Can You Freeze Mustard Greens?

How to Freeze Mustard Greens

If you want to freeze your mustard greens whole and ready to cook as a green leafy vegetable, then this is the method to follow. You do need to blanch them because leafy greens don’t tend to freeze raw very well:

1. Get Ready
   The first step is to prepare everything you need. You will need a bowl of ice water. You can either pop some ice cubes into a bowl of water or put a bowl of water in the fridge to cool down. You also need a saucepan of boiling water, a colander, a kitchen timer and some freezer bags.
2. Wash Greens
   Wash your mustard greens in cold water and remove any damaged stems or any that show any signs of spoiling. For successful freezing, you want to pick the best mustard greens you can.
3. Blanch
   Put the saucepan of water on the stove to boil. Once it is boiling you need to put the mustard greens in and set a timer for three minutes. While it is boiling you can make sure you have the ice water prepared and nearby.
4. Stop the Cooking Process
   As soon as the timer has finished you need to immediately take the mustard greens out of the boiling water, you can drain them using the colander. Then plunge them into the ice water and leave them there for a few minutes. You need the mustard greens to stop cooking and completely cool down.
5. Drain
   Next, drain the mustard greens again and let them dry off as much as possible.
6. Bag Up
   Now, you can divide your mustard greens into portions and pop them into your freezer bags.
7. Seal
   Squeeze out as much air as you possibly can from the bags, then seal the bags up.
8. Label and Freeze
   Label with the date and contents and put them into the freezer until you need them.

3 Tips for Freezing Mustard Greens

Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing mustard greens to have the best results:

• Blanching is Vital – Blanching your mustard greens is the most important step to ensure that they freeze well. If you want to make sure you get the timings right, you can use a metal colander. Pop your mustard greens into the colander and lower them into the boiling water. Then when the timer beeps, you can lift it straight out and plunge the mustard greens into ice water immediately. It does need to be a metal colander because using a plastic one may melt the plastic!
• Try Vacuum Sealing – If you are struggling to get an airtight seal then you can try and vacuum seal your mustard greens. To do this without a vacuum sealer close the freezer bags almost all the way up and pop a straw into the gap that’s left. Suck the air out using the straw and then take the straw out and finish sealing the bag up immediately.
• Feel Free to Mix Greens – Although this article is focused solely on mustard greens, the method will work for a range of greens that can actually be mixed together to create some variety. Collard greens, kale and spinach, can all be frozen in the same way.

How Long Can You Freeze Mustard Greens?

You can freeze mustard greens for a fairly long time as long as you have blanched and kept them tightly airtight. For best results, freeze them between eight and twelve months.

You Can Freeze Mustard Greens for up to 12 Months

How Do You Defrost Mustard Greens?

In most cases when it comes it cooking and using your mustard greens you won’t need to defrost them at all. Pop them into your cooking, steam or sautee right from frozen. If you have made your self some frozen mustard green oil, then you can also pop these right into the pan from frozen and let them melt.

Can You Refreeze Mustard Greens?

We would not recommend that you refreeze your mustard greens. You will notice when you eat them that they are slightly softer and wetter than they would have been when fresh. This is because they do change in texture when freezing.

If you have added some mustard leaf herb in oil to your cooking then you may be able to get away with freezing any dishes that you have made with this but we would not recommend you refreeze the oil itself if it has thawed out.

Do Mustard Greens Freeze Well?

Mustard greens don’t freeze particularly well if you hope they remain the same texture and quality as fresh mustard greens. They do change considerably when frozen and become much wetter and mushier. They become a little like spinach does when it freezes.

However, as long as you plan to cook them into meals like stews and casseroles or expect the texture change, they are safe to freeze and are still delicious.

Related FAQs

If you’ve still got questions about freezing mustard greens or greens in general, then these may help:

Can You Freeze Mustard Greens Without Blanching?

Although it is likely safe to do, we would not recommend freezing mustard greens without blanching. It’s a step that takes a matter of minutes but will drastically improve the quality of the frozen produce. You’ll find it tastes better, is bright green and maintains more nutrients. 

Can You Freeze Bagged Greens?

Bagged greens can also be frozen using the same method. The approach doesn’t change much. You need to give them a quick clean, drain, then blanch. Once blanched, dry them thoroughly before bagging up and placing them into the freezer.