Q: I LOVE HEARTY WINTER GREENS, BUT I OFTEN SKIP BUYING THEM BY THE BUNCH AND INSTEAD GET THE BAGS OF THEM PRE-CHOPPED. WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO CLEAN AND PREP A BIG BUNCH OF FRESH WHOLE GREENS?

A: Those bags of already washed and chopped greens are so convenient, and there’s nothing wrong with reaching for them if that’s your preference. But we like buying fresh whole greens and prepping them ourselves for a few reasons. One, it’s cheaper to do it yourself; you can often get two bunches of greens for the price of one bag. Two, greens by the bunch are frequently fresher than the bagged stuff —you can inspect the bunch before buying, but you can’t open the bag. And three, you’ll have the stems to cook with. Here’s how to prep a bunch of greens.

Separate the bunch into individual pieces, and add them to a sink full of cool water. Swish them around to let the dirt and grit fall to the bottom of the sink. Remove the greens from the sink (don’t drain the water first), shake of the excess water, and lay them flat between dish towels or paper towels to dry. Hold the stem in one hand while running your other hand against the stem and stripping of the leaf. Stack the leaves together, and roll them up into a log. Slice the log ¼ to ½ inch thick, and separate into strands. Stems from chard and other tender stems can be chopped and cooked along with the greens, or save them for making vegetable stock. Freeze prepped greens and stems in a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag for up to 3 months; there is no need to thaw them before cooking.