All year round we buy bags of spices and herbs for first and second courses. But they have an excellent and completely natural alternative, invented by our ancestors, devoid of salt, glutamate, preservatives and other food additives.
They are found in most of these seasonings. Oriental spices like suneli hops are better and more natural. But we forgot that they have a healthier and no less tasty alternative for dressing the first and second courses.
the old Russian way
Back in the 1960s, gardeners from near Pereslavl-Zalessky provided Moscow with it. These places, right up to Rostov the Great, were called “royal gardens” from time immemorial. The climate and soil, fertilized with sapropel from Lake Pleshcheyevo and Nero, created ideal conditions for growing vegetables, herbs and spices.
“I found this craft as a child, they grew carrots, small multi-celled onions, dill, parsley and other greens on long, long beds,” says aif.ru Vladimir Murashev, Candidate of Biological Sciences, botanist, Head of the Laboratory of Plant Development Biology and Leading Researcher of the Department of Higher Plants of the Biological Faculty of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov. “A classic Russian mixture was prepared from this set: carrots were cut into strips, onions into slices, greens into large branches. They were usually dried in well-ventilated and sun-warmed attics. Such a drying method preserves useful substances better than powdered mixtures that are brought to us from the Caucasus. The larger the particle of a vegetable or herb, the less aromatic substances escape from it and the weaker the useful components are oxidized. You yourself can prepare all this for yourself now to use until next summer.
Dry vegetables and dried fruits
In Russia, greens, spices, spices, and carrots were mainly harvested this way. Only the heat and draft in the attic was not enough to dry the more water-rich vegetables. So they were harvested in more southern regions.
But now it is possible everywhere – with the help of special dryers and dehydrators. They create the required temperature (usually from 50 to 70 ° C) and an air flow that plays the role of a draft that carries away water vapor. It is better to buy those dryers that have temperature control. Models without this feature may not be a useful “toy”.
So you can dry almost any vegetables and fruits, but first of all it is better to harvest those for which prices are astronomical in winter – tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplants, zucchini, the same greens. Their cost is now minimal, and this is the best time of the year for harvesting. You can, of course, dry carrots, beets, onions, cabbage, etc., but the price of these vegetables out of season does not soar so high as to become prohibitive. Exactly the same approach can be used for drying fruits and berries.
Useful side effect of dried blanks
Such reserves are very valuable, dried fruits and dry vegetables perfectly retain useful and aromatic substances. When you cook with them the first and second courses, vegetable side dishes, cereals, they will “wake up”, restoring their volume and taste. And it is also very useful, unlike empty potatoes, pasta and even cereals. Plus, such nutrition will help you not only save money, but also fulfill the healthy consumption of vegetables and fruits – 500 g per day (in terms of the weight of fresh gifts of nature). According to modern dietology, this is the main principle of a healthy diet.
Source: aif.ru
