Today, a simple "recipe" for dealing with your wonderful beet tops! It's been a long winter, and even though you love them, you're tired of eating beet greens. Today I'm gonna help you deal with what's left of your beet-green mountain, the last of the previous year, keeping them easily preserved until the crave hits you again. |
Help with harvesting
An interesting thing about greens like beets and Swiss Chard is that the bugs don't attack them! So it leaves you with gorgeous fresh (not previously chewed) leaves! My preference is to collect them early in the morning before the day grows hot.
Most veggies need to be blanched before freezing, but this method serves the purpose, even though it's a bit unorthodox. But it saves you from having to employ pots of water, sieves, all that stuff.
Trim the leaves so the stems fall into one bowl, and the leaves go into a large frying pan, on a medium-heated burner.
No water, no oil.
They're going to take a few minutes to dry-sauté.
Pile those leaves high. They'll turn to a bright green, and be much smaller in volume.
Just a couple of minutes does it for each batch. As they finish, transfer them to a bowl, and let them cool.
Dealing with the stems
Into the freezer
I've found I have to put a folded sheet of paper towel at the top, inside the bag, before sealing, otherwise, the vacuum will drag all the red juice into your machine!
There is a little drip channel though, so no big deal.
No vacuum sealer? Use freezer ziplock bags. They work well too.
Always label your frozen products because in the freezer, they all look alike.
You can use the stems in soups (borscht is a great one!)
The leaves are delicious as a side veggie, with a little butter, salt and pepper. They can also be used wherever you see spinach required in a recipe.
Below is a slideshow of easy steps to help you get from start to finish.
Wishing you a safe and wonderful week!
Vicki