I have freezed spinach many times. Still every autumn I get surprised how small amount of freeezed spinach you can get from so big amount of fresh spinach plants.
Here’s some instructions how I freeze spinach…
1. Cut of spinach plants.
2. Separate spinach leaves from the stalks.
3. Wash the leaves with pure water 2-3 times. It`s easier if you have 2-3 big containers to use in turns.
4. Fill a big kettle with water and fill it up with as many leaves as possible. (Our leaves took about 12 kettles so prepare to do this and the rest of the phases many times).
5. When water starts to warm up, spinach leaves start to shrink and soften. Push leaves under the water when possible.
6. Take the kettle off from stove when the water starts to boil.
Note! Don`t let the leaves actually boil. It is enough that they only shrink and soften.
7. Pour the spinach leaves through a colander. Save some of the boiling water.
8. Mash the spinach leaves with a mixer (or in a blender). It is easier to mash if you add some boiling water.
9. Pour mashed spinach to a dense colander. Let the mashed spinach to cool down.
10. Bag the spinach to small plastic bags (or small boxes) and put the bags (or boxes) to a freezer.
Note! Boiled and mashed spinach is very dense. That`s why it is better to freeze small amounts of spinach because it doesn’t take much for one food.