Branching veggies

[Seymour's mom]

What veggies should I blanch?

[Diggie's Friend]

Baby leafy greens lettuces and dandelion greens should be dipped into the boiling water for 2 minutes to destroy possible bacteria present.

Mature leafy greens: Kale, Bok or Pok Choy, Mizuna, Chicory leaves up to (4 to 5) min depnding on how heavy the leaves are.

Heavier leaves like Turnip greens and heavy cabbage leaves 10 min..

Mustard Greens, and Collard greens require 20 min boiling to reduce calcum robbing anti-nutrient (oxalic acid)

Blanching and boiling kills bad bacteria like E coli and Salmonella that may be present on ground green cultivars, and lowers the pH of these greens so they don't tip the urine pH too high (imporatnt to keep the urine pH at mid to high 6 range, not over 7.0 as this promotes a form of urinary calcium stone.

[Seymour's mom]

Baby leafy greens lettuces and dandelion greens should be dipped into the boiling water for 2 minutes to destroy possible bacteria present.

Mature leafy greens: Kale, Bok or Pok Choy, Mizuna, Chicory leaves up to (4 to 5) min depnding on how heavy the leaves are.

Heavier leaves like Turnip greens and heavy cabbage leaves 10 min..

Mustard Greens, and Collard greens require 20 min boiling to reduce calcum robbing anti-nutrient (oxalic acid)

Blanching and boiling kills bad bacteria like E coli and Salmonella that may be present on ground green cultivars, and lowers the pH of these greens so they don't tip the urine pH too high (imporatnt to keep the urine pH at mid to high 6 range, not over 7.0 as this promotes a form of urinary calcium stone.

Thank you 😊😊

[SophieSquirrel]

The Henrys diet recommends against Collard/Turnip Greens. Is that b/c of the Oxalic Acid? I only do organic veggies from Whole foods for mine so I don't blanch. Use of Organics also eliminates pesticides which cannot be eliminated by blanching. I realize not everyone has access to organics.

https://www.henryspets.com/healthy-diet-for-pet-squirrels/

[Diggie's Friend]

Collards not boiled provide no bioavailable calcium to the body upon digestion, and lower calcium in other souces tha they ae fed with. Turnip greens can be fed without prolonged boiling as oxalates aren't an issue; yet they taste less bitter when boiled about 10 minutes, making it more likely the squirrels will eat them long-term. Blanching (short term boiling) is needed for all leafy greens, as ground water may be contaminated with bad bacterias, (E coli, Salmonella) as those occassional alerts on the contamination of lettuce and other greens remind us. Organic produced cultivars are more healthy, yet since pesticides aren't used, which come their own set of serious issues that can't be prevented, blanching to remove insects and kill bad bacteria, that is quick and easy to do, is the better option to use in support of health.

[Seymour's mom]

The Henrys diet recommends against Collard/Turnip Greens. Is that b/c of the Oxalic Acid? I only do organic veggies from Whole foods for mine so I don't blanch. Use of Organics also eliminates pesticides which cannot be eliminated by blanching. I realize not everyone has access to organics.

https://www.henryspets.com/healthy-diet-for-pet-squirrels/


I was wondering the same thing,

[Seymour's mom]

Just blanched some dandelion greens and collard greens. I've never blanched a vegetable in my life lol. After I blanched I put the greens in a strainer then stored in Tupperware. Am I supposed to let them cool first before I refrigerate them? Do they go bad quicker ?

[Diggie's Friend]

If you plan to feed it the same day it is ok.

if you only blanch for a minute or so and let it cool it may last longe due to the removal of bacteria.


Yet if you blanch as noted it will speed up it going bad quicker, as blanching is a form of predigestion which begins to breaks food

down, and so speeds up their decay.

Blanching does more than lower oxalates, and pH of foods;

for it is a good support to remove the eggs of parasitic helminths (intestinal worms),

as is washing leafy greens prior to doing so.

[Seymour's mom]

If you are going to feed them the same day it would be ok,

but if you want to store them it will cause them to go bad quicker,

as blanching is a form of predigestion which begins to breaks food down, and so speeds up their decay.

Blanching does more than lower oxalates, and pH of foods;

for it is a good support to remove the eggs of parasitic helminths (intestinal worms),

as is washing leafy greens prior to doing so.


I should have asked this before I blanched lol I blanched all of it lol So just blanch before serving 😉