Leafy greens
Dried SpinachBlanch, Then Dry: Drying Time and Storage
Drying spinach intensifies its aroma and flavor.
Spinach contains oxalic acid, which gives it a harsh, astringent taste, so the key is to blanch it briefly in salted water before drying. Blanching also keeps the color bright.
Leafy greens are not suited to semi-drying. If some water is left in them, they spoil quickly, so dry them until completely crisp.
| Drying time | Storage | |
|---|---|---|
| Dry | 2–3 days | 1 month at room temperature |
Drying times assume drying during the day in sunny weather and bringing them in at night.
How to dry spinach
- Trim the roots: Cut off the roots and wash away the soil collected at the base.
- Blanch in salted water: Add salt to boiling water and blanch for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Rinse and squeeze: Plunge into cold water to remove bitterness, squeeze hard by hand, then wrap in paper towels to remove even more water.
- Spread out and dry: Spread the leaves out on a basket without overlapping. Put them somewhere sunny and breezy, and bring them in by evening.
Where and when to dry is covered in How to Dry Vegetables, and tools in Tools for Drying Vegetables.
When it’s done
Dry (2–3 days)
It’s done when the leaves have curled, turned dark green, and crumble when rubbed between your fingers. The stems near the base dry last, so snap one to check.
Day by day
Before drying
Day 1
Day 2
Storage
- Room temperature: Put completely crisp spinach in a bag or airtight container with a desiccant, and keep somewhere cool and out of direct sun for about 1 month. Press all the air out of the bag.
- Frozen: To keep it longer, freeze it for 2–3 months.
If it goes limp from moisture during storage, dry it again. Fuzzy white or green growth, black spots or a bad smell are signs of mold or spoilage; throw it away. More in How to Store Dried Vegetables.
How to use it
- Use it dry: Add straight to miso soup, soups, ramen, udon and rice porridge. It’s already blanched, so it’s ready to eat right away.
- Rehydrate: For ohitashi (greens in broth) or sesame-dressed spinach, soak in water for 5–10 minutes and squeeze.
- Crumbled: Crumble by hand and mix into rolled omelets, omelets or pancake batter for a pretty green color.
