Guide to Freezing Vegetables

Posted by Hanna Trafford in Recipes on August 19, 2009 | one response

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About the Author: Hanna is the mother of two grown sons Dan and Dusan Nedelko, Step mother to Abbie Gateman and is also a brand new Grandmother. She is the lead editor of Mama Knows and is hoping to create an exchange of communications with other grandmothers, mothers and daughters - giving everyone the opportunity to learn and share about everything that is "Mama"

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vegetables1 Preserving all those wonderful vegetables that are available this time of year is a great idea – whether you harvest them from your own garden or visit your local farmer’s market. It may take a little time, but you will be glad you did it when, during the bleak winter months, you will be able to pull out a bag of these goodies and get it on your table quickly and inexpensively!

Guide to Freezing Vegetables:

Freeze only high quality vegetables of proper maturity
Always use fresh garden vegetables and freeze them within a few hours of gathering or purchasing
Select the variety of vegetables that is recommended for freezing
Clean and cup up vegetables as you would for cooking
Prepare and pack quickly
All vegetables must be blanched before freezing to retard enzyme action and thus retain colour,flavoiur and texture.
To remove insects that may be present in broccoli, brussels sprouts or cauliflower, immerse prepared vegetables for 30 minutes in a brine made from about 1 tablespoon of salt to 5 cups of water. Rinse throughly and blanch.
Pack in suitable freezer containers, freezer bags or freezer wrappings
Store frozen vegetables for up to one year

Blanching Vegetables:

Vegetables contain enzymes, which, if not controlled by blanching will cause undesirable changes in flavour, colour and texture of the vegetables when frozen.

Place vegetables in a wire basket, colander or cheesecloth bag, Lower into vigorously boiling water , cover and immediately start timing (see chart below for recommended times). Keep heat on high so that water will quickly return to boiling. As soon as water returns to a vigorous boil, remove cover and move vegetable container up and down to ensure uniform blanching. Follow the blanching time, then remove and chill immediately by p0lacing under cold running water, Drain thoroughly and do not allow the vegetables to remain in the cold water any longer than necessary. Blanch only one pound of vegetables at a time.

Vegetable	Preparation	Blanching Time	Cooking Time Before Serving
Asparagus	Select young, tender stalks, remove tough ends and scales,. Wash, trim, cut in 1″ pieces or leave whole	Small – 3 minutes, Large – 4 minutes	5-8 minutes
Beans – Green ot Waxed	Select young tender beans. Wash. Trim, cut into uniform pieces or leave whole	Cut – 3 minutes, Whole – 4 minutes	Green – 7-10 minutes, Wax – 5-8 minutes
Beans – Lima	Select young, tender beans. Shell and wash	Small – 2 minutes, Large – 4 minutes	10 – 15 minutes
Broccoli	Select dark green, compact heads, Trim off woody stalk. Cut through heads and stalk so that pieces are about 1" across. Wash carefully	Medium – 3 minutes, Large – 4 minutes	5-8 minutes
Brussel Sprouts	Select deep green, compact heads. Trim, removing coarse outer leaves. Wash carefully	Small – 3 minutes, Medium – 4 minutes, Large – 5 minutes	5-9 minutes
Carrots	Select young, tender carrots. Remove tops, wash and scrape. Slice, dice or leave small carrots whole.	Cut – 3 minutes, whole – 5 minutes	4-8 minutes
Cauliflower	Select compact, white tender heads. Break into florets about 1" in diameter. Wash carefully	3 minutes	3-6 minutes
Corn – whole kernel	Select freshly picked corn and prepare immediately. Husk, remove silk, trim. Cut kernels from cobs after blanching	4 minutes	4-5 minutes
Corn – on the cob	Husk remove silk and sort for size	Small – 7 minutes, Medium – 9 minutes, Large – 11 minutes	3-6 minutes
Peas	Select young, tender peas. Shell and wash	2 minutes	4-7 minutes
Spinach. Chard and other greens	Select only tender leaves. Discard tough stems and bruised leaves. Wash very thoroughly	2 minutes	4-6 minutes
Squash and Pumpkin	Select well matured vegetables. Remove seeds and stringy portion. Cut into small pieces and boil until tender. Cool quickly and remove rind. Mash or sieve. Pack and freeze.	None	As a vegetable – reheat. For pies = thaw and use as canned or cooked.

To Cook Frozen Vegetables:

Cook most vegetables without thawing.
Vegetables requiring partial thawing should be thawed in an unopened container.
Thaw asparagus, broccoli and spinach just enough to break apart.
Corn on the cob should be thawed completely before cooking.
Pumpkin or squash can be thawed completely and used as you would for cooked or canned.
In general, frozen vegetables are cooked by the same methods as fresh except that cooking time is reduced to about 1/2 the time.

For Guide to Freezing Fruits, please visit:

http://www.mama-knows.com/recipes/guide-to-freezing-fruits.html

Hope this guide has been helpful to you – please send in your comments and suggestions – your input is always appreciated!

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