How to Freeze Kale

I planted a pack of kale this year and it  grew beautifully.  It's amazing how a 25 cents of  seeds  gave us  a produce worth about $25.  We have been cooking it  but  we can't  consume all of  it since it  just keep coming.  My husband  said that maybe I can freeze some of them so we will have some during the winter.  Si here are simple steps.

Step 1.  Pick the  kale from the garden.  Wash it throughly  and cut off any woody stems or damaged pieces.  You don't want to include the    rib part of the kale as it is tough.  

Step 2 - Get the pot  ready, put water  about 2/3 full and let  it bool.  Prepare a  LARGE bowl with ice and cold water.

 

Step 3 - Blanching the greens.  Greens requires a brief heat treatment, called blanching.  All fruits and vegetables contain enzymes and bacteria that, over time, break down the destroy nutrients and change the color, flavor, and texture of food during frozen storage.  That's why it is important  to destroy the enzymes before freezing.   I blanched this for 3 minutes.  JUst set the timer  when you blanch to get the perfect  texture.

Step 4 - Cool the Kale.  After the kale is  blanched, cool them quickly to prevent overcooking and to   maintain its fresh color. Plunge the greens into a large quantity of ice-cold water.  Blanching and cooling  have to be the ssame length of time (3 minutes).

Step 5 - Drain the Cooled  Kale. Put it in the strainer and  you can lay  them in a towel.

Step 6 - Put the  kale in ziplock bags and put the date on it.  Freezing keeps greens safe to eat almost indefinitely, but the recommended maximum storage time of 12 months is best for taste and quality. 

I have four big ziploc of kale in my freezer which will  serve us during the winter.  We've come to love kale  and I will be sure to grow them again next year.  It's easy to grow  kale and  very inexpensive and  it's very healthy for you.