Self-harvested vine leaves filled with minced meat or vegetarian are a delicacy. In addition, with these vine leaves you can be sure that no pesticides have been deposited on the leaves. But can the harvest be frozen and preserved in this way? We clarify that in this article.
Grape leaves should be pickled, not frozen
Freeze grape leaves
Unfortunately, vine leaves are not suitable for deep-freezing. Due to the high water content, the foliage becomes mushy and unsightly after thawing. It can then no longer be filled. The reason:
- When they freeze, the water in the grape leaves expands.
- This destroys the cell structure.
- If you thaw the leaves again, they will be soft and limp.
However, you do not have to do without a certain supply of grape leaves, because the specialty can be preserved very well by pickling.
Insert grape leaves
Use hand-sized vine leaves that are as young as possible and that are still nice and tender. This grows in the front third of the tendrils.
- Boil a strong brine from 200 g of salt and 1 liter of water.
- Add spices such as garlic, chilli, cumin as you like and let the brew cool down.
- During this time, wash the grape leaves and cut off the stems.
- Briefly blanch the vine leaves in boiling water.
- Always put 5 sheets on top of each other and roll them up tightly into a packet.
- Layer these in glasses and pour the brew over the vine leaves.
- Close immediately.
Stored in a cool and dark place, the pickled vine leaves will keep for many weeks. If necessary, you can remove the required amount with a clean fork.
tips
You can freeze already filled vine leaves without any significant loss of taste. If you then defrost the dolmades in the fridge, you can eat them either cold or warmed up.