I love to buy fresh vegetables, especially on the weekends when I have time to prepare them on the same day. But, with little spare time, I don’t always get to buy fresh when I need it. Also, my farmer’s markets and Whole Foods stores are across town. I love that my Publix is just down the street, but I really have to go to the health food stores or fresh markets to get things like kale, swiss chard, and other organic/local produce.
So, here’s a great tip. When you go to the health food store or farmer’s market, buy your fresh greens (or other favorite produce) in bulk. When you bring them home, chop them up, and store them in air-tight containers or freezer bags. This way you always have fresh produce and it won’t spoil before you eat it all. If you’re planning to store them for awhile, give the veggies a quick blanch (flash cook them in boiling water for only a minute or two).
You can review freezing guidelines for all types of produce here: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze.html.
So, yesterday I went to Whole Foods and went crazy with greens and herbs. I bought fresh mustard greens, kale, swiss chard, parsley, basil, oregano, and time. When I got home I chopped up everything and transferred them to freezer containers.
Now I have fresh greens ready to cook or throw in salads for weeks to come. I can take a little out at a time and either splash them with water to defrost or toss them right in a pan to steam or saute.
Here’s a picture of my kale as I was chopping it up and putting it in a tupperware.
Finished product!
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You should review freezing instructions in the Ball Blue Book or at the FDA website. Blanching is needed to stop the enzyme action, which detiorates the food as time goes by if the food isn’t properly frozen. After you blanch and rinse the greens, they are ready to freeze in serving sizes, and don’t take as much storage space in the freezer. Short-term freezing is probably ok, but for a family putting up food for winter, there would be a lot of money down the drain for the veggies that would likely get thrown out. Each vegetable and fruit has specific blanching instructions, which have all been tested.
Freezing
Greens
(Including Spinach)
Preparation – Select young, tender green leaves. Wash thoroughly and cut off woody stems. Water blanch collards 3 minutes and all other greens 2 minutes.
Cool, drain and package, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Seal and freeze.
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/
This is the National Center for Home Food Preservation.