Storing Fresh Collard Greens
Do not wash the collard greens. If you plan on using your collard greens within the next week, don't wash them before refrigeration. Introducing water to the greens can promote decay, cutting the length of their freshness down dramatically. If you are concerned that your greens are too dirty to store in your refrigerator, know that they will be stored in an air-tight bag. Any dirt and grit will not get onto the surfaces in your fridge.
Place the collard greens in an air-tight plastic bag. Most greens should be stored in plastic bags and collard greens are no exception. Put the greens in a big plastic bag, as the greens themselves are very large. Be sure to push out as much air as you can before sealing. Collard greens that are not put into a plastic bag, but are put into the refrigerator, will become wilted very quickly. Like other vegetables, uncovered collard greens get dehydrated. This causes them to go limp. If you don't have a plastic bag that seals closed, wrap the greens in a damp paper towel. Then place the greens in an unsealed plastic bag. This should keep the greens crisp for several days.
Refrigerate the collard greens. Put the bag of collard greens in the crisper of your refrigerator. Keep them there until you are ready to use them. They should be used within 5 to 7 days of storage. The amount of time your collard greens stay fresh will vary. It depends on the freshness of the collard greens to begin with and the quality of your refrigerator's chilling. Check on the collard greens daily to make sure that they are still suitable for eating. Spoiled collard greens will get soft, wilt, become slimy, or get discolored. They may also start to smell bad.
Wash before preparing. Once you have decided to use your greens, take them out of the fridge and wash them thoroughly. Collard greens are known to be relatively dirty and gritty. Take the time to soak the greens in fresh water and make sure that each leaf is clean. If you don't have a bowl or kitchen sink that can be used for cleaning the greens, wash each leaf under running water.
Storing Collard Greens in the Freezer
Wash the collard greens. If you are going to store your collard greens in the freezer, you should wash them thoroughly before storage. Soak the leaves in a bowl or sink full of water or wash in running water. Make sure all grit and dirt is removed from the leaves before proceeding. Collard greens that are stored in the freezer are cooked slightly and will have a softer consistency when defrosted. This would make washing once defrosted impossible.
Cut up the collard greens. Separate the stems from the leaves. This will allow you to cut the stems into smaller pieces that will cook faster. Cut the leaf portion into whatever shape you want. Many people like to cut them into strips. You could keep the collard green leaves whole but that would make them hard to handle when blanching and packaging them for the freezer.
Blanch the collard greens. Put the greens, stems and leaves, into boiling water for three minutes. The goal is to cook the greens slightly, while keeping their bright green color and not cooking them completely. After the two minutes of cooking, put the greens straight into an ice water bath for a minute or two. This will stop the cooking immediately. Blanching the vegetables will stop enzyme action that can cause decay. This causes loss of color and flavor. Blanching also cleans the surface of the greens really well, assuring that all dirt and organisms are removed.
Put the collard greens in an air-tight container in the freezer. Dry off any excess moisture and then put the blanched leaves into an air-tight container. This could be a plastic container or a freezer bag, whatever you have on hand. Write the date on the package so you can track how long you have it. Then place the container into your freezer The more air you can get out of the packaging, the better.
Use within 10 to 12 months. Collard greens that are stored in the freezer can be used for a long time. They usually stay good for between 10 and 12 months, after which they should be thrown out. Collard greens that have been defrosted and then refrozen several times will stay fresh for less time. This usually happens due to a faulty freezer. One sign that your collard greens may have undergone this freezing and defrosting is excessive freezer burn. However, all foods that are frozen for long enough will develop freezer burn eventually.
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