Home » How to clean, cut and store Muriwo (leafy greens)

How to clean, cut and store Muriwo (leafy greens)

Written by Published on in HowTos, Muriwo, Vegetables
  • 1 bunch leafy greens
  • Water

Leafy green vegetables are perhaps my favourite veg to eat with sadza (pap). However, they do need to be cleaned thoroughly, especially muboora (pumpkin leaves). There’s nothing as annoying as chewing grit in your leafy greens, if that happens and it’s your first time eating them, you’ll probably despise them for life! Here’s how I was my leafy greens.

Quick Instructions

  1. Put your leafy greens in the sink. Put your leaf under running water.  Rub the leaf itself then the vein part. Flip the leaf over and do the same thing. Repeat process until all the vegetables are washed and clean to your satisfaction.
  2. Put the vegetables on a dish rack to drip.  After they have dripped, take each leaf and break off the stems. (We do the breaking of stems after the washing so we don’t lose any minerals) Roll up the vegetables in preparation to cut.
  3. Cut them to your desired thickness. If you’re not cooking them right away, put them in a big enough plastic or a ziploc bag and refrigerate for when required.
Also see  Creamed Spinach with carrots

Pictorial Detailed Instructions

step-1
Put your leafy greens in the sink (a). Put your leaf under running water (b). Rub the leaf itself then the vein part (c). Flip the leaf over and do the same thing (d). Repeat process until all the vegetables are washed and clean to your satisfaction.
step-2
Put the vegetables on a dish rack to drip (a). After they have dripped, take each leaf and break off the stems (b). (We do the breaking of stems after the washing so we don’t lose any minerals) Roll up the vegetables in preparation to cut (d).

 

step-3
Cut them (a) to your desired thickness (b). If you’re not cooking them right away, put them in a big enough plastic (c) or a ziploc bag and refrigerate for when required (d).

 

Ready for refregiration
Ready for refrigeration

Most of the time this is what I prefer doing to my leafy greens, especially when I’ve bought in bulk. I just wash it, cut it all up, put it in a bag, then freeze or refrigerate depending on quantity. I find this convenient because I don’t have to wash and cut it all over again when I want to cook some. If you’re refrigerating, it can last up to 1 week and the freezer can last say up to 2 weeks.  But if you’re putting in the freezer you may want to steam them first, wait for them to cool then freeze.  See how to cook your leafy greens leaving them with a lovely inviting green here