Spinach is a real favorite of many housewives. Someone tries to grow it in a pot on the windowsill, someone freezes it for the winter in the form of green "meatballs" (see the recipe), someone salt and close it in jars. Natural canned spinach for the winter is also suitable for adding to various dishes in winter. The recipe with a photo will show you how to close it in jars without salt. This is the easiest way to prepare these greens, which does not require much time or some outlandish components.

Ingredients:

- spinach leaves - 500 g,
- water - how much will fit in the jar.
Such a bunch of spinach is enough for a 200-gram jar: greens will noticeably decrease under the influence of boiling water.




1. Wash spinach leaves in a large bowl and sort well. Especially if you have homemade greens from your garden (make sure that no spider bugs are hidden under the leaves). For harvesting, as well as for green borscht, not only the leaves themselves are suitable, but also their legs, so do not throw them away.




2. Place this bunch of spinach on a kitchen board and chop as you would normally chop greens. Based on the received pile of greens, decide how many cans you need for preservation. Put some water in a bowl and place the jars and lids upside down. Place the bowl on the fire and sterilize the spinach container in boiling water for 10 minutes.




3. Gently, while holding the hot jars with oven mitts, place as much chopped spinach in them as possible (tamp as you fill the jars).




4. When all the jars are filled to the top with spinach, boil the water and pour it over the jars of herbs. In this case, the water should completely cover all the pieces of spinach. Immediately turn the jars upside down and place in a cool place to cool. If no bubbles are seen in the jars until the jars are completely cool, then the conservation of spinach was successful, and in winter you will enjoy delicious dishes with your favorite greens!

Advice

What can you cook by opening a jar of spinach like this? Green borscht, of course. Only, unlike the summer version, here you will need to add greens right at the very end of cooking, because it is already almost boiled. In addition, an omelet with spinach (add also at the end), mashed potatoes with spinach (add to already chopped potatoes) and a variety of salty pies are great.

For harvesting, it is best to use young spinach, with delicate leaves, preferably from the very first harvest. Harvested before the first flowering, it is especially delicate and not bitter, without flower arrows.

At home, it is convenient to use not one, but several different freezing methods at once - this way you will have at your fingertips a semi-finished product suitable for preparing a specific dish: fillings for pies, casseroles, soup or other first courses, sauces, smoothies, and so on. Here are three of the most convenient ways to freeze spinach at home - with step-by-step photos, tips and detailed instructions. And to make it easier for you to choose the appropriate option, pay attention to the advantages and disadvantages of each of them.

Preparing spinach for freezing

Regardless of the method chosen, pre-rinse the greens, sort out and dry. You need to wash very carefully, as there is a lot of fine sand on the leaves. You can immerse bundles of spinach in a bowl of cold water for half an hour, and then scrupulously rinse each leaf in running water. Remove all crumpled and withered leaves. And one more important point: for dry freezing (without blanching), be sure to dry the greens on a cotton towel to get rid of excess moisture, otherwise it will turn into ice in the freezer.

Method number 1. Dry freezing of leaves

Cut off the roots and stems. We sort the leaves, select whole, approximately the same size and put them in piles of 10-15 pieces - small portions for one-time use. Trying not to damage the integrity, tightly roll the leaves into rolls and fix them with cling film. In this form, we send it to the freezer, put it on a pallet at some distance from each other. After complete freezing, we transfer them to containers for long-term storage so that the bundles are injured as little as possible.

In the same way, in raw form, you can freeze not whole leaves, but shredded ones. To do this, cut the leaves into segments about 0.5 cm thick or smaller. We put it in bags, containers or other storage containers designed to use 1 serving. We send it to the chamber for deep freezing.

Pros:

The method is simple and not laborious;

The leaves are fresh, they are not heat-treated, which means they retain more vitamins and minerals.

Minuses:

The workpiece takes up a lot of space in the freezer;

Further use of greens requires the same manipulations as working with fresh spinach;

The natural color is partially lost.

Usage:

The blank is suitable for cooking any dishes: soups, stews, pie fillings, casseroles, omelet, etc. It is used in the same way as fresh herbs.

Method number 2. Blanched spinach

As in the previous method, you can freeze both whole and shredded leaves, but not raw, but pre-blanched. To do this, put the spinach in boiling water for 20-30 seconds, then cool it in ice water to stop the cooking process. Let all the water drain completely, form small balls, squeezing the spinach in our hand.

In a similar way, blanch the spinach, cut into thin strips. Alternatively, you can not cook, but simply pour boiling water over the shredded leaves for half a minute, and then rinse with ice water. We form small balls, freeze, then arrange in portions into containers or bags, releasing all the air from them. We put it in the department for storing vegetables.

Pros:

Compact dimensions of the workpiece;

The semi-finished product is completely ready for use;

Spinach retains its natural color.

Minuses:

During blanching, some of the vitamins are lost.

Usage:

Suitable for preparing first courses, in particular green spinach soup. It is added to hot dishes without defrosting and any additional processing.

Method number 3. Spinach puree

Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 20-30 seconds, then pour it over with ice water. Punch with a blender until smooth. If desired, you can grind through a sieve. We put them in silicone molds or ice molds and put them in the freezer. We transfer the spinach ice to a container for easier storage.

Pros:

The product is completely ready to use;

Spinach retains its color very well.

Minuses:

During blanching, vitamins and taste are partially lost.

Usage:

Ideal for making sauces, pasta, risotto. It does not need defrosting, it is added a couple of minutes before the dish is ready.

As nutritionists assure, the daily use of spinach, the most useful product in cooking, plays an important role in promoting health and preserving youth. Using the leaves of this greenery at the height of the season is not difficult, but in winter, when fresh greens are becoming a rarity in stores, a hand-made spinach blank will come to the hostess's aid. Today, specially for you, preparing spinach for the winter: freezing and other recipes for cooking at home!

The benefits of spinach

Despite the fact that this culture cannot boast of particular popularity, he undoubtedly deserved love among its admirers. And all thanks to the vitamin complex (vitamins A, K, C, E) and a variety of trace elements (manganese, iron, copper, zinc and even selenium). Attentive housewives should know that spinach does not lag behind currants, cherries and raspberries in terms of the amount of useful elements in its composition.

Spinach is very healthy for children and adults.

Such a powerful composition makes spinach a healing product that has a beneficial effect on the state of the nervous and immune systems, improves brain activity, and helps fight the aging process and malignant formations. Delicious and incredibly healthy, spinach improves the taste of hot dishes, cereals and side dishes, is added to salads and makes meat dishes and soufflés more spicy and interesting.

Pros of harvesting at home

It is very easy to find fresh spinach in the summer, but as winter approaches, greens are increasingly found frozen.

Attention! Often, when storing frozen vegetables, the terms and conditions may be violated, which is why the purchased product instead of the declared vitamins will bring us nothing but empty expectations and spoiled dishes.

Spinach can be prepared very quickly and easily to be added to meals throughout the winter.

For this reason, if you want to enjoy really healthy greens and feel the whole extravaganza of taste not only in July-August, but also in winter, then we advise you to think about preparing spinach, especially since there are a great many simple cooking recipes. Each method of harvesting will allow you to preserve the beneficial properties inherent in greens, therefore, by carefully following our recommendations and advice, you can bring great benefits to your body throughout the year.

So, to preserve spinach leaves, you will have to stock up on water, salt, and of course, fresh culture.

Salt spinach

Salting greens at home is rightfully one of the simplest and most labor-intensive methods of harvesting this crop. Before proceeding with canning, you need to prepare greens and iodized salt in the right ratio: 1 part of spinach should account for less than 1/10 of its salt.

Whole spinach leaves can be salted for the winter.

Spinach should be peeled, leaving only leaves for salting, then washed and dried on a towel. Greens are laid out in pre-sterilized jars and poured abundantly with salt. In order for the leaves to settle to the bottom of the jar, a load should be placed on top of the salt, which is then removed, and new leaves are added in its place and sprinkled with salt in the same way. This is how the entire jar is filled, which is sealed with a lid, and stored in the refrigerator throughout the winter. By the way, according to the same recipe, you can prepare aromatic and healthy dill or parsley for the winter.

Advice! Before you start eating spinach, it should be rinsed and added to a nearly finished dish.

Spinach puree

To prepare an unusual puree from greens, you will need culture leaves, soda and water in a 1: 1 ratio. The recipe for mashed potatoes is as follows: greens are washed, boiled in salted water. By adding baking soda, you can soften the water somewhat. The cooked spinach is reclined in a colander, rinsed under running water, dried and thoroughly wiped through a sieve. The puree should be of such a consistency that it does not spread from a tablespoon. The cooled mass is packaged in jars, closed with lids and placed in the refrigerator.

You need to wipe spinach, from which water is completely drained

Can you do without baking soda, you ask? Sure. However, thanks to its use, the spinach blank will retain its original color throughout the winter.

Blanched spinach

To make a harvest at home, you only need spinach, your desire and nothing more. Green leaves are washed, cut across in small pieces and dipped in boiling water. After 1-1.5 minutes, they are pulled out with a slotted spoon, dried on the surface and placed in a jar for further freezing. Closed with a lid, the conservation is first sent to the refrigerator for cooling, and then to the freezer for long-term preservation.

To blanch spinach, just immerse it in hot water for 1 minute.

Advice! Do not rush to pour the broth that you left after blanching: you can make fragrant green soups and amazing cabbage soup from it.

Another useful advice from experts: it is best to preserve spinach before the arrows form on the bushes - this is the period from July to August, when the leaves are especially juicy and fleshy to the touch.

In addition to the above options for blanks, you can take into account the simplest freezing: green leaves are washed, dried, a cellophane bag is laid and air is pumped out of it. A simple freeze is ready!

Healthy preservation of sorrel and spinach

To prepare the workpiece, you will need greens (spinach and sorrel leaves in a 1: 2 ratio), water ¼ liter. The leaves of greenery are carefully sorted out, washed under warm water and placed in an enamel bowl, where liquid is added in the specified volume. The container is placed on the stove and the contents are brought to a boil. It is not necessary to boil for a long time: only 2-3 minutes is enough. The resulting mass is transferred to pre-sterilized jars and sealed with lids. Such preservation can be stored all winter, but will it be? This is a question for the hostesses!

Sorrel, along with spinach, can be a great base for a winter diet.

Dried herbs

Dried spinach is often used as an essential ingredient in meat, fish dishes, side dishes and cereals. The benefits in this product are the same as in fresh green leaves, and this is because the cooking recipe does not provide for heat treatment, which means that all useful properties and qualities are preserved in full.

To prepare dried spinach, the leaves are sorted out, damaged ones are removed, the remaining ones are washed under warm water, laid out in one layer on a towel and dried in the fresh air. A shade will work best. Turning periodically, the leaves are dried until fully cooked.

Dry and hot air is needed to dry spinach

Dried spinach can be stored equally well in a box or in a regular jar. You can also use a special dryer and oven for drying.

Canned spinach harvest

For canning, you will need green leaves and water (in a 1: 1 ratio), iodized salt (no more than 60 g). To begin with, spinach leaves are sorted out, washed under running water, then blanched in hot, but not boiling water for about 6-7 minutes.

Rinse the spinach leaves thoroughly before preserving.

The heat-treated leaves are removed and dried with a slotted spoon, then transferred to sterilized jars. The leaves are carefully tamped with a wooden pestle. As a result of the compaction, a liquid is released, which is drained. Instead, hot brine is poured into the jars and the jars are sealed with lids.

Finally, I would like to note that few gardeners in our country are fond of growing such greens as spinach, but this culture, thanks to its great benefits, is gradually increasing its popularity! Useful and equally tasty blanks!

Step-by-step instructions for conservation: video

How to prepare spinach for the winter: photo

Canned spinach- harvesting for the winter from a popular green vegetable of the Amarantov family. Spinach is a herbaceous plant, one of the most abundant and nutritious types of green vegetables. Scientists consider the Middle East to be the birthplace of spinach. It is found in Turkmenistan, the Caucasus, and Afghanistan. The plant began to be cultivated in Ancient Persia. The name of the plant in European languages ​​comes from the Persian word "اسپاناخ", which means "green hand". The Chinese called spinach "the Persian vegetable" as it got its distribution from Persia.

In France, the plant is called the king of vegetables. The discovery of spinach is attributed to a Frenchman, according to legend, this man suffered from stomach ailments and was constantly in search of an effective treatment. The Frenchman tried every possible medicine, used many herbs, but never got rid of his disease. Almost desperate, by chance he came across an unknown plant: the man tasted a spinach leaf and found its taste quite pleasant. Since then, the Frenchman consumed a couple of fresh leaves every day, and after a few weeks the disease that had tormented him for many years receded. This is how spinach gained fame in France and far beyond its borders.

Beneficial features

The beneficial properties of spinach are due to its chemical composition. Greens are rich in fiber, starch, vitamins A, E, C, H, K. Leaves contain a large amount of protein. In terms of protein content, spinach is only ahead of vegetables such as potatoes, young beans and peas. Vitamins found in the plant are preserved even under the influence of heat treatment which makes spinach a valuable food item. The plant has a positive effect on digestion, removes toxins and toxins. The iron content makes spinach beneficial for blood formation. The plant has a beneficial effect on the level of hemoglobin, helps to quickly deliver oxygen to the internal organs, is used as a preventive product for anemia.

Spinach is an excellent dietary product. The calorie content of the plant is 22 kcal per 100 grams.

Scientists have proven the beneficial properties of spinach in the fight against cancer... The plant is so effective that it is recommended for use as an additional source of nutrients for radiation therapy.

Spinach leaves contain iodine, which makes it suitable for use in the diet of people with thyroid disorders.

In comparison with other vegetables, the plant is easily digestible, stimulates the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, due to the presence of fiber and chlorophyll. Regular consumption of this vegetable plant allows you to forget about constipation and improve digestion.

Besides the plant has a beneficial effect on the health of the visual organs... Spinach contains lutein and substances that protect cells, this plant is a good prevention of retinal degeneration. Lutein is part of many expensive visual acuity complexes. People who spend a lot of time at the computer are advised to consume foods rich in lutein, primarily spinach. In order to restore vision, you should consume 250 grams of spinach daily. For the treatment of age-related changes, it will be enough to eat about 360 grams of the product per week. In addition, spinach is rich in vitamin A, which is very useful for the visual organs; 100 grams of the plant contains 482.9 mcg, that is, 4 times (!) More than the daily value.

Cooking use

In cooking, spinach is one of the most sought-after vegetable plants. They eat fresh herbs, which are formed at the beginning of the growing season. At all times, people have used the plant with great pleasure. At one time, spinach was not only useful, but also a fashionable plant, Catherine de Medici demanded to serve it to the table at every meal.

Spinach is baked, boiled, used as a filling for pies. Greens are best consumed immediately after purchase, the plant does not store for a long time, even in the refrigerator. The plant quickly loses its consumer qualities and attractive appearance. Due to the fact that spinach is a perishable food, it can often be found canned. Canned spinach has almost the same health benefits as fresh greens. The product can also be used for preparing first courses. The plant is excellent for making borscht and soups; in green cabbage soup, spinach can replace sorrel.

Canned spinach can often be found in clear glass jars, where the product is excellently stored for a long period. It is ideal for making omelets, casseroles, side dishes, sauces. But it's best to cook the converted spinach yourself.

How to preserve?

Canning spinach at home is easy. To do this, the greens are thoroughly washed and sorted out. Then the plant is blanched in water at a temperature of 85 degrees for 6 minutes. The spinach leaves should become soft, after blanching the greens are cooled and the excess water is drained from it. Then spinach, the amount of which after blanching is reduced by 60%, is placed in glass jars. Filled cans are poured with brine at the rate of 50 grams of salt per 1 liter of water. According to this recipe, spinach is not sterilized: it is simply covered and cooled.

Some housewives, in addition to whole leaves, also canned spinach puree for the winter. As in the previous method, the leaves are sorted out, poured with boiling water and boiled for five minutes. Then the greens are thrown into a colander and passed either through a sieve or through a meat grinder. The resulting puree is salted and poured hot into the jars. The cans are placed in a large saucepan and the liter cans are sterilized for 25 minutes, and the half-liter cans are sterilized for 15 minutes.

Canned spinach benefits and treatments

The benefits of spinach are known in folk and official medicine. Freshly squeezed juice is taken to cleanse the body, it tones, stimulates the work of internal organs. The juice is best consumed on an empty stomach, it can be mixed with other vegetable juices. Greens have a positive effect on the liver, kidneys, and intestines. A water infusion of spinach is an excellent remedy for flatulence. It is useful to drink the juice for asthma and coughs. The juice of this green vegetable is useful for inflammation of the gums and tonsils, and for these diseases it can be used to rinse the mouth and throat.

Scientists insist that there is no such combination of vitamins and nutrients in any other vegetable. Spinach contains all the B vitamins. For example, in 100 grams of spinach there are about 194 mcg of vitamin B9, or folic acid, which is about half the daily intake of this vitamin for an adult. Folic acid is necessary for pregnant women, as it is needed for the intrauterine development of the fetus. The beneficial properties of spinach make it possible to use it freshly processed in baby and diet food.

Spinach is recognized as an effective remedy for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis... American scientists argue that the cause of this disease is bad cholesterol and the formation of a substance called homocysteine. With a lack of certain enzymes, this substance can accumulate in the blood and attack the blood vessels, subsequently the vessels become inflamed, together with cholesterol, homocysteine ​​causes a narrowing of the vascular lumen. Spinach helps convert homocysteine ​​into a harmless substance thanks to the presence of folate. Vitamin B9 is effective only in combination with other vitamins of this group, first of all, with vitamin B12, which makes spinach an almost irreplaceable product. To increase the effectiveness of spinach, it should be consumed with beef liver, in addition, such a diet helps to relieve anxiety and depression. During treatment, it is useful to take a teaspoon of hawthorn tincture with a tablespoon of water 3 times a day.

The harm of canned spinach and contraindications

Spinach can be harmful if you are hypersensitive.

Spinach is a real favorite of many housewives. Someone tries to grow it in a pot on the windowsill, someone freezes it for the winter in the form of green "meatballs" (see the recipe), someone salt and close it in jars. Natural canned spinach for the winter is also suitable for adding to various dishes in winter. The recipe with a photo will show you how to close it in jars without salt. This is the easiest way to prepare these greens, which does not require much time or some outlandish components.

Ingredients:

- spinach leaves - 500 g,
- water - how much will fit in the jar.
Such a bunch of spinach is enough for a 200-gram jar: greens will noticeably decrease under the influence of boiling water.




1. Wash spinach leaves in a large bowl and sort well. Especially if you have homemade greens from your garden (make sure that no spider bugs are hidden under the leaves). For harvesting, as well as for green borscht, not only the leaves themselves are suitable, but also their legs, so do not throw them away.




2. Place this bunch of spinach on a kitchen board and chop as you would normally chop greens. Based on the received pile of greens, decide how many cans you need for preservation. Put some water in a bowl and place the jars and lids upside down. Place the bowl on the fire and sterilize the spinach container in boiling water for 10 minutes.




3. Gently, while holding the hot jars with oven mitts, place as much chopped spinach in them as possible (tamp as you fill the jars).




4. When all the jars are filled to the top with spinach, boil the water and pour it over the jars of herbs. In this case, the water should completely cover all the pieces of spinach. Immediately turn the jars upside down and place in a cool place to cool. If no bubbles are seen in the jars until the jars are completely cool, then the conservation of spinach was successful, and in winter you will enjoy delicious dishes with your favorite greens!

Advice

What can you cook by opening a jar of spinach like this? Green borscht, of course. Only, unlike the summer version, here you will need to add greens right at the very end of cooking, because it is already almost boiled. In addition, an omelet with spinach (add also at the end), mashed potatoes with spinach (add to already chopped potatoes) and a variety of salty pies are great.