Blanching your greens allows the opportunity to safely freeze them. If you just stick your greens in the freezer they will become tough, discolored and lack flavoring. Vegetables contain enzymes that help a plant to grow and mature. You want to slow down or stop that process in order to freeze the greens while they are fresh.

To blanch your greens, you will need a wire basket that can fit into a large pot. For each pound of greens you are blanching, you will need 1 gallon of water, brought to a boil. Put the greens into the basket and lower the basket into the boiling water. Cover the pot and allow it to return to a boil, which will take about one minute.

It is very important that you blanch your greens for the right amount of time. If you are blanching collards, set a timer for 3 minutes. Most other greens will take 2 minutes. If you are blanching greens that have very tender leaves, you will only want to leave them in for about 1 1/2 minutes.

Cooling Your Greens

Cooling your greens is an important step. They need to be cooled quickly so that the cooking process is stopped. If they remain hot, they will continue to "cook." The basket should be placed into a container of cold water. However long it took you to blanch the greens is how long it will take to cool them. So you may need to change the water to keep them cold, or you can run cold water over them.

Cooked Greens

Greens aren't just for cold salads. Many greens truly shine when cooked. Some of the more popular types of greens that can be cooked include: