Frozen chard is perfect for bulking up soups, filling everything from calzones to hand pies to crepes, and can also hold its own as simple side on a busy night. When frozen, it is easy to grab a handful for a smoothie or a soup, and you never have to worry about waste from excess chard going bad in the fridge.
I live in the Pacific Northwest and chard grows well year round, but when I have an excess in the summer when it grows the quickest, I like to freeze some for later to make the best use of my garden produce.
Many cookbooks and blogs advocate freezing chard from fresh, however, like other vegetables, chard will have a noticeable decline in quality once frozen if you do not blanch it first.
Freezing Chard
March 8, 2017
Ingredients
- Chard
Directions
- Step 1 Wash and trim chard as you prefer. I like to cut it into rough 2-inch squares. While removing the stalks is often recommended, I personally love chard stalks and always leave them in. Do as you wish.
- Step 2 Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath.
- Step 3 Submerge the chard in the boiling water and blanch it for 2 minutes.
- Step 4 Using a large slotted spoon or strainer, remove the chard from the water and transfer it to the ice bath.
- Step 5 Once cool, about 2 minutes later, drain in a colander, gently squeezing the chard to remove excess water.
- Step 6 Pack the chard into freezer-safe bags or containers. Label and freeze. If this is your first time freezing chard, check out these Freezing and Blanching Basics.
