Leafy greens are some of the fastest vegetables to grow in the home garden. If you are overrun with fresh greens, find out how to preserve them to enjoy later in the year.
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In a hurry? Check out the video:
How To Preserve Spinach, Kale & Leafy Greens
If you are wanting lots of nutritious vegetables to enjoy throughout the year then I definitely recommend those leafy greens. They’re dependable and super easy to grow, even if you are a beginner.
What are Leafy Greens?
Leafy greens grow fast in early spring and fall, usually within 60 days. Leafy greens are also perfect for patio and container growing as well as really maximizing small square footage by growing in a garden tower like this
Leafy greens aren’t just spinach or kale. When I talk about leafy greens, I mean:
- spinach
- kale
- collards
- cabbage
- Swiss chard
- mustard
- bok choi / pak choi
- tatsoi
- turnip tops
- radish tops
- rutabaga (swede) tops
- Beet (beetroot) tops
Check out more Early Spring Vegetables to Grow.
It’s not unusual for us to have plant leaves so big on these veggies you can use them as a parasol or umbrella! Tip: it’s all to do with the soil!
I grow most of my leafy greens in the greenhouse over winter and early spring. The two 5 x 3 ft garden boxes provide about 2 FULL grocery bags each week of what my boss called braising greens. These plants are very productive, even in a small space!
Preserving Leafy Greens
To preserve these greens we use either resealable freezer bags
Step 1
Bring a pot of water up to a boil. Wash your leaves and cut off any woody, tough stems.
Step 2
Chop the spinach or greens and blanch them in the boiling water for a few minutes. Collards and bulky greens like rutabaga leaves need blanching for 3 mins, other greens, 2 mins.
Start timing your blanching time the moment when your water comes back up to boiling.
Step 3
When the time is up, get your greens out the pot (a slotted spoon helps!) and cold water and ice to halt the cooking process and keep the leaves bright green.
Step 4 (Optional)
Once cool, use a salad spinner to get some of the water off the leaves then squeeze out the water with paper towels or a clean tea towel. This helps to reduce the water being pulled by the vacuum that can stop the bags from sealing correctly.
If you are short on time and only using the resealable bags, it isn’t necessary.
Step 5
Make bags using the FoodSaver
Or, portion out into resealable bags in portions that suit you and your family.
Don’t overfill the vacuum bags as the vacuum pulls out more moisture and can stop the packages from sealing properly.
Step 6
Vacuum pack and seal the bags. Empty the fluid catching tray to ensure that no problems sealing occur.
Step 7
Place the sealed veggies in the freezer.
We made 7 vacuum-sealed bags from 8 gallons of leafy greens.
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