My garden doesn't quit producing when I'm away from home, so today I'm busy freezing its bounty so it won't go to waste while hubby stays home and eats prepared meals and the kids and I visit relatives for a week.
But even if you don't grow your own veggies, you may have reason to freeze vegetables. Next time you see particularly beautiful vegetables at the farmer's market, or a great sale on veggies at the grocery store, pick up some extra and freeze them.
It's really quick and easy to do, and generally offers more nutritious food than store bought frozen vegetables.
What You Need:
A large pot with a well-fitting lid
Water
Vegetables
Cutting board and knife (optional, depending upon vegetable)
Ice
Colander or other strainer
Air tight freezer containers
Sharpie pen
How to Do It:
1. Thoroughly wash and rinse the kitchen sink.
2. Fill the pot with warm tap water, place it on the stove, and cover it. Heat until boiling.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. In my example, I'm preparing collard greens; with these or any other type of greens, wash and keep whole, or stack and roll into a cigar shape and cut into strips. Large vegetables, like broccoli, should be cut up before freezing.
4. When the water in the pot is boiling and all the vegetables are prepared, toss in handfuls of the veggie. With the collards, I did about 1 pound at a time. Be careful not to overfill the pot, or the vegetables won't cook properly.
5. Cover the pot and immediately start timing. Collards take about 4 minutes to cook (or, to use the proper term, blanch. This technique, incidentally, preserves the color, flavor, and nutrition of the vegetable.) See the chart below for blanching times for other vegetables.
6. Pour ice into the kitchen sink and add cold tap water.
7. As soon as the timer dings, remove the veggies using a slotted spoon or slotted spatula and toss them in the sink.
8. Allow the veggies to sit in the ice water until completely cool. If needed, add more cold water to keep the temperature down.
9. Strain the veggies and place in air tight freezer containers. With the Sharpie, mark the container with the type of vegetable and the date of blanching and freezing. Toss the containers in the freezer.
10. Continue until all the vegetables are blanched, reusing the water in the pot. Water your houseplants with the water in the sink, which is probably colored and contains lots of good nutrients.
How Long to Blanch:
Different veggies require different blanching times. Here's a chart to help:
Asparagus (medium): 2 minutes
Basil: 1 minute (other herbs may be frozen without blanching)
Beans (whole): 3 minutes
Beans (chopped): 2 minutes
Broccoli: 3 minutes
Brussel Sprouts (medium): 4 minutes
Cabbage (wedges): 3 minutes
Cabbage (shredded): 1 minute
Carrots (whole): 5 minutes
Carrots (chopped): 2 minutes
Cauliflower (chopped): 3 minutes, add 1 T. vinegar to the blanching water
Corn on the Cob (medium): 8 minutes
Kohlrabi (slices): 2 minutes
Kohlrabi (stems): 3 minutes
Okra (small pods): 3 minutes
Peas: 1 1/2 minutes
Onions & Leeks: freeze without blanching
Peppers: Freeze without blanching
New Potatoes (whole): 5 minutes
Other types of Potatoes: grate and freeze without blanching
Zucchini: 3 minutes, or grate and freeze without blanching
4. When the water in the pot is boiling and all the vegetables are prepared, toss in handfuls of the veggie. With the collards, I did about 1 pound at a time. Be careful not to overfill the pot, or the vegetables won't cook properly.
5. Cover the pot and immediately start timing. Collards take about 4 minutes to cook (or, to use the proper term, blanch. This technique, incidentally, preserves the color, flavor, and nutrition of the vegetable.) See the chart below for blanching times for other vegetables.
6. Pour ice into the kitchen sink and add cold tap water.
7. As soon as the timer dings, remove the veggies using a slotted spoon or slotted spatula and toss them in the sink.
8. Allow the veggies to sit in the ice water until completely cool. If needed, add more cold water to keep the temperature down.
9. Strain the veggies and place in air tight freezer containers. With the Sharpie, mark the container with the type of vegetable and the date of blanching and freezing. Toss the containers in the freezer.
10. Continue until all the vegetables are blanched, reusing the water in the pot. Water your houseplants with the water in the sink, which is probably colored and contains lots of good nutrients.
How Long to Blanch:
Different veggies require different blanching times. Here's a chart to help:
Asparagus (medium): 2 minutes
Basil: 1 minute (other herbs may be frozen without blanching)
Beans (whole): 3 minutes
Beans (chopped): 2 minutes
Broccoli: 3 minutes
Brussel Sprouts (medium): 4 minutes
Cabbage (wedges): 3 minutes
Cabbage (shredded): 1 minute
Carrots (whole): 5 minutes
Carrots (chopped): 2 minutes
Cauliflower (chopped): 3 minutes, add 1 T. vinegar to the blanching water
Corn on the Cob (medium): 8 minutes
Kohlrabi (slices): 2 minutes
Kohlrabi (stems): 3 minutes
Okra (small pods): 3 minutes
Peas: 1 1/2 minutes
Onions & Leeks: freeze without blanching
Peppers: Freeze without blanching
New Potatoes (whole): 5 minutes
Other types of Potatoes: grate and freeze without blanching
Zucchini: 3 minutes, or grate and freeze without blanching
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