Freezing Greens

So! It is the Monday following your first weekend of the CSA, and hopefully you've been enjoying all the kale, spinach, beet greens and lettuce you can eat. But let's be honest. There might still be some greens left over, and perhaps you are thinking, "Gee, I wish there was some way we could save these greens for later."

Luckily, there is a fast and easy way to preserve greens like kale, chard, spinach and mustard. Greens freeze VERY well, and with a little preparation you can fill your freezer with packets of greens that will make your day in January!

HOW TO DO IT

I wash and chop the greens into roughly 1-2 inch square pieces, removing any tough stems. I then plunge the greens into boiling water for the following periods:

Beet greens, kale, chard, mustard greens, turnip greens, spinach..... 2 minutes
Collards........................... 3 minutes

(If you have a pasta pot with a built in strainer, that makes the job super easy.)

As soon as the cooking time is up, plunge the greens into cold (preferably ice) water to stop the cooking process. Drain VERY well, and pack into storage containers (I use quart ziplock bags). Cool completely, label, and freeze! It is not only delightful, but quite convenient to pull a bag of parboiled greens out of the freezer for use in soups, stews, stir-fry, or for braising or sauteeing. The thawed greens will require less cooking than they did when fresh, but, as always, cook to your tenderness preference.

I cannot recommend this practice enough as a way of preserving excess greens for the times when there are none available!