How to properly freeze spinach leaves at home for the winter, recipes for preparations

Before freezing spinach for the winterIt's important to carefully study the specifics of the process to ensure the greens retain their nutritional properties and flavor. Young leaves, freshly picked from the garden, are best for this purpose. If this isn't possible, there are rules to help you recognize fresh herbs at the market or store.

Can spinach be frozen?

Like all greens, spinach can be frozen. There are a variety of ways to do this, depending on the dish you plan to prepare with it. Spinach can be finely chopped, frozen whole, or pureed.

Selecting and preparing leaves

For freezing, select leaves that are flawless and bright green. If you don't have this type of greenery in your garden, pay attention to the plant's maturity when purchasing. The leaves always have a limited shelf life and should not have flower stalks.

Plants harvested before flowering can be frozen. Wilted leaves are absolutely unacceptable for this purpose. Preparation for freezing is as follows:

• each leaf needs to be freed from its rough petiole, and you also need to make sure that it is not dry or wilted;
• Next, the spinach should be washed thoroughly;
• Once it has dried, you can start choosing the best freezing method.

How to freeze food at home

Before freezing spinach, the first step is to decide how to freeze it. At this stage, it's also worth considering what dishes will be prepared with this green.

Each freezing process requires specific plant preparation guidelines. It's important to remember that not every method will preserve all the plant's beneficial properties.

Whole leaves

This method of freezing is considered the least labor-intensive and easiest. This is because the cook doesn't have to spend much time preparing it. However, before preparing the dish, the cook will have to perform the same steps as with fresh leaves.

The advantage of this method is that the plant retains all its minerals and vitamins. Speaking of color, it may become less vibrant.

The freezing technique is as follows:

1. The leaves are washed, dried, and collected into bunches. One bunch should be enough for a single use.
2. Wrap a quick-freeze board with cling film. Arrange the spinach on the board so that the bunches don't touch each other.
3. Afterwards, the plant is frozen and transferred to containers. At this stage, it's very important not to damage the leaves.

Blanched spinach

Blanching allows you to obtain ready-to-use greens. Once defrosted, the spinach can be added immediately to dishes. However, it's important to understand that during the process, it will lose some of its nutrients, but its color will be preserved.

To freeze in this way, you need to do the following:

• well-dried leaves are cut into strips of one centimeter each;
• then they are dipped in boiling water for half a minute;
• when the water has completely drained from the plant, it needs to be cooled;
• Now the spinach can be placed in bags, the air can be released and they can be frozen;
• Once the plant is frozen, it can be placed in a compartment for long-term storage.

Spinach puree

This freezing method is a good option for those who like to add spinach to soups, purees, or sauces. After defrosting, the greens require no further processing. Simply separate the desired portion and add it to your food. The downside of this method is the almost complete loss of the plant's nutritional value and flavor. The color will be preserved.

To freeze, first blanch the leaves for 25-30 seconds. Then, puree them in a blender until smooth. If necessary, you can also strain the mixture through a sieve.

The puree is thickened to the desired consistency using broths or stocks. Afterwards, the spinach can be poured into the prepared molds. Now the spinach puree can be stored in the freezer until winter.

Chopped spinach

If you don't want to chop spinach before cooking, you can freeze it already chopped. It's important to remember that spinach doesn't like being re-frozen, so plan accordingly and separate it into disposable bags.

This method doesn't guarantee the preservation of all nutrients—some will be lost. Color and flavor will also suffer from the negative effects of freezing.

Before sending it for storage, you should do the following:

• First, you need to prepare bags or containers;
• dried leaves are cut into strips or in another way;
• now they can be placed into containers;
• Spinach is frozen in the quick freeze mode and transferred to the freezer for long-term storage.

Freezing in ice cubes

Freezing greens in ice cubes allows you to preserve their juices and rich color. Another benefit is that they retain more vitamins.

Before freezing, chop the spinach to your liking and place it in standard ice cube trays or shallow containers. Then, pour boiling water over the spinach until it's completely covered. Now the greens are ready to freeze.

Freezing puree with butter

To freeze spinach with butter, follow the same process as without. The only difference is that the molds should be half-filled with spinach. The remaining half is filled with softened butter.

Please note! Don't melt the butter until it becomes liquid. Allow it to soften at room temperature.

How long and how is the preparation stored?

When storing spinach, avoiding temperature fluctuations is crucial. Once it's frozen solid for the first time, place it in the freezer; don't remove it unless needed. Also, don't leave it in the flash-freezing stage for too long.

Containers containing the greens should be airtight. It's also important to avoid direct sunlight. If not re-frozen, spinach will keep for about 9-12 months.

Defrosting rules

Regardless of the method chosen for long-term storage of spinach in the freezer, it is best to defrost it gradually, at room temperature.

But first, you need to consider the dish you'll be adding the herbs to. If it's a soup, you can add the herbs right away.