Did you know that you can store leafy greens in the freezer for up to an entire year? No, you can’t just start stashing them in the freezer and expect to be able to enjoy them the following day, week or month. There are a few easy steps that you will have to carry out first in order for you to pull off such amazing feat.
Continue reading to know how you can freeze green leafy vegetables in the right way. Don’t forget to share this article on your various social media sites afterwards to let your vegetable-eating family and friends know the steps, too!
Sometimes a lot of us health nuts end up buying more leafy greens than we can consume. Unused ones that are kept in the refrigerator can easily end up unusable. When green leafy vegetables go to waste, not only are we flushing money down the drain, but also depriving our bodies of so many health benefits.
Luckily, there is a way to keep leafy vegetables perfect for several days — even months — after shopping for them, and the tool you will need for such job is already right there in your kitchen, and that’s your freezer.
But just like what’s mentioned earlier, it does not entail simply shoving green leafy vegetables inside the freezer — it will actually destroy vegetables, and not stretch their shelf life. There is one very important thing that you have to do beforehand, and it involves blanching.
Simply put, blanching is a simple cooking process which is primarily designed to put a halt to enzymatic action. All you have to do is immerse food in boiling water for a few seconds only, and then submerging it ice water or placing it under cool running water. Such is done in order to immediately halt the cooking process.
Here are the simple steps to follow if you want to freeze your leafy greens for longevity:
1. Thoroughly rinse green leafy vegetables under running water to remove soil, dirt and chemicals that may be present — but of course it’s a good idea for you to opt for organic green leafy vegetables.
2. Cut or tear large leaves according to your desired size. Vegetables with small leaves can be left as such.
3. Boil water in a large pot.
4. Once already roll boiling, place green leafy vegetables in a metal colander or wire mesh basket and carefully dunk in boiling water.
5. Collard greens should be immersed in boiling water for 3 minutes. Other green leafy vegetables should be immersed in boiling water for 2 minutes. Those with tender leaves should be immersed in boiling water for 90 seconds only.
6. Afterwards, drain quickly and dunk leafy greens in ice water for the same amount of time that it spent immersed in boiling water.
7. Drain and transfer to a freezer-safe plastic container or ziploc bag.
8. Stash in the freezer.
Those are the steps to freezing leafy greens properly. It’s a good idea to do only small batches of leafy greens during the blanching process at a time to make things go as smoothly as possible.
Just like what’s mentioned earlier, freezing allows your leafy greens to stay fresh for up to 12 long months! It’s like having quick access to fresh green leafy vegetables all year round! And by the way, once completely thawed your frozen green leafy vegetables can be used in any way you desire, just like leafy greens fresh from the market.
After freezing your very first batch of green leafy vegetables and consuming them after some time, come back to this page and share the entire experience in the comments section below!
