In order for spinach to be stored for a long time, first process it appropriately, and only then do whatever you want with it. Turn on the water and perform certain manipulations with the leaves:
- Fill with liquid deep container- use a bowl or pan and rinse the spinach from all contaminants, sorting the leaves with your hands.
- Remove the greens from the water, leaving all specks and debris behind. Now rinse the branches thoroughly under the tap again.
- Dry the spinach using paper towels. Place the leaves on them and leave everything for 20 minutes until the water droplets completely dry.
If desired, dried herbs can be placed in a saucepan, covered with a lid and placed in a dark place where it is cool enough. In this case, the spinach will be fresh for another 1-2 days. After the specified time has passed, you should not cook food with it.
How to store spinach in the refrigerator?
Staying in heat or in the sun has a detrimental effect on cut greens. It's best to put it in the refrigerator. However, you need to take care in advance about what to pack the spinach leaves in. There are several options:
- Plastic container. Put it there fresh leaves and close it tightly with the lid. The greens will remain in this state for up to 3 weeks.
- Glass jar. Dry herbs are placed in it, lightly compacting the branches, and closed with a lid. Their shelf life there is 2 weeks.
- Plastic bag. Before storing spinach, wrap it in dampened thick paper. Then the leaves are placed in a bag, and they remain there for up to 3 weeks in a fresh state.
- Ice molds. Chop the branches. Place the mixture into molds and fill everything with water. During cooking, remove ice cube with spinach from the freezer, where they will be stored all winter.
If you want to use the greens from the refrigerator, but they look limp, then “revive” the leaves by placing them in a glass with cold water. In this case, you should add a small spoon there table vinegar. Otherwise, follow these guidelines and enjoy the taste of spinach all year long.
Quick preparation of spinach for the winter: freezing and other simple recipes for cooking at home
Spinach is a product whose taste is appreciated by few. But having understood and loved it, it is no longer possible to refuse this vegetable, so preparing spinach for the winter (freezing and other recipes for cooking at home) becomes a particularly pressing issue.
Unlike European countries, spinach is included in our diet (as well as black Eyed Peas) entered relatively recently, but quickly gained trust among culinary experts. Spinach sautéed in butter in a frying pan on low heat, good as a side dish, base for soup, additional ingredient for omelettes and indispensable in cooking various sauces to fish and meat. In addition, having a bright green color, spinach is great for achieving unusual color schemes. diverse different dishes- from mashed potatoes to pancakes.
Spinach is very useful culture, and when proper preparation- also very tasty
Beneficial properties of spinach
This leafy vegetable is rich in protein, fiber, and contains minerals(zinc, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, selenium, manganese), vitamins (B, C, A, E). It should be noted that vitamins A and C are particularly stable in spinach: during heat treatment they are destroyed much less than in other vegetables.
Spinach is used as an additional product in various diets, including medicinal ones. Low calorie, high content carotene, lutein, iodine make this green leafy vegetable attractive to baby food. In addition, carried out Scientific research show that spinach helps cleanse the body and remove toxins.
Spinach is very good at cleansing the intestines of toxins.
Attention! It should be remembered: spinach contains oxalic acid, the use of which large quantities may cause harm.
There is only one thing that upsets us - the rather short shelf life of fresh spinach at home. Therefore, lovers of green vegetables should stock up on them in the summer. There are a few simple recipes spinach preparations.
Freezing spinach
This method of preserving vegetables and berries, such as freezing, is becoming increasingly popular. Fast, easy, and the products are almost fresh.
To freeze spinach for the winter you need:
Wash the spinach leaves thoroughly;
trim the petioles;
dry the leaves on a towel;
roll the spinach leaves into a tube and wrap cling film;
send to freezer(to the fast freezing department).
Freezing spinach in portions will speed up the process of preparing dishes in winter
It is quite convenient to cut small pieces from spinach frozen in this way for cooking. The cut will also need to be wrapped in cling film for further storage.
Preparing spinach: unusual cubes
A slightly more labor-intensive, but at the same time more effective way to freeze leafy vegetables is to freeze ice cubes with herbs. To do this you need:
Follow the standard procedures:
rinse, dry, trim off excess;
cut spinach leaves into medium-sized pieces;
Place the greens in ice cube trays and pour boiled water;
put in the freezer;
After initial freezing, transfer to containers for long-term storage in the freezer.
Cubes prepared in this way can be used for soups, sauces, and stews. For pasta and risotto, spinach can also be frozen, but use melted and cooled water instead of water. butter.
Recipe for preparing spinach for the winter for sauces
Grind the washed and drained spinach in a blender or food processor until pureed;
place the greens in ice trays;
Melt the butter in a water bath or in the microwave, cool;
Pour the puree into the molds with oil and place in the freezer.
When preparing pasta, risotto and sauces, such cubes can be added to the dish a couple of minutes before the end of cooking.
Do not expose spinach re-freezing- it will lose its taste
To save time when preparing spinach-based soups, some recipes suggest freezing the already cooked vegetable.
Spinach: Freezing Soup Base
Want to save time on making green soup? Recipe for practical housewives:
Wash the leaves, trim the petioles, cut the spinach into noodles;
boil the leafy vegetable in small quantity water, cool;
freeze the broth along with the herbs in portioned plastic containers.
To prepare green spinach soup In winter, you just need to boil the potatoes and other vegetables to taste and add frozen spinach broth along with the greens.
You can freeze both fresh and cooked spinach.
Spinach preparation
If space in the refrigerator allows, you can prepare pureed boiled spinach and then add it to various dishes. To do this you need:
Wash the spinach, trim, cut into small pieces;
boil for about 5-6 minutes in lightly salted water;
Drain the spinach in a colander and allow excess liquid to drain;
grind the leaves to a puree;
boil the spinach puree;
Determine the readiness of the product by its thickness (if a drop does not flow from the spoon, it’s ready);
Divide into jars and store in the refrigerator.
Pickling spinach
Spinach, like other leafy vegetables, can be pickled and canned. The pickling recipe is simple:
Wash the leaves, dry, trim the petioles;
tear the leaves into small pieces;
Place spinach leaves in jars in layers, sprinkling each layer with salt.
For pickling fresh spinach cut into pieces
Important: layers of spinach must be made of medium thickness, compacting each one tightly. The total amount of salt will be up to 10% of the weight of the harvested spinach.
Store pickled spinach in the refrigerator. The condition of the workpiece should be monitored and the appearance of green mold on the surface should be avoided. To prepare green borscht, you can pickle spinach along with sorrel in equal shares, adding a little parsley and dill.
Canning spinach
Spinach prepared according to this recipe can be stored for a long time in a cool place. To preserve leafy vegetables you need:
Spinach - 1 kg;
water - 1 l;
salt - 1.5-2 tablespoons.
Preparation:
Wash the leaves, cut them, dry them;
blanch in fairly hot (but not boiling) water for about 5 minutes;
Place the leaves in a colander or on a wire rack and allow excess liquid to drain;
put the greens into jars (pre-sterilize them);
compact the green mass;
pour out the released liquid from the jars;
prepare the brine: add salt (about 2 tablespoons) to boiling water and bring the solution to a boil;
pour brine over the leafy vegetable;
seal the jars.
Blanch spinach for no more than 5 minutes.
All the greens in one jar: canning spinach with onions and parsley
Do you want to prepare a universal green soup dressing for the winter? Use the following recipe.
Required ingredients:
spinach - 1.5 kg;
water - 0.6 l;
green onions - 0.3 kg;
salt - 20 g;
dill, parsley - 20 g each.
If you like different greens, prepare them along with spinach
Preparation:
rinse all greens thoroughly;
finely chop parsley, onion, dill;
cut spinach leaves into noodles;
put the chopped greens into a saucepan, add water, add salt;
boil everything for about 10 minutes;
pour the resulting mixture into jars;
Sterilize half-liter jars of spinach for 20-25 minutes, then seal and send to cool.
Drying spinach
If you don’t have space in the refrigerator or are too lazy to bother with canning, you can prepare spinach for the winter by simply drying the leaves. To do this, it is washed, dried and laid out on clean sheets of paper in a warm room, trying to avoid direct contact with it. sun rays. The best option drying greens at home - using an electric dryer. Spinach is dried for several hours at a temperature of 30-35°C and stored in glass jars under the lid in a dark place.
Dried spinach is great for soups
The processes for harvesting spinach are quite simple and not labor-intensive, and take very little time. Prepare this amazing leafy vegetable and color your winter diet bright colors summer.
Spinach preparations for the winter: photo
Spinach is called the king of vegetables - because of its usefulness and ability to enrich even the most delicious food with flavor.
Both frozen and fresh herbs looks great in tart fillings, ravioli, and the creamy sauce is simply perfect complement to traditional pasta.
So, today we have frozen spinach and a recipe on our table. stewed greens with cream with step-by-step photographs.
And good news right away: I just love lungs nutritious meals, which can be made from everything in the refrigerator.
Our pasta in creamy spinach sauce will be just like that.
Frozen spinach - side dish recipe
Let's start with the ingredients:
- 1 package frozen spinach (400 g)
- 3 small onions
- 200 g cream of any fat content
- 30 g butter
- 250 g paste (enough for a full lunch three people)
- Salt pepper, nutmeg taste
Step 1:
Step 1. Prepare the necessary ingredients We do not defrost spinach on purpose. Just put it on a plate and work on the other ingredients.
Step 2:
Step 2. Wait for the onion to become translucent and acquire a pleasant creamy aroma Melt butter in a frying pan. Chop the onion into half rings and fry until golden.
Step 3:
Step 3. Cook the spinach until it is completely soft. We also send pieces of spinach there. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 4:
Step 4. Lastly, add cream Pour in the cream in a thin stream. Let it simmer a little.
Salt, pepper, add spices. I chose nutmeg, but basil, dill, fennel, parsley and citrus zest go well with spinach greens.
As an additional dressing, you can use a couple of tablespoons of lime or lemon juice to make the taste more sour.
Step 5:
After another five minutes, turn it off ready dish. This is what cooked spinach looks like: cream sauce:
Step 5. Appetizing and healthy spinach almost ready Step 6:
Step 6. Mix ready sauce with boiled pasta Now all that remains is to put the pasta on a plate and decorate the dish beautifully, because food should bring not only our taste buds, but also to cultivate aesthetic beauty.
If desired, you can diversify the serving with soft balls cream cheese- it will give a few more flavor shades.
Tip: if you don’t want your pasta to be deposited on the sides, choose only a product from durum varieties wheat. This paste takes ten minutes or more to cook. The bigger, the better.
Bon appetit! And traditionally, a few words about why spinach is so cool and why it needs to be eaten in large quantities at any time of the year.
Spinach is deservedly considered the king among vegetables. 5+ Health Benefits of Spinach
- It contains four times the required amount of vitamin K (and you will also find vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, beta-carotene, the list goes on for a long time)
- For its ability to cleanse the body and have a good effect on the gastrointestinal tract, the French nicknamed it “a broom for the stomach”
- Imagine, despite 20 calories per 100 grams, it is nutritious, stimulates satiety and fights cholesterol
- Prevents the formation of cancer cells
- Most greens are grown in China, and in the USA they even make cartoons about it and erect monuments - the pirate Popeye, after eating spinach, literally acquired heroic strength
- Contains 90% water and is ideal for vitamin-rich vegetable smoothies
- Persia is considered the birthplace of the vegetable (from Persian the word “spinach” is literally translated as “ green hand»)
Spinach is literally made for smoothies. Frozen spinach - 5+ recipes with photos
Pkhali
Those who have been to Georgia know that pkhali, light with spices, is prepared there from literally everything.
Cabbage, eggplant, nettle, grape leaves, broccoli, etc. are used.
Thanks to proper processing, almost all the beneficial substances are retained in the dish, and a small list of ingredients makes it also cheap.
You can also use frozen spinach for pkhali.
Pkhali For the recipe we take:
- 500 g frozen vegetable
- 50 g walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- Half a teaspoon of wine vinegar
- Dry adjika on the tip of a knife
- Two stalks of green onions
- Half a bunch of basil, dill and cilantro
- A piece of chili pepper for spicy lovers
Boil the spinach for five minutes in salted water, place in a colander, let drain and squeeze.
Finely chop the greens and garlic.
Grind the walnuts in a blender or crush them with a rolling pin.
Combine the ingredients in a deep bowl, season with adjika and vinegar, and salt.
Tip: By the way, in ancient times spinach juice was used as ink. So any dish you add it to will automatically take on a green tint.
French tart with cheese and spinach
Spinach has a rather unique taste, but eating it is extremely healthy. Its most basic property is the ability to remove waste and toxins from the body. Spinach is also widely used in cooking dietary dishes, so it should definitely be saved for the winter. I propose to talk about all the ways to freeze leafy vegetables in this article.
We cut off the roots from the bunches of greenery; it is better to remove the stems later. Place the spinach in a container of water and rinse thoroughly, then rinse under the tap and place in a colander to drain excess liquid.
Place the greens on paper or waffle towels and let dry thoroughly. You can lightly blot them with towels on top, but this must be done very carefully, since spinach has very fragile leaves.
Ways to freeze spinach for the winter
How to Freeze Raw Spinach
Freezing whole leaves
Cut the stems from the leaves. Collect 10-15 leaves in one pile, roll them up and squeeze them tightly with your hand to fix the shape.
Such preparations can be immediately put into a bag or frozen first on a board, and then transferred to a common container.
Freezing chopped greens
Remove the stems from the spinach leaves and cut them into 1-2 centimeter strips.
We pour the slices into a bag, which we then twist into a tight sausage. You can also pack chopped greens in cling film.
Freezing in ice cubes
Spinach is chopped with a blender or cut with herb scissors. Place the slices in ice cube trays or silicone molds. Pour the workpiece with boiled cold water and put it in the freezer. After a day, the cubes are poured into a separate bag or container.
See video from Lubov Kriuk - Simple freezing greenery Spinach for the winter is an excellent dietary product
How to freeze spinach after cooking
You can process spinach before freezing in different ways:
- Blanch the greens in boiling water for 1 minute using a sieve;
- pour boiling water over the leaves and let sit for about a minute;
- steam the vegetable in a double boiler for 2 minutes.
The main thing is to quickly cool the vegetable in ice water after cooking. To keep the water temperature as low as possible, add ice cubes to the bowl.
See video - Spinach. How to prepare spinach for the winter
Freezing Boiled Spinach Leaves
Past heat treatment The leaves are squeezed thoroughly and formed into balls or cakes. Place the workpiece on a flat surface and freeze. Frozen spinach is packed into bags, tightly closed and put in the freezer.
Freezing spinach puree
Spinach treated with boiling water or steam is crushed in a blender, with the addition of a few tablespoons of water, until pureed. At the same time, you can also use the stems of the plant.
The finished puree is laid out silicone molds or in a container for freezing ice cubes. After pre-freezing, the puree is removed from the molds and placed in containers. This preparation is very convenient to use for making sauces.
Freezing puree with butter
This method differs from the previous one in that the molds are filled halfway with puree, and softened butter is placed on top. In this case, it is better not to melt the butter until liquid state, but just defrost to room temperature.
Spinach with butter must first be put in the refrigerator, and then the frozen cubes can be transferred to a separate container.
Shelf life of frozen spinach
Spinach frozen by any method will keep in the freezer for 10 to 12 months. The only exception is greens frozen with butter. Its shelf life should not exceed 2 months. 
In order not to confuse the vegetable with other greens, the preparation must be marked, indicating the date the food was placed in the freezer.
Frozen spinach- a leafy vegetable that quickly loses vitamins and is poorly stored, so it can often be found in the form of a frozen product. Spinach is a plant of the amaranth family. Wild spinach is native to Asia and began to be cultivated in Persia.
The most common etymology of the name leads to a Persian word that literally translates to "green hand". In the 17th century, this plant was brought to China along the Great Silk Road and was called the “Persian vegetable.”
Spinach was widely used in Arab countries; entire treatises were even dedicated to it. Ibn al-Awwam called spinach “the general among greens.”
Spinach became known to Europe much later; it was vegetable greens the people of Spain found out. In Italy, spinach was considered a valuable spring green, which was usually consumed during Lent. In France, the fashion for spinach at the royal court was introduced by Catherine de Medici. In the 16th century, a common type of spinach became a plant without bitterness. Breeders who developed new varieties of spinach did so with the goal of improving the quality of the crop.
Spinach is very popular in Western countries. The extraordinary popularity of this product is, unfortunately, due to a typo. In 1870, Dr. Evon Wolf published his research, which erroneously stated that spinach contained ten times more iron than it actually did. Spinach began to be bought many times more than before Dr. Wolf's publications; it became the most popular and sought-after green in America. As it turned out, the scientist forgot to put a decimal point in the number. There is another version, according to which misconceptions about spinach originate from the research of Gustav von Burge, who studied dry (!) spinach. The scientist concluded that the product contains 35 mg of iron per 100 grams. The thing is that he studied dry spinach, while fresh plant contains up to 90% water and not 35, but only 3.5 mg of iron per 100 g. The error was discovered already in 1873, but this information was made public only in the 80s.
The misconception about the healing properties of spinach immediately penetrated the masses, the Fleischer studio released a cartoon about the adventures of Popeye the sailor, the first cartoon was released in 1933 and was called “I am what I eat.” This sailor was very strong and easily solved all problems; when Popeye realized that the situation was beyond his control and his strength was leaving him, he turned to “doping” - a can of spinach, after such a snack Popeye became many times stronger and certainly defeated the enemy. The cartoon about the sailor became so popular among teenagers that it made it possible to popularize the consumption of vegetables, including spinach. In Texas, they even erected a monument to a spinach-loving sailor. Several sailor sculptures are also installed in the city of Alma, which considers itself the world capital of this greenery.
Nutritionists recommend eating spinach in the spring; at this time of year it is grown in the most suitable conditions. For use in fresh better to choose young plant with green tender leaves: it contains less oxalic acid and also has a less bitter taste. The advantage of frozen spinach is its safety. The fact is that most often fresh spinach contains nitrates, while the frozen product is obtained immediately after harvesting, so nitrates do not have time to be converted into nitrites, which usually happens during storage.
Beneficial features
The beneficial properties of frozen spinach are due to its valuable chemical composition. Spinach contains one of the most useful substances– folate, a B vitamin that takes part in the process of hematopoiesis, is excellent prevention strokes, normalizes blood pressure. Scientists have concluded that this substance inhibits the formation of cancer cells.
The plant contains a large number of vitamin C, as well as carotenoids. They protect a person from macular degeneration, the main cause of visual impairment in old age.
Spinach useful for preventing diseases of cardio-vascular system Therefore, it is recommended for older people to use it.
Frozen spinach retains vitamin A, B vitamins, as well as vitamins C, D, E, and also contains potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron. The plant is recommended for use by children, pensioners, and people who have suffered serious illnesses. Frozen spinach perfectly raises hemoglobin and helps improve digestion.
Nutritionists consider spinach to be one of the most useful products, these greens must be present in the diet of a modern person.
The plant is good strengthens the immune system, therefore it is recommended to use it before moving to another climate zone, surgery, or an epidemic of viral diseases.
Use in cooking
In cooking, frozen spinach is widely used for preparing various dishes. Its leaves can replace cabbage, grape leaf in cabbage rolls.
The young leaves of the plant are used for gastronomic purposes. Young spinach is consumed fresh, as an independent product or as an additive to salads and sauces. The rough leaves are great for adding to dishes that are exposed to heat treatment, they can be steamed, fried, stewed.
Spinach does not have a distinct taste or smell; rather, it is bland, so it is recommended to cook the plant along with other greens with more rich taste, for example, with sorrel. Spinach is used as a filling for pies, a side dish, and a base for salads. From these greens we get dietary soups, Dessert.
How to freeze and what to cook?
To properly freeze spinach, you need to take into account the specifics of its storage. Spinach is considered a very delicate green; it can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a week. The longer a plant is stored, the less beneficial substances remain in it. In order to preserve the plant’s vitamins for a long time, it is recommended to harvest spinach for future use. One of the most popular ways to prepare a plant is to freeze it. Before use, frozen spinach is placed in a colander to defrost, the excess liquid should drain out, then the spinach is squeezed out a little and used directly for cooking. From frozen spinach you can make cabbage soup, omelettes, casseroles, and soups. The plant goes well with cottage cheese, cheese, and fresh herbs. The neutral taste of this product makes it possible to get a lot healthy dishes with low calorie content.
Frozen spinach can be used in many recipes and can be used as a substitute for fresh spinach in recipes. Before eating, spinach is heated in a frying pan, garlic, salt, pepper are added, and served warm. You can also make a sauce from frozen spinach: warmed spinach is mixed with mayonnaise and mustard until smooth. The result is a sandwich spread that is spread on crackers.
Benefits of frozen spinach and treatment
The benefits of the plant have long been known to residents of Western countries, where spinach is one of the most common food products. The plant contains a large amount of protein, surpassing even legume products. Vitamins A and C, which are part of greens, are not greatly destroyed during heat treatment, which is also an advantage of this plant. In terms of the amount of carotene, spinach is second only to the recognized champion - carrots. Greens also remove toxins.
Spinach will be useful in treating people who suffer from dental diseases and gum problems. The plant has a positive effect on blood vessels. There is evidence that spinach inhibits the development of cancer cells, and it is also beneficial for the thyroid gland: iodine from spinach is absorbed more easily than from other foods. Doctors recommend using this product for people who are susceptible to stress. Thanks to its calming properties, it helps balance nervous system, restores performance.
Harm of frozen spinach and contraindications
The product may cause harm to the body if excessive consumption. It is not recommended to consume spinach for people who suffer from gout, cystitis, kidney stones, urinary stones and gallbladder. The fact is that the plant contains a large amount of oxalic acid, which will aggravate the course of diseases. Spinach is contraindicated for people who have problems with the kidneys and urinary tract. It is best to freeze a young plant, as it contains less harmful acid.
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