Can I Freeze My Greens for Smoothies

by Elena
(Vancouver, BC, Canada)

I was just wondering if I can freeze my greens for smoothies. Does making a smoothie with these frozen greens take away from their nutritional value. A lot of the time, I purchase greens like kale, spinach, and chard in large bunches. It's hard to keep them from going bad otherwise.

Thanks a "bunch" ;)

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Elena,

You most certainly can freeze your greens beforehand. I have done it before many of times. Buying or growing your own greens is much cheaper than buying at full price for single bunches.

What I do is clean the greens well. Then I pack the amount of greens that I usually use in a green smoothie into a freezer bag and place it in the freezer. Sometimes I add all of the little bags into one big bag to keep my freezer organized. Then it is pretty easy to whip up a smoothie in the morning.

Another tip I do with my frozen greens is that I crush the greens with my fist right before adding it to the blender. When frozen, greens are very brittle and break into hundreds of pieces. This gives my blender a head start in the blending process.

Regarding losing the nutrients during the freezing process... There is a little bit of loss, but not enough to dismiss this as a good option to store greens. I would suggest that you freeze the greens as soon as you bring it home from the store or garden and use the frozen greens within a couple of months.

During the harvest season I freeze all kinds of greens. Radish tops, beet tops, kale, and even parsley.

I hope this helps you out!

Happy Blending!

DaNae