Herb of ramson is pleasing to the eye already in May. This is one of the first types of greenery that appears with the arrival of spring. Ramson has a strong aroma and taste, at the same time reminiscent of onions and garlic. Greens are filled with vitamin C, which is so lacking after a cold winter. Ramson grows for a short time, so it does not hurt to make small billets for future use.
How to determine freshness of wild garlic
Green plant freshness can be checked as follows:
- leaves should not be lethargic and coarse.
- a special, slightly garlic odor emanates from the green.
It is advisable to eat Ramson before flowering. During this period, it is the most useful and nutritious.
How to store fresh wild garlic
In fresh form, the plant is stored not for long - up to four days.
Greens should be carefully enclosed in a bag, remove air as much as possible and close. Put the ramson in the refrigerator.
You can also put the greens in a jar of water so that only petioles sink into the liquid. Leaves should remain above the water. Contained bouquet with wild garlic in the fridge.
You can keep fresh weed for a week, although the taste and smell will not be as saturated. Outwardly, it almost does not change, but the content of nutrients will decrease several times.
If wild garlic is plenty, it is better to choose other ways to store it.
How to save wild garlic for the winter
The season of the onion plant is very short, so freezing will allow you to use this healthy green all year round. First you need to do a little preparatory operations:
- Untie bunches of wild garlic.
- Put in a wide bowl and pour with plenty of water. Let it swim for about ten minutes.
- Drain and rinse the leaves a few more times to make sure that they are completely clean.
- Spread out on a towel, cover one more and roll up like a rug. So the greens dry quickly, because the fabric will conscientiously absorb water.
It is possible to freeze not only leaves, but also stalks:
- We cut greens, as for salads. Petioles chop more finely.
- Pour the ramson into small sachets and roll it into a roll. We fill bags with a fastener on 2/3, we remove air and we close.
- Fold the ramson in the freezer.
Freeze the herb and in the form of mashed potatoes:
- Coarsely chopped plants are ground in a blender. We get a thick puree.
- Put it in small silicone molds.
- We send wild garlic into the freezer until the morning.
- We take out the frozen mashed potatoes from the molds, put them in a bag and tie them tightly.
- Place the container with wild garlic in the same freezer.
Greens stored in this form can be added to first courses, meat and vegetable stews, egg dishes. It is appropriate in baking. Freezing does not destroy the taste of wild garlic. Greenery remains the same sharp and useful for at least a year, or even a half.
Other ways to save wild garlic
Extend the storage time of wild garlic for three to four months by mixing the plant with salt:
- Chop the clean and dried greens and place in a bowl.
- Add salt (a teaspoon per 100 g of green) and mix.
- Put the ramson into the glass container, ram it.
- Hermetically closed.
Greens can be stored outside the refrigerator - in the pantry or in the basement.
A special sandwich mix is made from wild garlic:
- Chop the greens as finely as possible.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Add butter or lard twisted in a meat grinder.
- Form sausages, wrap in plastic wrap and send to the freezer.
The ramson stored in this state can be eaten before spring and fresh greens.
Ramson helps to eliminate cholesterol and parasites, which often settle in the body. Substances contained in the plant can protect against such a disease as atherosclerosis. Therefore, wild garlic should not be neglected. It is necessary to eat it more and more often.
