Pinkie promise I will quit jabbering on about kale - this discovery was just too awesome not to share NOW!

Do you remember the days when flaming hot clean mason jars were spread atop kitchen towels to cool?

Handled with special tongs as they emerged from piping hot steam baths. Their contents sealed inside for a chilly winter day. A reminder that it would get warm again.

Pears, peaches, apricots, plumbs, tomatoes, cherries, green beans, okra, salsa, grape juice…you name it, it can be preserved in a jar with a fresh lid, the proper heat and cooking time. Home bottled love many of us remember with sweet fondness....because we weren't the ones preparing it.

Is it any wonder that day after day of cursing hot sweaty kitchens, achy legs, monotonous and seemingly underappreciated bottled produce faded from necessity to special treat?

Ever spend much time as a kiddo around grownups “putting up” produce? Must have etched scars deeper than we realized.

I suppose I will scar my offspring with my freezer addiction.

God bless the freezer! Zeus, my chest freezer, has taken the place of the kaleidoscope of fruits and veggies packed onto pantry shelves. I don’t bottle a single thing. I freeze it all, tray by tray – bag by bag.

Growing and freezing produce to use later is not a new concept. Freezing your produce is much less time consuming and labor intensive than bottling.

It still takes plenty of time and a lot of effort to pack a freezer full. With that in mind, I devised a simple way to get more KALE packed easily into your freezer.

It saves time = easier.

Easier = greater likelihood you will do it.

This kale hack will lead to a powerful money-saving, body rejuvenating ingredient available whenever you want it.

Forget chopping. You just saved gobs of time and your cutting board and knife won’t be stained green either.

Check out these 5 easy steps:

De-stem kale (unless you really love the stem then keep it)
Place leaves in a giant bag (I use the outer bread sack from Costco that holds two loaves of bread)
LEAVE the TOP OPEN and place in the freezer (this allows the moisture to escape rather than be trapped in a sealed bag=better quality kale)
When leaves are frozen solid, crush like a 3 year old smashing a delicate lego project
Pour perfectly crushed, frozen kale into a gallon zip-top bag. Seal and REPEAT until your freezer is bursting.

And that my friends, will save you time which will make freezing your kale so much easier. When you have kale on hand it’s easier to grab from the freezer, add to your fruit and veggie smoothie, bowl of soup or pile of Ham Fried Brown Rice.

You don’t need a gunnysack packed with kale to get started - even a handful of leaves - go ahead and do it – your body will thank you!

Happy Stashing!

Brooke