As I sit here drinking the sumptuous, green smoothie I just made, I am reminded it is almost time to contact last year’s CSA Members regarding the 2019 Harvest Season. I must do this soon as I am starting to get calls from new veggie lovers wanting to join our CSA! We always make sure any family who was a member in the past is included in the current season if they so desire. Sometimes the CSA fills up quickly!
In the past years, I always sauteed our greens for preserving–and still do some this way. Last year was the first time I put smoothie greens into the freezer. Now I am hooked! My smoothie greens are a mix of spring greens: turnip greens, mustard greens, collards, red and green kale. We also grow Asian greens. We mostly eat these raw in our spring salads; however, they are delicious in smoothies, too.
Christmas 2017 I got a fancy new blender which opened up a new culinary window. In January 2018 I was purchasing “fresh” greens at a local market because I wanted to play with my new toy. (My grandson calls it “Grandma’s Robot.”) Thus, 2018 was the first time I experimented with blanching, pureeing, and freezing greens from our garden specifically for use in smoothies.
As always, the most time goes into washing the greens before I blanch them for three minutes. Next I plunge them into ice water for three minutes, drain and toss into my blender to puree for a few seconds. I find it convenient to freeze the bright green mixture in ice cube trays. A glass baking dish also works, but then one must cut the finished frozen product into cubes or bars. I have found wrapping individual frozen cubes in baggies makes it easier to extract the exact amount when making a smoothie.
We do not plan to overwhelm you with spring greens. But every family is different, so if you do feel you are being overwhelmed, take a few minutes and try this out. If you do not drink green smoothies, the cubes can be tossed into most soups for an extra serving of veggies!
Or, you can just wash and toss the greens into the freezer without blanching. However, my recommendation involves blanching to preserve the color and most nutrients. Or skip the processing altogether and give any extra greens to a neighbor or friend. We love even this choice because you are helping to introduce our CSA Farm to others in the community. Just please do not let the fruits of our labors go unused! Wasting is sad.
Cane Creek Asparagus & Company CSA 