How to Freeze Kale – Soil Born Farms (2024)

FAQs

How to Freeze Kale – Soil Born Farms? ›

For bulk storage, quick-freeze small clumps of kale individually on a cookie sheet. After they are frozen, place clumps into a large freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible from bags before sealing. Or store into individual packages before freezing.

A good amount of research has been done comparing the nutrient levels in frozen versus fresh vegetables and the conclusion is that many of the minerals and vitamins are not easily destroyed by either the blanching or the freezing process. In short, your frozen leafy greens are still loaded with nutrients!

I think blanching collards before freezing preserves their overall quality, texture, and nutrition and also softens them a bit so they cook better when used in recipes. However, you can technically freeze them without blanching. To do so, wash and dry the greens, chop, and transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container.

To avoid excess moisture, wrap the whole bunch of kale in a layer of paper towels, and store in a supermarket plastic bag or a zip-top plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer. The kale should keep for 1 week.

Dry leaves by placing them on a towel. Fill the towel with leaves, then roll it up and squeeze to remove excess water. Quick-freeze small clumps of kale individually on a cookie sheet. After they're frozen, place clumps into freezer bags in bulk.

Freezing kale is another easy way to preserve your extra kale leaves. I like to freeze my kale in 1/2 cup portions that can be quickly and easily added to soups, stews, quiches, and so much more.

All vegetables should be blanched and quickly cooled before freezing, drying or dehydrating. Exceptions: Diced or cut onions, green onions, leeks and peppers do not need to be blanched before preserving.

Freezing vegetables without blanching them first results in faded or dulled coloring, as well as off flavors and textures.

Blanch your greens.

Submerge your greens for a short amount of time usually 30 seconds (tender spinach)-3 minutes (big kale) depending on how tender your greens are. I find that a steamer basket makes this process really quick and simple. Blanching is important to help the greens keep better in the freezer.

Kale can be frozen without blanching but should be used within 4 weeks. Blanching greens before freezing stops the naturally-occurring ripening enzymes in the leaves. This will ensure that the leaves taste fresh and will not develop a bitter taste. Blanched kale will last up to 1 year in the freezer.

How do you harvest kale so it keeps producing? ›

To do so, grip a leaf at its base where it meets the main stem and gently twist it until it breaks off. Or use pruning shears to snip off the leaf close to the stem. When you harvest kale this way, the rest of the plant will continue growing and making more leaves for you.

You will want large elastics for chard, kale, onions and smaller ones for herbs. These are used, wet but not dripping, to cover the produce to keep it fresh. In our black plastic crates two are used, one on the bottom and one on the top. In wooden boxes only one is used on the top.

It won't have the same flavor or texture as fresh kale. So, try to revive it. Cut off the stems and place them in water for about eight hours. That should revitalize your kale, making it crispy and delicious!

Excess moisture can cause kale to go bad faster, so give it a good pat dry before moving on. Wrap the head of kale in paper towels before placing it in the bag or container. This will help absorb any moisture. Place clean, dry kale in a plastic storage bag or a reusable food storage container with an airtight lid.

Kale leaves had 0.828 mg vitamin B₁, 1.533 mg vitamin B₂ and 16.55 mg total tocopherols per 100 g of dry matter. Blanching, applied prior to drying, significantly reduced the levels of minerals (3–38%) and vitamins (8–45%), except for calcium, zinc and manganese.

Kale can be frozen without blanching but should be used within 4 weeks. Blanching greens before freezing stops the naturally-occurring ripening enzymes in the leaves. This will ensure that the leaves taste fresh and will not develop a bitter taste. Blanched kale will last up to 1 year in the freezer.

A: No, leafy green vegetables do not lose their vitamin K when frozen. In fact, ounce per ounce, frozen greens have slightly more vitamin K than fresh.

Another study noted that frozen, uncooked kale contained a higher amount of antioxidants than fresh kale, suggesting that freezing may even increase the antioxidant content of certain vegetables (3).

Generally speaking, freezing helps retain the nutrient content of fruits and vegetables. However, some nutrients begin to break down when frozen produce is stored for more than a year ( 2 ). Certain nutrients are also lost during the blanching process. In fact, the greatest loss of nutrients occurs at this time.