Spinach storage methods: how to ensure freshness in the refrigerator for a long time and choose the method of preparation for the winter?

Spinach - a popular green culture in modern cuisine, which is considered one of the most useful in the world.

It is possible to enjoy its taste not only in the summer period, as there are many ways of storage.

The article offers various options, you can use one or several at once, in order to understand which one is right for you.

Preparing for storage at home

Regardless of the method of storage, preparation of spinach involves the sorting of leaves with the removal of damaged and yellowed. It is also desirable to prune the stalks. Rinse thoroughly off the ground and sand and dry.

Can I leave at room temperature?

Spinach storage requires coolness. The best option is a refrigerator, but if it is not there, then you can leave spinach for storage at room temperature, but not more than a day. Longer storage will adversely affect the quality of greens and its taste characteristics.

One of the advantages of such storage is the fact that the plant remains in its original form and does not have time to lose a single drop of its useful substances. The algorithm for storing spinach in room conditions is simple:

1. Green bust.
2. Rinse and dry.
3. Put in a place protected from sunlight.

How to keep fresh in the fridge?

In plastic container

You can store spinach in this way for a week while retaining all the beneficial properties.

You need to do the following:

1. Leave carefully, remove excess debris and damaged parts, rinse.
2. Lay out the leaves in one layer in a food container, cover with ice water.
3. Put the container on the shelf of the refrigerator with the lowest temperature and change the water every day.

In food film

The method is very simple, but, nevertheless, allows you to extend the shelf life of spinach to one month, and at the same time save all the beneficial properties of the plant.

1. Rinse and dry the leaves.
2. Wrap tightly with cling film.
3. Put on any shelf of the refrigerator.

In a box for vegetables

1. To determine the spinach for such storage, it must first be washed and wrapped with a damp cloth.
2. Put in a container.
3. Leave the container in its usual place or put it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

Important! It is not recommended to frequently get bundles of greenery from the refrigerator, since they will start to deteriorate faster than the temperature drop. This method allows you to save all useful substances as much as possible, but the shelf life of spinach is limited to 4-5 days.

How to canned?

The most time consuming method, but allowing at the same time to preserve all the beneficial properties of the plant throughout the year. To preserve spinach, you will need the following:

1. Green bust. Remove petioles and yellowed leaves.
2. Rinse the spinach and dry.
3. Cooking solution is prepared from three liters of water, a tablespoon of soda and salt.
4. Boil the leaves over high heat until soft.
5. Strain and pour greens with cold water.
6. Wipe the resulting raw material through a sieve, fold into a small saucepan and boil until thick.
7. Puree spread on banks and close them tightly.
8. Keep the billet in a cool place.

Is it possible to dry?

If there is no room in the refrigerator or freezer, you can dry the spinach. The plant processed in this way retains all its beneficial properties, and it can be stored for a year, until the next fresh crop. So in order To dry the spinach you need:

1. Carefully wash the herbs and put it on a cloth to dry.
2. Cuttings and spoiled leaves removed.
3. Spread spinach on a flat platter or a large cutting board.
4. Put the dish in the sun, covering with gauze.
5. Store dried spinach in a dark dry place.

Important! You can dry the spinach greens not only in the sun, but also in the oven. A baking tray with prepared greens should be kept in the oven for 3-4 hours at a temperature not exceeding 45 degrees.

Pickling

Method designed for long-term storage. You can save taste and healthy qualities with the help of salting for a whole year. For this you will need:

1. Go through the greens, remove the scapes and unusable leaflets.
2. Rinse and dry the spinach.
3. Lay the raw materials in banks in layers, abundantly sprinkling each of them with salt. Per kilogram of greens need about a hundred grams of salt.

The jar with the blank should not be immediately closed with a lid and sent to the refrigerator, wait until the green has settled and you can add more leaves on top.

Frost

For those who want to provide themselves with stocks of spinach for the winter, but does not like pickling, there is another way. Spinach can be simply frozen: without cooking, or with pre-blanching.

We offer to watch a video on how to properly spinach spinach:

Which method is best suited for winter procurement?

For those who do not know how at home it is best to prepare for the winter for the future the leaves of this useful plant, we will explain that, given the shelf life, the best ways for spinach are salting, freezing and canning. At home, it is convenient to apply not one, but several methods, since Different semi-finished products can be used for different dishes: pies, soups, casseroles or smoothies.

Do you keep next to other vegetables?

Spinach does not have any special restrictions on storage next to other vegetables, unless, according to the rules of the commodity neighborhood, vegetables with a pungent smell, such as onions, cannot be placed next to tender spinach leaves. But if the greens are stored in a container, the problem disappears by itself.

The advantages and disadvantages of all methods

If you ensure that spinach is properly stored, you can preserve its beneficial properties to the maximum. The use of these leaves in the winter will be an excellent source of vitamins. and trace elements and will have a beneficial effect on the body.

Watch the video: How to Store Vegetables in Fridge. How to Keep Vegetables fresh. Kitchen tips. kitchen hacks (May 2024).