Blanching, in gardening, is a method of eliminating the green color of certain vegetables to improve flavor and texture. Blanched vegetables are white or nearly white. Such vegetables as celery, cauliflower, endive, and sea kale are often blanched. Gardeners blanch vegetables by keeping light away from them. Without light, the green pigment called chlorophyll cannot form in the plants. Plants may be blanched by heaping earth around them, by covering them with paper, or by placing boards on each side of the plants in a row.
Blanching, in cooking, means briefly boiling or steaming vegetables and fruits to help slow down spoiling and preserve flavor (see Food, Frozen (Freezing food at home) ).
