How to save green onions for the winter?

Growing seasonal vegetables and greens in greenhouses, of course, is an excellent option for their year-round use.As for greens or onions, such cultures can easily be planted on a windowsill. However, not less worthy alternative to the "mini-gardens" will be the options for preserving products, in particular, green onions in a cut form using a number of proven methods.

A healthy and balanced diet involves the inclusion in the diet of foods rich in beneficial trace elements and vitamins. Therefore, vegetables, fruits and herbs should be present at each table. In addition to the most sought-after parsley and dill, onions are used to prepare most dishes. However, the maximum benefit from the use of the product is possible to extract only if it is fresh.

If the purchase of green onions in the winter period is not possible for every family budget, and there is simply no desire to grow it at home, you can use a number of proven methods of harvesting onions in the season for later use as food. Since there are a large number of options on how to preserve the benefits and taste of onions, each hostess will easily choose the most successful way for herself. Having spent half a day on these works, it will be possible to enjoy tasty greens for a whole year or winter period without detriment to the family budget and any work related to caring for crops in the greenhouse.

Green onions are called a ripe feather from onions. It was established that it contains the maximum amount of vitamins. Low-calorie product - 100 grams contains only 20 kcal. Vitamins A, C, K and PP are abundant in onions, in addition, it contains starch, sugars, organic acids and chlorophyll. Due to its chemical composition, onions are in demand for the prevention and treatment of many diseases.

The main concentration of beneficial micro and macro elements falls on the white part of the pen, which grows from the turnip of the bulb. Therefore, it is very important to use the entire pen in preparing the vegetable for storage. A long time to store the product will be possible only if only fresh onions were selected. The best thing about the condition and freshness will indicate the color of the pen - it should be rich green, in addition, the ends should not be dry and twisted. The fact that green onions are already unsuitable for use and harvesting, can also indicate a white film and slime on greens.

An important point regarding the storage of green onions is the container, in which the content of the product is planned. The choice of capacity option depends on the method of preparation. For example, they freeze a feather, most often in a plastic film or plastic bag, sometimes the onions will be frozen in plastic containers for the winter. To pickle or preserve onions, you should use glass containers, but dried greens, as a rule, are stored in small bags of natural fabric. Fresh feather in the refrigerator can be left in the cling film or the usual package.

As for storage, the first in popularity is the refrigerator and freezer. And if there is a cellar - banks with salting are lowered into it. In some apartments you can keep the container with canned green onions on the balcony.

There are several tips to extend the freshness of green onions.

• There are storage options that prevent pre-cleaning of feathers and their contact with water. All contaminants present are removed with a towel or removed manually.
• Harvested product can not be packed and put in a container, if it is still wet. All onions should be laid out on a napkin or towel and dried well on each side.
• For storing green onions in the refrigerator, in which young onions have already formed, they should be tied together and wrapped in a damp cloth. This method will contribute to a longer product freshness.

• In a cool room, onions in glass containers will not lose their qualities in the order of two months.
• To eliminate the accumulation of condensate in the package with greens, it should make several holes. For short-term storage it is not necessary to break the feather and cut it, because if the integrity is violated, the onion will deteriorate faster.
• Do not leave feathers with defects or rotting areas.
• Best of all, choosing between a plastic bag and paper, stop at the last.
• Salty green onions must be kept in a glass container with a tight lid.

The taste of the product and its shelf life largely depend on how well the onions will be prepared for subsequent storage. These works include several consecutive steps.

• The product is inspected and damaged or dried feathers removed.
• Onions are washed under the tap. In some cases, depending on the degree of contamination, it may be necessary to soak the onions in the pelvis to remove lumps of soil.
• After the events with water, you need to lay out the entire onion in one row to give it a good dry. It is best to dry the herbs on a cloth. Quite rarely, but for such works sometimes used electric dryer.
• Slicing onions is not an obligatory step, since the product can also be left, for example, for freezing as a whole. In this case, it all depends on individual preferences, and also takes into account the fact where and in which dishes the further use of greens is planned.

The main options to preserve greenery were cellars or other cold rooms in the dwelling. Wood or earthenware was used as containers for the product. In addition, dried herbs, which were stored in fabric bags, were often used as seasoning. With the passage of time and thanks to the appearance of various additional appliances in the kitchen, the choice of options for storage has greatly expanded, but the basic methods are still in demand today.

An alternative to the cellars was a refrigerator, where the greens put in the bag can keep their freshness for two weeks.

There are several recipes for how you can keep onions fresh in your home for a long time, using a minimum of available tools.

• Greens can be washed or manually removed from her pollution with their minimum amount. Next, you need to wrap the pen with paper, then moisten it a little with water from a spray bottle. A paper envelope with green onions is placed in a plastic bag and sent to a container for storing vegetables in the refrigerator. When choosing paper for packaging, it is best to take kraft paper or some other dense material, the main thing is that it does not burst from moisture. The recommended storage period for greenery in paper is about one month.
• In order to keep the greens in the bag for as long as possible, while the condensate, which shortens the storage period, did not accumulate in it, you can use a fairly simple technique. Before you put the onion in it, the package should be cooled slightly in the freezer, after which the greens should be laid in it.
• Green onion stalks can also be stored in cling film, it is easier to divide the entire crop into portions, wrap material and make small punctures with a toothpick in some places of the film. The holes will allow air to get inside. After that, the blanks are placed in the package and in the refrigerator. In this package, you can save the freshness of greens for about a month.

Describing all sorts of ways to store the harvest of green onions, it is impossible not to mention such a way to prepare greens, as its drying. Work is being carried out with the product according to the scheme described below.

• Greens need to be washed, then dried and cut into small rings.
• It is necessary to dry the received cutting on light paper in a warm and ventilated place so that the plant has the opportunity to dry out properly. It is necessary to avoid contact with onions in direct sunlight, which contributes to the destruction of micronutrients in greens. To protect the product, you can cover it with another sheet of paper on top. Sometimes they resort to drying green onions in the oven.
• As a rule, after a week the greens can already be sent for storage in a bag or jar. The fact that the onions are sufficiently dried out will be indicated by the fragility of the rings. It is necessary to store dried seasoning in a cabinet, without access of light and at room temperature.

Mandatory requirement for bags, which will contain dried herbs, is the naturalness of the material. Since air will not flow in sufficient quantity through synthetic fibers, and the product must be “breathed” for an extended shelf life. Otherwise, all the collected or purchased volume of greenery will quickly deteriorate, as it will simply dampen.

To pickle green onions, it is necessary to finely chop or chop. Then mix with salt and put in a glass container, leaving some free space in the container. Top content can be poured with sunflower or olive oil. It is believed that the oil allows you to keep all the useful properties of the product as long as possible without loss of organoleptic qualities. A plastic lid is made for the jar, and the pickling is put into storage in the cellar or placed in the refrigerator.

There is another method for salting green onion feathers:

• the greens are thoroughly dried; 250 grams of salt are needed per 1 kg of onion;
• chopped onion mixed with half a serving of salt;
• then the mass is laid out in layers, each layer is sprinkled on top of the remaining salt.

Such preservation will be suitable for consumption after 2-3 weeks. This time will be needed in order for the onions to be marinated and juice. Canned herbs in this state are recommended for cooking within six months after salting.

This option is considered the simplest and does not require the addition of any additional ingredients. Fresh greens need to be sorted, washed and dried. There are three options for freezing the product.

• In the first case, the feather is chopped and allowed on the pan. The cooled mass is placed in plastic pots and sent to the freezer. As practice shows, such onions will be more fragrant and tasty. In addition, it can be immediately added to the cooked dish without additional roasting.
• Onions are blanched and reclined in a colander to cool completely. After that, the mass is transferred to a plastic container and stored in the freezer.
• The easiest option is to freeze the feathers without cutting. Greens can be stored both in bags and in containers. In addition, you can cut and freeze the pen without any heat treatment. As such, greens do not lose their taste for about a year.

You can freeze onions in ice or baking tins. This is done as follows:

• peeled onions are chopped into rings of the desired size;
• laid out in molds made of plastic or silicone, while you need to fill them with a pen of about a third, to leave room for water;
• the remaining space is filled with purified water, after which the forms are placed in the freezer;
• after the ice has hardened, cubes with greens can be shifted into packets or left in this state, and then used as needed.

In addition, chopped green onions are easily frozen in plastic bottles, they are not afraid of the cold, and the product will be convenient to use during cooking. Before sending greens to freeze in plastic, it is necessary to thoroughly wash the container from the inside and dry it to prevent mixing of smells, for example, if there was a sweet drink or some other foreign matter in the container before. It is best to use small bottles of drinking water.

In addition to the above methods of preserving green onions, there are several other equally interesting options.

• Sourdough under the press - feathers are cut into rings of 2 centimeters in length, after which they are laid in glass containers in layers, alternating with edible salt. After that, the container is left under the yoke for two days until the brine appears. If there is little juice, you can add a little water to the mass and increase the weight of the press. After 2-3 weeks the product will be suitable for use.
• Harvesting of onion in marinade - For one kilogram of feather, you will need 2 chili peppers, a few cloves of garlic, crushed cinnamon and pepper. Marinade is made from water, sugar and apple cider vinegar. Onions are laid onion, filled with boiling marinade and covered with a lid. After cooling, the onion is stored in the refrigerator.

The storage time of the onion pen is directly dependent on the temperature in the room where it will be located. It is considered that the optimal indicator of a thermometer for greenery is the range from +1 C to +8 C.

The temperature range in which it is possible to preserve fresh onion greens as long as possible depends directly on the variant of its preparation for subsequent storage. As for the frozen feather, the product needs a temperature of -8 ° C. Glass containers with onions, which have been preserved by the starter or salting method, are stored in a cool place, where the thermometer reads no more than +10 C. Moreover, for salted onions, you should choose a room or storage space with minimal light access.

As practice shows, in a frozen state, a green feather can be stored in a freezer for at least 12 months. Dried onion does not lose its beneficial properties and does not deteriorate in textile bags or in paper for two years. Fermented feather and salt should be consumed within six months after preparation, similar shelf life and green onions, which was closed in jars with vegetable oil. As a result of longer storage, the oil may affect its taste, making the billet to be rancid. Fresh onions with proper packaging and quality control, stored in the refrigerator or other cool place, suitable for use for three months.

Option freeze green onions for the winter, see below.