Space the balls of kale, chard, etc., out evenly on a sheet pan, maintaining their shape but not allowing them to touch. Cover the pan tightly with a sheet of plastic wrap; this will keep them from collecting ice crystals. Place it in the freezer for one to two hours, until the greens have frozen partially.
How do you store Swiss chard long term?
Place the leaves and stems in separate airtight, freezer-safe bags. Remove any air from the bag to prevent the formation of ice crystals that cause freezer burn. (If you don’t own a vacuum sealer, you can use a straw to suck out the excess air from the bag.) Freezer bags of Swiss chard will keep for at least a year.
How do you keep Swiss chard over the winter?
Remove chard from water and immerse in an ice water bath for 2 minutes. Drain. Pack in zip-closure freezer bags or freezer containers, leaving no headspace. Label, date and freeze at zero degrees for up to one year.
What is the best way to freeze Swiss chard?
How to Freeze Swiss Chard
- Squeeze excess water out of the chard (I squeeze portions in my hand over the strainer).
- Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment, waxed paper, or a silpat.
- Freeze for 3 hours. Transfer to freezer bags once chard has frozen solid.
How do you prepare Swiss chard for storage?
You can keep Swiss chard fresh in the refrigerator anywhere from a few days up to a week if you follow the proper steps.
- Leave it unwashed. Do not wash your Swiss chard leaves before storing them in the fridge.
- Wrap your Swiss chard. Loosely wrap your chard in a damp cloth or paper towel.
- Keep the chard in a bag.
What can I do with too much Swiss chard?
Revive tired-looking leaves in a bowl of cold water with a splash of vinegar. After 20 minutes or so, the leaves should perk up.
Can you freeze Swiss chard from the garden?
The good news is, Swiss chard is a hardy green, which makes it suitable for freezing. Of course, you have to prep the greens well prior to freezing to extend its original color and flavor. When prepping the Swiss chard for freezing, you can either blanch the greens or flash-freeze them.
Does Swiss chard grow back every year?
Swiss chard is a biennial, so it will grow for two years, surviving the winters in areas where temperatures do not dip below 15 degrees F. After the second year of growth, your chard plant will start to produce seed and it will not grow back the following year.
How long do you blanch Swiss chard for freezing?
If you have a large batch to boil, do it in sections to ensure that the greens retain their fresh flavor after freezing. A good ratio is 4 cups of packed greens to a gallon of boiling water. Blanch (boil) Swiss chard stalks for two minutes and the leaves for one minute.
How many times can you harvest Swiss chard?
To harvest, use a clean, sharp knife or garden scissors and sever steams about two inches above the soil. Mature leaves can be harvested a few at a time or all at once. But for multiple harvests throughout the season, as explained above, the terminal bud must remain to keep producing new growth.
What happens if you do not blanch a vegetable before freezing it?
Blanching helps vegetables keep their vibrant colors and retain nutrients, and stops the enzymes that would otherwise lead to spoilage. Freezing vegetables without blanching them first results in faded or dulled coloring, as well as off flavors and textures.
Can you freeze fresh greens without blanching?
Blanch Greens
All leafy greens need be blanched before freezing. Blanching slows or stops the action of enzymes that would lead to spoilage—and helps vegetables keep their bright color, flavor, texture, and nutrition. Plus, blanching wilts the leafy greens making them easier to package into freezer safe containers.
How long does Swiss chard last?
Swiss chard can be stored for one to two weeks if refrigerated.
How do you harvest Swiss chard without killing the plant?
When harvesting young Swiss chard, selectively clip the outer leaves but leave more than half the stems and leaves intact to allow new leaves and stems to replace the older leaves. This is the best way to harvest Swiss chard without killing the plant.
How do you know when Swiss chard is ready to pick?
Harvest Swiss chard when the leaves are tender and big enough to eat. Swiss chard is ready for picking 30 days after sowing if you want baby leaves. Harvest chard 45 to 60 days after sowing if you want full-sized leaves with a thick midrib.
Is eating raw chard bad for you?
Chard contains 3 times the recommended daily intake of vitamin K and 44 percent of the recommended amount of vitamin A. This vegetable can help to combat cancer, reduce blood pressure, and enhance performance in sports. Swiss chard can be eaten raw or cooked.
Do you eat the stems of Swiss chard?
Swiss Chard is entirely edible, including the leaves and stems. The stems need a little more cooking time than the leaves because they have a lot of cellulose that needs to soften for longer. The leaves cook quickly.
Can Swiss chard be eaten raw in a salad?
Bottom line. Swiss chard is a type of leafy green packed full of nutrients like fibre, vitamin K and magnesium. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Try adding Swiss chard to your next soup or salad!
How do you blanch greens for freezing?
Cut or tear large leaves as desired. Small leaves can be frozen whole. Blanch greens in small quantities: 4 cups packed greens per gallon of boiling water.
Freezing directions
- Collard greens blanch for three minutes.
- Other greens for blanch two minutes.
- Very tender spinach leaves blanch for 90 seconds.
How do you store chard leaves?
Place chard in a plastic storage bag and wrap the bag tightly around the chard, squeezing out as much of the air from the bag as possible. Place in refrigerator where it will keep fresh for up to 5 days. If you have large batches of chard, you can blanch the leaves and then freeze them.
Should I let Swiss chard flower?
You may even choose to still eat your bolted chard. The leaves will have more of a bitter flavor, but you can reduce that bitterness by cooking the greens instead of eating them raw. If you catch the bolting early and pinch off the flower stalk, you can probably salvage the leaves without too much extra bitterness.
Gerardo Gonzalez loves cooking. He became interested in it at a young age, and has been honing his skills ever since. He enjoys experimenting with new recipes, and is always looking for ways to improve his technique.
Gerardo’s friends and family are the lucky beneficiaries of his delicious cooking. They always enjoy trying out his latest creations, and often give him feedback on how he can make them even better. Gerardo takes their input to heart, and uses it to continue refining his culinary skills.