Rinse the kale well to clean thoroughly. You may need to open up curly kale leaves to clean.
Dry the kale completely on paper towels or with a salad spinner.
Place the kale in an air-tight Ziploc bag. Separate it out into the portions you may want for later so use big or small Ziploc bags. Remove all air from the bag and seal tightly. Place in the freezer.
Raw Kale - Flash Freezing Method
Rinse the kale well to clean thoroughly. You may need to open up curly kale leaves to clean.
Dry the kale completely on paper towels or with a salad spinner.
Tear the kale leaves off the thick stem. These can be in large or small pieces.
Place the kale in a single layer on a baking sheet to flash freeze for 1 hour.
Transfer the frozen kale leaves to an air-tight Ziploc bag. Separate it out into the portions you may want for later so use big or small Ziploc bags. Remove all air from the bag and seal tightly. Place in the freezer
Freezing Blanched Kale
Rinse the kale well to clean thoroughly. You may need to open up curly kale leaves to clean. Tear the kale leaves off the thick stem. These can be in large or small pieces. You can also leave them on the stem, your choice.
Prepare an ice-water bath. In a large mixing bowl add a few cups of ice and some water to cover, the bowl should be about ½ way full when this step is done.
Prepare a large stockpot with water and bring to a slow rolling boil. Blanch large leaves for 2 minutes or full stems for 3 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to push down any leaves that may float to the top. Once done, using tongs remove the kale from the pot and drop immediately in the ice water bath. This shocks it and helps retain some of the bright green colors.
Dry the kale completely on paper towels or with a salad spinner. You may need to wrap the kale in paper towels and squeeze it over the sink. This will get all the excess moisture out.
Place the kale in a single layer on a baking sheet to flash freeze for 1 hour. Or you can freeze directly in the Ziploc without the baking sheet step. Separate it out into the portions you may want for later so use big or small Ziploc bags.
Transfer the frozen kale to an air-tight Ziploc bag. Remove all air from the bag and seal tightly. Place in the freezer.