This month's notes: February 2012: Winter is upon us, but don't despair! Strawberry and citrus picking actually begins in Florida, southern Texas and southern Californiaa in December. And for the rest of us; there are many delicious jams, jellies, and marmalades that you can make for yourself or as gifts, from frozen or fresh fruit. See this page for hundreds of easy canning and freezing instructions/recipes, canning equipment guide! Also make your own ice cream - see How to make ice cream and ice cream making equipment and manuals. Then see each state's crop availability calendar for more specific dates of upcoming crops. Organic farms are identified in green! See our guide to local fruit and vegetable festivals!. Please tell the farms you found them here - and ask them to update their information!!
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How to Freeze Greens, like Spinach, Collards, Kale and Swiss Chard from your garden or the shop (directions, recipe, with photos and free)
How to Freeze Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard. Collards and Other Greens
More photos and a PDF print version coming
If you like frozen greens in the winter, just imagine how good it would taste if you had picked a bag yourself and then quickly froze it at home! It is also one of the simplest ways to put up a vegetable for the winter. Here's how to do it, complete instructions in easy steps and completely illustrated. The greens will taste MUCH better than anything you've ever had from a store.
Directions for Freezing Greens
Ingredients and Equipment
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Instructions
Step 1 - Pick or select the greens!
This is the most important step! You need greens that are FRESH and crisp. Limp, old greens will make nasty tasting frozen greens. Select young, tender green leaves.
How many greens and where to get them
You can grow your own, pick your own, or buy them at the grocery store. About 14 pounds of greens makes 7 quart jars; or 9 pounds is needed per 9 pints. A bushel, which produces anywhere from 13 to 20 quarts, weighs 30 pounds. That works out to an average of 2 pounds of greens per finished quart jar.
Start with fresh greens - as fresh as you can get.
Step 2 - Wash the greens!
I'm sure you can figure out how to rinse the leaves in plain cold water. I use a large bowl of cold water and a colander to let them drain.
Step 3 -Hull the greens
Cut off any woody stems. or damaged pieces
Step 4 - Get the pots ready
Get
the pot of boiling water ready (about 2/3 filled) and a LARGE bowl with
ice and cold water.
Step 5 - Blanch the greens.
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. greens requires a brief
heat treatment, called blanching, in boiling water or steam, to
destroy the enzymes before freezing. Blanching times for collards is 3
minutes and all other greens 2 minutes..
Begin counting the blanching time as soon as you place the greens in the boiling water. Cover the kettle and boil at a high temperature for the required length of time. You may use the same blanching water several times (up to 5). Be sure to add more hot water from the tap from time to time to keep the water level at the required height.
Step 6 - Cool the greens
Cool
greens immediately in ice water. Drain the greens thoroughly (this
shouldn't take more than a minute).
After vegetables are blanched, cool them quickly to prevent overcooking. Plunge the greens into a large quantity of ice-cold water (I keep adding more ice to it). A good rule of thumb: Cool for the same amount of time as the blanch step. For instance, if you blanch greens for 3 minutes, then cool in ice water for at least 3 minutes.
Drain thoroughly.
Step 7 - Bag the greens
I
love the FoodSavers (see
this page for more information) with their vacuum sealing! I am
not paid by them, but these things really work. If you don't have
one, ziploc bags work, too, but it is hard to get as much air out of the
bags. remove the air to prevent drying and freezer burn. TIP:
If you don't own a vacuum food sealer to freeze foods, place food in a
Ziploc bags, zip the top shut but leave enough space to insert the tip of
a soda straw. When straw is in place, remove air by sucking the air out.
To remove straw, press straw closed where inserted and finish pressing the
bag closed as you remove straw.
Step 8 - Done!
Pop
them into the freezer, on the quick freeze shelf, if you have one!
I love the FoodSavers (see this page for more information) with their vacuum sealing! Here's an example of one model:
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FoodSaver V2840 Advanced DesignChrome finish Features
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Tips:
- Harvest early in the morning, especially if the weather is hot, to get peak flavor.
- Harvest the greens at its peak maturity (firm, straight, not lumpy)
- Process promptly after harvesting, or keep cooled in the fridge or with ice until then.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I've frozen greens but they seem so bland, starchy or rubbery after
being cooked. Any idea why?
Generally, that means the greens were either old to being with, or they were overcooked. It only takes 2 or 3 minutes to blanch the greens, then plunge them immediately into ice water.
- How long can they be frozen?
It depends upon how cold is your freezer and how you packed them. Colder (deep freezes) are better than frost free compartments, which actually cycle above freezing (that's how they melt the ice). Vacuum packing results in longer storage capability, too. Thicker bags also help prevent freezer burn.
In general, up to 9 months in a ziploc bag in an ordinary freezer, and 14 months in a deep freeze in a vacuum packed bag. After that, they greens won't make you sick; they just won't taste a s good.
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Home Canning KitsFeatures:
This is the same type of standard canner that my grandmother used to
make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and
spaghetti sauce. This complete kit includes everything you need and lasts
for years: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a
plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball
Blue Book. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You'll
never need anything else except jars & lids (and the jars are reusable)!
There is also s simple kit with just the canner and rack, and a pressure
canner, if your want to do vegetables (other than tomatoes). To see
more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here! |
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Lids, Rings, Jars, mixes, pectin, etc.Need lids, rings and replacement jars? Or pectin to make jam, spaghetti sauce or salsa mix or pickle mixes? Get them all here, and usually at lower prices than your local store!
Get them all here at the best prices on the internet! |
Remember to ALWAYS call the farm or orchard BEFORE you go - weather, heavy picking and business conditions can always affect their hours and crops!
PYO Farms in Other Countries: [ Australia ] [ Canada ] [ South Africa ] [ New Zealand ] [ United Kingdom ]
Our other free, informative sites you may like:
EHSO.com - Environmental health and safety information and guidance for the
home
ConsumerFraudReporting.org - Information about identity theft, frauds and
scams; how to report them and how to protect your identity.
FitnessAndHealthScience.org - Practical fitness, health and diet information
that works.
And our other related
websites!
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feedback about farms - Use this
form suggest a farm to add to the website?
Or as a
last result (I reply to the forms FIRST),write me at
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Benivia, LLC 2004 -
2010 All rights reserved.
Disclaimer
and
Privacy Policy
Permission is given to link to any page on
www.pickyourown.org
Looking for
jobs on farms? Farmers:
If you'd like to
advertise or have your own web page(s), click here!
Remember to ALWAYS call the farm or orchard BEFORE you go - weather, heavy picking and business conditions can always affect their hours and crops!
PYO Farms in Other Countries: [ Australia ] [ Canada ] [ South Africa ] [ New Zealand ] [ United Kingdom ]
Our other free, informative sites you may like:
EHSO.com - Environmental health and safety information and guidance for the
home
ConsumerFraudReporting.org - Information about identity theft, frauds and
scams; how to report them and how to protect your identity.
FitnessAndHealthScience.org - Practical fitness, health and diet information
that works.
And our other related
websites!
Care to Donate to help me keep the website going? Donate to me at Benevia here:
Use the
feedback form for questions, comments and
feedback about farms - Use this
form suggest a farm to add to the website?
Or as a
last result (I reply to the forms FIRST),write me at
All images and text Copyright ©
Benivia, LLC 2004 -
2010 All rights reserved.
Disclaimer
and
Privacy Policy
Permission is given to link to any page on
www.pickyourown.org
Looking for
jobs on farms? Farmers:
If you'd like to
advertise or have your own web page(s), click here!
Remember to ALWAYS call the farm or orchard BEFORE you go - weather, heavy picking and business conditions can always affect their hours and crops!
PYO Farms in Other Countries: [ Australia ] [ Canada ] [ South Africa ] [ New Zealand ] [ United Kingdom ]
Our other free, informative sites you may like:
EHSO.com - Environmental health and safety information and guidance for the
home
ConsumerFraudReporting.org - Information about identity theft, frauds and
scams; how to report them and how to protect your identity.
FitnessAndHealthScience.org - Practical fitness, health and diet information
that works.
And our other related
websites!
Care to Donate to help me keep the website going? Donate to me at Benevia here:
Use the
feedback form for questions, comments and
feedback about farms - Use this
form suggest a farm to add to the website?
Or as a
last result (I reply to the forms FIRST),write me at
All images and text Copyright ©
Benivia, LLC 2004 -
2010 All rights reserved.
Disclaimer
and
Privacy Policy
Permission is given to link to any page on
www.pickyourown.org
Looking for
jobs on farms? Farmers:
If you'd like to
advertise or have your own web page(s), click here!
Remember to ALWAYS call the farm or orchard BEFORE you go - weather, heavy picking and business conditions can always affect their hours and crops!
PYO Farms in Other Countries: [ Australia ] [ Canada ] [ South Africa ] [ New Zealand ] [ United Kingdom ]
Our other free, informative sites you may like:
EHSO.com - Environmental health and safety information and guidance for the
home
ConsumerFraudReporting.org - Information about identity theft, frauds and
scams; how to report them and how to protect your identity.
FitnessAndHealthScience.org - Practical fitness, health and diet information
that works.
And our other related
websites!
Care to Donate to help me keep the website going? Donate to me at Benevia here:
Use the
feedback form for questions, comments and
feedback about farms - Use this
form suggest a farm to add to the website?
Or as a
last result (I reply to the forms FIRST),write me at
All images and text Copyright ©
Benivia, LLC 2004 -
2010 All rights reserved.
Disclaimer
and
Privacy Policy
Permission is given to link to any page on
www.pickyourown.org
Looking for
jobs on farms? Farmers:
If you'd like to
advertise or have your own web page(s), click here!