How to Blanch Poke Greens for Freezing
- 1). Find and pick poke greens in the wild. Fresh poke greens are rarely sold in stores. Foraging for them yourself is the only way you are likely to find fresh poke greens. Make sure that you have a good field guide for identifying the proper plant. Only pick very young, tender shoots and leaves. To avoid risk of contaminated food, do not gather wild plants from roadsides or in areas that have been treated with pesticides. Do not pick mature leaves, as these contain toxins.
- 2). Carefully wash the greens. Repeatedly swish in clean, cold water until all dirt has been removed. Gently pat dry.
- 3). Bring two medium pots of water to a boil. You should have enough water in each pot to completely cover the greens. Drop washed poke greens into one pot. Boil for one minute. The water will get dark from the tannins leaching from the poke greens. Drain and rinse well.
- 4). Put the drained and rinsed poke greens into the second pot of water. Boil for 15 minutes. This long boiling in two changes of water is necessary to leach the toxins from the greens.
- 5). Drain poke greens and plunge into ice-water to cool. The greens are now ready to be frozen for future use.
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