Collard greens are vegetables with green leaves and stem from the Brassica Oleracea family. The consumable part of these greens is the leaf, while the stems are most cut off and discarded. Like most vegetables, collard greens are rich in various vitamins and minerals.
Some of the vitamins and minerals that collard greens have include vitamin A and vitamin C. These vitamins allow your body to cultivate healthy T-cells and better cognitive functions. Vitamins are also important for the better health of your muscles and blood.
By eating enough collard greens, you get the right dose of vitamins which allow your body to maintain a healthy disposition. You will have better control over your control and heart health. You will also find that collard greens are indispensable for people who want to lose weight.
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Why Should You Soak Collard Greens?
Collard greens have numerous nutritional benefits and can be cooked quite easily. Most of the dishes that require collard greens can be prepared in less than 2 hours. One problem with collard greens, however, is the dirt that keeps attaching to them and the bitter taste that most of them have.
The only way to get rid of this bitter taste is to soak them properly. You don’t need to soak them for a long time; even calling the process a soak would be wrong. You just have to stir them in a specific solution for a specified amount of time.
Once soaked, these collard greens will lose their bitterness and become easier to cook. They will also gain a better texture and give the final product a richer look and taste.
How to Soak Collard Greens
Soaking collared greens is easy because of three main reasons. First, the method for soaking collard greens is simple enough for even novices to follow. Second, collard greens don’t need a lot of time to soak; you could get perfectly soaked collard greens in less than 30 minutes.
Finally, the materials needed to soak collard greens are easy to procure. You can get them from any other shop or grocer in your area. A general list includes some Lemon Juice, a stockpot, vinegar, and gloves. You will be soaking your collard greens in normal tap water as long the tap water is drinkable.
Soaking Collard Greens in Water
The method is easy to follow; you will have to repeat the process a few times over. Before doing anything else, you must remove any broken or bug-ridden collard leaves from the mix. After that, you take the pot and fill it with water.
You add in a bit of lemon juice and vinegar and stir the water. Finally, you have to add in the collard greens and swish them around for a bit. This is the best and most fun part, because who doesn’t want to play around in lemon water (Wear the gloves!).
Once this is done, let them sit in the lemon and vinegar mixture for a few minutes. The dirt that these leaves had will also settle at the bottom in that time. After that, you can remove them and check their taste; if you find their taste too bitter, repeat the swishing process and add in more lemon juice and vinegar.
How Long To Soak Collard Greens
The length of soaking collard greens depends entirely on the recipe that you are following. Normally the soaking length of the collard greens depends on the flavor you want. Normally a soaking period of collard green takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Once soaked, you can use them to make Hamli, Vary Amin Anana and Feijoada. Again, the initial soaking process for each recipe is different, but overall, the length for soaking collard greens will remain less than 30 mins.
Can You Soak Collard Greens Overnight?
No, you don’t have to soak collard greens overnight because they will lose their nutritious value. If you want to use collard greens, later on, store them in a Ziploc bag to keep them fresh. You also shouldn’t wash them if you want to refrigerate them.
Soak them once you are ready to cook them. Again, we always recommend fresh collard greens because stored collard greens don’t have that nutritional value.
How to Soak Collard Greens Fast
You don’t need a quick soak method for collard greens because the normal method is already quick enough. Collard greens can become perfectly soaked in less than 30 minutes. The soaking period as explained above, also depends on the taste and bitterness you want
Consequently, if a recipe asks you to soak your collard greens for more than 20 minutes, then it would be best if you followed the recipe instead of doing your own thing.
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