Whether you stock up at the local market or grow your own spinach, it is possible to freeze this tasty vegetable and enjoy it fresh out of your own freezer for up to 14 months. The final product may not be suitable for a fresh spinach salad, but there are lots of other uses for this healthy versatile veggie.
Can You Freeze Fresh Spinach? The Truth
Frozen spinach can be used in so many of your tasty homemade recipes. Use it in casseroles or stir fries. Use it to add color and flavor to soup. Frozen spinach makes a great addition to many pasta dishes, as well as dips and sauces. Try it in a quiche or even meatballs.
The key is to find the best homegrown or locally-raised product. This will ensure your frozen product has the best and freshest flavor. If you don't have any in your own backyard, try going to a Farmer's Market, where you can enjoy the fruits (or veggies!) of someone else's labor.
Did you know?
If you plan to use your frozen spinach in less than six months, you don't have to blanch it prior to freezing. Not blanching or steaming the leaves will leave you with a slightly slimy product when you thaw it, but putting it in cooked dishes adds a nice little punch of flavor. Not to mention all the extra nutrients!
- Several bunches of spinach
- Large boiling pot or large steaming pot
- A thick towel or a salad spinner
- Small freezer bags
How to Safely Freeze Fresh Spinach:
Step 1: Pick the Best!Locate the best spinach leaves possible. If you can't get them from your own garden, try a local Farmer's Market. Or, if you really want to pick the best, head out to a local farm and stock up on the tastiest bunches you can find. If you have a big freezer, it's not a bad idea to stock up on as many plants as you can get your hands on.
Be sure to pick the best plants. When examining the spinach, make sure the leaves are young and fresh. Older, yellowing, tough, or limp leaves should always be avoided. Choosing less than perfect leaves will leave you with a nasty taste and a thick, rubbery texture that no one likes.
Step 2: Wash & Rinse!
Make sure you thoroughly wash your spinach leaves. There can be a lot of hidden dirt the leaves and you'll want to make sure you get that grittiness out before freezing. It's a good idea to rinse them at least two or three times, but be sure to use fresh batch of water each time you rinse.
Step 3: Prepare the Leaves!
After you've cleaned your leaves, you may want to remove the stems. You can freeze them with the stems, but they don't add a lot of flavor. Tear the leaves into pieces that are roughly one or two inches across.
Step 4: Blanch or Steam!
Bring a large pot of water to boil, and then blanch the leaves for two minutes. You can also just steam them for the same amount of time. Steaming the leaves will actually help retain a lot of the nutrients that tend to get boiled away when you place them directly in water. Once the leaves have been blanched or steamed, soak them in ice water for another two minutes.
Did you know?
If you boil the spinach, the water you're left with will be very green and chock full of nutrients. Don't throw it away! Save the water by freezing it and using it later a delicious stock for boiling rice, barley or other grains.
After you remove the spinach from your ice water, put it in a salad spinner and get as much excess water off as possible. If you don't have a salad spinner, use a thick towel and carefully blot it until it is dry.
Step 6: Pack and Freeze!
Once the leaves are dry, you should portion them out into smaller freezer bags. It depends on how much you think you'll use each time you grab your frozen leaves, but generally speaking, two cups of leaves per bag make a nice healthy serving. You can avoid the nasty taste of freezer burn by using a straw to suck out any excess air out of the freezer bags.
Make sure you place the sealed leaves are placed on the top of other frozen products. Chances are, you won't be using the frozen leaves as an aesthetic art piece, but you still don't want them smashed under your ice cream.
Tip!
Want to make a nice healthy smoothie packed with nutritious spinach leaves? Throw fresh leaves in a blender with water, then pour your puree into ice cube trays. When you're ready for a healthy snack, use the frozen cubes in your favorite smoothie recipe.
Why Freeze Spinach?
- It preserves the fresh leaves and keeps it from going bad.
- Stop throwing away all the extra bunches you got from your own garden.
- Sneak it into your favorite recipes to give fussy eaters extra nutrition.
- Enjoy the benefits of freshly frozen spinach all year long.
| Vitamin | mg | %DV |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A | 2813IU | 56% |
| Vitamin C | 8.4mg | 14% |
| Vitamin D | - | - |
| Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol) | 0.6mg | 3% |
| Vitamin K | 145 mcg | 181% |
| Thiamin | 0 mg | 2% |
| Riboflavin | 0.2 mg | 3% |
| Niacin | Niacin | 1% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.1 mg | 0.1 mg |
| Folate | 58.2 mcg | 15% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.0 mcg | 0% |
| Pantothenic Acid | 0.0 mg | 0% |
| Choline | 5.4 mg | 0% |
| Betaine | 165 mg | 0% |
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