Parsley is a fairly popular crop in most gardening areas. But some novice gardeners make a mistake when identifying this grass, confusing it with other crops and even weeds. To avoid getting into trouble, you should know what herbs parsley looks like and how to distinguish it. Few people know, but the number of plants that can easily be confused with the well-known spice is much greater than it might seem at first glance.
The most common herbs similar to parsley are cilantro, celery, and lovage. But this list can be continued.
Cilantro
Most often, cilantro is confused with the described spice. They say about it that this herb is almost like parsley with the smell that a bug emits. Cilantro is often used in Caucasian cuisine, but not everyone likes it. Most often, confusion between herbs is discovered when the herb has already been added to a dish, and it has a specific, unpleasant aftertaste for some people.
Celery
In appearance, celery is very similar to the universal and well-known spice. True, the similarity is limited solely to the foliage. If you look at the root of the plant, it will not be thin and long, like parsley, but thick and round, large and beet-like. And the taste of celery is a little bitter (especially if there is insufficient watering during the growing season).
Celery
Creeping buttercup
The appearance of creeping buttercup resembles parsley in many ways. But it cannot be called a complete external double of culture. This weed flower is found in many areas in many regions of our country. Unlike parsley, buttercup has tendrils, and pulling it out of the ground will require a lot of effort. This herb should be handled with great care. Replacing parsley with it in a salad can be fraught with health problems - this weed is poisonous in large quantities. This plant is not used in food in principle - it is more often used in folk medicine as an external agent.
Creeping buttercup
Common chervil
Common chervil is an annual plant, 30 to 60 cm high. It has triangular, pinnately dissected leaves and a carrot-like rhizome (only white). Externally, the herb is not very similar to parsley, but it is quite possible to call the plant similar to this crop, because their taste is almost identical, and it will be unrealistic to notice the difference in the finished dish.
Common chervil
Veh poisonous
A rather dangerous weed, similar in appearance to parsley, is a poisonous weed. It grows not only in Europe, but also in Asia and America. The plant may also be popularly called cat parsley or water hemlock. The plant has a rather pleasant smell, but 100 grams of grass will be enough to kill a cow using this wild crop. Fortunately, poisonous weed is not very common in Russia, and gardeners have virtually no risk of confusing it with common garden greens.
Veh poisonous
Kokorysh
Another dangerous double of parsley is called corysh. Essentially, these are flowers with leaves like parsley. The color of the inflorescence is white. Grass grows in gardens, on roadsides and in fields. It can also be called dog parsley.
Coriander
Coriander is very similar to the popular herb. It can turn green in the same way as parsley, but its leaves are much softer and more delicate. It is by touch that the plant is easiest to distinguish from its botanical twin.
Coriander
Signs of parsley
The easiest way to identify parsley is by knowing its exact biological description. Experienced gardeners won’t even begin to figure out what a crop should smell like, but will have no problem identifying it by its appearance alone. This is perennial herbaceous plant with a spicy taste and a thickened, fleshy taproot, the length of which can reach 30 cm.
In the first year of life, the plant produces a rosette of long-petiolate, pinnately dissected leaves with wedge-ovate, very small leaves of a rich green color. In the second year, the plant forms one or more flowering stems. They are erect, round and have a height of 30 to 150 cm.
Parsley
Parsley flowers are small and have yellow, yellow-green or whitish-green shades, depending on the particular variety. They are collected at the ends of the branches into a small inflorescence in the shape of a complex umbrella (central and several lateral).
The fruit of the crop can be gray-green or grayish-brown. It is small, its length varies from 2 to 5 mm, it is not used for food.
Flowering usually occurs between June and August. Confusion about plants often occurs also because there are quite a few varieties of plants. Parsley can be leaf (with a fairly large rosette of smooth leaves), root (with a thickened root) or curly.
Important! Like other greens, parsley reacts poorly to herbicides - it is better to use more gentle fertilizers when growing.
To prevent the wrong greens from ending up on your home table, you just need to be careful. Popular wisdom does not give specific recommendations on how to accurately identify the right herb. But if you try, the likelihood of error will be minimized.
On a note! If on garden plot Parsley, cilantro, and celery are planted; it would not be superfluous to mark the beds with each of the plants. It is best to place them in different parts of the garden or vegetable garden.
If the herbs are purchased rather than grown yourself, the likelihood of buying the wrong thing is slightly higher. Before the eyes of the buyer is grass that has undergone pre-sale preparation: cut to the same length and tied into bunches. In such a situation, if the seller cannot guarantee that he understands greens well enough, focus only on appearance culture is inappropriate. But even in this case, there is a solution - you can simply taste the grass. There is no need to be afraid to do this. It is unlikely that the poisonous twin of culture will be on the counter.
However, subsequently the potato replaced not only it, but also the “queen of vegetables” - the turnip. Over time, parsnips were forgotten and became a little-known crop. But in vain! Traditional healers Daniil and Natalya Zubik highly recommend its use, especially for men. Here's what they advise.
Parsnip is useful for those who are recovering from a serious illness or for colds; it facilitates the passage of sputum when coughing. For men this vegetable helps restore sexual power, they treat nesting bald spots. In folk medicine, parsnips are used as a diuretic for edema, as an analgesic for kidney, liver and stomach cramps. So, healing properties parsnip undeniable.
Parsnips grow well in any soil. Particularly large roots (up to 13-14 cm in diameter at the top and 45-50 cm long) are formed if the soil is well seasoned organic fertilizers. Parsnip seeds take a long time to germinate, 20 days. Therefore, I first prepare it for sowing: I wrap it in a piece of cloth, moisten it and leave it in a warm place for germination. As soon as the seeds hatch, I sow them in the garden bed immediately after the snow melts. In the south, seeds can be sown in the garden in the fall. I sow 3-4 seeds per hole to a depth of 1.2-1.5 cm with a distance of 30-40 cm in a row and 60 cm between rows.
In summer parsnip care the same as for root parsley. Thickened seedlings must be thinned out. Parsnips like to be watered during drought.
For the winter, parsnips are dug up and stored like carrots. Not excavated roots They winter well and during thaws they can be consumed fresh directly from the garden. In the second year, the plant grows a powerful tall stem and many seeds.
Parsnips are similar to parsley, but in terms of its healing and nutritional qualities it is much more useful than it. It contains a lot of fat, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins B2, PP, essential oil. In some countries, parsnips are also used in livestock farming. It helps to increase the live weight gain of livestock and the fat content of milk.
Parsnip dishes are very tasty.
I prefer roasted parsnips. To do this, I take peeled root vegetables, rinse them with water, cut them into circles 1.2-1.5 cm thick. Place them in a saucepan, fill them with water, add salt and let them cook.
Here you need to make sure that the circles do NOT boil over. they must be immediately removed from the heat as soon as the water boils.
I drain the water, dip the cooled circles in beaten egg, roll in flour and fry in butter until golden brown. Before serving, sprinkle with sour cream. This is so delicious that guests, having tasted this dish, immediately take the seeds to grow such a wonderful vegetable themselves.
Scrambled eggs with parsnips are very tasty. To do this, boiled parsnips are cut into cubes, placed in a frying pan, poured with eggs and fried.
Parsnip soup is also very tasty. To prepare it, take several potatoes, a carrot, an onion, one medium parsnip root, and one boiled chopped egg.
The roots are fried in butter, and when the dish is served, a spoonful of sour cream is added.
Those recovering from illness are given parsnips, grated on a beet grater and sprinkled with butter or sour cream. Raw grated parsnips are added to salads, and boiled parsnips are added to vinaigrettes. Parsnips are also added to borscht. Boiled or stewed parsnips mixed with other vegetables are served as a side dish for meat and fish. Parsnip roots are used in the process of canning or pickling vegetables.
Two or three spoons of raw parsnip salad, a side dish of it with meat or fish, or even half a glass of warm decoction of the root or seeds (a teaspoon per glass of water) will create a good, cheerful mood even for a very irritated and depressed husband and will increase his sexual activity. Any housewife who loves to cook using her imagination can prepare many dishes with parsnips. Its taste is different in different dishes. Only one thing remains the same: it is very tasty and healthy.
Astrakhan tomatoes ripen remarkably well lying on the ground, but this experience should not be repeated in the Moscow region. Our tomatoes need support, support, garter. My neighbors use all sorts of stakes, tie-downs, loops, ready-made plant supports and mesh fencing. Each method of fixing a plant in a vertical position has its own advantages and “ side effects" I'll tell you how I place tomato bushes on trellises and what comes out of it.
Flies are a sign of unsanitary conditions and carriers of infectious diseases that are dangerous to both people and animals. People are constantly looking for ways to get rid of unpleasant insects. In this article we will talk about the Zlobny TED brand, which specializes in fly repellents and knows a lot about them. The manufacturer has developed a specialized line of products to get rid of flying insects anywhere quickly, safely and at no extra cost.
The summer months are the time for hydrangeas to bloom. This beautiful deciduous shrub produces luxuriously fragrant flowers from June to September. Florists readily use large inflorescences for wedding decorations and bouquets. To admire the beauty of a flowering hydrangea bush in your garden, you should take care of the proper conditions for it. Unfortunately, some hydrangeas do not bloom year after year, despite the care and efforts of gardeners. We will explain why this happens in the article.
Every summer resident knows that plants need nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium for full development. These are three main macronutrients, the deficiency of which significantly affects the appearance and yield of plants, and in advanced cases can lead to their death. But not everyone understands the importance of other macro- and microelements for plant health. And they are important not only in themselves, but also for the effective absorption of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Garden strawberries, or strawberries, as we used to call them, are one of the early aromatic berries that summer generously gifts us with. How happy we are about this harvest! In order for the “berry boom” to repeat every year, we need to take care of the berry bushes in the summer (after the end of fruiting). The laying of flower buds, from which ovaries will form in the spring and berries in the summer, begins approximately 30 days after the end of fruiting.
Spicy pickled watermelon is a savory appetizer for fatty meat. Watermelons and watermelon rinds have been pickled since time immemorial, but this process is labor-intensive and time-consuming. According to my recipe, you can simply prepare pickled watermelon in 10 minutes, and by the evening the spicy appetizer will be ready. Watermelon marinated with spices and chili can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. Be sure to keep the jar in the refrigerator, not only for the sake of safety - when chilled, this snack is simply licking your fingers!
Among the variety of species and hybrids of philodendrons, there are many plants, both gigantic and compact. But not a single species competes in unpretentiousness with the main modest one - the blushing philodendron. True, his modesty does not concern the appearance of the plant. Blushing stems and cuttings, huge leaves, long shoots, forming, although very large, but also a strikingly elegant silhouette, look very elegant. Philodendron blushing requires only one thing - at least minimal care.
Thick chickpea soup with vegetables and egg is a simple recipe for a hearty first course, inspired by oriental cuisine. Similar thick soups are prepared in India, Morocco, and Southeast Asian countries. The tone is set by spices and seasonings - garlic, chili, ginger and a bouquet of spicy spices, which can be assembled to your taste. It is better to fry vegetables and spices in clarified butter (ghee) or mix olive oil and butter, it's certainly not the same, but it tastes similar.
Plum - well, who isn’t familiar with it?! She is loved by many gardeners. And all because it has an impressive list of varieties, surprises with excellent yields, pleases with its diversity in terms of ripening and a huge selection of color, shape and taste of fruits. Yes, in some places it feels better, in others it feels worse, but almost no summer resident gives up the pleasure of growing it on his plot. Today it can be found not only in the south, in the middle zone, but also in the Urals and Siberia.
Many ornamental and fruit crops, except drought-resistant ones, suffer from the scorching sun, and conifers in the winter-spring period suffer from sunlight, enhanced by reflection from the snow. In this article we will tell you about a unique preparation for protecting plants from sunburn and drought - Sunshet Agrosuccess. The problem is relevant for most regions of Russia. In February and early March, the sun's rays become more active, and the plants are not yet ready for new conditions.
“Every vegetable has its time,” and every plant has its optimal time for landing. Anyone who has dealt with planting is well aware that the hot season for planting is spring and autumn. This is due to several factors: in the spring the plants have not yet begun to grow rapidly, there is no sweltering heat and precipitation often falls. However, no matter how hard we try, circumstances often develop such that planting has to be carried out in the midst of summer.
Chili con carne translated from Spanish means chili with meat. This is a Texas and Mexican dish whose main ingredients are chili peppers and shredded beef. In addition to the main products there are onions, carrots, tomatoes, and beans. This red lentil chili recipe is delicious! The dish is fiery, scalding, very filling and amazingly tasty! You can make a big pot, put it in containers and freeze - you'll have a delicious dinner for a whole week.
Cucumber is one of my favorites garden crops our summer residents. However, not all and not always gardeners manage to get a really good harvest. And although growing cucumbers requires regular attention and care, there is a little secret that will significantly increase their yield. We are talking about pinching cucumbers. Why, how and when to pinch cucumbers, we will tell you in the article. An important point agricultural technology of cucumbers is their formation, or type of growth.
Now every gardener has the opportunity to grow absolutely environmentally friendly, healthy fruits and vegetables in their own garden. Atlant microbiological fertilizer will help with this. It contains helper bacteria that settle in the root system area and begin to work for the benefit of the plant, allowing it to actively grow, remain healthy and produce high yields. Typically, many microorganisms coexist around the root system of plants.
Summer is associated with beautiful flowers. Both in the garden and in the rooms you want to admire the luxurious inflorescences and touching flowers. And for this it is not at all necessary to use cut bouquets. In the assortment of the best indoor plants There are many beautiful flowering species. In the summer, when they receive the brightest lighting and optimal daylight hours, they can outshine any bouquet. Short-lived or just annual crops also look like living bouquets.
Our children are especially vulnerable when encountering poisonous plants. How can an inexperienced child resist the sight of flowers or berries? Therefore, when walking with your child in the park or outside the city, teach him not to put picked flowers and leaves into his mouth - this can lead to serious poisoning. And some plants should not even be touched. And with older children you can study these pictures together:
Hogweed Sosnovsky
An umbrella plant, similar in appearance to overgrown dill. Once upon a time it was actively planted in Middle lane Russia as a fodder grass, and therefore it is widespread everywhere. Hogweed stings like nettles, but does not fully manifest itself right away. The essential oils contained in the plant cause a serious chemical burn when interacting with ultraviolet radiation when the sun's rays hit the burned area of the skin. If a child touches hogweed, wash the area immediately with cool water and soap. Wipe with a cotton swab dipped in a weak solution of potassium permanganate and lubricate with wound-healing cream. And be sure to protect the affected skin from the sun for at least two days.
Hemlock spotted
A plant with a tall stem and small white flowers collected in an umbrella. Hemlock can be seen in vacant lots, roadsides, and as a weed it can also be found in summer cottages. Hemlock leaves look like parsley with reddish specks, and a child may well mistake it for this fragrant herb. Outwardly harmless, this plant is extremely dangerous: all its parts are poisonous. Hemlock poisoning can manifest itself in a child with nausea, vomiting, dizziness, chills, and blurred vision. However, in small doses, hemlock has long been used medicinally in the form of tinctures and ointments; Nowadays, hemlock preparations are prohibited by official medicine.
Red elderberry
Small trees with bright red berries can be seen in forests near Moscow, along roadsides, and sometimes in parks and summer cottages as ornamental plant. The glossy clusters against the background of dark green leaves really look very beautiful, and the berries literally beg to be eaten. But you shouldn’t taste them: the hydrocyanic acid derivatives in their composition can lead to poisoning with vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Fortunately, these fruits are not considered deadly; Moreover, after drying or heat treatment, the harmful substances in them are destroyed. That is why red elderberry is included in some traditional medicine recipes, and its relative, black elderberry, is widely used in herbal medicine and cooking.
Veh poisonous
This herbaceous plant with narrow leaves and white umbrellas of inflorescences can be found along the banks of rivers, ponds and ditches - it loves moisture. Its leaves emit a smell similar to celery, and its rhizomes taste like edible root vegetables like rutabaga or radish. Meanwhile, veh is one of the most poisonous plants. This is the same hemlock with which, according to legend, Socrates was poisoned. Just 50g of its rhizome is enough to kill a 50kg animal, such as a sheep. Within a few minutes after the cicutotoxin contained in this plant enters the body, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and convulsions may appear. To neutralize the effect of the poison, immediate gastric lavage with a special antidote will be required. Another name for the poisonous weed is water hemlock.
Common wolfberry (wolf's bast)
Thin bushes with rare red berries decorate forested areas both in the Moscow region and throughout central Russia. They seem very appetizing in appearance, although they can lead to severe poisoning with a burning sensation in the mouth and esophagus, vomiting, dizziness, and convulsions. Moreover, not only the berries are dangerous: the juice from the wolfberry stem, if it gets on the skin, can cause inflammation. And by inhaling the aroma of the bark or stems, it is easy to get irritation of the respiratory tract with a sore throat, cough and runny nose. So if your child managed to pick this plant, first wash his hands with soap as soon as possible.
Crow's eye
Damp forest is the favorite habitat of this plant. It is easy to recognize: a shiny black berry flaunts surrounded by four large leaves. A complex mixture of components dangerous to humans is present both in the fruits and in the leaves and rhizomes of the crow's eye. Berries that ripen in mid-July - early August can lead to damage to the central nervous system and hearts. Despite the fact that the medical use of this plant is prohibited, infusions of its berries and leaves are sometimes used by traditional healers.
Buttercup caustic
Small yellow flowers, popularly known as night blindness, decorate clearings in parks and summer cottages. A freshly picked plant is poisonous to both humans and animals: even a bouquet of such flowers can cause inflammation of the skin. But when dried, the dangerous substances included in its composition (for example, protoanemonin, which irritates mucous membranes and skin) lose their potency. That’s why dried ranunculus herb is sometimes used in folk medicine and homeopathy.
What to do if a child tries a poisonous plant?
Be sure to call an ambulance - symptoms of poisoning may not appear immediately. Save the plant that the child “feasted” on. Poisonous substances require specific antidotes, so in order not to worsen the situation, do not give any medications. Doctors will perform gastric lavage through a tube and possibly hospitalize you. Before they arrive, give your child water (as much as possible) and try to induce vomiting. To do this, lay him on his side or sit him down, lowering his head below chest level so that he does not choke on vomit. If there is no vomiting, give activated charcoal or any other enterosorbent. In case of skin burns from plant juice, rinse the affected areas under running water for 5-10 minutes and apply a healing ointment (for example, based on panthenol), and to prevent an allergic reaction, give the child an antihistamine.
In one form or another, greens are present in the diet of any person. It can be a seasoning and addition to food or a main dish. Only quantity determines whether a culture will be a spice or a full-fledged dish.
What is considered green?
Anything that is collected or grown to produce the above-ground leafy part of a plant is classified as greens. Moreover, color is not a determining factor at all. Much-loved basil tastes best when it is dark purple in color, and green peppers or green beans are definitely not herbaceous plants.
Spices include fresh or dried herbs that are used to improve the appearance, taste and digestibility of dishes. Many seasonings are used as aphrodisiacs or sources of vitamins. Infusions and decoctions of herbs (mint, oregano, thyme) are used to treat digestive disorders and respiratory diseases.
Types of greens to eat
There are many classifications of herbaceous plants used for food. Based on their origin, they distinguish between cultivated and wild. The most common cultivated vitamin trinity: dill, parsley and green onions.
An annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Apiaceae family. It has a pleasant aroma and contains a large amount of essential oils. Used fresh and dried. Used for dressing salads, first and second courses, as well as for adding to marinades and pickling. Dill inflorescences and seeds are often used as seasoning. It is impossible to imagine a garden without this plant. It is grown under film covers, in greenhouses and in open ground. It can also spread by self-sowing.
Dill greens are eaten, and the inflorescences and seeds are used in pickles and marinades.
An infusion of dill seeds is used in folk medicine as a carminative and weak diuretic, as well as to normalize digestion and mildly correct high blood pressure.
Parsley
Parsley is a biennial plant from the Apiaceae family; it can be either leafy or curly. These varieties have not only the appearance, but also the taste and texture of the greens. The leaves and roots of parsley are eaten. It is very convenient to grow it in the garden. In the first year you sow and get tender emerald greens. Next spring, you collect early parsley almost immediately after the snow cover melts. If you add parsley to borscht or cabbage soup, it becomes a seasoning. And in a tabbouleh salad or an omelet with fresh herbs, this is the main ingredient.
In the oriental salad "Tabbouleh" parsley is the main ingredient
When dried, the aroma is lost. I prefer to store parsley frozen. To do this, I wash the greens and dry them thoroughly. I chop it finely, pack it into small bags and put it in the freezer. When used, only a small part of the greens will be defrosted each time, and the rest will retain its taste and aroma. This method is convenient for those who grow parsley themselves. And for use as a seasoning, you can buy it fresh in stores. all year round.
Photo gallery: varieties of parsley
Curly parsley differs in taste from leaf parsley. Leaf parsley is both a spice and the main ingredient in many dishes. Parsley roots are used to season aspic and soups.
Onion
Considered the king of vegetable beds. Almost no salad, soup or appetizer is complete without it. It has bactericidal properties, stimulates appetite and improves food absorption. In Rus', it has long been used to prevent and treat various ailments. There are many varieties in the vast onion family, each of which supplies vitamins to our table all year round. There are annual and perennial representatives of the family, and many of them are firmly established in our beds.
Green onions, familiar to everyone, are not a separate vegetable crop, but annual shoots of onions. Onion- biennial plant. In the first year, green feathers appear from the seeds. They are very rich in vitamins, especially A, C and E, and contain mineral salts and sugars. At home, by sprouting bulbs, you can get your own green source of vitamins.
Onions on the windowsill grow quickly
- The tender white stem of leek is used in cooking fresh and after heat treatment. Its taste is subtler, but its cultivation requires certain skills. It is not so easy to get a succulent white stem. But leek has a number of advantages that are worth trying for. Compared to the usual onions, they contain more vitamins and minerals, are less affected by diseases, are more productive and are better stored. Biennial plant, propagated by seeds.
- The tiered onion looks funny, but has all the positive properties of a regular onion. Rich in vitamins, stimulates appetite. It is believed that it does not accumulate nitrates. Small onions are used raw and pickled. Green fresh feathers are good in salads. It can grow in one place for several years. Propagated by bulbs.
- Chives, or chives - very beautiful perennial. The taste is something between onions and garlic. Green thin feathers of chives appear in early spring, providing fresh vitamin greens. They grow very densely, forming turf. In summer, chimney inflorescences decorate the garden with small pink heads. It is propagated by dividing the turf or by seeds.
- The green feathers of the onion grow up to a meter. It forms small oblong bulbs. The whole plant is eaten, but more often it is cultivated for its green shoots. Used fresh and after cooking. Batun has a spicy onion taste and contains everything healthy vitamins, inherent in the onion family. It can grow in one place for several years. Propagated by seeds or bulbs.
- Slime onions are found growing wild and are grown in plots. A perennial frost-resistant plant with flattened leaves. The taste is slightly onion. The inflorescences are spherical, light. Young shoots appear soon after the snow melts. Used in making cottage cheese with herbs or in fresh vegetable salads. This type of onion is propagated by dividing the bushes.
Photo gallery: onions - from seven ailments
Green onions provide vitamins all year round Leeks are troublesome to grow, but they are worth it Multi-layered onions are used throughout the growing season, picking off the bulbs Growing chives, or chives, is very easy. salads
Cilantro and basil
In terms of frequency of use, the magnificent trinity is followed by coriander (cilantro) and basil. Cilantro is used as a spice and vegetable. Moreover, only the seeds are used in dried form, and appetizers and soups are seasoned with herbs, an incomparable omelet with cilantro and green onions or pies with fresh herbs are prepared.
Cilantro seeds are added to bread and oriental sweets. IN Soviet times Ladies went to great lengths to get their hands on the fashionable French perfume Coriandre, which essentially had the scent of cilantro.
Coriander is a perfume for some, and a seasoning for others.
But with basil, only greens are used: fresh or dried.
Now new green varieties of basil with a clove or spicy lemon aroma have become widespread. They have a very unusual taste, but they look beautiful in the garden. When planted together with other crops, they are excellent for repelling insect pests.
When growing basil, you need to take into account that it is a heat-loving crop that does not tolerate low temperatures and watering problems. If you pinch the top of the basil, preventing it from blooming, you can encourage tillering. The number of fragrant leaves on one plant increases. Basil is also grown in greenhouses, but the most intense purple color of the leaves occurs in plants cultivated in open ground. Basil is planted by seedlings or by sowing seeds.
The most famous variety with classic purple leaves and the usual spicy taste is Yerevan. Produces delicate pink flowers.
There are also new varieties of basil with an unusual aroma:
- Anise Delight - bushes with green leaves and dark purple flowers. It has a sharp anise smell.
- Basil variety Clove bush also has green leaves. Their smell matches their name.
- Nutmeg Pomegranate has anthocyanin-colored leaves and dark purple flowers. This variety of basil has a nutmeg-pepper aroma.
- Lemon is a green basil with white flowers. It has a pleasant lemon aroma and refreshing taste.
Basil is an elegant bush and fragrant leaves
Wild greens are collected in nature: in the forest, near ponds or in the field. This is wild garlic, sorrel, different kinds mint, oregano and other crops growing in certain regions. There are herbs that grow on our plots. Nettle, gooseberry, and quinoa are undeservedly considered weeds. They fight with them, mercilessly weeding them out, but they are healthy, tasty and unpretentious.
Video: salad with cilantro and basil
Salad and spinach greens
Edible greens are distinguished by the method of consumption. In addition to the described cultivated green crops, this group includes all salads. They contain a lot of plant fiber, which helps improve intestinal function, vitamins and minerals.
Lettuce comes in many shapes and colors.
- Romaine is a bright green lettuce. Contains vitamins, mineral salts and is used fresh for making salads.
- Radicchio is a salad chicory with an original color and pleasant taste. Use both fresh and after heat treatment.
- Lettuce is a vegetable familiar to our table. The leaves are added to spring salads with radishes and dill. But an almost forgotten childhood treat is the tender center of the salad with sugar.
- Frisse - salad with bitterness. In terms of vitamin C content it can compete with lemon. Add to salads and use for snacks.
- Corn contains a lot of folic acid, vitamins, and microelements. Healthy and tasty. Sold as part of salad mixes. It can also be grown on a personal plot.
- Watercress has a sharp, burning taste, but it goes away quickly, leaving a pleasant aftertaste. It grows on site without any hassle and can spread by self-seeding.
- Arugula tastes a little like watercress. Beautiful cut leaves look good in salad and give it a pleasant bitterness. Unpretentious when growing.
- Lollo Rossa is similar in taste to lettuce. Its young green leaves are collected in small heads of cabbage. As they ripen, they acquire a reddish-cherry hue. Like lettuce, it grows well in the area. Used in salads, put in sandwiches.
- Iceberg is a head of lettuce with crisp, tender leaves. It contains useful vitamins and organic acids. The slugs in the area quickly find it.
- Oakleaf is another variety of head lettuce. A very delicate crop, it is poorly stored, but it is easy to grow even at home. The leaves are shaped like oak leaves.
Salad greens are used fresh. It includes Chinese cabbage, leaf and petiole celery, as well as wild garlic. By the way, all types of divisions are very conventional, since many herbs are used not only in raw, but also in stewed and pickled forms. For example, Chinese cabbage is used as a main dish: it is blanched, pickled, and stuffed. And fresh leaves are put in salads.
Chinese cabbage is rich in fiber
Juicy thick stalks of petiole celery are added to soups, stewed with meat and vegetables, and salads are prepared from fresh leaves and petioles. But celery is also pickled, put into pickles, and the greens are dried and used as a spice. The leaves are added to soups and main dishes.
In Sicily they serve fresh, aromatic green sauce to the fish. It contains a lot of chopped parsley and celery leaves, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt to taste. The result is an incredibly healthy and aromatic mixture.
Not only the leaves of celery are edible, but also the stems.
Wild garlic is both grown and harvested. In spring, bunches of greenery, shaped like lily of the valley leaves, are often sold at the market. It has a pleasant onion aroma and is good in salads. An excellent marinade is also prepared from it, which few people know about. Wild garlic is often called pickled garlic arrows. But although this is a tasty snack, it has nothing to do with wild garlic.
Wild garlic is delicious both fresh and pickled
Spinach includes greens that are cooked before use. This cultivated plants: spinach, chard and beets.
This also includes wild herbs:
- nettle,
- amaranth,
- buten,
- quinoa,
- shepherd's purse,
- whine.
Sorrel can be classified into both groups, since it is found not only growing wild, but is also actively grown in areas.
Spinach is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant. While botanists are debating which family it belongs to (Amaranthaceae or Chenopoaceae), connoisseurs enjoy its unique taste. Contains many vitamins and microelements. More than thirty varieties of spinach are included in the State Register. It is grown almost throughout Russia. Spinach goes great with beef and chicken. There is a Spanish spinach pie with raisins added. Unusual, but tasty.
The disadvantage of this vegetable crop is the high content of salts of organic acids, in particular oxalic acid. Therefore, people with metabolic diseases are advised to consume spinach in limited quantities. But this also applies to other green crops.
Spinach is an excellent independent dish and a delicious side dish.
Sorrel refreshes the spring diet with its pleasant sour taste. In French cuisine it is called "stomach broom". It is believed that you need to eat sorrel soup once or twice in the spring to cleanse yourself, because... it stimulates the intestines well.
Sorrel stimulates intestinal function
Chard is both a beautiful and useful plant. It is a relative of the beet, but it does not form root crops. Only the leaves and stems are tasty. They contain vitamins, microelements, and also quite a lot of sugars. Chard is one of the earliest vegetables on the site. Its shoots are stewed, stuffed, pickled. You can cut off the leaves as needed rather than removing the entire plant. New ones will grow in their place. Chard varieties with red petioles have a richer flavor.
Chard is similar to beets, but does not have an edible root.
In Landau, a town in southern Germany, I noticed that chard was being grown in flower beds. To my question, local residents answered that anyone who wanted could pick it and use it for food. The main thing is not to trample or spoil the rest of the plants.
Video: what is chard and what is it eaten with?
Of the described types of spinach greens, spinach and sorrel are most often used. But in vain: beet tops have a pleasant taste, are rich in vitamins and are affordable. After all, few people know that the famous appetizer pkhali is very easy to prepare. You just need to collect beet tops, boil them, add garlic, nuts and seasonings. The tops are also pickled, stewed, and added to soups.
Beet tops - a useful and affordable product
The most widely used wild herb in cooking is nettle. But now it is not used as often as it deserves. Nettle contains a lot of vitamins, useful macro- and microelements. Fresh nettle leaves are added to the soup and a green omelet is prepared.
Few people now remember that nettles were dried to prepare a decoction and give to women in labor to improve lactation.
Nettle is both a harmful weed and a useful plant
But if nettle is still sometimes used due to its prevalence, then many summer residents will not notice amaranth and quinoa on the site. And they are no less useful. All wild herbs (including shepherd's purse, buten and gooseberry) are prepared in the same way. Wash thoroughly, blanch or simply pour boiling water over it. Add oil to the pan, add the herbs and pour in the beaten egg. You can make an omelet from individual herbs or combine quinoa with nettle, or amaranth with quinoa and green onions. Everything is incredibly tasty and healthy. Shepherd's purse, along with nettles, quinoa and beet tops, are used to stuff Caucasian pies with herbs.
Lately I've stopped blanching herbs to preserve them. beneficial features. I just finely chop the fresh green mass, pour in the egg and fry like an omelette.
Dreamy flower arrows can be pickled. Thus, the malicious weed will supply greens for omelettes and salads, and the shoots will go into the marinade. Juicy buten shoots are also pickled.
Video: beneficial properties of dream
Photo gallery: wild edible greens
Amaranth grows on the site and is no less useful than its cultivated relative. Pickled buthen is an excellent snack. Shepherd's purse is the main component of Caucasian flatbreads with herbs. Sap is useful in salads, omelettes and in marinade. During the war, quinoa was expected as salvation.
Spices
These are green plants that are used only as a seasoning. All herbs have one or another medicinal properties. There are many of them, we will list only the main ones.
- Oregano, or oregano, is an aromatic perennial. It occurs wild and grows in patches. In Western European cuisine, it is added to salads and sauces, and seasoned with meat dishes. And Italians use oregano in making pizza. In our country, dried oregano herb is brewed into tea. In medicine, it is used as part of chest preparations.
- Hyssop is a perennial herbaceous plant with beautiful flowers and a sharp pleasant aroma. Used in marinades and pickles. Add to salads if desired.
- There are different types of mint: peppermint, lemon mint. But any one decorates the garden and can grow so large that you have to save yourself from it using radical methods. At the same time, it has a unique taste and aroma, and is indispensable in cocktails. Tea with mint is an invariable attribute of country gatherings. Dried mint is used when marinating meat for barbecue.
- Lovage is a perennial shrub with a pungent but pleasant aroma. A lovage leaf added to the pickling will make its taste unforgettable.
- Thyme, or thyme, is a very decorative perennial. Grown as a vegetable garden perennial crop and occurs in the wild. Dried twigs and leaves of thyme have a mild expectorant effect. Delicious in tea mixtures. Used as a seasoning when cooking steaks. Chef Ramsay often recommends fresh thyme.
- Savory is an annual spicy herb with a pungent smell and taste. Pairs perfectly with meat dishes. It is similar to thyme only in name. The aroma, taste and appearance of these plants are different.
- Tarragon, or tarragon, is a perennial crop. When eating fresh tarragon herb, the oral cavity is pleasantly cooled. Because of this property, tarragon extract is added to a refreshing drink. Used as a seasoning for fish dishes. Dried herbs are added to soups.
When growing on site, you need to choose fertilized soil for tarragon and replant it every two to three years, otherwise the greens will stretch out, run wild and lose their aroma.
Photo gallery: spicy greens
Oregano is included in breast preparations Hyssop decorates the garden when not used as a spice Lovage is added to pickles Thyme - Chef Ramsay's favorite seasoning for steaks Savory goes well with meat dishes Tarragon is used fresh and dried Peppermint is good in cocktails and tea
It is impossible to imagine how poor our usual food will be if it lacks bright, juicy, green, fresh herbs.