Prepping the Swiss Chard
Rinse your Swiss chard in cold water. You can mix rainbow chard with green or white varieties. Plan to freeze the chard within 6 hours of picking to preserve nutrients. If you are picking it from your garden, cut it at the base of the stem in the early morning for best results. To remove the excess of water, spin the chard, shake it, or pat it dry.
Cut the thick stems away from the leaves. Set the stems aside to prepare and freeze separately.
Chop your Swiss chard. How you chop it will depend upon your preference for preparing it. You can cut them into long ribbons or small squares. Ribbon it by rolling the leaves vertically. Slice horizontally against the rolled leaves in 1-inch (2.5 cm) strips. Chop the leaves like you would spinach. Stack the leaves on top of each other. Slice them 2 times vertically. Stack them again and slice them 3 to 6 times horizontally, depending upon the size of the leaves. Slice them in half or into fourths, if you like larger sized leaves.
Blanching Swiss Chard
Set a large pot of water to boil. Use a stockpot instead of a saucepan to ensure you have enough space for even blanching. Blanching halts enzyme production. It stops the plants from ripening for several days to several weeks. It is recommended to preserve nutrient content for all leafy greens if you can’t use them within two days.
Fill a large bowl with cold water. Add 2 to 3 cups of ice cubes. Set your ice bath on a counter near the stove.
Bring the water to a roiling boil. Add your Swiss chard leaves to the water. If you have more than 4 cups of Swiss chard, do it in several batches.
Set the timer for 2 minutes. Remove the leaves with a slotted spoon after the timer beeps. Place it directly in the ice bath.
Remove the Swiss chard from the ice bath after 2 minutes. Spin it in a salad spinner. Pat it with kitchen towels to remove extra moisture.
Repeat in batches as needed. Slice the stems into 1 inch (2.5 cm) ribs and blanch them for 3 minutes. Place them in the ice bath for 3 minutes before draining in a colander.
Storing Swiss Chard
Lay the leaves on kitchen towels until all your batches are done.
Separate them into serving sizes. You can either weigh them on a scale or measure cup-sized servings.
Squeeze the serving together to pack it tightly. It can also remove excess water.
Stuff them into freezer bags, leaving only 2 inches of headspace. You can also use freezer-safe Tupperware. Seal the lids tightly.
Separate the stems into serving sizes. They can be sautéed and used with onions or celery because of its crunchy texture. Stuff the stems into freezer bags.
Label each container with the date it was frozen. Use it within 10 to 12 months.
Finished.
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