Kale is delicious and nutritious, and it can be used in a wide variety of tasty salads, stews, soups, smoothies, and so much more. As a result, it’s a great food to have.
However, you’ll want to make sure that you’re keeping it as fresh as it can be, and the way to do that is by storing it the correct way.
There are two main ways to keep your kale fresh once harvested: refrigerating it or freezing it. Each of these requires a different process, but if you do it properly then you’ll be able to keep your kale fresh for longer than it would normally last.
In our handy guide below, we’ve got a complete explanation of how to keep kale fresh. Read on!
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How To Keep Kale Fresh
When it comes to keeping kale fresh, that basically means storing it in a proper way. However, there are two main ways that you can store kale, and they each have their own benefits.
On top of that, they differ in the length of time that they can keep your kale fresh, so you’ll want to pick the method that suits your situation best.
These two storing methods are: putting it in the refrigerator or putting it in the freezer.
If you don’t store your kale with one of these methods, then it will soon go off. This not only ruins its delicious taste, but it could make you ill if it has properly gone off and expired.
Stored properly in a fridge, your kale should last about 5 to 7 days, and much longer in the freezer. If you don’t store it anywhere at all, it’ll spoil much more quickly.
We’re going to go through the storage methods, so that you can keep your kale fresh for longer.
How To Keep Kale Fresh In The Refrigerator
When it comes to keeping your kale fresh in the fridge, then you can decide whether you want to keep it all as one bunch, or divide it up into smaller portions.
Keeping A Kale Bunch
If you’re keeping the kale as a bunch, you don’t have to wash it. Instead, just wrap it in a few sheets of paper towels (or one proper kitchen towel), then place the wrapped mass into a plastic storage bag.
Put the bag in the fridge, and make sure that you’re changing the paper towels with new ones every few days.
Keeping Kale Portions
On the other hand, you might want to store the kale in portions, which will keep the leaves fresh for up to 6 days or more.
To follow this method, first submerge the kale in a bowl of cold water, rinsing each leaf and cleaning it. After that, remove it and shake off any excess water, then pull the leaves from the stem.
Once that’s done, dry the kale either with a salad spinner or by rolling the leaves dry in between towels.
When it’s all dry, get some paper towels and lay about 3 kale leaves on each, before rolling the towel into a cylinder and putting it in a plastic storage bag.
Finally, label your bags and then put them in your fridge! The vegetable drawer will be best, and keep them away from any fruit or vegetables that produce ethylene.
How To Keep Kale Fresh In The Freezer
On the other hand, freezing kale will allow you to keep it much longer, allowing it to be cooked and used fresh a long time after you’ve bought it.
If you store the kale properly, using our instructions, then it should be able to keep in the freezer for as long as 6 months!
Preparing The Kale
To begin with, you’ll want to remove all the kale leaves from its stem. Thankfully, this is pretty easy, because you can simply run your hand sharply down the stem and it’ll automatically pull the leaves off.
After they’ve come off, you can break them into smaller pieces if you want.
Once the leaves are free, you’ll need to wash them to get rid of any dirt. Fill a bowl of water with cold water, then submerge the leaves totally in it, leaving it to sit for about 15 minutes.
When they’re thoroughly washed, remove the kale and rinse it under your tap. After that, dry the leaves in a salad spinner.
If you don’t have one, you can dry it with the towel process we covered earlier. Either way, ensure there’s no excess moisture left!
Freezing The Kale
With the kale leaves washed and dried, now lay them onto a clean baking sheet, then put it in your freezer for about 2-3 hours.
Once the time has passed, remove the tray and put the leaves into freezer-friendly bags or containers. Finally, remove excess air from the containers, label them, and then pop them in the freezer.
Drying Your Kale
There is another way you can store your kale, though it’s one that won’t be keeping the food in the fresh, green state that you would expect. The method? Drying it!
Though it may never have occurred to you, drying your kale can turn it into something totally different, and it makes a great snack on top of that.
Seriously, if you add some spice to pieces of dried, crunchy kale, it makes into something that’s like a delicious, healthy twist on a potato chip.
Alternatively, you can add salt or pepper to it too. Be creative! Dried kale is a versatile snack that’s what you make it.
But how do you dry it? Thankfully, it’s simple. The most common method for drying kale is by putting it in the oven for several hours.
Wash, dry, and prepare it beforehand, then put your kale leaves onto an oven tray and leave them in the oven.
Final Thoughts
If you want to keep your kale fresh for longer, you can either refrigerate or freeze it. Simply follow our guide to do either!
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