If ever you feel like you're drowning in spinach, just blanch it all for the freezer and you'll realize how little you really have. :o)
I started with this:
Then I chopped it into smallish bits...
and it looked like this:
(I chop it first because we seem to used chopped spinach more than we do whole spinach. It can be frozen without chopping, too.)
After chopping, I wrapped it in cheesecloth and blanched it for two minutes...
and it was reduced to this:
Three one-half cup portions to go into the freezer. I was almost sad! Three little baggies won't go very far.
On the up side, I'm harvesting that much at least twice a week right now, so I'll have at least a few more batches in there before long.
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On a side note - check out this lettuce! Isn't it beautiful?
I'm having a hard time picking it so we can eat it, because it looks so pretty out there in the garden. I didn't make notes on what varieties I planted, so I'm not sure what it is. I thought it might be Flame (from Baker Creek) but now I'm not so sure. Anyone know?
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3 comments:
I love spinach! Somehow I forgot to plant it this year though... At least we have lots of lettuce to make up for it...
The lettuce is definitely gorgeous!
I love how you're saving the spinach. What perfect portions. Maybe I'll grow spinach next year with enough to save in mind. It's hard to grow lettuce - you can only have so many salads. Do you have any tricks for saving lettuce??
Wendy - yeah, 1/2 cup portions seem to be just right for tossing into a soup or spaghetti sauce, or for using in omelettes, etc.
No tricks at all for saving lettuce. Wish I did, 'cuz we have a bumper crop of lettuce this year! You can get it to last for up to two weeks if you wash it as soon as you pick it, remove any wilted/damaged leaves, then seal in a ziploc baggie or plastic storage container with a damp paper towel. Lettuce likes 100% humidity. Crazy how it can freeze when it's in the garden, but if you freeze it once it's picked it turns to mush.
Anke - wish I could say that I love spinach! I really don't care for it except for raw, but I can at least force it down if I need to. :oP For as much as I garden, there are very few vegetables I actually enjoy eating. LOL
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