Washing and Storing Rapini, Chard, Kale and Beet Greens

Rapini, Chard and Kale can be cut and then washed in a large bowl of fresh cold water.  Make sure the bowl is large enough to swish the pieces so that they can release any sand or soil that might be clinging to the leaves.  Gently lift the greens out of the bowl so you don’t disturb any sand that has settled on the bottom of the bowl.  If you notice a lot of sand when you dump out the water, repeat the rinsing process.

Now comes the important part.  Dry the greens as best as you can.  If you have a salad spinner, use it, but even then, I suggest you get a baking sheet lined with paper towels and spread the greens out onto it.  If you don’t have a salad spinner, try putting the greens into a big salad bowl and gently tossing with a couple of paper towels to absorb the excess moisture.  Put the greens into a plastic bag and add a folded dry piece of paper towel – it will absorb excess moisture.

Remove beet greens from the beets and wash them the same way you wash the chard and kale.  Beet Greens are similar to Swiss Chard and can be sauteed with some garlic and olive oil for a great side veggie.  Or, chop them up and add them to soup.  I like browning some crumbled sausage, adding some hot pepper flakes and then adding in the beet greens.  Toss that with pasta and you have made a meal out of something many people twist off and throw away.

The beets can be stored in a zipped bag in your produce drawer, but leave the top partially open so they can breath.  These beets that we get early in the season are super sweet and tender – they are not intended to be stored although they can be.  The sooner you eat them, the better they will be!