Let's talk about how to freeze parsley for the winter in the refrigerator. Garden abundance is a balm for the soul of the owners and at the same time a lot of worries. It’s not enough to grow a crop; it also needs to be preserved.

Freezing parsley is an ideal way to preserve fresh herbs, which preserves color and aroma and makes it easy to use in the kitchen. Parsley is the most common seasoning: people like to add it to salads and soups, and use it in folk medicine and cosmetology. No matter how much parsley you store for the winter, it will still not be enough.

But an experienced gardener does not need to be taught how to care for a garden in order to freeze enough vegetables, parsley and other greens for the winter in the refrigerator.

How to properly prepare spices

Harvesting parsley for the winter does not have to happen at the end of the season. The more often the branches are cut, the more tender and juicy the fragrant grass grows back. If you do not touch the bushes until the end of summer, the branches will become stiff. The bed with parsley should be of such a size that part of it has time to recover while the owners are working on the other. If you use parsley roots in the kitchen, you need to decide in advance which bushes you need to dig up in the fall.

Harvesting parsley for the winter can be done not only with the help of cold: the grass can be sprinkled with salt, pickled, greens and parsley roots can be dried. The latter option is not as rich in vitamins, but it is good for preparing dry spicy mixtures. Only industrial shock freezing can completely preserve the vitamins and microelements of a product. But if you do everything correctly and quickly at home, you can get the maximum benefit from your preparations.

Fresh, healthy leaves are suitable for winter storage. You should not freeze store-bought parsley for the winter. There, the greens are treated with preservatives that will turn the seasoning into real poison.

Planning and preparation

Every kitchen has its own recipes for how to properly freeze parsley. To make it convenient to use the herb in cooking, you need to take into account several important points:

  1. If possible, it is better to allocate a separate drawer in the freezer for vegetables and spices so that the smells of the products do not mix.
  2. Parsley should be well washed and thoroughly dried. If you do not remove excess moisture, the mass will eventually freeze into one lump.
  3. Material for packaging must be prepared in advance: zip bags, food foil, ice trays, plastic containers.
  4. Freezing must be packaged wisely. It’s good if the greens are immediately divided into portions. Why can't you store the seasoning in one large bag? Every time you take out another portion, the entire contents of the bag will come into contact with air and lose their properties.
  5. The spice should last all winter.

The method for freezing parsley should be tailored to the dishes to which the seasoning will be added. Provide several different options for adding to entrees, salad dressings, and garnishing. There should be a suitable preparation for all your favorite recipes.

Harvesting methods

The first thing to do is prepare the greens for freezing. It must be washed, sorted, freed from dry and limp twigs. Then form the parsley into a bunch and cut off the rough lower stems. The remaining tender leaves must be filled with plenty of water for an hour so that small grains of sand sink to the bottom, and snails and insects crawl to the surface.

Afterwards, the greens are sorted out again and washed under running water. Now you can dry it on a kitchen towel or parchment paper. When the excess moisture has evaporated, you can prepare to freeze. We offer several interesting recipes on how to properly freeze parsley for all occasions.

The easiest way to freeze

Chop the parsley, place it on a baking sheet and put it in the freezer. Do not chop the greens too finely: the less the knife touches the leaves, the more nutrients are retained in them. Some housewives simply tear up the grass with their hands. Frozen parsley is very fragile, and during the transfer process it will break, chopping even more.

An hour later, the frozen parsley is taken out of the refrigerator and transferred into portioned bags. Such a crumbly preparation will take up less space, be easy to divide into pieces and look beautiful in the soup.

You can put the greens on food foil and roll them up and put them in the freezer. Some housewives love this packaging option. In winter, you can unroll the roll and take out as much frozen greens as you need.

Beautiful twigs for decorating holiday dishes

We pack the washed and dried leaves in food foil envelopes and place them so that they are disturbed as little as possible before use. Freezing parsley this way requires great care. When it comes time to use the sprigs, it is important to let the envelope defrost before opening it, otherwise the decoration will break.

Curly parsley is especially decorative.

Blanks in the form of ice cubes

Place finely chopped parsley in an ice container and add a small amount of water. This method is suitable for those whose freezer is not too busy for the winter. Once completely frozen, transfer the cubes to a bag.

These cubes can be added directly to a bowl of hot soup - they will add a fresh summer aroma and help the dish cool down faster. Using greens frozen in this way is well suited for facial cryomassage. The cubes whiten and rejuvenate the skin.

Instead of water, the greens can be poured with olive oil - this will be a salad option for freezing. As an alternative, tomato juice will do. Personally, I freeze it with a little lemon juice and honey for savory vegetable salads.

The ideologists of real Cossack borscht prepare cubes of greenery with finely chopped salted lard, then grind them in a mortar with garlic - this is called “pounding” the borscht. Little tricks like these make time-tested recipes easier.

Freezing secrets

A good housewife will never waste anything. The lower stems of parsley can also be used. They are rough, but they are superior in aroma and astringent taste to the leaves; they contain more juice and vitamins. If you grind them in a blender and freeze them in the form of cubes, you can use them as an ingredient for meat broths. The green mass is added after boiling to beef or pork and gives the broth a noble taste and aroma. In winter, such greens can also be used in marinades for fish or chicken.

Is it possible to freeze parsley mixed with other spices? Certainly! You can and should mix it to your taste - with onions, dill or wild garlic, to diversify the taste of your favorite dishes with herbs. All that remains is to choose how to freeze parsley for the winter in order to use it beneficially and in a variety of ways.

Greens should not be defrosted repeatedly - this will harm them. The grass will lose its properties and darken. If for some reason you have to empty the freezer, the frozen food can be transferred to sterilized glass jars and filled with a simple marinade.

Properly prepared frozen parsley can be safely stored until the next gardening season. In order for it to come sooner, you need to take care of the bed with greenery - cover it for the winter, and stretch the film in the spring. In March-April it will be possible to add the first fresh leaves to food.

Preparations from frozen aromatic herbs have their advantages. The natural color and aroma of many plants is preserved better by freezing than by drying, but this only happens if you follow the freezing procedure correctly.

Photo by Shutterstock

Benefits of Frozen Herbs

The main advantages of frozen herbs over dried ones are preservation of shape, color and aroma. A typical example is basil, which darkens and crumbles when dried and loses much of its flavor. Onion feathers also darken when dried, and dill and parsley leaves often turn yellow.

What herbs are best for freezing?

In addition to the already mentioned dill, basil, onion and parsley, the following are best suited for freezing or cryopreservation: - celery; - savory; - tarragon; - marjoram; - lovage; - oregano; - sage; - mint; - young leek.

These herbs should be frozen in mid-summer, when their aromatic essential oil content reaches its peak. In addition, it is in the summer months that aromatic herbs are most accessible, because you can either buy them in a store or market, or grow them in your own garden plot.

Dried herbs are best for adding to dough or a healthy decoction.

How to freeze herbs

There are several ways to freeze herbs. You can keep each herb separately or make a mixture of several plants. Spicy and aromatic plants can be frozen either by the “dry” or “ice” method.

To dry freeze herbs, take fresh herbs, rinse and remove tough stems and any questionable leaves. Boil water and prepare a bowl of ice water. Blanch the herbs by placing them in boiling water for two to three minutes, this will release more essential oils and they will retain their color better, and then immediately place them in ice water to prevent the herbs from boiling.

Gently squeeze out excess water and dry the herbs on a paper kitchen towel, spreading them out in a single layer. Place greens in heavy-duty plastic zip-top bags or containers. Label them with the freezing date and place them in the freezer. Use herbs in the fall, winter, spring—any time you need them.

The most convenient way to cut herbs is with special scissors.

In order to properly freeze herbs using the “ice” method, rinse freshly picked aromatic herbs with cold water, cut off the stems and damaged parts. Shake off excess drops from the greens to make it easier for you to chop them, and carefully chop. Place the herbs in ice containers and fill with cold boiled water. Place the molds in the freezer. After 2-3 days, you can remove the ice cubes from the molds and place them in suitable containers and return them to the freezer. This way they will take up less space and your ice trays will be empty again.

How to use frozen herbs

Herbs frozen using the “ice” method can be added to soups, sauces, and stews. Dry frozen herbs are perfect for salads, fried meats, and can be added to pasta, risotto and other dishes. Ice herbs are added in the same way as fresh ones; frozen herbs are added using the “dry” method a few minutes before they are ready.

Despite the fact that autumn has already confidently declared its presence, most markets still offer a variety of fresh vegetables at affordable prices: eggplant, zucchini, fresh herbs, corn, sweet peppers, cauliflower, broccoli and so on. It is on them that we intend to focus our attention and make preparations for the winter.

Vegetables

You can freeze any vegetables that are not too watery. Ideal candidates for freezing are cauliflower and broccoli, as they have sufficient density and do not tolerate other harvesting methods well.

Before packaging, both types of cabbage should be disassembled into inflorescences and rinsed.

To prevent the cabbage from becoming tough after defrosting, it must be blanched in a small amount of boiling water. Cauliflower florets should spend about two minutes in boiling water, while tender broccoli florets will need just a minute.

Afterwards, the cabbage should be doused with ice water to stop the cooking process, and then dried as much as possible and transferred to a bag.

Another candidate for freezing is sweet peppers, which are perfectly stored both chopped and whole. In both cases, the pods are first washed, then the seed box is cleaned, and then cut or folded together and packaged in bags. It is better to stack whole peppers in small piles to make them easier to defrost.

Zucchini and eggplant are among those fruits that also require preliminary preparation. Both vegetables should be washed, chopped, and then blanch the pieces for about a minute. Late eggplants, which can be found on shelves in the fall, are very bitter, and therefore before blanching they must be generously salted, left for half an hour, and then rinsed with cold water.

Corn on the cob, as well as other legumes, can be harvested using a simple method in which the kernels are simply separated from the cob or pod and then bagged. To prevent the legumes from sticking together into a single lump, they must be frozen on a board or dish, and only then poured into a bag.

Greenery

Almost any greens can survive the winter in the freezer if you approach the freezing technology itself wisely.

A standard set of herbs like dill, parsley and green onions can be frozen in a simple way: rinse, dry, chop and package. You can store the greens in one bag or divide them into several small portions into individual bags so that you can quickly dress up a soup or stew when needed.

Sorrel and spinach leaves can also survive simple freezing if stored in a modern freezer and in the most sealed packaging possible. Otherwise, it is also better to blanch the leaves in boiling water for literally 30 seconds, pour over ice water, squeeze and place in a container or bag. Rough greens like kale leaves are blanched for a minute and then frozen in a similar manner.

Another way to keep greens fresh is to turn the leaves into a sauce and pour it into ice cube trays. This is what we decided to do with a bunch of basil. The basil leaves need to be mashed into a paste along with a few cloves of garlic and a little oil. Place the pureed basil in molds, freeze, and then pour the cubes into a bag. A couple of these cubes, and your pasta or sauce will instantly be filled with the taste of fresh herbs.

It is advisable to store each of the frozen preparations for no more than eight months, but in a good freezer, vegetables and herbs can last up to a year.

Mila: | November 17th, 2014 | 1:55 pm

I also freeze greens in cubes, but... I use it most often with boiled potatoes, then fill it not with water, but with melted butter.
Answer: Mila, thank you for sharing your cooking method!

Alena: | September 3rd, 2012 | 12:00 pm

Valery, honestly, I’m “allergic” to celery)))))) I’ve also heard this method of freezing greens: they peel the sweet peppers, put dill and parsley in it, or greens for the amateur and freeze it that way. But personally, it seems to me that this way takes up more space in the chamber..I don’t know...This year I decided to experiment and froze the tomatoes, just the cream. I tried it and it’s okay))) I think it’ll work for pizza)

Answer: I also heard about this method. But I didn’t experiment. Because it takes up a lot of space. In addition, the pepper itself is very fragrant, and the greens will be saturated with its smell even in the freezer.

Ksenb: | September 2nd, 2012 | 5:20 pm

I want to say thank you :) I made a test batch in July, recently I threw one cube into the soup, I appreciated the dramatically improved taste, color and smell :) I went to make the next batch :)

Valery: | August 18th, 2012 | 3:37 pm

as well as in borscht, etc.

Valery: | August 18th, 2012 | 3:23 pm

Alena: I cut the pepper in half and cut it thinly.
And if you also cut it crosswise, and then add celery greens (1:1), freeze it all in a plastic glass, then
Alena: in winter, hot green peppers in broth look stunning
it will also be AWESOMELY delicious in broth

Yana: | August 2nd, 2012 | 7:57 am

When my daughter was a baby, she didn’t like greens. Perhaps because it is difficult for babies to chew.
Then I started grinding dill and parsley in a blender. I had to add a little water, because due to the small portion of greens, the equipment simply “slipped.” The finished green liquid is placed in a silicone mold. Then, if necessary, I added one piece of ice to my daughter’s portion of hot soup - and the soup cooled slightly and added vitamins. And for adults, just chopped greens...

Dasha, thank you for all the advice.

Answer: Thank you, Yana, for the idea. My daughter doesn’t like greens either. I'll use your tip!

Natasha: | August 2nd, 2012 | 2:37 dp

Hm... what about vitamins? It’s clear that the scalded one has more impact, but in addition to the aroma, I would also like some benefits. Otherwise, why bother? I don’t know about cheaper: if you have your own garden, then yes, you’re lucky. I buy greens at the market. A small bunch is 10 rubles, a little larger is 20 rubles. If you want the aroma and volume of greens in the soup, you can buy dried ones in bags (seasoning without salt). I personally feel sorry for buying 200 rubles worth of greens and putting them in the freezer, thereby destroying their beneficial properties.

Answer: if you prefer to use dried herbs, then you can do it that way - I don’t argue. I can even tell you...

Love: | August 1st, 2012 | 9:58 am

Class! Cubes with greens. And I loaded the packages, and of course the smell. THANK YOU,

Alena: | May 8th, 2012 | 9:25 am

I recommend cutting parsley, dill, and green onions before freezing: it’s more convenient and there’s more space) Dasha, thank you for such a wonderful and useful site! Many housewives will definitely find this advice useful)

Alena: | May 8th, 2012 | 9:20 am

I freeze basil and hot peppers this way. Only I don’t cut the basil by hand, but throw it into the chopper /not to the point of porridge!!)))/. It turns out finely chopped greens) But I tear the hot pepper while it is still green and not red, put on gloves, cut the pepper in half and cut it thinly. Then the process follows the principle of freezing greens. The pepper does not lose its spiciness, and in winter, hot green peppers look stunning in the broth! I recommend))

Answer: thank you, Alena, for the additions!

Tanechka: | March 21st, 2012 | 6:40 am

I store it in a plastic container, compacting it not very tightly, sometimes the mixture at once - for soup, for salads.
The smell now – in spring – is much more aromatic than the store-bought greenhouse smell.

I simply cut off the required portion thinly with a knife - frozen greens are fragile, and you get a ready-made addition to the soup,
and if I need pieces, for example, curly parsley, I separate it with my hands.

This takes a long time to write, but in reality it’s quick, the rest doesn’t have time to thaw, I put it back in the freezer

Answer: It’s generally beneficial to freeze greens. And more aromatic and cheaper than what you can now buy under the code name “fresh”.

Dasha: | August 13th, 2011 | 7:07 am

The idea is not mine, I picked it up from someone else. But very convenient :)

Dasha: | August 13th, 2011 | 7:06 am

Yes, such a problem can arise during long-term storage. To avoid this, frozen food should be stored in special sealed plastic containers. And what is in regular bags should be used first. Well, store greens in a separate box from meat and fish.

Valerytzc: | August 13th, 2011 | 6:32 dp

I read you via LiveJournal. Everything is delicious, and this is simply brilliant!!

Anonymous: | August 13th, 2011 | 6:27 am

Doesn't this green stuff smell like a freezer afterwards? I tried freezing chopped greens, by the beginning of winter they began to smell, a vague but noticeable smell

Hello everyone! Continuing the topic, today I want to talk about how to freeze greens. After all, it contains a huge amount of vitamins and minerals that will enrich your diet throughout the winter, right up to the new harvest, provided there is a sufficient amount of preparation.

Those who have a large freezer will not have problems with this. Others will need to try to make the most of their refrigerator space. Many people find a way out of the situation - after the summer greens run out, they buy store-bought ones. This is exactly what I do, since it is not possible to prepare it in large quantities during the season.

There are, of course, much fewer vitamins there. It is grown in greenhouse conditions, using artificial light and fertilizers. It looks virtually the same, but the taste is less intense. After all, natural sun rays and fresh air are irreplaceable.

But, nevertheless, no matter what you decide to do, you must freeze greens following the rules that will ensure the safety of the nutrients in the product. If frozen incorrectly, the vitamins for which we actually harvest dill, parsley, celery and other herbs can be destroyed.

By the way, I will say that regular and daily consumption of these products during the winter, when our body experiences a lack of nutrients, can replace the additional use of nutritional supplements. And at the moment they are not cheap.


What greens can be frozen?

Personally, I base it on my taste and the tastes of my family. You can prepare those summer herbs that you like.

I kindly envy those who have their own garden, where you can grow greens such as dill, parsley, basil, cilantro, green onions, mint and others.

Some herbs cost less to prepare, some more, but the knowledge that it was grown with your own hands gives it even more value.

Personally, I prefer four herbs: dill, parsley, sorrel and green onions. As an option, you can make special mixtures of herbs, for example, for salads, soups, and main courses.

If you like green salads, then you can save them to make delicious snacks in winter.


How to prepare greens for freezing?

First of all, it should be noted that you need to freeze fresh greens as quickly as possible after you cut them. This is no more than 3-4 hours. Then you will save the greatest amount of usefulness in it.

If you buy summer herbs, then it is no longer known how long it has been on the shelves. In any case, she has already lost some of her vitamins and minerals.

Separate the bad leaves and twigs from the good ones, rinse the bunch in cool water and let dry. I lay the grass on a towel, you can use a wire rack. But remember that you should not leave it for a long time, as it will quickly wither.

As for the stems, they are usually tough. When preparing greens for freezing, I trim them, but do not throw them away. They are very good to add to broths for aroma and aroma. But if you want, you can freeze them too, along with the soft and tender leaves.

What to freeze greens in?

Simple plastic bags are suitable for this. They are especially convenient for freezing in portions, at a time. By the way, this method of freezing is the best, since you don’t have to take out the rest of the greens.

I also like to use containers with a lid. It is advisable to take them small. I don’t tamp or press the greens in them, so they remain loose and crumbly. I take out the container, quickly scoop out as much herb as I need with a spoon, close the lid and put the container back in the freezer.

And so let's move on to the topic of the article. I know several ways to freeze greens for the winter.

Freezing greens for the winter


Method one.

It is the simplest and easiest. Requires a minimum of time and effort, suitable for those who are lazy or those who simply do not have time to work in the kitchen. It involves freezing greens in bunches. Moreover, you can do this either with one herb or with a mixture of them. For example, a mix of dill, parsley and basil would be an excellent addition to a salad.

Be sure to rinse and dry the bunch of grass well. Only dry greens will look more or less appetizing and can be easily separated from each other.

Also dry the plastic bag if you washed it and put the grass in it. Pressing it lightly, release the air and roll it into a sausage. You can secure the whole thing with an elastic band. All is ready. All that remains is to put it in the freezer.

Glass jars are absolutely not suitable for this type of freezing, but if you have a large enough freezer, then using a rectangular container will be convenient.


Second way

This is my favorite method, which takes a little longer than the first, but is more convenient, since the greens are completely ready to eat, immediately after you take them out of the refrigerator.

As usual, rinse the weed thoroughly and dry. Cut the leaves as you normally would. Some people like it bigger, some like it smaller. Cut off the stems. Pour the workpiece into bags, also wrapping it in a sausage or containers, tightly closing the lid. Even if you haven’t dried it completely, nothing bad will happen. Each leaf will be covered with a little ice, but when defrosted it will still retain its appearance. I add these greens to salads, soups and main courses.


Third way

In my opinion, it is not entirely successful - ice cubes with grass. It is also cut, compacted into ice molds and filled with water. This preparation can only be added to soups, where it will lose all its vitamins during cooking.

I don’t know about you, but I have a negative attitude towards this method. Firstly, the appearance of the product is lost, and secondly, why freeze water? If there is space, then please, if there is none, then the molds themselves take up a lot of space. In general, it's not my thing.


And the fourth way

Cubes of greens with butter. They are prepared like this: the greens are chopped, pre-washed and dried. Place in ice trays and top with olive oil.

This method is only suitable for dressing salads. And just like the previous one, it requires quite a large space in the freezer.

How do you do this? In general, do you freeze aromatic summer herbs for the winter or buy store-bought ones? By the way, I know that many people dry them, but I don’t like dried herbs. The taste changes a lot, but the aroma is no longer the same. I use it for cooking, but only in extreme cases.

Still, the freezer is a good thing, what would we do without it?))

That's all for today! See you again! Be healthy!