How to dry parsley at home

Fragrant and healthy grass grows in almost every garden. Useful properties of spices are known since ancient times. Parsley is widely used in cooking and traditional medicine. It is added to many dishes, used in canning, frozen for the winter. Popular is not only fresh grass, but also dried herbs and roots. Before you start making parsley for long-term storage, you should familiarize yourself with some recommendations.

Parsley Preparation

If the spicy grass is grown in the summer cottage or in the garden, then it should be cut off before the flowering period. The leaves should be bright green and without any kind of damage. Harvesting is best done in dry and sunny weather.

After the sprigs are cut off, they should be sorted out - remove damaged or old branches and yellowed leaves. In the tank it is necessary to collect water and rinse the raw material well.After the procedure, the parsley branches are recommended to be dried, for this it is necessary to spread the green mass on a towel or put bunches in glasses.

Parsley roots have medicinal and spicy qualities. Before drying, it is recommended to thoroughly rinse the roots from dirt under running water using a hard washcloth or brush. Then you need to remove with a knife a thin layer of skin and cut the roots smaller.

Ways of drying parsley

In the open air
In order to dry the fragrant spicy grass at home, you need to choose a dark and well-ventilated place, without access of sunlight. Otherwise, parsley leaves may turn yellow. You can cut the grass together with stalks, and you can dry the twigs as a whole. If you want to make drying of whole branches, then you need to collect them in small bunches and hang them with leaves down.Bundles must contain a small fifteen twigs each. About ten days later, the bundles are removed and dry leaves are separated from the stems. Finished dried herbs stored in a closed container until the next harvest.

In order to dry the cut greens, you need to follow the recommendations:

1. Cut the freshly washed grass together with the stems.
2. Prepare special trays or lay out the paper in the selected room.
3. Spread the chopped parsley over the surface in a thin layer.
4. The first three - four days periodically stir the mass.

To dry the greens you need about one or two weeks, the period depends on the weather conditions, the method of cutting and parsley varieties. Place the finished product in any container, jar or container, and close the lid. Store dried parsley in a dark, dry place.

In the oven
It may happen that there is absolutely no free time to mess around with parsley or the climate features do not allow to dry the grass properly. Then a good alternative to natural drying will be drying parsley in the oven.

To spice quickly dried, pre-cut the leaves from the stems.Cooked baking tray should be covered with paper or parchment. Spread parsley leaves on a baking sheet with a thin layer and put in a heated oven. Heat the oven to a temperature not higher than 50 degrees. To the greens are well dried and not worn out, it is recommended to open the door. While drying, herbs should be periodically mixed. In 1.5 - 2 hours the dried greens are ready. The degree of readiness of the product can be determined by rubbing the leaves with your fingers - if the parsley crunches and easily breaks and crumbles, then it's time to take out.

The second method of drying in the oven involves the heat treatment of cut greens. To do this, chop the parsley together with the stems and lay out a thin layer on a baking sheet. The temperature in the oven should be from 45 to 50 degrees. Well dried green crumbles easily. Store sliced ​​dried parsley should be in tightly closed glass jars.

In the electric dryer
For the preparation of dried vegetables and herbs there are special tools - electric dryers. The device must set a special mode for drying herbs. Prepared and washed greens should be decomposed into special grids.The shutdown of the electric dryers occurs in automatic mode. In order for the herb to dry well and retain its beneficial properties and flavor, you should dry the parsley after washing. Excess water can affect drying time.

In the microwave
Another good way to make dried parsley for the winter is to use a microwave oven. Preparation of greenery occurs as in other methods of drying - removed damaged branches and weeds with debris. A flat dish on top is covered with a napkin. On the dish laid out whole or chopped parsley. Now you need to cover all the other plate and you can start the procedure of drying. Select the highest power and turn on the device for 3 minutes. If the greens are not dry enough, the action should be repeated. Ready dried greens should be stored in a closed container in a dry and dark room.

Qualitatively dried parsley will be a great addition to any dishes for the whole winter. It can be added to soups, in second courses, used in the preparation of salads. Foods containing parsley, not only different aroma and pleasant taste, but also provide the body with essential vitamins.This is especially required in the winter, when there is a lack of fresh vegetables and fruits.

Video: how to dry parsley