Cilantro - preparation for the winter, preservation, freezing, recipes + video

Cilantro is the most famous spice plant, which, due to its unique chemical composition, has found extensive use in cosmetology, herbal medicine and cooking. Most often, this spice is used with meat dishes. It not only makes them more aromatic and tasty, but also promotes better digestion of fatty, heavy foods. Harvesting cilantro for the winter allows you to store this plant in order to be able to use it all year round. After reading this article, you will learn about the beneficial properties of cilantro and the main ways of preparing it, as well as the most popular recipes with which you can preserve this spice.
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Cilantro chimichurri sauce

To prepare the famous Latin American chimichurri sauce, which is seasoned with corn steaks of their juicy beef and unleavened flat cakes stuffed with mushrooms and vegetables, you will need:

1 large bunch of cilantro, peeled of rough petioles and stems;
8 cloves of garlic;
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
juice of one lime;
70 grams toasted pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup olive oil
a little red pepper, ground or finely chopped;
salt to taste.

All components, except for olive oil, are ground and mixed in a blender until puree, then the oil is carefully poured in, and the sauce is mixed again, achieving a smooth homogeneous mass. Add salt, lemon or lime juice, and wine vinegar to your liking. The main note to the taste of the seasoning is given by cilantro and garlic. Such a cilantro blank for the winter is packed in small glass jars and stored in a refrigerator.

Cilantro blanks for the winter - video

Our article presents options for preparing "cilantro for the winter" in recipes, step-by-step instructions and advice from professional chefs.

Storage in oil

There is also a great recipe - frozen fresh cilantro in vegetable oil. Many summer residents prefer to preserve spicy grass in this way:

The greens are passed through a meat grinder or ground in a blender.
Then add refined sunflower oil - 100 milliliters per 120 grams of cilantro.
Everything is mixed until smooth. It turns out puree of emerald green color with an amazing smell.
Small forms are filled to the top and placed in the freezer.
Ready grass ice is removed from containers and transferred to containers.

Cilantro retains its taste, color and unique aroma for a long time.

How to keep cilantro in the refrigerator to stay fresh

You can keep the cilantro fresh in the refrigerator. Before sending it for storage, carefully sort out the greenscompletely eliminating spoiled leaves and weeds. Trim the stems slightly if necessary.

Fill a half-liter jar or glass with clean water. Place a bunch of herbs in a container so that only the stems are in the liquid, and the leaves do not touch it. Cover the grass with a plastic bag on top and send the composition to the refrigerator, on the middle shelf.

To keep the coriander fresh for 7-14 days, place the herbs in a glass of cool water. Keep the leaves above the liquid level, otherwise they will quickly deteriorate

With this storage organization, the greens will remain fresh. up to 2 weeks... Check the workpiece daily, change the water and trim the tips if they show signs of rotting.

Do not wash cilantro if you are going to store it in the refrigerator. Excessive moisture will accelerate the decay process of the greenery, and it will quickly deteriorate.

You can also save cilantro in a plastic bag... To do this, sort out the herbs and put them in a bag. Store the spice in the vegetable compartment or middle shelf of the refrigerator.

Salting greens

Before storing fresh cilantro in salted form, you need to measure 20 g of salt for every 100 g of greens, and then proceed in the following order:

You need to remove the stems.
Greens are washed, dried, and then crushed.
The resulting mass is folded in layers in a clean jar, while the layers are well tamped and each of them is sprinkled with salt.
When the jar is filled to the top, its contents are squeezed strongly to form juice.
The seasoning containers are tightly closed with plastic lids, and sent to the coolest shelf of the refrigerator.

Salted cilantro can be stored throughout the winter. And you can add it to the first, meat and vegetable dishes, the taste of which will become much more pleasant. At the same time, they will need to be salted less than usual, given that there is already a certain amount of salt in the seasoning.

Long-term storage methods for cilantro

To preserve greens for a longer period, they can be frozen, dried, or canned. Let's consider these methods in more detail.

Freezing greens

You can store cilantro in the freezer. By means of freezing, all nutrients and useful substances of the plant, its taste and aroma properties are preserved. Moreover, such a blank has a long shelf life and is easy to create.

Before freezing the coriander, rinse it well and dry it on a paper or cotton towel.

You can freeze cilantro in a plastic bag... To do this, sort out the washed grass and dry it on a paper towel. Fold the product into pouches / bags / bags with zip closure and squeeze out the air to the maximum. Place it in the freezer and store until needed.

You can save the greens in their whole form, as well as in crushed ones - it all depends on individual preferences and on how the grass is supposed to be used.

Freeze cilantro in portions as needed for a single use. Remember, greens cannot be re-frozen - so they will lose all their taste and useful qualities.

You can freeze cilantro in vegetable oil... Such a preparation will maximize the aroma of the spice and become a full-fledged seasoning for the dish. You need to follow a series of simple steps:

Wash and dry the grass. Cut it into large pieces and place it in a blender bowl.
Pour the greens with vegetable oil at the rate of 80 ml per 50 g of raw materials.
Whisk everything with a blender until a smooth green puree is obtained.
Divide the mixture into ice cube trays or small silicone molds.
Send the blank to the freezer for 3 hours. After the allotted time, pack the cubes in several pieces into bags. It is important to stick on them stickers with the name of the greenery and the date of freezing.
Place the blanks back into the freezer for long-term storage (8-12 months).

To freeze the coriander, finely chop the prepared greens and combine with sunflower oil. The main components can be mashed with a blender or leave the leaves intact

You can freeze the coriander and with butter... Such a preparation will give the dish a special aroma and taste. The procedure for freezing greens:

Mix the chopped cilantro with softened butter at the rate of 100 g per 3 tbsp. l. herbs. You can add garlic, pepper, lime zest, other seasonings or herbs to the preparation to taste.
Mix all the ingredients well, transfer to parchment paper or foil and wrap in a roll.
Send the workpiece to the refrigerator for 2-3 hours until the oil solidifies.
Place the roll in a plastic bag and fold into the freezer drawer.
Add the preparation to the first courses, use during the preparation of sauces, meat or fish.

Drying

Drying will help preserve the spicy flavor of the cilantro. You can dry the plant naturally or in the oven. Each of the methods has its own advantages and characteristics.

Naturally

How to dry cilantro naturally:

Carefully sort the plant, remove damaged leaves and inedible grass.
Rinse the spice well under running water and then pat dry with a paper towel.
Cut the plant into large pieces. Do not chop too finely, as the cilantro will dry out even more during drying.
Lay out the grass in one layer on the prepared surface covered with paper. Place the container in a dry place with good air circulation, away from direct sunlight.

The weed can be gently mixed with your hands several times a day. It will take 2 to 7 days for the cilantro to dry completely.

This method of harvesting will preserve the taste, aroma and all the vitamins of the plant. It is quite simple in execution, does not require material and time costs. Store dried coriander in a glass container away from ultraviolet radiation and high humidity can be quite long.

Freezing

Storing cilantro in the freezer is possible throughout the winter. At the same time, the spice retains its color, aroma, most of the vitamins and minerals.

Greens are washed, dried well on a spread paper towel, and then placed in small portions in bags (containers), tightly closed and frozen.

You can also store cilantro in the freezer shredded. It all depends on how you plan to use it.

This herb cannot be re-frozen, so you should choose small containers for it in order to use the seasoning without leaving a residue at a time.

If the chopped leaves are placed on ice cube trays, add water to them and freeze, we get a ready-made additive in the form of aromatic cubes, which can be used to season various dishes. If the water is replaced with melted butter or olive oil, the taste of the spice will change slightly, but the workpiece will also be stored for a long time.

After a few hours, when the cubes in the tins have hardened, they are poured into bags. The bags are tightly closed and stored in the freezer for 3 to 6 months.

Spicy oil based on coriander seeds and herbs

On the basis of dried cilantro and the seeds of this plant, you can prepare a spicy oil for dressing salads, making homemade mayonnaise and marinades. For this, crushed parts of a plant or whole stems, as well as coriander umbrellas, are poured with any vegetable oil and left in a glass container for 8-10 days in a dark, cool place. Cilantro, rich in aromatic substances and essential oils, already during this period some of them transfer liquids.

If you leave the vegetable raw materials for a longer period, the oil acquires a rich red-brown hue and a sweetish-spicy aroma.

And from fresh greens of cilantro, basil and other spices based on olive oil, you can prepare and save for the winter a spicy dressing for cereals and potatoes.

To prepare it you will need:

1 cup fresh green basil leaves
1 cup chopped young cilantro stems and leaves
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 pod of peeled jalapeno peppers;
1/2 cup olive oil

Vegetables for such a preparation of cilantro for the winter are pre-cleaned, washed and chopped in a blender, after which olive oil is gradually added to the bowl and the mass is gently mixed again until a homogeneous puree is obtained. The dressing, poured into a glass container, will be ready after a month of storage in a dark, cool place.

If desired, you can add a little lemon juice and salt to the aromatic oil. In this case, the sauce can be served with meat, mushrooms and baked vegetables.

Is it possible to freeze cilantro for the winter? Yes, and in this case, vegetable or butter will come in handy, and the greens that have retained all their useful qualities will turn into an excellent seasoning for vegetable and meat dishes, sandwiches, rice and pasta.

Snack butter with cilantro and vegetables for the winter

Butter, like vegetable oil, helps greens and all of its beneficial properties to preserve almost until next spring.

To use this recipe and save the cilantro for the winter, chop the greens, mix thoroughly with softened butter and, putting them on cling film or a sheet of parchment, form a bar convenient for storage and subsequent cutting. In a freezer, butter with cilantro is stored for 3 to 6 months, but the product can be used when cooking rice and potatoes, minced meat and pasta.

If desired, in addition to cilantro, add green and mild onions, garlic and lemon zest, pieces of sweet pepper and other spicy crops to the oil.

A little table salt will help the savory oil last longer, and the vegetables and herbs in it, stay juicy, like when harvested from the garden.

How to store cilantro seeds - coriander

Green seeds are also widely used in cooking. Raw materials should be procured at the end of August. During this period, the product is maximally rich in essential oils, which provide the spicy aroma of the seasoning.

In dry weather, dry the "umbrellas" of the plant under a canopy (away from direct sunlight), and then collect the seed in dense canvas bags. Store the product in a dry, dark place.

Coriander has a long shelf life and is actively used in cooking to add a special spicy flavor to dishes.

It is easy to save cilantro for the winter at home, using various harvesting methods. For long-term storage, use only high-quality greens and prepare them correctly.

Coriander: storage (seeds)

How and when to harvest cilantro seeds, and how to store coriander? Follow the instructions:

We collect cilantro seeds in August, closer to September, when they are completely ripe. If you collect unripe achenes, they will retain a strong unpleasant odor even after drying.
On a dry sunny day, we tear off umbrellas with seeds and dry them in a dry place where the sun does not get.
We thresh the dried seeds - we no longer need umbrellas.
Pour the seeds into canvas bags, cardboard boxes, glass jars or paper bags.
Store coriander in a cool, dry, ventilated place for no more than four years.

Coriander: storage (seeds)

Can cilantro be dried for the winter?

You can dry cilantro for the winter, but as a raw material for harvesting it is better to take leaves of a young plant that has not yet produced seeds. It is better to dry leaves and stems separately. The process takes place in several stages:

Wash the cut grass thoroughly and separate the stems from the leaves.
Place the seasoning on clean sheets of paper or on a towel and leave to dry.
Use a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to cut the stems into pieces. Leaves can not be touched, because when dried, they will greatly decrease in size.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment and put a thin layer of grass on it and send to dry.

Dry cilantro in a well-ventilated area. Can be placed on a balcony or veranda, for example.To speed up the process, you can dry the grass in the oven, the temperature of which should not be higher than + 40 ° C. Stir periodically dried greens so that mold does not form on them. In dried form, it is stored for at least a year.

Fresh and dried cilantro has another name - Chinese parsley. This "name" was assigned to the plant because of the similarity with the parsley familiar to our country. And it is called "Chinese" because the plant is home to China and other Asian countries.

Useful properties of cilantro in winter

Our ancestors also extracted a lot of useful properties from coriander. The use of cilantro in winter will increase the body's resistance to colds, strengthen the immune system, and improve the general condition of the body. But the beneficial properties of greens do not end there.

The value of cilantro is determined by the following factors:

has an antiseptic effect, eliminates inflammation in the oral cavity and bleeding gums;
normalizes the hormonal background of women, alleviates pain during the menstrual period, improves reproductive function;
lowers the level of glucose and bad cholesterol in the blood;
remove excess fluid from the body, preventing swelling;
improves the functioning of the nervous system;
has a beneficial effect on the digestive system and liver.

Scientists have proven that regular consumption of cilantro improves immunity, has a healing and calming effect on the body.

Spicy greens

The spice is widely known and loved in the East, Europe and the USA. In the stage of biological ripeness, when the seeds ripen, it is called coriander. They are used in pickles, marinades, baking.

Where does cilantro grow?

Cilantro is believed to be native to areas of the Eastern Mediterranean. It was brought to Western and Central Europe by the Romans. It ended up in the same way in Great Britain after the Roman conquest in the first century AD. There she took root well, and for a long time was cultivated in the counties in the southeast.

Cilantro came to America in the era of the great geographical discoveries. She was also brought to New Zealand and Australia.

In Russia, the first mentions of cilantro are found in the 18th century. They write about her as a garden plant. In particular, its detailed description in 1784 is given by the Russian scientist and agronomist Andrei Bolotov. It is also known that in Russia it was called "kishnets". This clearly indicates that this plant came to our country from the East. The influence of the Turkic or Iranian languages is noticeable in its original name.

How to do it - coriander or cilantro

Vegetable coriander is a green which is more often called cilantro. He came to us from the Eastern Mediterranean and enjoys a well-deserved popularity in cooking.

In Russia, coriander began to be cultivated thanks to Count P.I. Apraksin. in the 30s of the 19th century, growing together with anise. Although at first it was considered a weed: "The usual neighbor of anise is the weed kolyandra."

Cilantro - leaves of young coriander plants with an easily recognizable spicy smell, the freshness and piquancy of cilantro is difficult to confuse with other herbs.

Due to the high content of essential oils in fruits - up to 1.6%, coriander is used in perfumery, cosmetics, soap making. As the fruit ripens, the amount of essential oil decreases, making the smell less harsh. With strong dilution or in micro doses, it acquires a pleasant taste and smell.

How to store arugula in the refrigerator and how much?

Arugula can also be frozen

Arugula, like all salad plants, after cutting, very quickly loses vitamins and moisture, so it is also best to store it in the refrigerator. The easiest way to extend its shelf life is to tie it into small bundles and wrap the ends with cling film. This will keep the arugula tasty for another 4-5 days.

The greens prepared in this way are best placed in a container or airtight bags. If you do not, then it will be saturated with extraneous odors, which will greatly spoil its taste and aroma. For this reason, it is best not to store arugula with bell peppers, onions, garlic, carrots and beets on the same shelf.

Freezing arugula is another great way to store it. You can send it shredded or whole in the freezer and keep it there until the next harvest.

Frozen with butter

There are different ways of harvesting cilantro greens, including unusual ones. This method is not very popular, but it turns out very tasty. How to do:

Mix 100 grams of softened, but not melted butter with 5 tablespoons of chopped spicy leaves.
Stir so that there are no lumps, add the juice of one garlic clove, salt, pepper, lemon zest to taste.
Spread the mixture on foil or parchment.
Wrap the sausage and freeze the cilantro for the winter in the freezer.
When completely hardened, transfer to an airtight container.

Be sure to write the date of manufacture. This pasta is a delicacy, great for sandwiches, meat steaks, spaghetti. This is a small part of interesting recipes with cilantro. There are many more ways of harvesting with different fillers.

How good it is to please yourself in the cold winter, with the wonderful aroma of spicy herbs and remember the summer.

Preliminary preparation of greens for storage

In order to keep the herb in the cold with high quality and for a long time, it is necessary to prepare it:

the greens collected on the site are sorted out, removing dried and drooping branches and leaves;
wash the grass under cool water or in a large container, changing the water several times;
thoroughly shake off excess moisture and lay out the herbs on a paper napkin or kitchen towel to dry;
packaged in packages and placed in storage.

After washing, the water is not drained, the green twigs are carefully removed from the container, while all the dirt and sand remains at the bottom, and not on the leaves.

Drying seasoning

A very popular method among housewives. Properly prepared, the herb retains its flavor and color. To do this, you must adhere to some rules.

Dried cilantro is used in almost all dishes. The entire procurement process is carried out in several stages:

Raw materials are harvested when there is no rain, in sunny weather.
Cilantro is washed in running water, cleaned of damage.
Dries thoroughly in the shade.

There are many essential oils in cilantro, so it has a peculiar taste and aromatic aroma. It is better to grind it before drying. In this case, the smell will partially disappear, and the taste will become softer.

Raw materials are laid out in a thin layer on clean baking sheets or towels. Placed in a dark, well-ventilated area. If the sun hits the workpiece, the leaves will turn yellow.

The process continues until the spice is completely dry. The finished product is poured into clean dry jars and sealed with a lid.

How to keep ready-made cilantro for the winter? Greens in containers are placed in a dry, cool place. You can use the seasoning for 1 year. Then the taste deteriorates.

Canning in marinade

This method is used mainly by those people who are in the country, where there is no refrigerator. Adding acetic acid is the only way to prepare for the winter:

Healthy, clean plants are harvested, cut into pieces of any size.
Glass jars are sterilized with hot steam, cooled and dried.
Then they are stuffed with herbs and poured with marinade.

I really love herbs and spices. With them, any dish becomes unique. Today I will share with you my favorite ways to prepare cilantro.

When dried, the greens decrease in volume, therefore, it is not necessary to cut it too finely so that dust does not turn out.

In this article I will talk about how I harvest cilantro for the winter, for herbs and seeds. I'll start with the greenery. It can be both frozen and dried. I wash the cut branches in a basin.

Then I take it out in a colander. At the bottom, there is earth and sand. I draw fresh water and repeat this process until the water remains clear. I leave the greens in a colander to drain the water and then put them on a towel. It will also take some of the moisture and the greens will dry out. Before freezing, the grass can be additionally blotted with a paper or cloth towel to dry it completely. After that, I put the twigs in a bag, release the air from it and tie it tightly. Before freezing, I do not cut the greens, since they crumble easily when frozen. And, if necessary, a bag of frozen cilantro can be simply wrinkled and easily crushed.

For drying, I put the washed and dried greens on a baking sheet covered with parchment. It can be on some other flat surface. If the grass is dried outside, then I cover it with a net or gauze from insects. It is very convenient to use a net with a lock for washing clothes. In dry, sunny weather, cilantro dries up in a couple of days. It can also be dried at home, for example, in the kitchen, by placing a baking sheet or tray on the table or cabinet, or wherever it is more convenient. I store dried herbs in a plastic container with a tight lid or in a glass jar. Can also be in a tissue or paper bag in a dry cabinet. You can also grind cilantro when it is dry, having received a ready-made seasoning. Stand alone or mixed with other dry herbs. If you want to prepare cilantro greens at the end of summer, then it is worth sowing it later, because in May-June, after the first cut, it usually goes into seeds. Cilantro blooms beautifully, forming umbrellas with round seeds. They ripen unevenly, so it will not be possible to collect all the seeds at the same time. Some of them will remain green. And some of the bushes will still bloom. And, if you wait for the full maturation of all the bushes, then the first early ripening seeds will simply begin to crumble. Therefore, there are many ways to harvest cilantro seeds. Firstly, as it ripens, first removing ready-made seeds and allowing others to ripen. Secondly, cut off the bushes with slightly unripe seeds and dry them in a dry, ventilated room. I cut off the brown twigs. I didn't cut off the green ones. This can be done a little later. Branches can be bundled and hung. Can be simply spread out on a flat surface. Or you can put it in a cardboard box or paper bag with umbrellas down. In this form, the bushes will dry out perfectly. But, again, if you keep them in a dry place. My seeds were in a paper bag just in the kitchen. When they dry, I collect them from the branches. It is better to do this over a cup or over a box, because they are very light, jumpy and like to fly in different directions. Then I sift the seeds. And, already cleaned, I put it away for storage. Like any fragrant spices, they should be kept in a tightly closed container or jar so that they don't fizzle out. And for future plantings, the seeds should be immediately folded into bags, signed and stored in a dry cabinet.

You can dry up and only the seeds by removing them, still unripe, from the branches. And, for example, put in a flat plate and dry at room temperature. That is, there are different options. You can choose more convenient.

With cilantro seeds or coriander, you get a very tasty, well-known, Borodino bread and, of course, they can be used as a seasoning for many other dishes. Bon appetit, tasty and healthy preparations for the winter!