm. The weight of a plant is about 350-400 grams. The giant requires repeated hilling, high-quality feeding, an abundance of moisture and light.
• Elephant (Elephant MS). A variety of Czech selection. Up to 150 cm high, the bleached stem is about 30 cm in height and 4-5 cm in section. Weight 250-300 gr. Frost resistant.

Important! To make the right choice of leek variety, you need to focus on the climate of the growing region.

More suitable varieties for the regions are presented in the table:

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Features of keeping at home

Vegetable growers have long been aware that when growing a variety, you need to allocate a separate place, which will be intended for storage for a long period of leeks in winter. A good place to make the leek "feel good" is a cellar or an apartment. You can, of course, leave a few bunches for the winter, covering it with an agricultural canvas. But remember that leeks survive at temperatures as low as -10. If the thermometer is even lower, then the product will simply die. That is why it is so important to observe the storage time and place, observing the necessary rules and conditions for this vegetable.

Description

Freezing leeks for the winter is a fairly simple and quick process, however, you should know the necessary recommendations to do it right.

It should be noted that after you make such a preparation for the winter, frozen leek cannot be used for making salads, as it will slightly lose its aroma and elasticity. However, you can always add such greens to soup or borscht, as well as to any other hot dish. In addition, many hostesses share the secret that frozen leeks are very tasty to eat fried in batter. Based on this, you can always prepare an original delicious appetizer for the festive table or please your family with it.

In addition to the fact that dishes with frozen leek added to them become tastier and more aromatic, such greens also have benefits for the body. For example, in folk medicine, this plant was often used as an ingredient that helped normalize the digestive process and relieve a person from bloating and stomach cramps. Leeks also act as an excellent diuretic.

The frozen leek tastes a bit like sweet onions, and its aroma is subtle and delicate. We recommend that you freeze this product for the winter according to our recipe with step-by-step photos, so that you always have a tasty and healthy addition to your dishes at your fingertips.

Leeks are a source of vitamins all year round

Since the days of Russia, people have given great preference to onions, adding it to many dishes. At that time, they did not yet have knowledge about all the benefits of this vegetable, but they noticed that some healing properties are inherent in it.Today, the beneficial properties of onions have been studied by science.

The main advantage can be considered the phytoncides included in its composition, which have an antimicrobial effect. That is why, in folk medicine, leeks are considered to be the main weapon in the fight against colds. It contains the following vitamins: B1, B2, B3, C, E, PP, provitamin A.

The vegetable has antitumor, diaphoretic, diuretic, hemostatic, wound healing and anti-inflammatory effects - the benefits for the body are simply enormous!

In addition, onions are assigned properties that improve the functioning of the gallbladder and intestines. In addition to the listed vitamins, it contains mineral salts, organic acids and essential oils. There are about 300 types of this amazingly healthy vegetable in the world. In the kitchen, it is given the most important role, it is used in soups and side dishes, salads and gravies, sauces and seasonings, and in canning.

Description

Harvesting leeks for the winter won't take you long, at least if you use our step-by-step photo recipe. From it you will learn how to simply dry and chop the stalks of leeks, as well as how to properly store such a workpiece. It is no secret that after drying, any product slightly changes its taste characteristics and our today's vegetable is no exception. Fresh leeks have a very distinctive aroma and taste only slightly bitter. In dried form, such a vegetable will become an excellent seasoning for many meat and fish dishes, since, in addition to bitterness, it will also be slightly tart.

There is nothing complicated in the drying process, the main thing is to observe the temperature conditions and not let the onion smell disappear. You can easily create such a blank at home on your own. At the same time, you can dry leeks in any quantity: such a preparation will not take up much space for sure. As for the directly prepared product, it is better to store it in tin boxes or in bags made of cotton or any other natural fabric. Also, very often, a similar seasoning is stored in glass jars with screw lids. For a year after creation, such a blank will be relevant and usable. Let's start cooking and harvesting leeks for the winter.

Storage periods

Leeks are truly a marvelous vegetable, deservedly popular with the dacha community. To ensure the preservation of its valuable properties for a long time, experts have bred many successful varieties and recommended a dozen options for maintaining it in good condition for a long time. It will not be difficult for every gardener to choose the most suitable of them in all respects.

Leek preparations for the winter

This type of onion is used mainly in salads, but there is another very common way to prepare leeks - it is pickling.

So, for this you will need: 2 kilograms of onions, 1 liter of water, 6 tablespoons of sugar, half a glass of apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons of salt, a couple of black peppercorns.

Rinse the white part of the leek under running water, immerse it in hot salted water, soak it for a few minutes, then place it tightly in pasteurized jars. Boil the water that remains after processing the onions in it, then add sugar, salt, apple cider vinegar to it. Pour the resulting mixture into jars, add pepper, roll up. Store in a cool dry place.

Fridge and freezer storage

Only the stems are left to store the leeks in the refrigerator. Often gardeners ask what to do with the feather, because there is a lot of it left. A mature plant has tough leaves, so drying or salting is the best way to preserve it.

The stems, after trimming the leaves and roots, are placed in a bag and placed in the refrigerator.

Regarding freezing leeks, each housewife treats this storage method differently. Someone does not like the taste of onions after freezing, so they do not use this method.

If you want to freeze leeks, cut the stems into rings, put them in containers or bags, and place them in the freezer.

Cons of winter planting onions

There are not many of them. First, the planting rate: alas, it will have to be increased, because in winter a number of plants may die. In fact, even large enterprises that plant onions for the winter increase the number of planted bulbs by only 12-16%, that is, quite a bit, and these costs are more than compensated for by early harvests.

But, alas, no one is insured against force majeure circumstances, they are here and they can be safely ranked as the second minus of the autumn planting of onions. Alas - this is the weather, if it does not snow, that is, it does not fall at all, the sky is so turquoise, clear, and the frost is getting lower and lower and now it reaches -16, then a large-scale death of the planted plants will begin. How to save?

You can cover the plantings with non-woven covering material, you can make smoky fires along the periphery of the site, having agreed in advance with the neighbors. But it is much safer to cover the entire area as soon as possible with a thick layer of non-woven covering material (five or even ten centimeters), depending on the temperature: what is expected and whether there will be snow in the near future.

Where and how this wonderful plant helps

It should be said that not every variety can stay fresh for a long time, what you need to know before choosing a way to store leeks for the winter. Like other plants, leeks come in early, medium and late varieties. The early ones most often go to food immediately. They are more tender and juicy than medium and late varieties. The leaves are not so large and long, but also not so bitter.

• early plant varieties such as Columbus, Vesta or Elephant Trunk will sprout 14 days after planting and will yield good yields, but are not suitable for storage;
• medium varieties, which include "Kazimir", "Winner", "Elephant", germinate a little longer, but are stored for a long time. Mid-season varieties are more frost-resistant, and are also suitable for harvesting and storing leek at home.
• the late varieties include Alligator, Karantskiy, Bandit, Autumn Giant, which are slightly inferior in their taste to the aforementioned varieties, because they taste more bitter and harsh than the earlier ones, but you can store them even until next harvest.

• Firstly, in a person who eats leeks, hemoglobin in the blood rises and normalizes, the onion helps people with high blood pressure, as well as with neuralgia and poor memory, strengthens the heart and increases the body's immunity.
• Secondly, with reduced sexual activity, onions become an irreplaceable assistant;
• Thirdly, leek is an ardent fighter against bowel and prostate cancer. Leeks contain quercetins and other substances that prevent the development and growth of cancer cells.
• Fourthly, kaempferol, which is part of this vegetable, prevents ovarian cancer from developing in women. People who suffer from eye disease and who lose sight are also advised to consume this medicinal plant.

Few vegetables can compete with leeks in the availability of vitamins and nutrients. This is one of the few plants that not only does not lose, but also significantly increases the vitamin C contained in it during long-term storage. The vegetable has a bactericidal and antitumor effect, improves the functioning of the bladder, gall bladder and gastrointestinal tract.

Growing onions at home will give you the opportunity to have this valuable vegetable on your table every day.

Leek is a herbaceous crop from the genus of onions, it is distinguished by its high stem and the presence of a large amount of vitamins.

It is used as a seasoning for various dishes, not only because of its taste, but also in order to strengthen the immune system. Many summer residents grow and store fresh leeks throughout the winter.

It is not for nothing that it is considered one of the best folk remedies for the prevention of seasonal infections.

Leeks are unpretentious and almost always yield a good harvest, but few know how to keep them fresh for a long period. It should be specially prepared for long-term storage, taking into account the following features:

• the crop is harvested around late September or early October;
• slight frosts are not terrible for the leek, but it is advisable to collect it before the first frost;
• during the collection process, the bulbs must be carefully dug out, and not pulled out;
• after harvesting, the roots must be cut off without damaging the bottom of the bulbs;
• feathers can be harvested during the growing period.

To ensure storage of leeks throughout the winter, they are cut into small pieces (rings or strips) and frozen. Also, chopped onion rings can be dried in the oven and further used as seasonings.

Attention! After freezing, leeks do not lose their taste and medicinal qualities. It is better to freeze it in small portions.

Storage methods

There are several proven methods that allow you to preserve flavor and vitamins in leeks for a long time:

1. In a box filled with sand on a balcony, cellar or basement. The method is one of the simplest and most common. To avoid the appearance of pests, the sand is pre-calcined in the oven. It is poured onto a baking sheet and placed in the oven for 30 minutes, the temperature is set at 200 degrees. For laying onions, slightly damp sand is required, therefore, after cooling, you need to add a little clean water to it. With this method of storage, you will need a comfortable temperature regime - 0 ° C and humidity - 85%.
2. In the garden. If you have your own land plot, you can provide storage of leeks right in the beds. A small but deep hole is pulled out, vegetables are laid and covered with a small earthen layer. During low temperatures, leaves or straw are poured on top of the earth. Experienced summer residents additionally cover the storage area for leeks with coniferous branches to scare off rodents.

Using a container with sand or beds, you can keep the onion fresh for 7 months. At home, it is stored in the following ways:

• in a refrigerator;
• in the freezer;
• in dried form;
• in a salted form.

In city apartments, it is not easy to organize full-fledged storage of leeks, but if you approach the harvest correctly, fresh herbs will be present on the table from late autumn to spring.

Leeks are closely related to the classic onion. The main differences from each other are the size of the bulb and the height of the stems.

The feathers of the plant are used for food, the most valuable part is the "snow-white" stem of the stem. The plant does not have a dormant period and produces crops until late autumn, without stopping growth.

The next year after planting, the leek blooms with multi-colored flowers, the nectar of which is very fond of bumblebees.

Attention! To obtain your leek seeds, the seed umbrellas are cut and hung in a cool, shaded area until fully ripe.

Despite the fact that leek tastes very much like its onion counterpart, its medicinal properties are much higher. Useful properties of leeks:

• prevention of joint diseases;
• increases hemoglobin;
• helps fight infections;
• improves the digestive tract;
• lowers cholesterol;
• has an anti-inflammatory effect;
• improves eyesight when consumed regularly.

Leeks should be eaten with caution for people with low blood sugar and stomach problems. The taste and shelf life of onions depends on the variety:

1. Early maturing varieties. They are considered the most productive, ripen about 130 days after planting. Such varieties are not stored for long, so it is advisable to eat them fresh.
2. Mid-season varieties. Despite the later ripening, in terms of agrotechnical qualities, they are superior to early ripening ones. Ripening occurs at about 150-180 days, and the harvest lasts until early spring.
3. Late-ripening varieties. The productivity of the varieties of this group practically coincides with the mid-season ones. They ripen no earlier than 180 days after sowing and can be stored until summer. Characteristic features are stiffer feathers and a pronounced pungency of taste.

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Regardless of the variety, leeks are healthy and delicious. Due to its merits, it is always a welcome product on the home table.

Like most vegetable crops, leeks can be early maturing or ripen in late autumn. Early varieties are grown for fresh consumption during the summer season, and long storage is contraindicated for them. Therefore, having bought and planted such a variety, you need to correctly calculate the summer need for this vegetable so that the crop is processed during the summer and is not put into storage. Of course, the harvested stems can be kept in the refrigerator for a month or two.

As for the late varieties, they are just grown for storage, in order to provide the family with useful vegetables and vitamins in winter, allowing them to get additional protection from the effects of pathogenic bacteria and increase immunity.

Therefore, if the task is to prepare leeks for future use, then late-ripening varieties are planted, the harvest of which is well stored for a long time. Late ripening varieties include:

• Karatansky;
• Elephant;
• Alligator;
• Autumn giant;
• Mercury;
• Bandit.

If late varieties are chosen for planting in the northern regions or in the Urals, where the summer is short, so that the leek has time to form in accordance with the varietal characteristics, then they are grown in seedlings, and with the arrival of heat, the seedlings are planted in open ground.

Why leeks are good for you

The inhabitants of antiquity respected the leek, first of all, for its medicinal properties. It was believed that it supports the vocal cords, and the emperor Nero enjoyed this miraculous quality, using it in huge quantities, for which he was even nicknamed "the leek eater." In addition, in ancient times, this onion was used to treat such diseases as: gout, rheumatism, urolithiasis, overwork of various types.

Currently, the following are some of the medicinal functions of leeks. It is recommended to use it for women who want to lose extra pounds or prevent their appearance. It is extremely effective in this case, as it has high nutritional properties, quickly satisfying hunger, while being low in calories.

Useful information for people who have problems with hair growth - in this type of onion, vitamin B6 is actively combined with zinc, and this interaction has a stimulating and warming effect on the hair follicles.

The substance allicin, contained in leeks in considerable quantities, improves the condition of blood vessels, removes excess harmful cholesterol from there.

Selection and preparation of ingredients

Leek is a two-year vegetable crop of the Onion family, native to the Mediterranean coast. The plant is quite unpretentious and can grow in different climatic zones. The only thing is that in central Russia, in particular, in the Moscow region, regions of Moscow, it will be quite difficult to get leek from seeds, therefore experienced vegetable growers practice the seedling method of growing vegetables.

Important! For the preparation of blanks or fresh consumption, it is not recommended to use

«
old
»
the leaves of the plant, since they have a rather tough structure and an unpleasant taste.
The nutritional value of the described vegetable is represented by tender, young leaves and a thickened false stem. It is these parts of the plant that are used in cooking. Unlike onions, leeks have a thinner, less pronounced pungent aftertaste and delicate aroma. Onions with a clean, white cylindrical stem, the length of which is no more than 5-7 cm, is considered the best raw material for preparing winter preparations.

If the plant has a convex leg, this indicates that the process of bulb formation has begun, which means that the leek is overripe. The base of the vegetable should be at least 1.5 cm. You should also give preference to a plant with young, strong leaves of a rich green color. Moreover, the younger the onion, the more fragrant and tender its leafy feathers will be.

Learn how to cook whole heads of pickled white and red onions.

A good vegetable is characterized by a fresh, unobtrusive aroma with no mustiness or dampness. When choosing a bow, experts recommend checking its central part. If a peduncle with seed begins to form, then it is better to refuse to buy such a vegetable, since it will be quite tough. Choosing a completely soft leek for workpieces is also not worth it.

Choosing a place for planting onions in winter

In a burst of lasting joy and happiness from the upcoming soil work, do not forget that onions love loose soil that has a neutral reaction, that is, a pH of about 6.0. How to determine the pH of the soil: Any garden store sells a jar of litmus papers and a scale, buy it and bring it home. Next, in a glass of water, stir the water with the earth for about 15 minutes, placing a strip of litmus paper there. Wait five seconds and check the color of the paper with the scale on the package. Depending on the result obtained, you should either add 250 g of lime per square meter to deacidify the soil, or start planting winter onions.

When the soil, in general, is sorted out on the site, proceed to the choice of a place for the garden. Under the winter onion, I strongly advise you to give the most well-lit and ventilated place. But so that the snow does not blow away in winter, but it lingers in this area for as long as possible. And in the spring, let it evaporate as soon as possible from this area, it does not drain, but evaporates. Also, neither irrigation nor rainwater should stagnate in this area.

So, we remembered: the soil is loose (not clay), the reaction of the soil is neutral, the place is open and well-lit (no shade) and sufficiently ventilated to further exclude stagnation of moisture and all kinds of diseases.

Important! Plant onions before winter in the place where in spring the snow melts as quickly and amicably as possible and moisture does not stagnate (this has already been reported). Note again: moisture stagnation for onions is a terrible nuisance.

When and how to harvest correctly

Since young green leeks are also usable, they can be selectively harvested as they grow back. They are carefully cut with a knife at the base, dried and yellowed parts are cut off, and green ones are used for food. Mid-August is the time to start harvesting whole leeks for summer and autumn use. This is the ripening period for early maturing varieties.But if vegetables are grown for winter storage, then it is advisable to remove them from the garden only after a month, starting in mid-September. At this time, the mid-season leek varieties, which are recommended to be grown in Siberia, finish the growing season, so that the vegetables just have time to ripen before the arrival of the early cold weather.

You can harvest late leeks even later - in October, before the onset of frost. At this time, it remains usable, despite a short-term drop in temperature to minus marks. It is this leek that can be left for long-term storage.

Dig the leeks with a shovel or pitchfork, carefully lifting the ground along with the roots. Then they take each plant by the leg and pull it out of the ground. Shake off the soil from each leek and remove old, dirty leaves, cut green and healthy ones by 2/3. Although some vegetable growers claim that in this form the leek dries quickly and is much less stored, therefore they leave the leaves as they are. The roots are cut in half without touching the bottom. Then the leek is dried for 2-3 days right in the beds, if the weather is dry, and if it is wet, then under a canopy. This procedure will prepare it for long-term storage and protect it from possible decay.

Onion tree

Children will especially like the idea of ​​growing an onion tree on the windowsill. Do you think this does not exist? Inventive agronomists have long refuted this statement, having learned how to grow such a tree on a windowsill (it is also called an onion "cactus"). In order to grow this at home, you need onions, soil and a large plastic bottle.

1. Cut off the bottom and neck of the bottle, cut round holes around.
2. Place the bottle on a pallet, fill it with earth to the level of the lower holes, place the prepared bulbs in them so that they "look" into the hole.
3. Gradually filling the bottle with earth, plant other onions in the same way.
4. When the bottle is full, plant several bulbs upright.
5. Keep warm until the first greenery appears, then move to the windowsill. Do not forget to water and rotate, turning different sides to the light so that the "tree" is covered with green evenly.

Whichever method you prefer, you should plant onions in winter at intervals of 2 weeks. In this case, the supply of greenery to your kitchen will be uninterrupted.

Elena Pronina

cottage, for the winter, a hobby, a note to the hostess,

What conditions are necessary for storing onions in winter

To determine which onion heads should be left intact to store unprocessed fresh for the winter, and which ones to dry or freeze, they should be sorted out. If you plan to keep the vegetable fresh, choose only whole, strong onions without any damage.

If you are wondering how to keep leeks for a long time and you have a basement, you just need to prepare the crates and sand. The sand must first be calcined over a fire or in an oven for disinfection. Then you should pour the calcined sand up to 7 cm high on the bottom of the box and insert the heads vertically.

The air humidity in the basement in winter should be 80%, and the temperature should be around 0. You can also use the balcony for storing leeks, but in this case, the boxes must be insulated so that the onions can withstand frosts.

During the entire laying, it is required to check the vegetable for dry and damaged leaves so that the entire crop does not die from the infected.

To preserve the maximum amount of nutrients in the onion, it must be dried. To use this method, you need to take clean and pre-dried onions, cut them into slices or strips, put them on a baking sheet, which then just need to be sent to the oven heated to 60 degrees. Stir the leek periodically so that the contents of the baking sheet are calcined evenly.

You can save chopped onions in a regular jar, occasionally adding them as a seasoning along with other dried herbs.

Storing frozen leeks for the winter in a refrigerator freezer is suitable for people without balconies or basements. To do this, rinse the plant thoroughly, sort through the leaves, while removing dry and damaged ones, cut the roots.

Washed and sorted onions should be laid out on a net or gauze in a ventilated dark place. Chill the onions after drying. To do this, put the vegetable on plates and place in the refrigerator. Place the chilled onions in clean dry bags and freeze in a dry way. Such onions can be stored both intact and cut into rings. The temperature set in the refrigerator should not drop to 5 degrees below zero. Shelf life - up to 7 months.

Useful properties of onions

Many experienced housewives probably know how to preserve onions for the winter. But why? Just because from time immemorial it was customary to add this vegetable to food? Here are some interesting facts about the common onion that will help you take a fresh look at it. This wonderful vegetable contributes to:

• improved appetite;
• faster digestion of food;
• losing weight (since it has a low calorie content);
• an increase in the level of iron in the human body;
• improving the work of the cardiac and vascular systems (due to the presence of potassium);
• calming the nervous system;
• fight against insomnia;
• prevention of heart attacks.

Leeks in folk and traditional medicine

In folk medicine, the Mediterranean native is used when a person is diagnosed with digestive problems. This plant promotes increased appetite and the production of gastric juice. A vegetable must be present in the diet of those people who have liver or gallbladder diseases. Leeks are an excellent diuretic.

Considering that there are practically no calories in the plant, it is an indispensable ingredient in the diet of people suffering from obesity. The plant is capable of stimulating metabolic processes in the human body. It will also help to cope with depression, physical exhaustion, vitamin deficiency, atherosclerosis.

This plant is indicated for use by those people who suffer from anemia. Given the high iron content, onions with this disease help to cope with the disease, as it increases the production of hemoglobin.

A Mediterranean native normalizes the nervous system, helps the brain to properly absorb information, improves memory and increases concentration.

Leeks are recommended for pregnant women, as they contain a large amount of folic acid. This vitamin is necessary so that the pathology of the intrauterine development of the unborn child does not arise.

The vegetable perfectly copes with infections, slows down inflammatory and oncological processes, and helps with vision problems.

Growing on water

The easiest way to grow green onions on a windowsill is with water.

1. To do this, you need to take sprouted bulbs. If there are none, then take the usual ones, although some of them, most likely, will not start up the green arrows. If the bulb is not germinated, cut off the top of it with a sharp knife, stepping back about one and a half centimeters.
2. Peel the selected bulbs and immerse them in warm water for an hour, placing the container in a warm place. The water temperature at this time should be maintained at about 40 degrees.
3. Then pour water into the pallet, container, plastic box. A high capacity is not needed, because little water is needed: its level should reach only a third of the height of the bulbs.
4. Place the onions tightly in a container.
5. Place the container on the windowsill and wait for the harvest. Do not forget to add water and rotate the container along the axis so that there is enough light on all sides of the beam.

Despite its simplicity, this method has worked well.However, many believe that a truly useful product can be grown at home on a windowsill only in the ground.

Leek: preparation for wintering, storage features, variety selection

Leeks are a delicious and vitamin-rich herb for two years. It gained its popularity due to its taste and unpretentious care.

The homeland of leeks is Asia and the Mediterranean, and the Egyptians became the first people who began to cultivate this plant as the most important vegetable crop.

Leeks are valued in Europe for their impressive amount of vitamins, they are added to mixtures of seasonings, they are used in cooking as an addition to main dishes, they are consumed fresh.

Late-ripening leek varieties tolerate freezing enough, an adult plant will calmly survive a mild winter under a snow cover. However, the growing season of these varieties is delayed, and the plant simply does not have time to grow on time. To solve the problem, it is recommended to grow late-ripening varieties in greenhouses, making a transplant from open ground in late autumn.

Consider the fact that, like all cultivated plants, leeks need sun and warmth to form a strong root and thick stem, but if the summer months are cold and rainy, you should not delay the transplanting of leeks into the greenhouse.

You can plant leeks in several ways, seedlings or seeds. However, cultivation begins with the preparation of leek seeds for planting, before sowing they are kept in heated water (about 46 degrees), then in a cold disinfecting solution.

If you want to get a quick harvest of leeks, the seeds must first germinate, consider the fact that the seedlings retain their germination for about 2.5 years. The pre-calibrated leek seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in a warm place, and after three days they can be planted in the ground.

Leeks respond well to fertile soil, rich in humus, grows well on neutral loams with good aeration and drainage. The place should be sufficiently lit and windless.

The site for planting leeks must be prepared in advance, preferably in the fall. Organic matter (manure) is introduced into the soil approximately 5.5 kg. per sq.m. land, dug up and harrowed. In the spring, mineral fertilizers are applied and you can start forming the beds.

The best precursors for leeks are tomatoes, beans, cabbage and cauliflower, tuber crops.

Sprouted leeks, ready for planting, in the second decade of May.

For better survival, some gardeners recommend dipping the roots of leek seedlings in a special solution, made of clay and rotted manure (mixed in equal proportions), and then start planting in the ground.

Leek seeds are sown in small beds, and it is better to plant seedlings in pre-prepared holes, up to 12 cm deep.

The bottom of the hole is lined with rotted organic matter, then leeks are planted, holding the seedling vertically, the hole is filled almost to the top, lightly tamped and watered.

The depth of the hole for leek seedlings largely depends on the height of the plant itself, do not allow lodging, but also do not deepen the lower leaves into the ground.

Two-row (10-15 cm wide between seedlings and no more than 35 cm between beds) and multi-row (several beds 25-35 cm wide and up to 10 cm apart between seedlings)

• For your convenience, when sowing leek seeds, use peat tablets or small containers with enriched soil.

• For the plant to develop quickly, water the seedlings with a weak compost solution and liquid mineral fertilizers, once every two weeks, the entire period of growing seedlings.

• For the best development of the root system of the onion, as well as the thickening of its stem, the tops of young seedlings should be pruned every week.

• As soon as your seedlings gain full three leaves, 13 cm long, and the width of the stem approaches a centimeter, feel free to plant the plant in open ground. The required growth will be achieved in the next 7-9 weeks.

Leeks, a crop that does not require painstaking care.

Systematic care includes a standard set of activities for the care of agricultural crops: watering, weeding, fertilizing and hilling.

Leeks need watering and fertilizing, the plant will give a good harvest only on fertile soil. As the leek grows, it will need hilling, weekly tamping the soil under the stem, will make it possible to grow it thick and tall.

Hilling is best done after watering, in the evening. Cutting the top leaves of the leek by a third will also contribute to the development of the stem rather than the greenery.

Weeding is carried out as needed, in the first half of the growing season of the plant, and as soon as the leek reaches maturity, it will be able to fight for "a place in the sun" on its own.

The most useful and tasty plant, leeks are used both in natural form and pickled, salted. It is used in cooking and is grown in many countries. The timing of leek harvesting depends, first of all, on the variety.

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From August, individual plants begin to be dug up and eaten. And for long-term storage, most leek varieties begin to be dug out from the beginning of October.

In order for the leek bulb to have a light shade, a week before harvesting, the aisles are covered with a dark film. The whole harvesting process is reduced to digging up and sorting the vegetable product.

Dig carefully without damaging the leeks and bulbs.

After harvesting, the leeks are sorted out, cleaned of soil residues, the upper part of the foliage is cut off, and the root is half. Spoiled or damaged onions cannot be stored for a long time.

The lower part of the leek is light in color, contains a huge amount of vitamins and the main supply of nutrients.

Leek can be consumed both young and mature.

Some varieties, when mature, begin to coarse, so their collection and storage implies early harvesting. Young leeks are a perfect addition to vegetable dishes, salads and sauces, and the yield is several times higher than that of onions.

To the question: "How to store leeks?" - there are several answers. First you need to decide on the variety of leeks, there are perishable varieties that a priori are not subject to long-term storage, to a greater extent this applies to early-maturing varieties.

The first way, storage in the refrigerator. Storing leeks in a container in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator will help keep them fresh for up to a month.

The second way to store it in the sand. Leeks are placed in a box and covered with sand, the temperature in the room is maintained at 0-1 degrees, with a humidity of no higher than 75%. The shelf life in this way can reach six months.

The third way is storage in the freezer. The leeks are washed, peeled, divided into equal parts, pre-cooled to zero, then wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen, when defrosting, the onions may lose their shape, but the taste will remain unchanged.

Leeks are a very healthy vegetable product that should be included in the diet of any person.

The plant has absorbed almost 85% of water, and also contains a small amount of carbohydrates, protein, sugar, starch, organic acids.

Leeks boast a high concentration of such groups of vitamins as "B" and "C", carotene, minerals. The product is rich in potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, calcium.

It has a beneficial effect on the body by supplying essential vitamins and minerals. Being a weak diuretic, it removes excess fluid from the body.

It improves the functioning of the gallbladder, helps to establish metabolism, stabilizes the activity of the liver, and effectively fights against diseases of the genitourinary system.

Leeks have an antioxidant and antihypoxic effect on the body as a whole.

The healing properties of leeks were mentioned in the 70s, it was recommended to use it for unburdened gout, scurvy, rheumatism, acute respiratory viral infections and physical fatigue. Leek improves appetite, and is indicated for disruption of the gastrointestinal tract.

Undoubtedly, leeks are useful, however, people with individual intolerance to the product should abandon it altogether, and those prone to allergic reactions should eat leeks in small portions.

Growing leeks at home doesn't take huge investments or exhausting efforts. It is enough just to choose the variety you are interested in, purchase a container for planting seeds, soil (or cook it yourself) and leek seeds. The capacity for planting should be moderately deep; an ordinary clay or plastic pot with drainage holes will do.

Daylight hours for leeks should be at least 11 hours, so artificial lighting is very important.

When planting leeks at home, seed dressing is not necessary, so feel free to sow seeds in prepared soil to a depth of 2 cm, after planting, moisten the soil from a sprayer.

If you intend to plant leeks later in open ground, then the temperature when the first shoots appear must be lowered, smoothly moving to 15, maintain this temperature for a week, then return to the original 24 degrees. Thus, the plant undergoes a kind of vernalization.

How to freeze green onions

Each housewife has her own ways of freezing onions for the winter. The indisputable advantage of harvesting in this way will be that during shock freezing, it will be possible to preserve the smell, color and aroma, as well as vitamins and other useful substances in the product almost in full.

Freezing onions with feathers

To freeze green onions for the winter in this way, you only need onion feathers and plastic containers.

First, the feathers should be washed and dried properly, the moisture should evaporate completely, this is very important. You can cut it coarsely or finely, as you wish, but it is desirable that all pieces are approximately the same size

Chopped onions must be poured into a container, while in no case crushed, cover with a lid and put in the freezer. Experienced housewives recommend using the shock freeze mode, so the desired result can be achieved quickly, while maximizing the benefits of the product. Onions frozen in this way can be sprinkled on ready-made meals and added to salads.

Freezing with water cubes

There is another popular method for freezing onions for the winter. This will require clean and well-dried feathers without dry tips and ice molds. Chop the onion, put it in molds, add a little water and send it to the freezer. After everything has turned into ice, such cubes need to be pulled out, transferred to a clean plastic bag, sealed and sent back to the freezer.

It is very good to add such onion preparations to the first and second courses. This is best done at the last stage of cooking. The ice will melt in a minute, and the aroma of fresh onions will fill the dish immediately.

A frozen product retains a lot of useful vitamins and, most importantly, can fully convey the delicate aroma of green onions.

How to store leeks in winter - for apartments and private houses

Storing vegetables in an apartment is always a problem. Many housewives solve it at least partially with the help of a freezer.If you cut the leeks into pieces and pack them in plastic bags, they won't take up too much space in the freezer. You can split it into several packages to make it easier to get it out. What matters is that all vitamins and microelements contained in it do not disappear completely when frozen, as is often the case with other fruits and vegetables. In the same way, by the way, you can store carrots after grating them.

For those who have a cellar or basement, the problem is solved by itself. The leek will be remarkably preserved in it. To do this, put the vegetables in a bucket and sprinkle them with wet sand on top. The container is placed in the cellar and covered with a lid. It is necessary to regularly check the basement for the absence of rodents and carry out prevention and control of them.

The native land of leeks grown in our climatic zone is the Mediterranean. In our climatic conditions, onions are more accustomed to growing. However, the Mediterranean native is gradually gaining popularity and is increasingly found in the beds of the inhabitants of our country.

Leeks have been known to mankind since ancient times. It was eaten in Rome and Greece. The culture tastes sweet and has no harsh aroma. Today it has been adopted by culinary experts and traditional healers, who use the beneficial properties of this plant for therapeutic purposes.

Pasta with cheese

Category: Hot dishes Pasta

Do you think you know all about mac and cheese? A simple and well-known childhood delicacy ... But I thought so too, until one day a few years ago I saw this recipe on TV. It was cooked by a chef from Europe, when he announced that he would cook “Macaroni with cheese”, I thought that they were completely crazy, then they would call porridge pudding, then they teach them how to cook macaroni and cheese. But I decided to look out of curiosity. I liked what I saw, and now this dish is a regular guest at our dinners. The aroma is simply amazing, the taste is awesome, I ask everyone to the table.

In the apartment and on the balcony

Residents of city apartments have a harder time preserving the leek, since they have neither a cellar, nor a vegetable store, nor an underground floor.

For this I use a glazed balcony. For storage on the balcony, the onions are planted in boxes of sand, as if stored in a cellar. After the boxes have been placed on the balcony, they are covered.

In this position, the onion will stand all winter, taking into account that the temperature will not drop below (-10) degrees.

Boxes of sand, many keep in the apartment, not taking them out onto the balcony, but mostly in a dark, cool place. For this, a pantry or a closet in the kitchen under the window, which can often be found in city apartments, may be suitable.

Useful Tips

To keep onions fresh longer the following tips should be taken into account:

1. You cannot cut the leaves from the vegetable before sending it for storage. Without greenery, it will quickly wither, or rot due to the attacks of microorganisms.
2. If you plan to keep the leek fresh, do not wash it. Removal of the protective layer from the stems will lead to their accelerated deterioration.
3. Onions do not tolerate temperature extremes. Because of them, most of the vitamins are destroyed.
4. Leek does not like being close to other vegetables and fruits. Store it in separate boxes, away from other crops.
5. Periodically, the onions need to be sorted out. Spoiled specimens are removed from the total crop.

Learn more about how to store onions here.