Keeping kale fresh in the freezer

Kale is one great plant to eat. You can use it for everything; soups, fried greens, salads, pastas, juicing and snacking. It’s a vegetable that’s so versatile (if you know what you’re doing) that you really have no excuse for not using it in every dish you can think of.

But, as with any green, it’s shelf-life in the refrigerator is rather limited. And if you’re growing kale in your garden, you probably have extra.

How can kale be stored for future use? According to the Backyard Gardening Blog, freezing it is the best option. It’s not as simple as just tossing greens in the freezer, though.

There’s a few steps  to follow:

1. Cut the leaves: Basically prepare the leaf in a manner in which you’ll use it. Stews and soups may call for larger pieces, salads or fried greens call for smaller. It’s usually a good idea to cut kale to be one-fourth the size of a dollar bill.
2. Blanch: Blanching the kale is important because it breaks-down the enzymes in the vegetable responsible for rotting the leaf. Bring a pot of water to a boil and then toss in your kale for 3 minutes. Remove the leaves and place it into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
3. Dehydrate: The more water left in and on the kale, the more ice crystals will develop and ruin the leaf. One smart way to remove water is to put the kale in a strainer then with another strainer squeeze the water from the leaf until it’s reasonably dry.
4. Bag and Freeze: Put the kale into portioned bags, remove as much air as possible, and freeze.

Visit the Backyard Gardening Blog for more useful tips.

» Via: Backyard Gardening Blog › Extend the Harvest: How to Freeze Kale