Coriander can transform the taste of even the most boring dish, making it piquant and multifaceted. Fresh greens contain many vitamins, demonstrate immunostimulating, antibacterial effects, and improve digestion. Summer is a great time to stock up on cilantro for future use.

Plant selection and preparation

Coriander is famous for its piquant taste and strong aroma. The leaves of the plant themselves, which are usually eaten, are called cilantro. They go well with meat and vegetables, being an integral part of Caucasian cuisine.

Coriander should be collected on a dry day, after the dew has subsided. If you make preparations in humid weather, the raw materials will rot and mold; even thorough drying will not save it from this.

However, this cannot be done under the scorching sun. It is better to make preparations early in the morning or in the evening, when the heat subsides.

Coriander has 2 forms - green petals (cilantro) and spicy seeds. The harvest time depends on what needs to be prepared for future use - greens or achenes.

Cilantro should be picked before flowering begins. If you miss this moment and cut off the greens while the ovaries are forming, they will have an unpleasant bitterness.

It is recommended to cut the greens when they have reached a height of 10-12 cm. If you plan to save both the greens and seeds for the winter, you should grow coriander in two areas. It will not be possible to pick green leaves and seeds from the plant, since in this case the quality of one of the preparations will noticeably suffer.

If you buy cilantro, then for long-term storage it is better not to do it in supermarkets. Preference should be given to private owners who grow fresh herbs in your region. When choosing greens, you should pay attention to their stems. If they are rotten, refuse to purchase. The same applies to the presence of a large number of yellowed leaves.

If the greens are wet, they have probably been kept in water or sprayed. This indicates that it was picked quite a long time ago. It hardly makes sense to buy such cilantro. The duration of storage is also indicated by too weak aroma or its complete absence. Freshly picked cilantro emits a strong, even pungent odor.

Features of plant preparation depend on the storage method. In any case, harvesting coriander leaves involves removing yellowed and rotten branches.

If you plan to store fresh greens in the refrigerator, then you should trim the stems of the plant, shortening them by 2-2.5 cm. This is necessary if a bunch of greens will be placed in a jar of water.

When exposed to air, the stems die and will therefore be unable to absorb liquid. By updating the cutting site, it is possible to ensure that the plant absorbs water. For pruning you need special scissors or a sharp knife.

If cilantro will be stored in the refrigerator, it should be washed before consumption, and not before storing. However, large contaminants should still be removed. When drying, freezing or salting, you must first wash the greens, wipe them thoroughly and dry them, and only then carry out subsequent manipulations.

It is better to wash the greens by soaking them for 7-10 minutes in a bowl of cool water. In this case, all dirt, insects and dry leaves will float to the surface. After this, it is recommended to rinse the branches under running water, holding them with their leaves down.

How to keep it fresh?

You can store fresh cilantro in the refrigerator. But for this you should follow simple rules. First you need to inspect the bunch of greenery, remove dirt, but do not wash the plant. Then renew the cut on the stems so that it absorbs liquid better.

Place the greens in a jar of water like a bouquet, and put a plastic bag on top and tie it with an elastic band to the jar to prevent the cilantro from coming into contact with air. With this storage method, you should change the water every 3-4 days, and if necessary, renew the cut on the stems.

Another way to keep the green leaves fresh is to put the cilantro in a bag along with the onion. Tie the bag and put it in the refrigerator. Onions should be changed every 3-5 days. If the bag inside is wet, it should also be replaced.

Preparing for the winter

Despite the variety of recipes, you can prepare cilantro for the winter for future use only in one of three ways:

• dry;
• to freeze;
• pickle.

Freezing

The next step is simple, but important - you need to dry the greens very well. It is better to spread it in a thin layer on a cloth towel and leave it for several hours. Then take another towel and place the cilantro on it, trying to turn it over to the other side.

When the pieces are dry, they can be finely chopped with a knife. However, if desired, you can freeze whole branches. Afterwards, you should form small, no more than 60 g, bundles, wrap them in cellophane or a container, and put them in the freezer.

There is another freezing method. It involves chopping washed and dried cilantro. The resulting raw materials are placed in ice cells and a little cold boiled water is added.

Now you need to freeze the cilantro with water, then pour the ice “cubes” into plastic bags. Such preparations are convenient to add to soups and sauces, and can even be used for cosmetic purposes for wiping the face.

Drying

Dried cilantro is no less popular. Of course, it loses some of its healing properties and its elegant green tint. Dried cilantro is commonly used in sauces and soups.

Drying can be done naturally or using an oven. In any case, you need to wash and dry the cilantro. For air drying, choose a warm room protected from moisture and drafts. The plant is collected in small bunches, which are hung with the leaves down. It is advisable to put a paper bag with holes over these bundles for ventilation. Drying time is 2-3 weeks.

It is important to avoid exposing coriander to direct UV rays during the drying process, as this destroys the healing components in it.

You can dry cilantro by finely chopping it and then scattering it in a thin layer on a clean, flat surface. If the raw materials are dried outside, then you need to bring them home at night and not take them back until the dew subsides. Naturally, in case of rain, you should think in advance about where the cilantro will remain to dry.

The prepared greens can also be finely chopped and placed in the oven for 4-5 hours at a temperature not exceeding 40-50C. It is better to first cover the baking sheet with a sheet of parchment and leave the oven door open to speed up the evaporation of moisture.

During the drying process, the size of the cilantro leaves will decrease, which should be kept in mind when slicing. Properly dried greens crumble, but they should not crumble into dust.

Cilantro should be placed in glass containers or canvas bags and kept in a dry place, protected from light. Before storing dried herbs, as well as during the process itself, it is recommended to periodically check the composition for the presence of pests and mold. Frozen and dried greens retain their properties and taste for up to a year.

Pickling

Finally, less common, but no less effective, is another way to preserve cilantro until spring - pickle it. The easiest way to do this is the dry method, for which the stems and leaves are crushed, mixed with salt, and the first ones are given a little time to release the juice. Then the mixture is transferred into sterile jars and sealed with nylon lids. The ratio of cilantro to salt looks like 5:1.

Pickled cilantro can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 10 months. When adding it to a dish, the amount of salt in the latter should be reduced.

If we are talking about coriander seeds, then they are collected together with umbrellas at the end of August, early September. The ripeness of the seeds is indicated by their brownish-brown tint. If harvested earlier, there is a high probability of picking unripe achenes, which will not have valuable properties and may become moldy.

Thresh the seeds, removing the umbels. Pour the resulting powder into fabric bags and place in a well-ventilated, dry and dark place. The shelf life of seeds is 4 years.

You can cut coriander stems with umbrellas, tie them into small bunches and hang them in a dry, ventilated room. Place clean paper or bags under the bunches. Ripe seeds will simply fall on them. After 2 weeks, you should untie the umbrellas and vigorously tap them on your palm to remove the remaining seeds. They are then removed for storage.

It is not necessary to grind the grains right away. They will give a richer taste if you do this immediately before adding to the dish. However, this increases the cooking time, so many housewives prefer to grind the entire batch of seeds.

Recipes

"Cubes"

This recipe involves freezing coriander in ice trays, but instead of water, pour in vegetable oil - sunflower or olive. The plant is washed, dried and chopped with a knife, then placed in molds. The raw materials need to be compacted a little. The cells are then filled with oil and placed in the freezer.

You can use not only vegetable oil, but also melted and cooled butter. In this case, when adding cubes, it will be possible to provide the dish not only with coriander, but also with a delicate creamy taste.

In this case, the preparations will be in the form of cubes, in which the border between the herbs and the oil is clearly visible, and the former is cut quite coarsely. If you need to get green ice of a more uniform consistency, you should proceed differently.

Grind 50 mg of cilantro into a paste in a blender and pour in 80 ml of olive oil. Mix the mixture and place it in molds and freeze. This additive is especially good to add to pastas, spaghetti, and baked goods. You can add garlic pressed through a press to the coriander. The “cubes” should be stored in the freezer (you can put the frozen pieces into one bag) for no more than 2-3 months.

If you like sandwiches with fresh herbs, it is better to freeze them in butter. To do this, the greens need to be chopped very finely with a knife or pureed using a blender. Then mix the softened butter (first remove it from the refrigerator for 2 hours) with herbs, form a sausage and put it in the refrigerator or freezer to set.

When the butter reaches its usual consistency, cut pieces from it as needed and spread them on pieces of bread, crackers or toast. You can use it for frying, add it to dough or creamy soups, sauces. The composition should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 7-10 days, in the freezer - no longer than 2 weeks. You can add pieces of chili pepper, garlic, favorite spices and other herbs to the green mass.

Oil

From cilantro and the seeds of the plant you can obtain a fragrant and healthy oil used for salad dressing. You can also use it to prepare sauces and homemade mayonnaise. Place fresh herbs tightly in a glass jar (you can also take frozen ones, having previously defrosted them), add umbrellas with achenes or just coriander seeds, fill it with oil up to the shoulders of the jar, seal it and leave to infuse in a dry, dark place.

The minimum infusion time is 14 days. If you increase this period, the oil will acquire a reddish tint and a more pronounced piquancy. You can add basil and garlic, cut into quarters, to the greens. We will now give the recipe for such oil below.

So, you should put 1 cup of chopped basil and cilantro in a jar, add umbrellas with achenes, 2 chopped garlic cloves, half a red or green (less hot) chili pod. Add olive oil, seal and leave for at least two weeks.

After infusion, the oil composition should be filtered and poured into a glass bottle, it is better if it is made of dark glass. You can add a few drops of lemon to the oil or add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt.

Canned cilantro

You can also cook canned cilantro. This seasoning will go well with simple side dishes, and the brine can be added to soups and sauces.

To preserve, cilantro should be pureed in a blender with 2-3 cloves of garlic. Then add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and distribute into pre-sterilized jars and close with lids.

You can preserve coriander not only in oil, but also in brine. You need to take 300 ml of water, 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, salt on the tip of a knife and a tablespoon of vinegar 9%.

Boil brine from salt and water, turn off the heat and pour in vinegar. Pre-sterilize the jars, distribute washed and chopped cilantro into them, and fill with brine. Cover the containers with lids and let the brine cool slightly, then pour a little oil into each container and seal the lids.

Turn the jars upside down and cover them with an old blanket. When the composition has cooled, place the container bottom down and move it to the main storage location. The workpiece should be stored in a cellar or refrigerator. Shelf life – 10-12 months.

For cilantro in marinade or with salt, it is better to use small jars. Once you open such a container, you should use it within 1-3 days.

It is optimal to take jars with a volume of less than 500 ml. The greens should be placed in them quite tightly, but there is no need to compact them.

Green sauces

Cilantro makes delicious green sauces that can be stored for a year. For example, coriander chutney. It’s quite simple to prepare – grind 1 bunch each of coriander leaves, parsley and green onions in a blender. Chopped chili peppers are also placed here, which are freed from film and seeds. The spiciness of the finished dish depends on its quantity.

At the next stage, spices are added to the sauce. These are definitely coriander seeds; turmeric and paprika go well with this taste. Add salt to taste. Prepare a marinade from 50 ml of water and 3 tablespoons of wine vinegar, bring it to a boil and cool.

Add the marinade to the green mixture, stirring it constantly. The dish should acquire the consistency of paste. After this, the chutney is placed in sterile jars and sealed with lids.

Before serving, you can add chopped walnuts to the dish. The sauce goes harmoniously with rice, pasta, and meat.

You can use cilantro to make another interesting chimichurri sauce, which is native to Latin America. Traditionally, it is served with steaks, and is also used as a liquid ingredient in the preparation of flatbreads in which meat and vegetables are wrapped.

So, for chimichurri you should grind a large bunch of coriander, 6-8 cloves of garlic, 70 g of pumpkin seeds in a blender. Prepare a sauce from 100 ml olive oil, 3 tablespoons wine vinegar and the juice of ½ lemon or lime. Ground red pepper and salt are added to the green mass, followed by dressing.

After this, the chimichurri is kneaded until it has a homogeneous structure, placed in jars and covered with nylon lids. It should be stored in the refrigerator.

To learn how to properly freeze cilantro, watch the following video.

Cilantro is valued for its fragrant aroma and content of useful substances. It has a beneficial effect on taste buds and increases appetite. Therefore, the aromatic herbaceous plant is widely used in cooking, although not everyone is delighted with its smell.

Fresh cilantro does not last long - less than parsley or dill. But lovers of this aromatic spice can use several ways to store greens longer and prepare them for the winter.

How to store fresh cilantro

It is better to store cilantro freshly picked from the garden or purchased at the market in the refrigerator. Before sending it to the shelf, you need to do the following manipulations:

• Inspect the bunch of cilantro and remove any small dirt. There is no need to wash the greens.
• Prepare scissors or a knife and lightly trim the stems. This frees up the fresher part of the plant, which will freely absorb water.
• Fill a jar with clean water and place a bouquet of cilantro in it. The stems should be immersed in the liquid, and the leaves should be out of the water.
• Cover the jar with a plastic bag. It can be secured with a pharmaceutical rubber band. This will protect the cilantro from air, which will contribute to better preservation of the greenery.
• Place the cilantro on a shelf in the refrigerator.

The water in the jar must be changed every three to four days. You should also check the ends of the cilantro. If they start to rot, take a knife and cut off the damaged part.

• Place unwashed greens in a bag.
• Peel a small onion and add it there.
• Place the bag of cilantro in the refrigerator.

After three or four days, it is advisable to replace the onion with a fresh one. If the bag is wet, you should change it too.

You can store greens until the leaves begin to change color and wither. Cilantro usually stays fresh and vibrant in color for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

How to preserve cilantro for the winter. Freezing

To prepare cilantro for the winter, use:

• freezing;
• drying;
• salting.

• Wash and sort the greens.
• Dry completely.
• Chop the cilantro or leave whole sprigs.
• Place the greens tightly in plastic containers or bags, place them in the freezer, and it is reasonable to place no more than 60 grams of cilantro in each package.

Freezing can be done in another way:

• Place chopped cilantro into ice cube trays.
• Pour in enough water to cover the greens.
• Place in the freezer.
• After freezing, remove the green cubes, wrap each individually in cling film, place in a container and place back in the freezer.

Frozen cilantro will last in the refrigerator until the next harvest. Its taste will change somewhat, but the beneficial substances and aroma will remain.

Preparing dried cilantro for the winter

Dried herbs do not lose their beneficial substances and are stored for at least a year. Therefore, cilantro can be prepared for the winter in this way:

• Place the greens in a bowl or basin of water. Let her swim for ten minutes. This will release dirt, debris and insects.
• Rinse the cilantro under running water.
• Dry the greens on a paper towel.
• Chop the cilantro. You should not make it too small, as it will shrink significantly in size after drying.
• Prepare a tray, tray or other flat dish.
• Line the bottom with parchment paper.
• Spread the cilantro in a thin layer.
• Place in the oven, set to low heat (40 degrees). After 4 or 5 hours, the greens can be removed.

Cilantro, dried correctly, crumbles, but does not crumble into dust.

You can dry cilantro on the veranda, balcony, attic, or in a dark place in the kitchen. The greens need to be stirred periodically to ensure they dry evenly.

Cilantro is dried in small bunches. They should be tied securely and hung with their leaves down in a dry room (closet, shed, veranda). Cover the leaves with paper bags, in which holes have been made in advance for ventilation. In two weeks the greens will reach the desired condition.

Well-dried cilantro should be poured into a glass container. A canvas bag will also work. Store cilantro in a dry place. Periodically it is necessary to check whether moths or mold have grown in the greenery.

Pickling greens

Pickling is another way to preserve cilantro for the winter. For every 100 grams of greens you will need 20 g of salt. This is done like this:

• The stems are cut off.
• The cilantro is washed, dried and chopped.
• The greens are placed in a clean jar in parts, compacted and sprinkled with salt.
• After filling the container to the top, press the cilantro so that the juice appears.
• The jars are covered with lids and loaded into the refrigerator. You need to choose a place closer to the freezer.

Cilantro will last until spring. It can be added to meat dishes, soups, salads, lobio. The food becomes much tastier.

The farm also uses other methods for preserving cilantro. The main thing is not to be lazy and use them. Then cilantro will be on the menu all year round, enriching the diet and helping the body stay healthy.

People have very mixed feelings about cilantro. For some, this is their favorite seasoning, without which a dish would not be a dish. It contains a lot of useful vitamins that stimulate appetite. But for others, cilantro is completely unsuitable, since it is difficult to get used to its specific aroma. Like all green seasonings, fresh cilantro is very poorly preserved, even worse than dill and parsley. But for lovers of this aromatic seasoning, we can recommend several fairly simple but effective ways to keep cilantro fresh for a long time.

To keep cilantro longer in the refrigerator, it must be washed well and dried very thoroughly.

Cilantro frozen in olive oil will be an excellent seasoning for first and second courses.

At home, fresh herbs can be stored in the refrigerator, placed in a jar of water, or wrapped in paper. But for long-term storage you need to use freezing, drying, salting and preserving in a marinade.

There has been a lot of debate about whether cilantro can be stored in the refrigerator? Yes, you can, but in order to properly store cilantro, it needs to be processed in several ways so that it can be preserved both in the refrigerator and in the freezer for as long as possible and delight the owners with summer aromas in winter.

Fresh herbs will last the longest when stored in an airtight container. This way you can store it for about 7-10 days.

In the refrigerator, dry cilantro should be stored in hermetically sealed containers to prevent air from entering. But it is better to store cilantro in the freezer, having previously prepared it for storage.

In order to preserve fresh cilantro, it needs to be dried. To do this, you need to thoroughly rinse the cilantro in running water to remove any remaining sand or soil. The cilantro should dry out a little, after which it needs to be cut, but not too finely. A sheet of paper is spread on a pallet and cilantro is laid out on it in a thin layer. You can dry it in a dry, ventilated place, but an oven heated to 40 C is also suitable. When the grass dries, it needs to be poured into a dry canvas bag or glass jar.

Dried cilantro can be stored for up to a year.

Freezing keeps cilantro green. To do this, it is washed and dried. You can freeze it along with the branches, or you can cut off the stems. After that, the grass is placed in sealed trays or plastic bags and placed in the freezer.

At a temperature of -18C, cilantro can be stored for about a year. If desired, it can be divided into portions so that only the required amount is removed.

According to the second freezing method, cilantro is prepared in the same way, but cut much smaller. Then it is placed in ice trays and filled with water or olive oil. After freezing, you can leave the greens in trays, or you can beat out cubes of frozen cilantro and put them in bags. The shelf life in this case is at least a year, so it should be enough until the next harvest.

Did you buy fresh herring? Find out how and where to store it correctly so that it does not spoil and retains its taste.

Coriander (cilantro - greens) is an annual herbaceous plant that has a spicy aroma, is actively used in cooking and has a positive effect on health. Many housewives want to know how to preserve cilantro for the winter at home in order to preserve its beneficial and tasteful qualities.

Shelf life

The length of time you store cilantro at home depends on the method chosen. Information about the timing is given in the table:

How to Store Cilantro in the Refrigerator to Keep It Fresh

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

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

Do not wash cilantro if you plan to store it in the refrigerator. Excessive moisture will speed up the process of rotting of the greens, and they will quickly deteriorate.

Methods for long-term storage of cilantro

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

Rules for freezing greens

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

You can freeze cilantro in a plastic bag. To do this, sort out the washed grass and dry it on a paper towel. Place produce in ziplock bags/bags/bags and squeeze out as much air as possible. Place the preparation in the freezer and store until needed.

You can preserve greens in their whole form, as well as chopped - it all depends on individual preferences and how the herb is intended to be used.

Freeze cilantro in portions for a single use. Remember, greens cannot be re-frozen - this will cause them to lose all their taste and beneficial qualities.

You can freeze cilantro in vegetable oil. This preparation will maximize the aroma of the spice and become a complete seasoning for the dish. You need to follow a number of simple steps:

1. Wash and dry the grass. Cut it into large pieces and put it in a blender bowl.
2. Pour vegetable oil over the greens at the rate of 80 ml per 50 g of raw material.
3. Beat everything with a blender until you obtain a homogeneous green puree.
4. Place the mixture in ice-freezing containers or small silicone molds.
5. Place the dough in the freezer for 3 hours. After the allotted time, pack the cubes several at a time into bags. It is important to put stickers on them with the name of the greens and the date of freezing.
6. Place the pieces back into the freezer for long-term storage (8-12 months).

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

1. Mix 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.
2. Mix all the ingredients well, transfer to parchment paper or foil and wrap with a roll.
3. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours until the butter completely hardens.
4. Place the roll in a plastic bag and place it in a freezer drawer.
5. Add the preparation to first courses, use it when preparing sauces, meat or fish.

Drying

Naturally

How to dry cilantro naturally:

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

The herb 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 to implement and does not require material or time costs. Store dried coriander in a glass container away from ultraviolet radiation and high humidity. it can take quite a long time.

In the oven

You can dry cilantro in the oven:

1. Sort and rinse the plant. Dry it on a paper towel.
2. Chop coarsely.
3. Place the cilantro on a baking sheet.
4. Preheat the oven to +40 ℃ and place the workpiece there for 5 hours (with the door open). After the allotted time, check the readiness of the product - it should rustle and crumble in your hands.
5. Place the dried herb in a glass container and store it in a dry place in the kitchen.

Conservation

Pickling recipe

Salted cilantro retains the entire spectrum of vitamins and nutrients. The procedure for creating a blank:

1. Wash the greens and dry on a cotton/paper towel.
2. Mix rock salt (250 g) and grass (1 kg) in a dry container.
3. Place the raw materials in sterilized dry glass jars. Sprinkle a thin layer of salt on top. After a couple of days, the greens will settle and you can add a little more grass.
4. Close the jars with a tight lid and store the preparations in the refrigerator or cellar.

Salted cilantro contains quite a lot of salt, so do not add additional salt to the dish during cooking. If necessary, you can add salt to the treat directly on the plate to suit your taste.

Recipe for preparing cilantro in oil

We offer a simple recipe for preserving cilantro in oil. You will need:

• cilantro – 500 g;
• vegetable oil – 500 ml;
• rock salt - to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash the cilantro thoroughly, dry, and finely chop.
2. Prepare the container - wash and sterilize the glass jar and lid.
3. Mix chopped grass with salt and place in a jar (2-3 cm to the edge).
4. Fill the jar with oil to the top.
5. Close the jar and store in the refrigerator for 2-4 months (use the product as needed).

The preparation of cilantro and oil preserves the entire range of nutrients, taste and breathtaking aroma

How to save cilantro seeds - coriander

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

In dry weather, dry the plant “umbrellas” under a canopy (away from direct sunlight), and then collect the seeds in thick canvas bags. Store the product in a dark, dry place.

Video

To familiarize yourself with the nuances of creating cilantro blanks, watch the following video:

Young mother, wife and housewife. She prepares delicious and, most importantly, healthy meals for her household. Therefore, he is looking for and testing various options for preserving the beneficial properties of fruits and vegetables at home. I am ready to share the experience gained and the results of experiments with readers.

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It’s hard to imagine cooking without using greens. Fans of savory flavors love cilantro, which they want to have on the table all year round. Therefore, a reasonable question arises: how to preserve cilantro in order to enjoy the spice in winter.

Storage methods

Spicy roots, which include coriander, are prepared for the winter in the same way as root vegetables, in order to use them fresh. You can also store greens by choosing one of the convenient methods.

• The most common is drying. Usually the spice is crushed and dried for several days in a ventilated area or an oven is used for this purpose.
• Cilantro pickled in water with vinegar and salt will last a long time. It is good to keep jars of herbs in the cellar, pantry or refrigerator.
• It’s also worth storing salted cilantro there. Fresh grass is compacted into glass jars, sprinkled with salt, and sent closer to the freezer.
• You can keep the herbs fresh if you freeze the spice. When you have a convenient camera, this storage method will be the best.

For variety, you can use several ways to store cilantro. Any of them will preserve all the nutritional and taste properties of the herb.

Modern drying

Coriander greens, even fresh in summer, quickly wither, so when preparing for the winter, many are interested in how to properly store cilantro so that it does not lose its spicy smell. This is especially true for the drying process.

• To wash off insects, dirt and sand from cilantro branches, rinse it in bunches first in a basin of water, then under a running stream.
• Place the washed spice in a colander and allow the water to drain.
• Then the greens are chopped, trying not to make them too small, because... it will eventually dry out.
• Cover trays, trays or flat dishes with newspapers and place a thin layer of cilantro on them.
• Dry in shaded but well-ventilated places. In a private house this can be attics or verandas, in an apartment - on the balcony or kitchen away from the sun. Sometimes an oven is used for drying, keeping it at a minimum temperature (about 40°C).

During drying, the greens should be stirred periodically so that the process proceeds more evenly. If you do not do this, mold may form in places and the entire workpiece will have to be thrown away. When the cilantro is completely dry, it is packaged in glass jars, covered with lids and stored in the pantry or on a kitchen cabinet shelf.

Ancient drying method

You can store dried spices the old fashioned way - with whole branches. They are collected in small bundles, tied, wrapped in canvas or paper and hung on the beam of an attic or barn. Here the cilantro can be stored for the whole winter. Residents of apartments can use loggias or closed balconies.

Pickling

Those who have been harvesting for a long time know how to preserve greens throughout the winter. One of the convenient methods is marinating, which can be described by the following algorithm:

• After boiling water, pour vinegar into it and add salt. For 300 g of liquid you should take 1 tbsp. vinegar (9%) and a pinch of salt.
• By this point, small jars of chopped cilantro should already be prepared. The spice is compacted down to the shoulders of the jar.
• The greens are poured with marinade so that they are completely covered with it.
• When the jars have cooled a little, pour another 1 tbsp on top. sunflower oil.

After waiting for the marinade to cool completely, seal the jars with lids. The best storage place is considered to be the refrigerator, but you can also use a cool cellar.

Freezing

• The cilantro branches are sorted out, discarding spoiled ones, then washed under running water to wash away any remaining soil or sand.
• To dry, clean grass sprigs are placed in 1 layer on paper towels, which should be changed when wet.
• The prepared bunches are entirely packaged in plastic bags, wrapped in cling film or placed in special plastic trays. You can cut the greens and then pack them. Subsequently, the cilantro stored in the freezer is removed in portions as needed.

True gourmets prefer to use several varieties of coriander in their diet. Therefore, if you intend to freeze various types of cilantro, then each package should be labeled, since the frozen product will be difficult to distinguish by smell.

Spicy cubes

The original storage method is a frozen spice cube. It is very convenient to use when preparing soups and sauces.

• Leaves are cut from washed cilantro branches and placed in ice trays.
• The spice should be poured with boiled, cooled water.

You can store portioned cubes with cilantro in the freezer directly in the mold, or after hardening, transfer them to containers (or jars) and keep them in the refrigerator.

Which container is preferable?

You can store herbs in the refrigerator in various packaging. To ensure better and longer preservation, preference should be given to the following containers:

• It is better to use vacuum containers made of food-grade plastic; they are sold in various sizes. Before storing, wash the freezer container well and dry it.

• The grass is placed in glass jars without roots and yellow leaves, not forgetting to ensure tightness.
• Cilantro wrapped in paper towels will keep in the refrigerator for a long time. But you need to make sure that the paper does not get wet.
• Plastic bags can be used if the packaging is “solid”. In this case, you need to tie the bag in such a way that an air shell is created inside.

Note! If it is possible to package frozen greens into portions, it is recommended to do so.

Spices not only give dishes a pleasant aroma - greens have beneficial vitamin properties. By observing the conditions for preserving cilantro, you can enjoy its piquancy even in winter. Regardless of the method of storing herbs, you must always take into account the basic rule - do not use wilted branches for preparation. The fresher the bunch of cilantro, the greater the chance of preserving its nutritional qualities.