How to Blanche Greens...Note to Self for Next Year

How to Blanche Greens...

Note to Self for Next Year

I started my greens (kales, swiss chard, and spinach) in hoop houses this year.  I've found, at least here in Michigan, that there are a lot of caterpillars and bugs that start to take over in July and August.  I've been trying to harvest as much as I can, as early as I can this year.  I hope to stop harvesting when the bugs start winning.  I don't want to spend hours de-bugging again this year.  I hope to spend my August canning green beans, not harvesting greens.

Harvest Greens--early in the morning works best b/c the leaves are most hydrated.  It is important to pick the leaves off from the bottom and work up.  The plants sprout new leaves from the top center.  You can see how I've stripped the stalks in the photo above; bottom up.

With Swiss Chard, you cut off the outer leaves, leaving the center for new leaves to grow.

Thoroughly wash greens.  I always look for any caterpillars. 

Pull the leaf off the stalk...this takes HOURS.  I usually get two empty tall pots and watch a movie while I do this.  One pot is for the stalks and bad leaves and the other for the good greens that are good for me to eat.

I chop up all the stalks for the chickens to eat.  I've bagged up and froze quite a few bags for the chickens to have next winter when they don't get armloads of weeds each day.  

I used a ladle to fill the freezer bags.  It is a close tie between whether I get more green or stalk at the end of the process.

After I've cleaned and stripped the greens I set the water on to boil.  While the water is heating up I get a big metal bowl of icy, icy water all ready to cool off the greens once they've been heated.  When the water is at a full boil I set the timer for 2 minutes as I dump in the greens and stir around.  Once stirred, I put the lid on the pot and wait for the timer.

Everything I've read said to boil the greens for THREE minutes, but I've decided to boil for two minutes b/c I strain out the hot water in a metal strainer before putting the greens in the icy water bowl.  By the time I've strained the piping hot greens, I figure it is about three minutes of it being super hot.  I don't want to overcook the greens.  I wish I could preserve the greens without having to cook them at all as I know I am losing some of the nutrients this way but see any other alternative.

After boiling the greens for two minutes I strain the greens thoroughly and then immerse in the icy cold bowl of water.

  

After the greens are totally cold I squeeze out the water and place on my cutting board.  I go through and double check for any caterpillars at this point as well.  Unfortunately, I have found some at this late stage!  The important thing is to find them and pull them out.

I try to roll out the greens into cylinders (like a stick of butter) and cut off the sections into 1/2 inch sections, then cut those circles in half and place on a cookie tray.

Frozen Greens.  I place the tray in the freezer and let it freeze overnight.  This way when I put the chunks in the freezer bag they will stay in individual chunks and I can easily pull out a chunk or so for my morning smoothies or soups.  I don't want a huge chunk of frozen greens!  Then I'd have to thaw out the whole bag just to get a cup of greens.  This has really been so helpful.  I also do this same thing when I am freezing my banana's.  I cut them into chunks, place on tray, freeze, then place in a freezer bag.  When I need a few chunks of banana I just pull out my bag, take out a few pieces and put the still frozen bag back in the freezer.

After 24 hours, give or take, I put the chunks in ziplock freezer bags, write what kind of green it is and put back in my freezer.

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