• Fill the pot salted water and bring it to a boil.
• Put the colander/strainer in the sink.
• Fill the bowl with equal parts of cold water and ice cubes to make an ice bath.

Blanch The Leaves

• Drop the Swiss chard leaves into the boiling water with the tongs. Don’t overcrowd the pot. Boil the leaves for 2 minutes.
• Move the Swiss chard leaves from the pot to the large bowl of ice bath with the slotted spoon. Rest the Swiss chard leaves in the ice bath for 2 minutes.
• Use the slotted spoon to move the leaves from the ice bath to the strainer. Shake off as much water as you can.
• Using your hands, squeeze the Swiss chard to remove more water.
• Place a towel on a flat surface and place the Swiss chard leaves on the towel.

Blanch The Stems

• Allow the water to come back to a rolling boil. Replace the ice bath with fresh cubes and cold water.
• Drop the Swiss chard stems into the boiling water with the tongs. Boil the stems for 3 minutes.
• Move the stems from the pot to the large bowl of ice bath with the slotted spoon, and rest them in the ice bath for 3 minutes.
• Transfer the stems from the ice bath to the strainer/colander with the spoon. Shake the colander/strainer to remove excess water.
• Empty the stems onto a towel and pat them dry with another cloth.

Prep the Freezer Bags

• Put the blanched leaves into a freezer bag.
• Place the Swiss chard stems into a separate freezer bag.
• Press the air out of the freezer bags and seal them.
• Straw "vacuum seal" trick (optional): Slide a straw into the bag and suck out the air so the bag "shrinks" around the Swiss chard. Slide the bag down the straw as you inhale, and quickly seal the bag while you remove the straw.
• Write today's date and the amount of Swiss chard in each bag on a freezer label. Stick the label to its respective bag, and place the bags in the back of your freezer.