Like beet leaves for the winter. Let's preserve the benefits of the vegetable: how to dry beets in an electric dryer and oven for the winter? Stuffed cabbage rolls from beet leaves

Beets have changed little since ancient times, when they began to be eaten. Only the above-ground part was used for food; the root crops were used by healers. Later, the sweet root became a vegetable, without which cooking is unthinkable. And beet tops often fill compost heaps. However, there are more medicinal and nutritional elements in the tops than in the beet heads. How to properly prepare beet tops for the winter - advice from experienced chefs will help.

The benefits of beet tops

Scientists have determined that beet tops have unique properties. Regular consumption of this greenery will help alleviate the condition of patients:

diabetes mellitus;
diseases associated with a lack of hemoglobin in the blood;
cardiovascular problems;
metabolic problems;
with tumor formations;
sclerotic manifestations, attention and memory disorders.

Such wide range The effect on the body of beet tops is due to its composition. But only a young, undamaged leaf blade with a petiole is used. With aging, the fibers become rigid, and beneficial substances pass into the root crop. Preparing beet leaves grown on your own for the winter will help you always have a healthy product.

We owe vitamin P and microelements to the use of leaves as prophylactic against sclerosis. The presence of iodine and cobalt helps maintain memory and attention even in old age. The elasticity of the walls of blood vessels increases and hemorrhages are prevented. Betaine present in the leaves helps dissolve cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels. Folic acid improves brain activity, hematopoiesis, metabolism.

Vitamin U slows down the aging process and has a beneficial effect on the digestive system, helping to heal ulcers and gastritis. Decoction of fresh and dried leaves, taken regularly on an empty stomach, helps soft stool. It has been established that it is promising to use beet leaves with root vegetables in the fight against cancer.

Useful for vision, healer skin diseases, traditional healers consider beet tops to be a cure for headaches and a guardian of the liver.

However, beets should not be used for treatment during internal organs acute inflammatory processes or problems with loose stools.

How to prepare beet tops for the winter

For preparations, only young foliage with petioles is chosen. You can store supplies for the winter in the form:

dry greens;
pickling;
freezing;
pickling beet leaves;
canning.

You need to know that heat treatment reduces the composition useful substances, partially destroying complex organic compounds. Therefore, for use as a medicine, preservation without heat treatment is better. However, the use of canned products will systematically make up for the deficiency necessary elements in winter. The idea that eating organic products from your own garden will bring health and will add strength to the owners during the autumn preparations.

You can dry beet leaves and petioles after preliminary grinding with all accessible ways. Because essential oils the sheet apparatus contains a small amount; drying can be carried out at temperatures up to 60 0 . In the shade, drying cabinets, dehydrators, with intense ventilation - any methods are good, except drying in the sun. Dry herbs can be used for medicinal and culinary purposes.

How to prepare beet leaves for the winter frozen product even simpler. Washed and well-dried leaves with petioles are cut finely and placed in small disposable portions in plastic bags. It is important to store the preparations only in the freezer, at a low temperature. Once thawed, green tops lose their beneficial properties when frozen again. The smell of borscht with the aroma of fresh frozen herbs will definitely attract neighbors.

Five-minute preservation will allow you to preserve all the vitamins in the green tops. Cut the harvested tops into strips and pour cold salted water. After bringing to a boil, cooking continues for 5 minutes. The resulting mass is poured into sterilized hot jars, rolled up, turned over and cooled under a blanket for several hours. This preparation is stored in a cold place. Used as an ingredient in first and second courses.

Leaves are fermented entirely, without the use of vinegar. Under the influence of salt in a warm place, the product is fermented for several days. At the same time, beneficial substances are preserved and increased. Pickled beets are used as an independent dish and as a component of complex salads.

When marinating beet tops separate the leaves from the petioles. In this case, a standard marinade is prepared using all the usual spices, sugar, salt and acetic acid. The stems and chopped or rolled leaves are placed separately in jars. The difference in pickling is that the petioles are poured twice, the first time with boiling water, and the second time with a marinade prepared on the basis of the juice released into the water.

Bring the leaves to a boil, take the drained water, prepare the marinade and fill the jar with it. But the jar is sterilized for 15 minutes. After this, add vinegar and roll up both the petioles and leaves. The petioles are kept under a fur coat, and the leaves are cooled in the air, turned upside down. Such preparations can be stored at room temperature.

In addition, beet tops are stewed and caviar is made from it with the addition of horseradish and garlic as seasoning. The preparation is a snack dish. Housewives often make ready-made soup dressings, including vegetable stew and their tops. Such workpieces after heat treatment can be stored in room conditions. But the best way will put the canned food in a cool, dark place.

Cooking from beet tops - video

Read about this in separate articles, but in this one we will tell you what rules exist for freezing beets.

How to freeze beets for the winter: rules!

Freezing beets for the winter can be done either raw or boiled.

Key points to know:

Small and juicy root vegetables are ideal for freezing

Methods

Fresh beets:

Freezing beets in a bag

Boiled beets:

It is most convenient to freeze portions of beets in bags, having first leveled them and made them flat. In this case, you can stack portions, which saves space.

Read also Additional materials about storage, about how to properly and this vegetable.

Peculiarities

Beetroot for borscht.
The beets for borscht need to be boiled and grated on a coarse grater. Place in one serving the amount needed to prepare the pan itself. There is no need to defrost it before cooking, but you can immediately throw it into hot water.

Grate beets for borscht on a coarse grater

Beets for vinaigrette.
To prepare the vinaigrette, you will need already cooked frozen beets, cut into cubes. It must be defrosted before adding. at room temperature so that it does not lose its color and taste.
Do not use quick defrost! The dish will turn out tasteless and bland, because... beets lose all their beneficial and taste properties.

Beets for vinaigrette cut into cubes

Freezing whole beets.
Both freezing methods are suitable for whole beets.. Each peeled beet should be placed in a separate bag and placed in the refrigerator. Before use, such beets should be thawed, because... If frozen, it will be impossible to cut or grate.
Ice will inevitably form inside frozen whole beets, therefore, such beets cannot be used for beautiful serving and slicing.

Both boiled and raw beets need to be cleaned before freezing

Freezing beet tops
It is known that beet tops contain a lot useful elements, therefore it is advisable to freeze it for the winter.
Sequence when freezing tops:
Combined freezing of beets and carrots
The processes for freezing beets and carrots are absolutely identical., which allows you to freeze these two vegetables together. This portion can be used in preparing borscht.
Vegetables also need to be washed, peeled and chopped. Then mix and place in plastic containers or package.

Beets with carrots for freezing

In the video you can also see recommendations for freezing beets and carrots together:

Recipes

In addition to the standard freezing of beets, there are other recipes: freezing fried beets and carrots, frozen borscht preparation, vegetable cocktail, frozen vegetable frying, etc.

You can safely combine beets with other vegetables and come up with your own recipes for preparations.

Recipes for fresh beets and carrots:

Roasted vegetable recipe:

Vegetable cocktail recipe:

You will need: beets, carrots, red and green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms.

Preparation:

Wash beets and carrots, peel and cut into cubes.
Wash and cut peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes.
Dry all vegetables.
Freeze each ingredient separately.
Mix in the required proportions and store in the freezer in portions.

Vegetable mixture for freezing can be anything

Conclusion

Freezing vegetables is one of the most convenient ways preserving the usefulness of fresh products. It is so simple and convenient that even a novice housewife can handle it.

We also bring to your attention a video on how to freeze beets for the winter at home:

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

In winter, you especially want something tasty, healthy and fresh. Beets and beet tops are an ideal option for storing in jars for the winter. Buryak is an ideal replacement for the usual snacks, which will not be easy tasty addition to the dish, but a real find for all lovers of something spicy, fresh and aromatic. Light, healthy and quick to prepare, it will replace many of the usual expensive store-bought preparations in jars.

What to cook from beets?

Beets are one of the most ancient vegetables that have come down to us, but could not preserve the form in which they were originally. Previously, only the aerial part was eaten, and the roots and roots were used by healers. After some time, beet tops began to be used for preparing dishes, without which it is now impossible to imagine traditional Russian cuisine.

Tops can often be found in borscht, stew or salad, but this product is also very often prepared for the winter, because in cold times it is very difficult to find a truly vitamin-rich and inexpensive product. To preserve all the benefits of beetroot, it is customary to freeze it raw, pickle the leaves of the vegetable, can it or ferment it.

During heat treatment, the lion's share of the beneficial substances contained in beets is destroyed, so when preserving it is better to choose those recipes where there is minimal or no processing.

If the leaves and the fruit itself are not heated above sixty degrees Celsius, then there is nothing particularly to worry about. The main thing is to properly prepare canned beets for the winter.

Preparing raw tops for the winter in the refrigerator

To do this, you need to take young tops, wash them and let all excess water drain. Separate the long stems from the foliage to chop them separately and also freeze them, because each component takes a different time to cook.

Place the long stems in plastic bags in portions, that is, each of them should contain the amount of vegetable for one preparation. Close the cellophane tightly, after releasing all the air, and then put it in the freezer for storage until winter.

Pickled tops

For preparation you will need the following ingredients:

700 grams of tops;
1 liter of clean water;
100 milliliters of table vinegar;
90 grams of sugar;
1 piece bay leaf;
7 pieces of black peppercorns;
30 grams of salt.

The tops are washed and cut into long pieces, such that they fit into a jar without any problems. Sterilize the jars in an oven at one hundred degrees for an hour. Place the tops in ready-made, cooled jars.

Combine all other recipe ingredients in a saucepan and boil for ten minutes. Strain the marinade and pour hot liquid into jars with tops, after which they are again sterilized in boiling water. Next, the jars are rolled up and stored in a dark and cool place.

Beetroot is a vegetable with beneficial properties for the human body. The tops are rich in vitamins and nutrients, which allows it to be used to treat many diseases. It is used not only in the treatment of diseases, but for preparing various dishes. Therefore, let's look at the health benefits and harms.

Features of use

Since ancient times, people began to eat only beet leaves, and root vegetables were used exclusively for medical purposes. After all, the tops are long, fleshy and incredibly juicy. It has found its use both in cooking and as a medicinal product.

Composition of beet tops

It is necessary to understand the benefits and harms of beet tops. It is widely used for cooking and treating diseases. It can be cut into a salad, added to soup or other dish. This use of tops became possible due to its composition.

What does it contain:

B vitamins help improve metabolic processes, strengthening the nervous and immune systems;
Vitamin A improves vision and digestion; it is present in the leaves in large quantities;
micro- and macroelements (calcium, chlorine, iron, etc.) have a positive effect on the human body;
flavonoids help relieve inflammation and cleanse blood vessels;
nicotinic acid prevents the formation of cholesterol in the blood;
folic acid helps a woman bear and give birth to a healthy child;
ascorbic acid helps strengthen capillaries and improve immunity.

The tops, rich in vitamins and nutrients, are recommended to be used both for the treatment and prevention of diseases.

How to choose the right beet tops?

What are the benefits and harms of beet tops for the human body? This will be discussed below in the text, but now you need to figure out how to choose the right leaves of the plant.

The benefits of tops are revealed in early spring, when small leaves appear on beets, which is especially valuable during this period, because the human body needs vitamins.

Young tops can be purchased no earlier than the end of May. It is better to buy it together with leaves, which will make it possible to get fresh herbs to the table.

A quality product has the following characteristics:

If the leaves of the tops are elastic, it means they are fresh.
Their color should be dark green.
It is better to choose tops with a dense root.

Dishes prepared from such leaves will delight you with excellent taste and vitamin composition.

How to store beet tops?

How to determine the benefits and harms of beet tops for human health? These qualities will be written about below, but now you need to understand how to properly preserve beet leaves.

When buying tops along with root vegetables, you need to cut off the leaves at a distance of 1-2 cm from the tuber. All wilted and dried green mass should be removed, and the good ones should be washed thoroughly.

It is best to store tops in a container, placing them in the department where they are stored. different vegetables. Beet leaves - so they need to be used within 3-4 days. For more long-term storage the tops are frozen.

Beneficial properties of beet leaves

How to find out the benefits and harms of beet tops for humans? Let's look at the beneficial effects of leaves on people's health, and then look at their negative effects.

If you use the tops throughout the year, and not seasonally, it will help cure many diseases. In this way, you can prepare your body for the upcoming cold weather and strengthen its defenses.

TO medicinal properties The above-ground part of the root vegetable can be attributed to its assistance in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. This manifests itself in ridding the body of toxins and harmful substances.

The presence of betanin in the tops helps normalize metabolism in the body.

The green mass of beets has anti-aging properties. Those present in it micro and macroelements slow down the aging process and have a beneficial effect on appearance person.

External use of the tops will help cope with acne and other rashes on the skin. Directions for use: mash the leaves and apply to the skin of the face, avoiding the area around the eyes.

Tops can be used in treatment arterial hypertension, for heart diseases, thyroid gland and anemia.

The medicinal properties of beet tops, the benefits and harms of which have always worried adherents traditional medicine, help stimulate the growth of muscles and bones in a child, so the leaves must be included in children’s diet. Green beet mass is used not only for treatment, but for the prevention of diseases.

The use of tops in dietetics

Beet leaves are good for making healthy salads because of the fiber they contain. This helps to quickly saturate the body with useful substances and lose extra pounds.

People who watch their figure will like it nutritious salad based on beet greens. His recipe includes: tops, cucumbers, lettuce, radishes, spinach, herbs and nuts. You can season the dish with olive oil or sprinkle with lemon juice.

Constantly eating beet leaves will help you get rid of extra pounds and look attractive, which is especially true for women.

Tops in folk recipes

There are many recipes for treating diseases where beet tops (the benefits and harm to the body are the topic of this article) are the main component. There is also harm from its use, but this will be written about later.

Ways to use tops:

To get rid of constipation, you need to drink an infusion of beet leaves, but at least three times a day before meals. The single dose is 1/2 cup. To do this, pour a glass of boiling water over a spoonful of chopped tops.
For headaches and migraines, beet leaves should be mashed and applied as a compress to the temples. Keep for at least 20 minutes.
Mash the tops, wrap them in gauze and apply them to your eyelids, which will help get rid of conjunctivitis.
Beetroot leaves can be used to treat mastitis. To do this, you need to knead them and apply them to the seals on the chest for 40 minutes. Carry out the procedures daily.
To get rid of corns and cracks, you should squeeze the juice from beet leaves and lubricate problem areas with it overnight.

A tincture of tops leaves can be drunk every day to saturate the body with vitamins and for preventive purposes. To do this, pour 1 spoon of tops with a glass of boiling water.

What can you cook from tops?

Beet tops, the benefits and harms of which have long been known to experienced gardeners, are used in the preparation of various dishes. Tops can be added to borscht, okroshka, cabbage soup and botvinya. Bean and pea soups with the addition of beet leaves are especially popular.

Some housewives prepare preparations for the winter from the tops. For future use, you can ferment, pickle or dry beet leaves. Heat treatment negatively affects the amount of nutrients in the tops, so it is better to avoid it.

To dry, the leaves need to be crushed. Due to the presence in them small quantity essential oils, the procedure is carried out at a temperature not exceeding 60 degrees. This can be done in special dryers, shaded areas and well-ventilated areas.

If a person needs the tops to treat diseases, then they can be frozen. To do this, the green mass is washed, dried, crushed and placed in plastic bags. After defrosting, the product must be used immediately. It is better not to repeat the freezing procedure due to the loss of vitamins and nutrients from the leaves.

Contraindications to the use of tops

When using leaves, questions arise about the contraindications of beet tops, the benefits and harms of which affect the human body in different ways.

It is better to avoid using it if you have the following pathologies:

diarrhea or a tendency to this disease, because the tops have a laxative effect;
kidney diseases and Bladder in the acute stage, beet leaves can stimulate the process of urination;
in case of liver disease (hepatitis), the tops, by changing metabolic processes, will place additional stress on this organ;
Taking beet leaves can aggravate gout;
diabetics should not eat tops because of the sugars they contain;
when taking beet leaves, blood pressure may drop, so this product is prohibited for hypotensive patients;
in some cases, individual intolerance occurs.

Beet tops are an essential source of vitamins and minerals for the body, so they must be constantly consumed unless there are restrictions on intake.

How to freeze beets for the winter, and is it possible to freeze beets for the winter at home? The answer is unequivocal - yes. By freezing beets, you will make it easier for yourself to prepare borscht, vinaigrette, salad in winter period. Because it is much more convenient to take frozen beets in the freezer and use them for their intended purpose, for cooking delicious dishes. By the way, you can also freeze beet leaves (tops)

How to freeze beets for the winter?

How to properly freeze beets for the winter? To freeze beets, you will need small containers or food-grade plastic bags. It is better to freeze beets in small portions that can be used at a time. You can freeze both boiled and raw beets. The technology for preparing raw beets for storage in the freezer is simple. Simply cut the beet leaves (tops) with a knife, like parsley or dill, put them in bags and put them in the freezer. Video on freezing beets You can see the article on freezing carrots.

How to freeze raw beets for the winter?

Peel the beets and wash them thoroughly. Cut off upper layer Simply put, peel the peels like potatoes. Wash again. Cut into two parts and cut each part into thin strips. You can use a coarse grater or run it through a food processor. For vinaigrettes, cut the beets into small cubes. For borscht it is better to grate it. Next, place the grated beets into containers or bags. Remove excess air from the bag. Seal the package tightly and place in the freezer.

How to freeze boiled beets for the winter?

For freezing, it is better to boil whole beets without cutting them into pieces. In the future, when using frozen boiled beets, you will get a more saturated color of the borscht.

So, grate the whole boiled beets on a coarse grater (for borscht) or cut into cubes (for vinaigrette or salad). Place in prepared containers and place in the freezer. In winter, you simply take out frozen beets and add them, without defrosting, to any dish at the end of cooking. For vinaigrette and salad, beets should be thawed. Find out which vegetables can still be frozen.

Now you know how to freeze beets for the winter, but is it possible to freeze beet leaves? Of course you can. The entire process of freezing leaves (tops) is similar to freezing any greens. We suggest reading how to freeze sorrel. dill. parsley and freeze beet leaves in the same way. Good luck preparing for the winter!