Sorrel is one of the first edible herbs that appears in the garden. Gentle green leaves it is a storehouse of vitamins and trace elements.
Is it possible to preserve this useful product in dried form throughout the winter? There are many ways to keep sorrel quality and long-term, and one of them is drying.
In our article we will tell you which sorta varieties are most suitable for drying and whether it does not lose its beneficial properties.
Are useful properties lost during drying?
With proper processing, preparation and storage of raw materials, sorrel leaves almost completely retain all their beneficial properties during degradation. All valuable microelements and organic acids remain in the grass. Dried leaves can be used in cooking (for soups and salads, baking bread), to make healing infusions and decoctions, to be eaten by animals.
Which varieties are best suited?
The most suitable kind of sorrel for drying - horse. He is also called a horse barn, a sorrel thick and frog tart. As a rule, such sorrel is found in the wild-growing form in the forests. In a fresh state, the leaves of this plant do not have the usual sourness.
Bitterness and viscosity prevail in the taste, pleasant and habitual taste is acquired after drying. It is this wild sorrel variety most rich in nutrients. Suitable for harvesting and ordinary garden sorrel, common in home gardens and farms.
The leaves of a wild-growing plant are elongated and triangular in shape, with a blunt end. Stems are erect, up to 90 cm high. At the beginning of summer small greenish-yellow flowers appear. His garden relative has more graceful leaves with a height of no more than 30 cm, the bushes grow more compact.
When and how to collect the leaves of the plant?
The leaves of the plant for harvesting is recommended to collect from early May to mid-June. After this period, oxalic acid accumulates in the plant stems, which has a negative effect on the human body. Harvest time is easy to determine without a calendar, the green has a bright emerald green color, no flowers and dried leaves. The best time of day to collect is morning and morning. It is important that the day before it did not rain, and the dew that fell out had time to dry.
Each leaf is carefully lifted from the ground and cut with a sharp knife and scissors at a distance of 2-3 cm from the ground. After that, folded leaves are gently shaken to knock down the ground and dust.
Step-by-step instruction billet at home
After harvesting, you need to immediately begin processing and preparation for drying. Thus it is possible to maintain the maximum amount of vitamins and acids. At home, there are three possible degradation of sorrel. Let us dwell on each of them in more detail. Each of them is not complicated, but has a number of features.
On air
The easiest and most affordable way is air drying.
Collected sorrel for air drying does not need to be washed. It is enough to shake off the ground and go over for the presence of dry leaves.
The prepared leaves are tied up in small bunches and suspended in a well-blown place. It is important that it is warm, but direct sunlight does not fall on the product. Drying will end in 10-15 days.- For another method of drying the leaves must be lightly chopped with a knife. Then the mass is laid out on a baking sheet or tray, covered with a sheet of paper, a layer of 1 cm. The dishes with sorrel are put in a well-blown place in the shade. Several times a day, the mass for drying must be agitated and stirred. After 2-3 days, dried sorrel will be ready, it can be removed for storage.
The prepared leaves are tied up in small bunches and suspended in a well-blown place. It is important that it is warm, but direct sunlight does not fall on the product. Drying will end in 10-15 days.In the electric dryer
If there is an electric dryer on the farm, this will significantly speed up the drying process. It is worth noting that when dried in this way, the sorrel changes color to bright green and its taste characteristics change somewhat. It makes sense to start a small test batch.
- Collected greens must be picked and rinsed thoroughly with running water. Or soak in the basin with water for 10-15 minutes, then remove and shake off the water.
- Laying the leaves on a cloth or paper kitchen towel to drain excess moisture. You can put the beam in an empty glass and leave for 15 minutes.
- Slightly chop the sorrel with a knife.
- Spread the prepared mass into the dryer and turn it on according to the instructions. The most appropriate mode of "Grass" or a temperature of 40 degrees.
- Drying the product will last 5-7 hours.
In the oven
This method is suitable if there are no electric dryers, and time and weather do not allow drying in the open air.
- Sorrel wash and sort. Tie in small bunches.
- Bound leaflets immersed in boiling, salted water for 1 minute.
- Remove from brine and dry with paper towel.
- Grind the sorrel and lay down a layer of 1-2 cm on the form.
- Put the pan in the preheated oven for 2-3 hours. Heating temperature 40-50 degrees.
- After drying in the oven, the resulting product must be dried in the shade in the open air for 2 days.
Where to store and for how long?
Dried sorrel is stored in glass jars under a tightly closed lid. It is best if the glass is darkened. Same possible storage in fabric or paper bags. With this method, note that there should not be strongly smelling products nearby and the storage place should be dry.
The maximum shelf life of blanks is 2 years. It is recommended to update stocks annually. Subject to all the rules for collecting, drying and storing the harvest of sorrel, it retains almost all valuable acids, vitamins and trace elements.
How can I use, what dishes to add?
Dry leaves of sorrel have many uses. They are added as a seasoning to salads and main dishes, crushed into flour, they perfectly complement lean pastries and bread.
It's not difficult at all to cook delicious and healthy food all year round. It is enough to master the basic skills of processing sorrel and on the table there will always be a variety of dishes, the body will be protected from beriberi without artificial vitamin preparations.
