Green leafy vegetables have key nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Potassium and Fiber.Try these tips for buying, storing, and cooking green leafy vegetables.

Choose the Freshest Greens

• Look for moist, crisp greens with rich color.
• Avoid those that are yellowish or brownish or have slimy leaves.
• Greens can go bad quickly!  So only buy what you can use in a short amount of time.

Quick Tip
If the leaves appear wilted, you can cut them into pieces and place them in a large bowl of water for about an hour. They will often plump upand be fine to eat.

Storing Greens

• Wrap washed greens in a paper towel and place in a plastic bag. Keep in the coldest part of the refrigerator.
•  Plan to eat greens within 1-4 days after you buy them.

Washing Greens

• Remove leaves from thick stems and place in large bowl of cold water. Swish them around then remove leaves (do not drain using a strainer because you will mix the dirt back in) and discard water.

• Repeat until no more dirt appears in the bowl. Pat with towel or paper tower.

Freezing Greens

• Greens like spinach, Swiss chard, and kale can be frozen, but you must blanch them first and place in a zip-top freezer bag or other airtight container.

*Blanching means to place foods in boiling water for a short amount of time (a few seconds to 1 minute depending on the vegetable)

Make Kale Tender and Less Bitter

Kale can taste bitter. By massaging kale leaves with citrus juice and olive oil, you can make a kale side dish with a tangy kick. Just follow these three steps:

1. Add 1 tsp of lemon or lime juice
2.  Add 1 tsp olive oil
3.  Massage ingredients into leaves with your hands

Cooking Greens

• Greens can be added to soups and stews, eaten raw in salads or juiced with other greens and vegetables.
• You can cook greens by steaming, boiling, or microwaving.

Quick Tip
When microwaving, cook for 2 minutes for every 2 cups of greens. Make sure to use a microwave safe bowl and cover the greens with a damp paper towel.

Try These Recipes Using Greens!

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad	Fall Kale and Quinoa Salad	Smothered Greens
Kale Slaw	Kale Chips	Mango Green Smoothie