I grow my own spinach in my vegetable garden, and as usually happens, I had a bumper crop that came on all at once and we couldn't eat it all. So I did some research on the best way to freeze the spinach for later use.
Most information agreed that you should wash and dry the leaves first. Some suggested cooking the spinach first, then placing into freezer bags, while others said not to cook it and just place in freezer bags raw.
I found one source that explained it depends on whether the spinach is fresh picked from your garden etc, or if you bought it from the grocery store. Apparently, if it's just picked, you can place it directly into the freezer bags without cooking it. However, if you buy it from the grocery store and it's been sitting awhile, it's best to cook it first before freezing. The writer went on to say it's not the freezing but the thawing process that makes the leaves soggy and almost unusable, and cooking other than freshly picked spinach first will give you the best results.
