We highly recommend freezing kale to preserve it! How to Freeze Kale Into 1/2 Cup and 1 Cup Portions 1) De-stem kale and tear it into small pieces. Weird. Here are some tips and recipes for preserving kale. Freezing raw greens. More photos and a PDF print version coming. How to Freeze Kale and Other Leafy Greens After you’ve blanched and cooled the greens in the ice water and drained them, give them a thorough squeeze to get as much water out of them as … I used to steam it first, but after a tip from a friend, I started freezing it raw. It is very easy to grow, and hardy and can withstand freezes and heat. Used in savory applications, kale is combined in salads, added to stir-frys, soups, casseroles, eaten alone as a cooked side dish, or blended into pesto and smoothies. Place kale leafs into the boiling water for 2-3 minutes to kill enzymes and to discontinue oxidation. Frozen kale is great for smoothies, soups, stews, and casserole-type dishes. (Here’s a blog post where I share how to make a massaged kale salad.) Trying kale in the food dehydrator. To freeze kale, you first need to clean it, trim it, blanch it, and shock it to help preserve the flavor while it’s frozen.Freezing Whole Leaves Portion out the kale. If you like frozen greens in the winter, just imagine how good it would taste if you had picked a bag yourself and then quickly froze it at home! 2) Plunge small batches of kale into boiling water for 3 minutes, and immediately cool the kale in an ice … Wash the freshly harvested greens … In any recipe that calls for frozen spinach, I substitute frozen kale instead. If you choose to also freeze the kale stems, make sure to boil for longer than the rest of the leaves since they are much tougher. Clean the kale and remove the tough stems. Blanching is essential to preserve the quality of kale or any vegetable frozen for more than a brief period of time in the freezer. If you're working with a larger batch of kale, place the kale … How to Freeze Kale & Collard Greens. And only then will it repay you with a delicious salad. Just get the bag as air-tight as you can. Tear the kale leaves off the woody stem. This guide covers methods for freezing, canning, and fermenting, along with tips and recipes for using your preserved kale. Why I started Freezing Kale and Spinach (and You Should Too!) Super Green Kale Smoothie from Love and Lemons. Bring water back to full, rolling boil. If you try the paper bag method, roll the top … I couldn’t really tell the difference between the two methods. Tip #1 – If you want to store enough kale for one smoothie in a snack or sandwich-sized bag to make morning smoothie making easier, you can then store those smaller bags into one larger zip top to help preserve them in the freezer, then just pull out a … How to freeze greens. Flash Freeze kale by laying it out on a cookie sheet or dehydrator tray and placing it in the freezer to freeze. Firmly close the top of the pot or pan, … Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl half way with ice and water. I’m Launi and I’m gardening on a small urban lot in the Pacific NW. In fact, up until 6 or so years ago I never used kale or spinach in any recipe and would never think to throw a handful into a smoothie. Wash the leaves well. Cleaning and Blanching the Kale Gather your supplies. Consult your owner's manual for recommended lbs. Kale can easily be frozen by blanching the greens in boiling water for three minutes. of pressure if canning above 2,000 feet altitude. Cut into bite sized pieces. Cut kale leaves one-by-one as needed with garden scissors or knife or cut away the whole head. Boil the kale until well-wilted. Add the leaves to boiling water for five minutes. Happy Gardening! You can portion the kale and/or spinach out or just shove it all … Blanch until the leaves turn bright green, about 2 minutes. Pack the kale into a resealable plastic bag for easy access, but do not seal the bag yet. Space the balls of kale, chard, etc., out evenly on a sheet pan, maintaining their shape but not allowing them to touch. Keep the kale refrigerated at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, but don't let it freeze, to ensure the best texture and flavor qualities when you later cook and serve it. I’ll admit that we consume most of our kale fresh or cooked, and don’t preserve a great deal of it. Check out Kale in the produce section in February. Season it with salt and pepper or add garlic or sweet or chile peppers for extra flavor. Until this spring, we never had the need to preserve garden greens in this household. Kale is a green leafy vegetable that is readily available in stores and easy to grow in your own veggie patch. Remove soil and grit by rinsing several times under cold running water. Here’s how: Wash the kale well. It is hard to believe not that longer ago kale and/or spinach was not a part of my diet. The Dutch use canned kale to make boerenkool stamppot: cooked, chopped kale mixed into mashed potato. Drain and add to casseroles, pilafs, baked pasta dishes, etc., or tip canning liquid and all into soups or stews. Remove the kale from the water by pouring it into a colander. How to Dehydrate Kale for Making Kale Chips or Kale Powder – fabulous method to preserve kale well past the season! I receive a small commission when a product is purchased through these links, at, National Center for Home Food Preservation guidelines for pressure canning kale, How to Blanche and Freeze Fresh Green Beans, The BEST Fire-Roasted Jalapeño Fermented Hot Sauce Recipe, 7 Ways to Preserve Fresh Herbs to Eat and Enjoy all Winter Long. What do you do when you have an overabundance of greens in the garden? To freeze kale, you first need to clean it, trim … Place the kale in an airtight plastic bag. Boil for about 3-5 minutes. The best way to go about this is to use the good old dehydrator. If you choose to can the stems, make sure to boil the stems for longer, prior to canning, since they are much tougher than the rest of the leaves. Sauté: Stir food in … For kale, the recommended blanching process is … Canning is a perfect way to store kale. Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil. You can do this according to personal preference or the types of recipes you plan on making. Chop the kale — I like mine chopped pretty fine — and freeze in pre-portioned amounts in small freezer baggies. A Quick Way to Freeze Kale. You can freeze kale in small amounts, so if you happen to buy a big bundle at the store and can’t use it all, don’t let it go to waste, just freeze it. If you are growing kale, or are able to buy large amounts for a good price when it’s in season, you’re probably wondering what to do with it so you can enjoy the health benefits throughout the year. Doing this rather then dumping them all in a bag will ensure that they stay separate and don't form into one big lump. Drain them in a colander transfer to the ice water to cool. Kale needs to be babied, coddled even. Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. Blanching is essential to preserve the quality of kale or any vegetable frozen for more than a brief period of time in the freezer. Ways to preserve kale. If you like frozen greens in the winter, just imagine how good it would taste if you had … So, of course, I opted for the path that gets the kale … Before storing the kale in your fridge, get two pieces of thick paper towels. Add copious amounts of kale to your favorite soup or stew, and then can or freeze the finished product. I would not recommend canned kale for smoothies, but it does work well in soups, stews, and casserole type dishes. Add kale to boiling water. This is true. Dry the kale using towels or a salad spinner—moisture left on the kale leaves can lead to freezer burn. Keep the jar of kale on the counter or in the fridge. Canned kale is good for soups, stews, and casserole-type dishes, where the kale will be thoroughly heated and cooked. I love kale smoothies, they are a great way to eat veggies for breakfast! For kale, the recommended blanching process is the Boiling Water … Kale was also traditionally preserved with salt and left to ferment. When you’re storing fresh kale, reduce excess moisture by waiting to rinse the leaves until you’re ready to eat them. Whether your own harvest of kale has … Can You Freeze Kale… When the kale leaves have cooled, dry them by using a salad spinner, or by rolling the kale up in a towel and squeezing to remove excess water. You may want to consider serving sizes when choosing container sizes. It is probably king of the greens when talking about health. How to Store Kale. It’s true – you can freeze kale raw! Remove the tough stems of the kale and roughly chop the leaves. More photos and a PDF print version coming. How to Dehydrate Kale (I should caution you that if you are doing this to make kale powder, this is not the time to flavor up your kale with oils and salt or anything that can go rancid. MORE TIPS LIKE THIS @ : http://www.MIgardener.com Ever want to save your greens for winter? Fermented kale is not for everyone, but if you’re a fermented foods enthusiast (as I am), you may want to try out some of the recipes below. Kale is very sensitive. Cut or tear … Roughly chop the leaves. For the easy step-by-step instructions, pop down to the end of this post. Collards and Other Greens. … if you like, give the kale to how to preserve kale ice water to cool of kale leaves each. 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