Keeping leafy greens

[SoyBean]

I was wondering if there is any way to preserve leafy greens for later use. I feed my pet rodents a 50/50 diet where 50% of their diet comes from veggies, fruits, grains, ect. I need a way of possibly preserving leafy greens as they tend to spoil so quickly.

 

[patandchickens]

If they need to be 'lifelike' and crispy, the best way to store them is on the plant in the ground, honestly (i.e. do not pick til needed, and plant successions so there will always be some new stuff coming on). In the fridge crisper, with the plant picked whole and dirty roots cut off and egregious dirt washed off leaves, then lightly spun/shaken dry and put in a SLIGHTLY VENTILATED hard container, they will last for a week or two, maybe a bit more if you are careful in cleaning/storing and not too picky about what constitutes 'safe for animal consumption'.

Unfortunately any type of freezing, canning, anything like that will result in a mushy blob (have you ever bought frozen spinach or collards?) that still has most of the nutrients but you'd have to see whether the animals were willing to eat it. Similarly, proper drying retains a reasonable degree of nutritional content but gives you a very different product.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[SoyBean]

Thanks for the reply. Yea, we froze some lettuce and it turned into mush. What about veggies that have a lot of water in them like celery, radishes, and such. They don't freeze well either.

 

[freshfood]

I just recently saw a book on root cellaring - I was just glancing through it, but there was a chapter on preserving some leafy-type greens this way...I could call the bookstore and try to get the title and author if you want. Might be an avenue to explore, anyway. Or you could try your local library.

 

[dipence71]

Have you ever used or heard of the "green bags" they are like the debbie meyer? bags to keep food fresh longer?

I use them and LOVE them!!!! I have used both the original and "generic" from dollar general. They both work just as well but the dollar general ones are less expensive. They can be washed and reused many times.

I use to have all kinds of spoiled fruit and veggies now I don't have the waist!!!!

Also I have chopped up celery/peppers/onions/ect and froze them to use in casseroles and soups. They aren't real good to use fresh after frozen but are great in other dishes.

 

[me&thegals]

Frozen kale holds its shape pretty well. Chard, too, but not quite as well as kale.

 

[curly_kate]

A good trick I've found for keeping greens fresh in the fridge is to put a slightly damp paper towel in with them. I'm not sure what it does, but it adds about a week to their fridge life.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Plant lots of Savoy Cabbages, Brussel sprouts, Red cabbage, All the different Kales, Chard etc . If you find your weather is so bad they begin to wither & die pull them up with the roots on & hang them up in the garage or shed with the head of the plant hanging down.

Hope this helps!

:rose Hattie :rose

 

[lesa]

I grow tons of swiss chard- When I have more than I can eat, I blanch it, squeeze the water out of it, make it into balls and freeze it. It certainly does not have the consistency of "fresh" however, it is great for soup, stir fries, etc. and believe me the chickens do not mind it one bit!! Try it with your critters and see what they think. You could experiment with frozen spinach from the store... Good luck!

 

[wifezilla]

I was wondering if there is any way to preserve leafy greens for later use.

You feed them to your ducks and have them convert the greens in to eggs. Those last for months