Depends on how quickly you can freeze them!! The nutrient value in the veggies that we buy should be good if they are fresh and snap frozen. However if you have a good deep freeze that should do the job. If they freeze slowly though you may lose nutrients. Last year I froze fresh beans (didn't work at all, they just got thin and stringy) and zucchini - which went really well. I didn't blanche the zucchini, just chopped it up and popped them into snap lock bag and into the deep freeze. HTH
:-)
If you have the time and the inclination to do it, then yeah. We have done it when we have grown our own veges and they are really good, just like brought ones.
Freezing Carrots
Choose young, tender coreless medium length carrots. remove tops. wash and peel. Leave small carrost whole and cut larger ones into thin slices, 6mm cubes or lengthwise strips. Water blanch small whole carrots for 5 minutes, diced, strips or sliced carrots for 2 minutes. Cool promptly, drain and pack leaving 13mm head space. Seal and freeze.
Broccoli
Select form, young tender stalks with compact heads. Remove leaves and woody portions. Separate heads into convenient size sections and immerse in solution of 4tsp salt to 4lts water for 30 minutes to remove insects. Split lengthways so that florets are no more than 40mm across. Water blanch for 3 minutes or steam blanch for 5 minutes. Cool promptly, drain and package, leaving no head space. Seal and freeze.
Cauliflower
Choose firm, tender white heads. Trim off leaves and cut head into pieces about 25mm across. If necessary, remove insects by soaking for 30 minutes in a solution the same as for broccoli. Repeat blanching process as for broccoli and freeze.
Corn
Select only tender and if possible, freshly picked, corn in milk stage Husk and trim to ears and remove silks and wash. Corn on the Cob - water blanch small ears (30mm or less in diameter) for 7 minutes, medium ears (30-40mm) for 9 mins and large ears (40+mm) for 11 mins. Cool promptly and drain and pack. Seal and freeze. Corn Kernels - Water blanch whole cob for 4 mins, cool, drain and cut kernels from cob about 2/3 the depth of the kernels. Pack and leave 13mm head space.
Pumpkin
Use Mature pumpkin with fine texture. Wsh and cut into cooking size sections and remove seeds. Cook until soft in boiling water, in steam or in a pressure cooker. Remove pulp from rind and mash. To cool, place pan containing pumpkin in cold water and stir occasionally. Pack, leaving 13mm head space. Seal and freeze.
Potato
Slect smooth, new potatoes. Peel or scrape and wash. Water blanch for 3-5 minutes depending on size. Cool, drain and pack whole or sectioned. Leaving 13mm head space. Seal and freeze.
BLANCHING
Blanching is a must for almost all vegetables to be frozen. It heats the veges long enough to slow or stop enzyme activity but not long enough to cook it.
WATER BLANCHING
Use 4tsp salt to 4lt water per 500g of prepared vegetable. Put the veges into a wire basket or colander to fit inside the pot. Bring the water to the boil and then lower the veges into the water. cover and start timing immediately. Keep heat high for the time given in the directions for the veges you are blanching.
STEAM BLANCHING
Steam blanching takes about 1.5 times longer than water blanching but helps retain water soluable vitamins. To steam, use a pots with a tight lid and a basket that holds the food at least 75mm above the bottom of the pot. Put 25-30mm of water in the pot and bring to a boil. Put the veges in the basket to a single layer so the steam reaches all the parts quickly. Cover the pot and keep heat high. starting timing as soon as the lid is on.
COOLING
As soon as the blanching is complete, veges should be cooled quickly to stop the cooking process. To cool, plunge the basket of veges immediately into a large post of cold water at 15 degrees or below. Change water frequently or use cold running water. If ice is used, about 450g is meeded for each 450g or veges. Cooling veges should take the same amount of time as blanching.
Drain the veges thoroughly after cooling, Extra moisture can cause a loss of quality when veges are frozen. Dry the surface with clean tea towels or paper towels.
PACKING
We just used snap lock bags, with all the air squeezed out of them before sealing. You can also tray pack, where you place the cooled veges on a tray in a single layer and freeze just long enough to freeze firm. After the first hour check often as long exposure wil result in loss of moisture. Package quickly, leaving no head space then seal.
The HEAD SPACE that is referred to when packing is just the amount of room you should leave at the top of the container you are freezing them in, but if you use snap lock or other bags, you don't have to worry about that.
THAWING
Most frozen veges should be cooked from frozen without thawing. If thawing, do so in the fridge or under cold running water. Never allow to thaw at room temp. To retain the nutrients, cook in as little water as possible, 1/2 cup is enough for 500g of veges. Bring water to the boil and add veges, return to the boil, cover and lower the heat. Cook just until fork tender, which is usually half the time for the same veges when cooked from fresh. Corn on the cob should be thawed so the cob will heat right through. Broccoli and other greens will cook more uniformly if thawed slightly and broken apart before cooking. Do no refreeze once they have been cooked. They can also be steamed, microwaved and stirfried.
Ally, I am not an advocate of the home shopping channel, BUT, have you seen those vacuum seal bag machines? They are ideal for home preserving/home freezing of veggies, as they take the oxygen out of the bag.........
Lucy, those bag sealing machines sound like a great idea too.. I must invest in one. I'd also like to get hold of a good veggie slicer, to make things easier!Can anyone recommend one?
Thanks again Sherie, I havent thought about doing fruit! If any i would most likely just do apples!
we have a freezer half full of frozen veg from the garden that we've blanched - it's so convenient! they taste so much better than bought frozen veg
it's also a good idea if you have the opportunity to buy vegies in bulk (market etc) to blanch and freeze your own. we do cauli and brocolli in meal size bags, carrot, peas, corn (very rarely - they usually get eaten fresh from the plant.... mmmm), carrot etc.
looking at ways to freeze fruit in a way that isn't smoosh. stewed apples aren't bad for using in cakes and things, but we have the most fruity trees (apples) at the moment - we're getting about 5kg of green apples a week! am thinking of how to do pears too... hmmmmm.
anyone know how to poach peaches and pears like you get them in the tins/containers rather than stewing to turn to smoosh. a single person at home alone can't eat that much fruit without dire consequences!
Ooh, Trillian what is the name of that book? We are trying to hunt down a good preserving book.
We just put our corn cobs in the freezer without blanching as that is what my dad told me he does with his. Hoping they are ok, should try some later this week.
BG - have you thought of brewing cider with those apples? That is a great way of preserving
Apples
Syrup pack is preferred for apples to be used for uncooked desserts or fruit ****tails. A sugar or dry pack is good for pie making.
Syrup Pack: Use 40%* cold syrup. To prevent browning add 1/2 tsp ascorbic acid to each litre of syrup. Slice apples directly into syrup in container starting with 1/2 cup syrup to a 500ml container. Press fruit down in containers and add enough syrup to cover. Leave a head space. Place small piece of crumpled water resistant paper on top to hold the fuit down. Seal and freeze.
Sugar Pack: The prvent darkening disolve 1/2 tsp ascorbic acid in 3 tbsp water. Sprinkle over the fruit. Alternatively apple slices can be steam blanched for 1.5 - 2 minutes. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1 litre of fruit (about 550g). Pack apples into containers and press fruit down, leaving a head space. seal and freeze.
*40% is a heavy syrup of 2 3/4 cups sugar to 4 cups water to give you a yield of 5 1/3 cups
Apricots and Peaches
Choose ripe, mature fruit of good eating quality.
Fruit can be packed in a very light*, light**, or medium syrup***. Fruit can also be packed in water, apple juice or white grape juice. Prepare the liquid and keep it hot.
Dip fruit in boiling water for 30-60 seconds until skins loosen. Dip quickly in cold water and slip off skins. Cut in half, remove pits and slice, if desired. To prevent darkening (these fruits will darken) place in a holding solution of 1tsp ascorbic acid in 4 litres of water. Hold the fruit in this solution until you are ready to pack it. Then drain and rinse.
Hot Pack: Remove fruit from antidarkening solution and drain well. In a large saucepan heat drained fruit in prepared syrup, water or juice. Bring to a boil. Pack hot fruit in hot jars (best to put them in a low oven) leaving a 13mm head space. When packing halves, place them cut side down. Fill jars to 13mm from top with hot liquid, remove air bubbles, wipe jar rims, adjust lids and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes (for 500ml jars - I use left over pasta sauce jars, but if you have proper vacola preserving jars that's even better).
Raw Pack: Remove fruit from antidarkening solution and drain well. Pack raw fruit into hot jars leaving 13mm head space. For packing halves, same applies as for hot pack. Fill to 13mm from top with hot liquid. Remove air bubbles, wipe jar rims, adjust lids and process in a boiling water bath for 25 minutes (500ml jars).
* Very light syrup or 10% is 1/2 cup sugar to 4 cups water for a 4 1/23 cup yield. ** Light syrup or 20% is 1 cup cugar to 4 cups water for a 4 3/4 cup yield. *** Medium syrup or 30% is 1 3/4 cup sugar to 4 cups water fo a 5 cup yield.
To make syrup dissolve sugar in lukewarm water and mix until the solution is clear. Chill before using.
When processing, make sure that the water is always 25mls above the top of the jars. If the water gets a bit low, add more boiling water, but do not pour directly over the jars, pour it in between them.
Once they are done, remove gently using a lifter if you have one or tongs will do. Place them 25mm apart to cool and do not try to tighten the lids. As they cool they will create a vacuum and suck the lid down tight. Allow a full 24hrs to cool.
Now if you are using left over jars from pasta sauces, it is a bit trickier to make sure they are sealed properly. To test this, try pushing on the lid, if it has sucked down a little and you can't move it when you push in the middle, then it is sealed. Also you can give the bottom of the jar a little tap with a spoon and if it makes a tinny sound, then it hasn't resealed properly and will need to be eaten within the next few days, but if it is a dull sound, then it is fine to store.
Astrid, it's called Food Preserving at Home by John Gross and the ISBN is 0 947277 49 8. It's a fabulous book and we use it every year and it's become very well loved LOL.
BG, you could also consider making some conserve or jelly with the apples too. Or you can dry them. There are loads of different things you can do with them.
might hvae to keep an eye out for thta book Trillian - sounds like something we'd get a lot of use out of! a lot of our fruit trees were planted last winter with the thought they'll mature over a few years ready for Gremlin to eat - but if they all hit maturity at the same time, it will be a very fruity house out here!
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BellyBelly Member
Freezing Fresh Veggies...
Gotta love that baby brain rofl.
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