Finishing the Race

Recently I was asked, how do I store kale for smoothies, so it lasts longer than a week? I apply the same technique that my daughter shared with me for flowers that arrive slightly wilted from distributors. The stems are trimmed and the whole flower is submerged in water for about an hour. My daughter is a floral designer in CA.

 

I want my life to be efficient and as stress free as possible, so my husband and I only go to the grocery store once a week. The last two Friday evenings, the grocer’s kale has been limp by the time we arrive at the store. A few hot, summer Saturdays, when we finally got home from the farmer’s market, the kale was slightly wilted too. I need the kale, so I revive it. Boy, I sure miss the farmer’s market!

 

Here is how I revive and store my kale longer:  Start by filling a large bowl with cold water. The bowl has to be large enough to submerge the whole leaf, especially the stem. I also use this technique with chard.

Cut approximately 1 ½ inches off the stem of your kale. With each leaf, immediately place it into the bowl of cold water.

 

Once all your kale is cut, you want to insure the kale stays submersed, especially the stem tips. A plate usually does the trick. Although, if I have too many leafy greens in one batch, I’ve been known to set a wide bowl or a large pie dish with water to hold the leaves down.

 

After one hour, notice how the leaves rehydrate and perk up. The leaves spread out in the bowl as they drink the water. This restores the kale’s firmness too.

 

 

 

Remove the leaves from the water and carefully pat the kale dry. Every drop of water does not have to be dried off. However, you do not want to store the leaves soaking wet or the leaves will decompose faster. A 9×13 glass, baking dish with a plastic lid is a great size to store kale and chard. This is perfect for keeping kale firm until it’s time to make kale chips too.

Hope this helps. Blessings to your health!