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How to Freeze Aloe Leaf and Use It at Home
There are many ways to freeze aloe vera and use it at home. Leaves are beneficial in many circumstances, but not everyone can always have them. The aloe vera plant grows, in fact, in all temperatures, but to develop, it needs a lot of light.
Therefore, if we live in a dimly lit apartment without windows or a balcony, it will not be possible to grow this plant indoors.
Also, to take full advantage of the properties of aloe leaves, the plant must grow for at least three years. For all these reasons, it may be helpful to have another method to store the leaves of this medicinal plant.
The Two Methods of Freezing Aloe Vera Leaves
There are two methods of freezing aloe vera leaves:
• The first method is to freeze the whole leaves;
• The second method, considered more valid and effective, consists of freezing only the gelatinous pulp that the leaves contain.
Let’s look at the two methods below.
How to freeze whole aloe leaves
The best time to harvest Aloe Vera leaves and chill them is before flowering when the stem is richest and pulpiest.
To freeze whole aloe vera leaves, proceed as follows:
• Gently peel the giant leaves of the plant;
• Wash them well and dry them with a cloth;
• Once dry, put them in a clear freezer bag;
• At this point, we put the bag in the freezer, where it will remain for about six months.
You can also keep the fresh leaves in the refrigerator, but in this case, they must be consumed within 4 or 5 days.
How Can I Freeze Only The Pulp of The Leaves?
The best way to store aloe vera leaves so you always have some available is to collect the pulp and put it in the freezer in the ice cube container.
To freeze only the pulp contained in the leaves, proceed as follows:
• With a sharp knife cut off the ends of the leaves and remove the skin from the sides;
• We use a potato peeler also to remove the outer skin that covers the leaves on both sides;
• With a spoon, extract the pulp present inside the leaf, which has a consistency similar to that of a gel:
• The pulp thus obtained is placed in a container with previously washed ice cubes;
• Finally, we keep the container of ice cubes in the freezer for as long as we want (but no more than eight months).
We can also keep the aloe pulp in the refrigerator, but in this case, the shelf life will be only ten days.
How to Use Frozen Aloe Leaves
The frozen leaves and the pulp that we have obtained with the second preservation method can be applied directly to the skin without the need to thaw them.
The pulp obtained after removing the skin, once placed in the freezer inside the container to make ice cubes, will take the form of a cube.
These aloe vera “cubes” can be used in fresh or frozen aloe leaves for healing wounds, soothe sunburn, or soothe inflammation from any other skin irritation.
In other cases, if you have more time, you can also thaw the aloe vera pulp by placing one or more cubes in a container and leaving it at room temperature for about an hour. Then, by adding other ingredients such as honey or avocado pulp, you can use the resulting mixture to make a regenerating compress for facial skin or hair.
How to Freeze an Aloe Leaf to Use as Food?
The gelatinous pulp of aloe vera, if ingested, has excellent digestive and laxative properties. However, if you plan to use it for this purpose, it will be necessary to extract the aloin from the leaf, a bitter substance that has a sour taste and can cause stomach upset and diarrhea.
To extract the aloin from the leaves, simply stand them upright for 15 minutes in a jar or glass. You will then see a yellowish liquid settle to the bottom.
Before extracting the gel, remember to clean and dry the ends of the sheet with absorbent paper.
Other Methods of Conservation of Aloe Leaves
Aloe leaves can also be preserved in different ways:
One of them is to place the well-washed and dried leaves in a glass jar with an airtight seal. The top of the pot should be filled with apple cider vinegar. Once closed, the jar should be kept in the refrigerator.
Finally, if a friend of yours has an aloe plant and gives you some fresh leaves, you can try planting them in a pot of dry soil. If the temperature is not too cold and there is enough light, the leaves will most likely sprout small roots and can stay alive and ready for use for a few months.
