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Greens or Potherbs

A preserved green vegetable mix canned in salt and water.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 15 ingredients
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The recipe

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the greens

  1. Sort the greens thoroughly, removing any foreign leaves or debris.

  2. Wash the greens well in several waters and drain.

  3. Blanch the greens for 15 minutes in live steam or 4 minutes in rapidly boiling water.

  4. Cut the blanched greens into convenient lengths on a cutting board.

  5. Reheat the greens in a kettle.

Pack and season

  1. Pack the hot greens into hot jars or cans, being careful not to pack too tightly.

  2. Add boiling water to cover the greens, ensuring all air bubbles are removed.

  3. Season to taste with coarse sea salt.

Process and store

  1. Process under 30 pounds steam pressure for 90 minutes, or 35 minutes at 15 pounds.

  2. Seal the jars immediately after removing them from the canner.

  3. Cool tin cans quickly by plunging them into cold water and store in a dark, dry, cool place.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Swiss chard
Provides the bulk of the leafy texture and body once blanched and packed.
Kale
Adds sturdy leaves that hold their structure through heat processing.
Collards
Contributes firm, fibrous leaves that stay tender-chewy after canning.
Dandelion
Adds a slightly bitter flavour that mellows somewhat during blanching and processing.
Chinese cabbage leaves
Adds tender, mild leaves that soften quickly and absorb the packing liquid.

The step that matters

Blanching before packing. Blanching briefly heats the greens to inactivate enzymes that would otherwise cause colour and flavour loss, and it softens leaves so they pack evenly. Skipping or shortening it can leave greens dull and off-flavoured in the jar.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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