How to save sorrel for the winter: 4 easy ways

Sorrel can be preserved until spring in several ways.

Sorrel grows in almost every garden and perfectly complements the soup and pies. But not only in the warm season you can pamper yourself with green cabbage soup and get a “vitamin charge” from dishes with using these acidic leaves: the correct preparation of sorrel for the winter allows you to cook a summer dish in the winter period of the year. You will learn all the options for preparation, as well as whether it is possible to freeze sorrel in the freezer.

Features of preparation for the winter

Harvesting sorrel should begin at the very beginning of summer, when the shoots are still young, tender, but have already managed to gain vitamins. From the middle of the warm season, the sorrel will be too sour, fibrous, and the body of the leaf will be much tougher.

Depending on the application of stocks of sorrel, you can use one or several ways:

• normal dry freezing;
• using marinade;
• dry pickling;
• drying;
• pickling in brine.

Preparation for a freezing or preservation

Regardless of which method was chosen, an important and decisive step is the thorough preparation of the product for conservation.

The instructions in the table describe in detail all the details of preparing sorrel for conservation:

Picture	Description
	Step 1: Harvesting and Processing At the end of spring or in the first weeks of summer young shoots gather. The crop gets over from poor-quality rotting or withered shoots. It is important to do it yourself, so that the resulting mass consists only of fresh and green leaves.
	Step 2: Soak and Rinse The mass is soaked in containers with clean water for several hours. During this time, the bulk of the dirt and sand grains from the leaves will settle to the bottom. Carefully remove the sorrel from the water tank. Then it should be washed under running water, finally washing out the sand and pollution.
	Step 3: Drying Washed leaves are sent to dry on a clean, dry towel or newspaper, spreading the greens in a thin even layer. Dry in a dry ventilated area, avoiding direct sunlight. Drying is necessary just to evaporate the water after washing, do not leave the greens for several days, if you do not plan to store sorrel in dried form.
	Step 4: slicing Cut the greens in any way convenient for you. And you can do without cutting or chop sticks or small pieces.

Do not cut the stems at the very root - they are the main reserves of oxalic acid. It is possible to preserve the zelenushka with them, it is enough to remove only a small area on the tip.

Options blanks

In each of the above-mentioned options for the purchase of greenery for the winter has its advantages and its price. But we used to eat fresh sorrel in the fresh form and in the same form add it to the dishes.

How to keep the sorrel fresh in the fridge until winter? There are several options: dry salting, drying or freezing.

Frost - the easiest and easiest way to save greens until spring

Is it possible to freeze sorrel? Yes, you can - with the help of fast freezing. However, it is worthwhile to foresee and prepare portions in advance, since sorrel is not subject to repeated freezing, and otherwise it will lose its benefit, appearance and taste.

How to freeze sorrel for the winter? All salting options are described in the table below:

Picture	Description
	Method 1: Freezing in the freezer You can freeze sour leaves in different ways: washed and chopped sorrel are blanched in boiling water for a few minutes, then dried, packed in bags or containers or sent to the freezer; finely chopped sorrel is put in ice forms and filled with water, put in the freezer to frost, after which the cubes are put in a bag and removed for a long time (as in the photo); finely chop sorrel and other greens (onions, parsley, basil, etc.), then packaged in bags (without blanching) and put into the freezer compartment.
	Method 3: salting in the bank Salt sour greens can be a classic method using brine, but you can by the so-called "dry salting": harvested greens are put in a jar, poured with cooled brine (1 tbsp salt per 500 ml of water) and removed in a dark cool place; clean, chopped sorrel is placed in bulk container and covered with salt (about 1 tbsp. l On a pound), after which it is mixed with hands until the formation of juice and rolled into jars without brine. Store in a cool dark place.
	Method 3: Drying The drying process begins at the preparatory stage, when the herbs are washed, cut and sent to a clean towel. However, in this case it is worth leaving the sorrel to dry completely (it will be brittle when touched, but should not crumble into powder). How to store sorrel, dried in this way: put in clean, dry jars, containers or plastic bags and send to a dark kitchen cabinet or pantry; pack in glass or tightly closed cans and send in a dry dark place.
	Method 4: Marinated Sorrel, pre-washed and chopped, is poured with a standard marinade, covered with a lid and sent to storage in the cellar. For the marinade will require: table vinegar (100 ml); salt (0.5-1 tbsp. l); water (1 l).

Do not rush to salt the dish with salted with the sorrel for the winter: all the salt from the leaves will be absorbed into the dish. You can pre-wash the herbs in water to remove excess salt.

Conclusion

Green cabbage soup and other dishes can be cooked all year round, if you take care of preserving sorrel until winter. You have learned whether sorrel can be frozen for the winter, how to pickle or pickle this most valuable product without unnecessary trouble.

In the video in this article there are additional instructions on how to save sorrel. And if you have any questions, I will answer them in the comments.