Tarragon: beneficial and medicinal properties, contraindications. Useful properties of tarragon herb: how to prepare, use in medicine and cooking How to make a drink from fresh tarragon

In Soviet times, Tarragon was popular - a green drink with a pleasant aroma and taste. You can prepare it yourself at home using simple ingredients - sugar, water, lemon and tarragon herb.

Despite the fact that “Tarragon” refers to a sweet drink, the plant itself, which gave it its name, comes from the genus wormwood. Seasonings are made from it, and it is used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes. Armenian, Arabic and French cuisines cannot do without this herb.

The second name of the plant is tarragon. It is cultivated in all corners of the Earth.

It is undemanding to soil and does not require special growing conditions. The plant propagates by dividing the bush early spring or seeds through seedlings. The seeds are sown in February, and the grown seedlings are transplanted into open ground in the last ten days of April. A distance of 50 cm is left between the holes.

The plant is light-loving, but can also grow in the shade. Requires regular watering, at least 3 times a month, fertilizing with compost, humus and wood ash. Tarragon is cut several times during the season, leaving stems 12 cm long from the soil surface. Prepare for future use by drying it in a dark, warm place.

In one place, grass can grow well for up to 10 years. Their healing properties it shows best in the first 3 years of cultivation. To rejuvenate the plantings, you can plant three-year-old bushes in the spring.

There are several varieties of tarragon - for preparing salads and spicy-aromatic varieties. Salad forms are more common in Central Asia and Transcaucasia. In cooking, the herb finds the widest use. It is used for pickling vegetables and mushrooms, sauerkraut, and added to soups, meat and fish dishes. Fresh leaves are used to prepare various salads, sauces, and seasonings for poultry.

The most famous drink using the herb is the green, sweet Tarragon.

They started preparing it in Soviet times for a reason. Since ancient times, it has been known that this herb is rich in essential oils that boost immunity and improve mood.

Classic recipe with tarragon

A homemade tarragon drink will be tastier and healthier than store-bought. Dilute it with carbonated, ordinary boiled or purified mineral water.

The composition of the tarragon drink includes the following products:

  • water – 300 ml;
  • sugar – 1 tbsp;
  • lemon – 1 pc.;
  • a bunch of young tarragon;
  • mineral water– 1 l.

Preparation:

  1. Make syrup from 300 ml of water with a glass of sugar.
  2. The leaves are torn off the tarragon and the rough branches are thrown away. You should get about 70 g of herb.
  3. It is crushed with a wooden mortar to soften and release the juice.
  4. Pour hot syrup over the leaves.
  5. Cover with a lid and leave for 3 hours.
  6. Then the infusion of syrup and tarragon is filtered through a sieve and the herb is squeezed out a little with a spoon.
  7. Squeeze the juice out of 1 lemon using a citrus press and add it to the syrup.

At the final stage of preparation, the liquid is poured into a carafe and diluted to taste with cold mineral water. If necessary, add pieces of ice.

Alcoholic drink from the 90s

The drink, which was made in the 90s, was called “Bitter tarragon tincture.”

You can still find many recipes on alcohol fan websites with the addition of tarragon herb to regular vodka and other alcoholic drinks.

Interestingly, alcoholic tinctures of the herb are also used in medicinal purposes. Tarragon contains many useful substances - essential oils, vitamins, mineral salts. Rub the tincture on sore joints and apply it to the back for radiculitis.

Tarragon is used to flavor expensive wines and liqueurs in many countries. By homemade recipe add the herb to vodka and leave for several weeks. Taste and aroma of the finished product alcoholic drink will differ depending on whether tarragon branches were used - fresh or dried.

There are contraindications to consuming tarragon during pregnancy. The grass can cause premature birth or miscarriage in a woman.

With lime and lemon

Tarragon with lemon and lime is good for the cardiovascular system.

It contains rutin, which strengthens the walls of blood vessels, which helps improve blood circulation.

You can make homemade Tarragon. For this you will need:

  • a bunch of tarragon grass – 300 g;
  • lemon or lime;
  • sugar;
  • water.

Preparation:

  1. Tarragon is finely chopped with a knife or in a blender. It is difficult to cut, but the juice releases immediately, so you need to prepare a drink from it quickly.
  2. The syrup is being prepared. The sweeter the drink is needed, the more sugar is added. After boiling, the mixture is boiled down slightly.
  3. Cut lemons into pieces.
  4. Tarragon is poured with hot syrup and filtered.
  5. The resulting concentrate is diluted with mineral water.
  6. Immediately add lemon juice.

Tarragon lemonade will only benefit the body. It will strengthen blood vessels, improve appetite, and help cope with insomnia and stress.

Homemade infused tarragon

  • tarragon – 25 g;
  • sugar – 90 g;
  • water – 90 ml;
  • lemon juice – 40 ml;
  • crushed ice – 1/3 cup;
  • sparkling mineral water – 150 ml.
  • Preparation:

    1. Beat the tarragon and sugar in a blender for 2 minutes, adding 90 ml of cold water.
    2. Strain the mixture through a sieve to separate the juice from the cake.
    3. For 1 serving of the drink you will need 50 ml of concentrate, 1/3 tbsp. crushed ice, 40 ml lemon juice and mineral water.
    4. Everything is mixed.

    The result is a cool, tasty drink, bright green in color. It may be slightly bitter, but it retains all the healing power and benefits of tarragon.

    Now you know what Tarragon is made from. It will bring a pleasant variety to the usual menu. This refreshing drink will lift your spirits and restore your strength for work.

    For many of us, this is the taste of childhood, and there is something alluring in this drink, long forgotten, but easily remembered. Even today, when this taste has been transformed into sweet and sour soda, sold in abundance in supermarkets. But why not try making tarragon drink at home? Maybe then he will satisfy that childhood unquenchable desire?

    Homemade tarragon drink

    And it won’t be that difficult to prepare if you buy fresh tarragon (or tarragon). IN middle lane it does not grow, but you can get this herb at the market from greengrocers, and in the supermarket - we choose where it is fresher.

    There are quite a few recipes in various sources telling how this can be done. However, many of them suggest brewing tarragon, or even boiling it for a certain time. The result: the tea is brown in color, not green at all, and has little in common in taste and color with the unforgettable drink of childhood. However, in order to preserve the green natural color of the grass and its fragrant properties, you can do without dyes. You just have to try this method: how to make tarragon drink at home without boiling water. Its essence is that we under no circumstances cook the delicate herb or even brew it with boiling water, but simply soak it.

    Preparation

    Final step

    Next, preparing the tarragon drink at home is as follows. We prepare ice cubes and highly carbonated, plain mineral water without additives in the refrigerator. Pour the extract into about a third of the glass. Add soda, throw in ice cubes. Decorate with a green tarragon leaf (you can use a sprig of mint, a cherry, and a slice of lemon for decoration - whichever you prefer).

    By the way, the resulting natural tarragon drink at home goes well (not childishly) with all kinds of tinctures, bitters, and balms. Just a few measuring spoons - and the taste will be original and impressive, especially in the hot summer season, as the drink has a cooling and slight anesthetic effect.

    Another recipe for tarragon drink at home

    And here is another cooking option, also not particularly complicated, but tasty and healthy! Today, when lemonades in stores are generally scary to buy (it’s not for nothing that nutritionists call them liquid candies), the tarragon drink at home is one of the simple exits and pamper the children, and not deal a crushing blow to the liver and stomach. So let's get started.

    Ingredients

    We will need fresh tarragon (tarragon) in the form of a herb - 70 grams, a couple of lemons, half a glass of sugar (for health, it can be replaced with honey with particular success), a half-ounce of highly carbonated water, but without any additives, a glass of purified plain water.

    Preparation

    How to prepare tarragon drink at home? We tear off the tarragon leaves (we will use them in the future) and wash them. Dissolve sugar in a glass of water in a small bowl. Add tarragon leaves there and bring to a boil over low heat. Let it steep (preferably for at least an hour, overnight). After settling, pour the syrup into a blender and beat. Then strain through cheesecloth several times. Squeeze the juice of 2 lemons into the purified syrup and mix. Before use, fill with cold soda and drink. Everyone is delighted, especially the kids at any children's party!

    With gooseberries

    Another original recipe homemade tarragon drink - made from gooseberries. It has long been noted that from the combination of these two ingredients you can get a summer drink that is quite refreshing in the heat. spicy taste and aroma. By the way, it, like compote, can be prepared for the winter. Well, shall we try?

    Ingredients

    A kilogram of green gooseberries, a bunch of tarragon, a couple of mint sprigs, the juice of one lemon, two glasses of sugar. Experienced housewives know one secret: to prevent the berries from bursting during the cooking process, they are pierced in several places with a wooden toothpick. And for tarragon, the preparatory work required is to separate the leaves from the stems. Mash the leaves a little and cut the stems.

    Preparation

    Place all prepared ingredients in sterilized jars and pour boiling water over them. Immediately roll up the jars with boiled lids and turn them over onto a towel. Cover until cool (so that it cools more evenly). After a day we take it to a storage location. This compote - a drink with tarragon - has a bright taste and is much more pleasant than the store-bought one. In the summer, you don’t have to roll up the jars, but keep the drink in the refrigerator, for example, in a jug. And drink chilled if necessary. If your children want it to be fizzy, then add ordinary highly carbonated water without any additives to the drink before drinking. Then in appearance it will resemble the store-bought one, but in taste it will be much better and healthier!

    With gooseberries, currants and cinnamon

    This combination results in a slightly expanded recipe with even more subtle flavors and aromas. To the previous option, add a few cinnamon sticks, black currant leaves, a couple of spoons of apple or grape vinegar (this is if we are rolling it up for the winter, but if the drink is drunk right away, then you don’t have to add it). The cooking method is practically no different from the previous one.

    In general, there are a great many options for preparing homemade tarragon with various additives. It all depends on personal taste preferences. Raspberry, grape, cherry leaves, cloves, ginger, and citrus zest can also be used. But the main ingredient is always tarragon!

    Tarragon is an emerald green carbonated drink with an exotic aroma of herbs. He is familiar to many of us. We usually buy it at the store in glass or plastic bottles.

    But not everyone knows that tarragon is a herb from which the aromatic drink is made. There is another name for the herb - tarragon. It is classified as a special type of wormwood. Externally, the grass is very similar to wheatgrass. The same long flat leaves around a thin stem, without teeth, completely smooth.

    You can grow tarragon on your own summer cottage, he is quite unpretentious. Or you can buy it in a store; they sell it in trays, like any other herbs. Moreover, even in winter.

    Tarragon is very popular among culinary experts. It is added to salads and marinades when preparing vegetables for the winter, rubbed with tarragon on pieces of meat or bird carcasses before baking, and served with cheese, fish and vegetables. Tarragon is even added to vinegar for flavor. And when dried, the herb is a good seasoning for soups.

    An infusion made from tarragon (tarragon) has a calming effect. nervous system. This is an excellent way to combat stress, which is important in our fast-paced times. Tarragon contains many vitamins, including ascorbic acid, vitamins A, B, D, carotene and various essential oils.

    Now we will prepare a drink from tarragon (with infusion), original and refreshing. We immediately warn our guests that the color of the drink will not be as poisonous green as in store bottles. Our drink will be prepared without dyes or sweeteners, without flavor enhancers or preservatives. This tarragon drink, made at home, quenches thirst much better and will bring much more more benefits body, as only natural ingredients are used. The color of the homemade drink is more muted, from yellow-green to dark green. It all depends on the amount of herb taken and the duration of infusion.

    You can use sparkling water to prepare the drink. For those who don't like carbonated drinks, regular tap water is fine. We adjust the sugar and acidity of the drink solely to your taste. This is another advantage homemade. Well, no one limits us in the amount of drinking. Especially if the drink is your favorite.

    So, tarragon drink at home.

    We will need:

    • Tarragon (fresh grass) – 1 bunch;
    • Granulated sugar – 8 tablespoons;
    • Lemon – 1 pc.;
    • Boiled water - 3 glasses for infusing herbs and 2 liters for the total volume of the drink. Instead of plain water, you can use sparkling water.

    Let's start by preparing the syrup. In three glasses of water, preferably boiled, dissolve 8 tablespoons of sugar and place on the stove. Heat while stirring, boil for no more than 2-3 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved.

    Sort the tarragon, remove the dark leaves, wash and cut with a knife (coarsely). Then grind the herb in a blender. If you don’t have a blender on your farm, you need to chop it as finely as possible.

    Transfer the prepared green mass into sugar syrup (hot) and leave for 60 minutes (at least) under the lid to infuse.


    When the time is up, you need to strain the syrup, try to squeeze everything out of the grass healthy juices. Then you can add water or soda, add the juice of one lemon. Add sugar to taste, if necessary. And put the finished drink in the refrigerator.

    Tarragon is not only incredibly tasty, but also a very healthy drink. The fact is that the herb tarragon, which is also tarragon, has a calming, relaxing effect. This is so important in modern life filled with stress. If tarragon is at home, then you don’t have to worry about the naturalness and quality of the drink. You will receive pure product excellent taste, which will help you not only quench your thirst, but also allow you to protect your nervous system, find restful sleep, and therefore your spirit and mood.

    Advantageous features of homemade tarragon

    It is worth noting that homemade tarragon is not only completely natural, but is also able to quench your thirst better than a drink from a store. By purchasing ready-made tarragon, you risk getting a product saturated with various dyes and preservatives. In addition, some varieties of this drink may contain sweeteners, which can adversely affect the functioning of your kidneys.

    Tarragon contains a huge amount of vitamins, including ascorbic acid, vitamins A, B, D, carotene and various essential oils.

    Please note that homemade tarragon does not have a bright acid green color. It can be either yellow-green or dark green. It all depends only on the amount of tarragon herb used and the infusion time of the drink. It’s a pity that tarragon is not very often found on store shelves, although its price is quite low. The average cost of a small tray of the treasured herb is approximately fifty rubles.

    If tarragon is not sold in stores in your city, do not be too upset. The fact is that this plant can be grown in your own dacha or even just on a windowsill. The nice thing is that to prepare homemade tarragon you don’t need so much herb, just one tray is enough, of course, if you want to achieve greater richness of taste and color, then it is advisable to increase the portion of tarragon. In addition to the grass, you will need sparkling water. You can purchase it at the store, or prepare it yourself using a siphon.

    The process of preparing tarragon at home

    For homemade tarragon you will need:
    - 1 liter of sparkling water;
    - 7 tbsp. spoons of sugar;
    - a handful of tarragon;
    - lemon;
    - 2 glasses of plain water.
    The process of creating homemade tarragon begins with the preparation of sugar syrup. To do this, you need to dissolve seven tablespoons of sugar in two glasses of water and, stirring slowly, bring to a boil. The syrup should boil for about two minutes, after which it is ready, you can leave it to cool and begin preparing the herb. Wash the tarragon thoroughly and then chop. Of course, it is more convenient to do this with a blender, however, if necessary, you can get by with an ordinary knife. As a result, you will get a fragrant green mass.

    You should hurry a little, because you need to add the crushed tarragon to the still hot sugar syrup. After this, cover the container with a lid and leave to infuse. The longer the infusion process lasts, the richer your future drink will be. The minimum time is approximately one hour. After this, the future tarragon must be strained. To do this, you can use a fine sieve or regular gauze. Take your time, carefully squeeze all the juices out of the grass, because it contains so many useful substances.

    Add sparkling water and lemon juice to the resulting sweet infusion. That's all, homemade tarragon is ready. Of course, drinking it chilled is much more pleasant, so you need to place the drink in the refrigerator for a while or you can just add a couple of ice cubes to it.

    7 homemade tarragon recipes.

    I bought a bunch of fresh aromatic tarragon at the market.

    I decided to make homemade tarragon. I looked for recipes and this is the result.

    7 recipes from my top list.

    Recipe 1.

    100 grams tarragon (you can use both leaves and stems)

    4 tbsp. spoons of sugar

    700 ml. water.

    Grind the tarragon herb in a blender. Add 1/2 of the sugar and lime cut into small pieces.

    Transfer the finished mixture into a saucepan and pour in 700 ml. boiling water

    Cover the resulting mass with a lid and leave overnight in a cool place.

    After this, add the remaining sugar, mix thoroughly and then strain the mixture through a sieve.

    Pour the finished concentrated tarragon into a glass container and store in the refrigerator.

    Before eating, dilute tarragon with mineral water to taste and add crushed ice.

    This is so light and very tasty tarragon recipe we prepared today.

    Recipe 2

    300 ml water, 7 tbsp. l. sugar, a bunch of tarragon (tarragon), 5 tbsp. l. lemon juice, sparkling water

    Cooking process:

    Prepare concentrated sugar syrup from water and sugar. Place tarragon greens in a decanter and fill 1/3 of the volume with hot syrup. Use a spoon to crush the tarragon until it is covered with liquid. Let sit for several hours or overnight. After cooling the syrup, you can place the container filled with tarragon in the refrigerator overnight.

    After steeping, strain and add lemon juice to the syrup, stir. Dilute the resulting infusion with chilled sparkling water to taste. Garnish with tarragon leaves.

    To prepare 2 cups of syrup, combine 1.5 cups of sugar and water, bring to a boil, cook, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cool and add to lemonades.

    Recipe 3

    fresh tarragon - 30 g (aka tarragon), lemon - 1 pc (small), lime - 1 pc, fresh strawberries - 4 pcs (large, can be frozen), granulated sugar - 100 g

    Preparation

    Boil 1.5 liters of water, turn off the heat, add tarragon, cover and leave for about 20 minutes.

    Cut the “butts” off the lemon and lime, cut into slices, and remove the seeds.

    Cut the stems off the strawberries. Place everything in a bowl, add granulated sugar, and mash everything thoroughly with a masher.

    Add the whole mass to the tarragon infusion. It is best to put tarragon in gauze to control the intensity of the lemonade aroma. Stir and cover with a lid. When everything has cooled down, put it in the refrigerator until the morning. In the morning, strain and serve chilled.

    Recipe 4

    large bunch of fresh tarragon (100 g) - soft stems and leaves, 2-3 limes, 4 tbsp. sugar (more is possible), 700 ml boiling water

    Preparation

    Grind the tarragon with some of the sugar in a blender. Add sliced ​​limes.

    Place in a saucepan or bowl, add boiling water, stir, cover and leave overnight in a cool place.

    The next day, stir the infusion again and add the remaining sugar.

    Then strain through a sieve. Pour into containers and cool well. When serving, add crushed ice and dilute with sparkling water to taste.

    Recipe 5

    Fresh tarragon (tarragon) - 80g Sugar - 7 tbsp. l. (with a slide) Lemon juice - 4-5 tbsp. l. Mineral sparkling water

    Preparation:

    Pour 300 ml of water into a small saucepan, add sugar.

    Place the saucepan on the stove over low heat, stirring occasionally, bring the water and sugar to a boil, boil for 30 seconds and remove the syrup from the stove.

    Wash the tarragon, dry it, put it in a saucepan with syrup (or put the tarragon in a large saucepan and pour hot syrup). Leave for 4-6 hours, strain.

    After cooling the syrup, I left the saucepan with the tarragon overnight in the refrigerator. Add lemon juice to the syrup and stir. Dilute the resulting concentrated infusion with chilled carbonated mineral water (or cold boiled water) to taste.

    If desired, to obtain an emerald color of the drink, add a little green food coloring.

    Recipe 6

    Tarragon - 200 g. lime - 1 pc., boiled water - 400 g., lemon - 1 pc., sugar - 1 tbsp.

    Preparation

    Wash the tarragon well and tear it coarsely.

    Add half a glass of boiled cold water, lemon and lime juice and 1 tbsp. l. sugar and mash everything well with a muddler or chop the greens in a blender.

    Then strain the juice and squeeze the greens well.

    Dilute the prepared juice with cold boiled water to the desired consistency (approximately 1/4 juice to water) and, if necessary, add sugar to taste. Serve the drink in a glass with pieces of ice.

    Recipe 7

    Boiled water - 1 l. tarragon - 200 g, lemon - 0.5 pcs., mineral water - 0.5 l, sugar - 4 tbsp.

    Preparation

    Boil tarragon for 6-7 minutes. Add sugar and lemon juice to the broth. When serving, mix 150 ml of broth, 100 ml of sparkling water. Top with a slice of lemon. Serve immediately.