How to prepare mint for the winter
Cultural and wild species of mint are actively used in cooking, folk and traditional medicine. This fragrant plant, rich in essential oils and has long been famous for its healing properties, can now be seen in home gardens and gardens.
But if in the summer, having plucked a few odorous twigs, it is so easy to make healthy tea or broth, use fresh foliage in a soft drink or baking, then in winter all mint is under the snow. How to keep mint fresh for the winter? Are there ways to use the healing properties of the plant and enjoy its aroma until spring?
If a couple of decades ago, Russian housewives, by habit, only used sushi to mint, today, thanks to the development of technology and the influence of the culinary traditions of other countries, the opportunities have significantly increased. But before you prepare the mint for the winter, you need to collect it and prepare it for processing.
Harvesting mint for the winter
The best raw materials can be obtained:
- from plants 2-3 years;
- in the morning or evening hours, when there is no dew on the plants;
- in dry, cool weather.
Cutting is carried out at 1/3 of the stem length, since its rigid part is not suitable for winter storage, but it can still give new growth until the end of the season.
Harvested herbs before storage in the refrigerator or before drying the mint, freeze, carefully sort out, removing dry, damaged parts of the plant and impurities, wash and be sure to dry. If you want to keep the mint fresh for the winter, put the prepared greens in bunches in containers with a small amount of water, cover them with a film or plastic transparent bag and transfer them to the refrigerator.
Mint shoots or leaves separated from the stems can be wrapped in paper towels and placed in resealable bags or containers.
In this form, "bouquets" of mint and green leaves retain their freshness and original appearance for up to 4 weeks, but then nature takes its toll. Greens lose their color and elasticity, moisture and nutrients evaporate.
How to store mint if it is impossible to preserve plants for a long time in the refrigerator? You can use one of the oldest methods - dry mint, which in this form will retain both the aroma and valuable oils.
How to dry mint at home?
Drying mint does not require serious labor or complicated preparations. Prepared, clean, moisture-free mint:
- disassembled into small bundles;
- the tops of the shoots sinks into spacious paper bags;
- bandaged and hung out in a dry, ventilated place without access to sunlight.
With this drying method, the grass is not exposed to ultraviolet radiation and heat radiation, wind and dust, moreover, it is inaccessible to insects.
If desired, the bundles include other spicy-flavoring herbs, for example, oregano, St. John's wort, thyme or sage. Such sets will not only help to diversify winter tea drinking, but will also become an excellent healing tool.
If the mint is dried on pallets, the plant material is spread in a thin layer and also provides protection from the sun, drafts, insects or pollution. In this case, in order for the process to proceed more evenly and faster, the grass will have to be gently agitated from time to time.
Features of drying and storing mint greens
Mint greens, like other spicy herbs, can be dried in modern electric dryers, however, in this case, it is important to remember some of the features of the spicy herbs. How to dry mint so that as much essential oils, vitamins and healing substances as possible are preserved in it? First of all, do not expose raw materials to high temperatures. The optimum temperature range for drying herbs is 20–35 ° C. Therefore, the most gentle mode is used in an electric dryer, and it is not recommended to dry mint in the oven for the winter.
Delicate greens lose moisture quickly, so the drying process is very intensive. Do not overexpose the mint inside the electric dryer, as this will lead to excessive fragility of the leaves and the loss of some of the beneficial properties.
If the room where the bunches of mint are hung is damp, the grass must be moved to another place as soon as possible, otherwise mold will settle on the stems and leaves and make the raw materials unusable.
Overdried or exposed to high temperatures, mint is easily recognized by the brown color of the leaves. This herb is practically odorless and useless for health.
How to store dried mint properly?
Drying at room temperature takes several days. You can determine the readiness of dried mint by pressing on the leaf plate, if it is easily separated from the stem with a rustle and crumbles, drying can be completed, the raw material can be crushed and packaged for long-term storage.
Do not forget how to properly store mint after drying. Although crushed greens take up less space, they lose their taste and aroma faster, so it is wiser not to turn dry grass into powder, and use sparing manual methods when grinding, rather than using a coffee grinder.
The best container for storage is glass, clean, dry jars with a tightly ground-in lid that does not allow moisture, pests or foreign odors to penetrate inside. At the same time, in a cool dry place, spicy herbs retain their aromas and taste for up to 6-8 months.
How to freeze mint for the winter?
With the advent of powerful modern freezers in houses, housewives have another opportunity to prepare mint for the winter. Under the influence of low temperatures, the plant seems to be canned, all processes are stopped in it. As a result, mint retains its color, aroma and taste. You can freeze mint for the winter both in bunches and in hotel leaves by packing the washed and dried raw materials in cling film, bags, foil or plastic containers.
For lovers of aromatic refreshments, mint leaves can be used to make portioned ice cubes. Shredded grass or individual whole leaves are placed in molds and filled with boiled water, sent to the freezer.
For a medicinal tea, which is extremely useful for winter colds, you can freeze a slice of ginger or a little lemon zest along with mint.
Once the cubes have hardened, it is convenient to store them in resealable bags to prevent them from melting and re-freezing.
Fragrant fresh mint sugar
Another way to keep mint fresh for the winter will appeal to all sweet lovers. Flavored sugar based on selected greens of mint is suitable for preparing a variety of culinary dishes, it can be added to baked goods, drinks, fruit salads and desserts. At the same time, the sweetness takes over all the beneficial properties of the plant, and the mint remains fresh for the winter.
For 200 grams of chopped mint greens, take the same amount of sugar.The ingredients are thoroughly chopped and mixed in a blender until smooth, and then laid out in dry clean jars, simultaneously thickening the sugar.
Sugar with mint greens is stored in the refrigerator for a long time, and in order for food to acquire the real aroma of this fragrant plant, it is worth adding it already to the finished dish.
Mint syrup
For a cup and a half of chopped mint greens with your beds you need a glass of sugar and the same amount of water. Mint leaves are poured with half of the sugar and left for several hours so that the grass gives juice, and the sugar begins to dissolve. Syrup is made from the remaining sugar and water, checking its readiness after boiling, drop by drop on a saucer. If the drop doesn't flow, the sugar syrup is ready and you can pour the mint over it.
To preserve all the properties of the plant, the syrup should not be kept on fire for too long. Immediately after boiling, remove the pan, cool the syrup and rub it through a sieve and pour it into sterilized dry bottles or jars.
How to store mint syrup properly? Vitamin and very fragrant syrup can be stored well for up to two months if sealed jars are placed in a refrigerator or cellar.