Jars with lidsI prefer pint size jars, for freshness, so the amount is just enough for one pot of borscht. You may want smaller jars for a smaller family size.
Instructions
Cut sorrel at the base of the stems (closer to the ground) in thick bunches and place them into a large bowl.
Sort sorrel. (Always a fun task...ahem!) Pluck stems off sorrel leaves (towards the bottom of the leaf). Set aside good quality leaves in stacks on large platters, or a clean surface.
I keep only good leaves. Leaves that are too small, discolored or with big holes, I toss in a separate, unusable pile for my chickens enjoy. This step is a bit tedious but important to preserve the best quality sorrel.
Cut one bunch of leaves at a time, one inch apart.
Place cut sorrel in a large bowl of cold water. (I fill as many large bowls as needed until all the good sorrel is done first, then I’m ready to Washing Instructions:
It's a bowl switching system. Wash sorrel well in bowl 1 (the glass bowl). Pull out as much sorrel from bowl 1 as fits in your hand and transfer into another clean and empty, bowl 2 (red bowl), until bowl 1 is empty. Fill bowl 2 with cold water. Pour out the dirty water out of bowl 1, wash and set it aside. Now wash the sorrel in bowl 2 transfer it into the clean and empty bowl 1. (Confusing? See pictures and comment.) Repeat these steps one more time (so that sorrel gets washed 3 – 4 times).
clean and cook them.)
Cooking instructions:
Wash and sterilize jars (see how to here).
Bring half of a large pot of water to a boil. Take handfuls of clean sorrel out of the bowl, shake off some water over the bowl and transfer them into boiling water. Fill the pot with as much sorrel as it fits the top. If you have fresh sorrel left, you will need new boiling water and repeat the same instructions. I try to use a pot large enough to fill all the cut sorrel at once. (If these steps are unclear, you are welcome to ask questions in the comments below.)
As soon as all the sorrel is in boiling water, continuously push on them downwards to submerge with a large spoon. This will stir and mix the sorrel. Continue pushing/mixing the sorrel down into the water until the water boils again. Remove pot(s) from heat.
Canning:
Transfer cooked sorrel into jars with the spoon used for mixing, leaving a ¼ inch of space empty at the top of the jars. (I hold the jar up to the pot for shorter transferring distance. Be careful not to burn yourself. If holding hot jars in a towel is still too hot, set it the stove top and bring spoonfuls to the jar.) Wipe off the neck of the jar with a paper towel. Place on the lid (they will also be hot, so use a towel). Screw on the lid as tightly as possible with a kitchen towel.
Turn the jars upside down on their necks, and let them cool completely.
Turn cooled jars right side up and store it in a cool, out of the way place. Leave them there for a couple of days, before using them to make green sorrel borscht.