Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Freezing greens

I've got collard greens coming out the wa-zoo!
Tough problem to have, huh?
I knew there had to be some way to preserve them. After all, they sell collards, mustards, and spinach frozen in the market. I did a little investigating and found that freezing greens is extremely simple:
Video tutorial on putting up greens

So I went out to the garden and picked a "mess" of greens



After a good washing, removing the ribs, and cutting them into ribbons, I blanched the leaves for three minutes. Once blanched, I put them into an ice bath to stop the cooking and to help them retain their rich green color. I drained them very well and packed them into quart sized ziplocks.
That sinkful of greens gave me four quarts (or four meals worth) of gorgeous tender greens! It will be so nice to pull out a packet of them to enjoy this spring or summer.
If the weather continues to stay cool, I should be able to get one or two more large harvests!

I think I prefer freezing to canning my garden veggies. It seems like canning destroys the freshness, plus, there is the added risk of contamination.
I just hope my freezer space holds out!


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