ᐉ How to freeze dill for the winter in the refrigerator

How to freeze fresh dill in the refrigerator for the winter

In the summer, people not only plan a vacation, they also think about how and what to prepare for future use. Summer residents look at the harvest, and city residents estimate the range of markets. And how to freeze greens for the winter in the refrigerator so that dill and parsley are always on hand. Of course, some manage to grow greens year-round, using greenhouses or ordinary window sills. But what if you need a blank? The shops delight you with an abundance of goods, there is store-bought jam, various snacks and juices. But people still make home preparations, annually planning what exactly to cook, infuse or collect. Moreover, you can stock up on more than just jam or salads. You can freeze your berries and vegetables while they are in season. They will be almost fresh by the time of consumption. After all, in winter it is extremely difficult to get strawberries or cherries. How to freeze dill for the winter in the refrigerator, what to use, is it difficult? What methods are there?

Freezing - a method of preservation

This is where you use the freezer. Just as meat is stored for months before consumption, you can freeze dill in the freezer, and it will last perfectly. Many smart housewives have long been using freezing for vegetables and fruits. then the necessary ingredients are at hand all year round.

Quantity for 10 individual servings. Cooking time will be 30 minutes. It is not necessary to choose exactly 700 grams, the quantity is indicated here rather as an example.

Take fresh, high-quality dill. In addition to greens, you will also need:

• Running water; • Sharp knife; • Paper towels (several); • Cutting board; • Plastic bags (small). Preparation:

The processing of greenery here is purely individual. After all, if twigs and sticks are not used, then they need to be cut off immediately. At home, in the cold, greens will be perfectly preserved even without branches. Usually all you need from greens are leaves and needles (dill). Although, some housewives advise preserving the stems if canning is planned. For example, tomatoes or cucumbers.

After purchasing greens, wash them thoroughly, removing dust, insects and other dirt. Next, process the bushes, removing all the branches (if you cut them off when they are in use). Place the needles in a small, convenient bowl. With 700 grams of purchased dill you will get 130 grams of raw materials already prepared for freezing.

Next, the dill must be dried naturally to remove unnecessary moisture. This way it will retain its shape when frozen and will not stick together, remaining crumbly as it is now. Place the prepared towels on a cutting board and sprinkle the dill on top. Let it sit for an hour and dry.

Now chop the dill, depending on how you prefer to use it at home. Some like it smaller, some like larger pieces. But frozen greens will be ready for subsequent use immediately. I took it out and put it in a dish.

Where to store? Here you will need small bags where the dill is placed. You can take containers, then all the greens will fit in one or two. There is enough space in such a container; the presence of a tight, hermetically sealed lid is important. However, freezing dill for the winter in bags is more convenient and takes up less space.

When filling bags with dill, release excess air. It is convenient to take special bags with a closing strip that can seal tightly. All filled bags can be sent directly to the freezer.

Freezing cubes

For such freezing in molds, you need more fuss, but then there are no problems. If you needed greens, you pulled out a couple of cubes and immediately threw them into the boiling, bubbling soup or second course. There will be a summer aroma and a pleasant taste. Greens are available in winter, but prices jump and you don’t want to overpay. At the same time, most housewives simply forget to buy greens, and by the time they’re cooking, it’s too late to run to the store. Therefore, blanks are relevant and considered a convenient method. So, how to freeze dill in the refrigerator for the winter.

• Parsley – a bunch; • Dill – a bunch; • Green onions – a bunch; • Water – half a glass.

To freeze the greens into cubes, you will need a special form for ice. You can freeze individual cubes, or you can make assorted greens.

Selection and preparation of dill for freezing

The key to long-term conservation of greenery is the choice of high-quality raw materials. To do this, be sure to carefully evaluate its external condition.

A suitable dill should have the following qualities:

have a rich green tint;
have fresh leaves and stems, without any dry inclusions;
have elastic tissue consistency;
The leaves and stems of dill should not stick together, look watery (a sign of thawing), or contain putrefactive inclusions.

Important! It is not recommended to use flowering plants for harvesting. They not only have a coarser consistency, but also a less pronounced taste and aroma.

In order to properly prepare greens for the winter, they should be prepared first.

To do this you need to do the following:

Remove excess parts of the stem - only the tops of young shoots have the brightest aroma.
If necessary, trim off yellowed, dry or rotten parts.
Rinse the greens under running water, otherwise an unpleasant taste of sand on your teeth cannot be avoided.
If the plants are heavily soiled, soak them in water for 15–20 minutes.

Is it possible to freeze dill for the winter in the freezer?

Fresh dill added to a dish gives it an exquisite aroma, complements the flavor composition, and sometimes reveals subtle notes. Frozen greens, unlike dried ones, do not lose their beneficial properties. As you know, dill is rich in nutrients and oils that you want to preserve. Freezing dill for the winter is a great find for housewives who love to decorate ready-made side dishes.

How to properly freeze dill at home

Having wondered how to keep dill fresh for a long time, many women begin to come up with various methods. It is customary to wrap the bundles with moistened gauze, place them in a jar of water, etc. In the end, the result is always the same - the greens wither, lose their taste, and become moldy. To be able to eat greens in winter, you need to know how to freeze dill. There are certain rules. By following them, housewives will not have to think about how best to preserve dill for the winter in other ways. Advise:

preserve only fresh greens (they are rich in nutrients);
thoroughly rinse the bunches, especially the stems, to prevent dirt from getting into the dish;
dry the branches before freezing (you can hang them over the sink);
remove excess air from bags and jars placed in the refrigerator to prevent the ingredients from decomposing.

There are several ways to keep dill fresh for the winter, including:

freezing in special bags;
using cling film;
in forms intended for making ice;
packing the workpiece into containers.

All methods have a special advantage - they allow greens to retain the beneficial substances and vitamins in which they are so rich for a long time. The main thing to remember when using the resulting preparations in the cool season is that under no circumstances should the greens be re-frozen. This procedure can negatively affect not only the appearance, but also the taste characteristics of dill.

How to freeze dill correctly?

Fresh dill is an incredibly aromatic herb. When cut, it smells fragrant and imbues dishes with a spicy aroma. This happens due to the content of essential oils in the stem and needle-shaped leaves.

The moisture inside the plant helps preserve the spicy properties. As it evaporates, the specific smell disappears.

Freezing allows you to preserve the full flavor of dill. At -18 degrees it can stay in the freezer until spring, about 9 months. But it is important to freeze greens correctly:

Dill must be clean. It is important to thoroughly rinse the bundle from dirt and dust. After freezing, greens are not washed: this causes them to quickly wither and become unappetizing.
The dill should be dry, without water. Otherwise, the moisture will turn into ice and the greens will stick together into one lump.
You need to release the air from the freezer packaging. Plastic containers are filled to the top with greens. If bags are used, they must be tied or zipped. The absence of air eliminates the possibility of any reactions, penetration of foreign odors and premature deterioration of dill.

Wash the greens exclusively with water at room temperature. Hot water accelerates the withering process.

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Time to prepare for the winter: the right ways to freeze fresh dill

While summer pleases us with sunny days and the garden with fresh herbs, it’s time to start preparing for the winter. Modern housewives prefer to use the freezer for this. Thanks to deep freezing, fresh herbs, and dill in particular, retain their taste, aroma and almost all beneficial properties. But to ensure that the result does not disappoint, you need to freeze it correctly.

Is it worth freezing dill for the winter?

The question is very simple, and the answer is even simpler: yes, it is worth it. Many housewives prefer to dry dill, but during drying a considerable part of the beneficial substances is lost. This does not happen when frozen.

When frozen, fresh dill practically does not lose its beneficial and taste qualities.

It is also important to consider what the greens will be used for later. For example, dried dill is suitable for pickles and marinades (for example, when pickling cucumbers or tomatoes), but in soups and main courses it is better to use frozen herbs, which are almost no different from fresh ones.

Methods for freezing dill

There are several ways to freeze greens, and each housewife has her own proven method. Let's look at the simplest and most common of them.

In bags

Most often, housewives prefer this type of freezing as it is reliable and not troublesome. This way, dill retains the maximum of beneficial properties for which we value fresh dill.

Select only the freshest greens without damage, dry, limp twigs or signs of rotting.
Wash the dill thoroughly, first in cold running water, and then by placing it in a deep bowl of water and rinsing.
Place the dill on napkins or towels to dry. You can collect the greens in bunches and hang them for a while to air. After this, cut off the thick stems.
When the dill dries, chop it finely and put it in bags (it’s most convenient to use those with a ziplock closure). Place everything in the freezer.

It is very convenient to use zipper bags for freezing.

It is often advised to release the air from the bags immediately after packing the greens. I recommend doing it differently. On the contrary, inflate the dill-filled bag like a balloon and place it in the freezer. And after a few hours, after complete freezing, make holes in the bags with a needle and let the air out through them. This way the greens will definitely not freeze into a lump, but will remain crumbly.

You can freeze dill in a container in much the same way. The container should be small, thoroughly washed and dried. The same applies to greens: only if they are well dried, after cutting and freezing, they will not form an icy lump, but will be crumbly.

You can freeze dill immediately in small containers.

In ice trays

This method is also very convenient. Then you just need to take a few cubes and add them to soup or borscht.

Instead of an ice mold, you can use molds from chocolate candies from a box or even children's “pastry”, which kids use to make Easter cakes out of sand.

Wash and dry the selected dill thoroughly and chop finely. Place in molds and fill with boiled, cooled water.

Before chopping, it is better to wash and dry the dill.

You can use any small sized molds for freezing.

By the way, try pouring the dill not with water, but with olive oil or melted butter. In the first case, you will get a good salad dressing, in the second, a spread for sandwiches. You just need to defrost them before using them.

The disadvantage of this method is that it takes a lot of time if you have a lot of greens. In addition, ordinary ice molds are very saturated with dill aroma, so you will have to get separate ones, especially for freezing.

In cling film or foil

This method is convenient because it does not require cutting the dill. Rinse the twigs well, dry them, and put them in small bunches (so that the quantity is enough for one dressing of the dish). In this form, wrap tightly with cling film or foil. Place the packages in the freezer and leave them there until you need the greens.

To freeze dill in cling film, you do not need to chop it

Freezing chopped greens

I always stick to this method. I am quite happy with it and the fact that the refrigerator is in order, just everything I need. And the dill is already prepared, open it and use it! It's great to add to chicken dumpling soup, for example, or sprinkle on top of a bowl of red lentil soup. You can add chopped dill at the cooking stage.

We sort through the herbs.
We tear off ONLY the leaves from the stems.
We rinse.
Place on a towel and leave to dry for 1 hour.
Finely (or coarser if you wish) chop the greens.
We pack the greens in bags.
If there are vacuum devices, we use them. If not, carefully remove the air from the bag and close it.

Bags of chopped dill can be frozen separately, and then put them all in a container and put in the freezer.