Summer is coming to a close (even though it’s still over 100 degrees) and it’s time to start thinking about how you will preserve your beautiful fruits and vegetables for the longer winter months ahead. Last year, we gave you instructions on how to can your fruits and veggies, so this year, we thought it might be a good idea to show you how to freeze them.
Believe it or not, there is a right and wrong way to freeze fruits and vegetables, and while it is not difficult, doing it right can preserve your veggies for a lot longer than doing it the wrong way and doing it right is not much work.
Let’s begin with your list of supplies. You’ll need good quality freezer bags. DO NOT buy storage bags look for ‘Freezer bags’ on the label. There is a big difference and you’ll know it when you grab a bag of frozen veggies this December. This is also a time when you don’t want to skimp on quality to save a few cents. Good quality freezer bags are worth their weight in gold. You will also need plastic containers that can be frozen (look for this information on the label; same deal as with the freezer bags; better is much better), a permanent fine line marker and freezer tape. We cannot emphasize enough how important it is to buy a better quality bag and container to preserve your veggies.
Now you are ready to freeze. Before you do anything, thoroughly wash your bounty; this is non-negotiable. Remove stems, seed, peel, cut, chop, or slice vegetables as you would normally prepare them for eating. For vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflowers, and brussel sprouts, which may contain insects and/or insect larvae, combine one quart water and two tablespoons salt. Immerse cut-up vegetables in this salt/water solution for 15 minutes. You can either blanch or not blanch and that is a matter of taste. Many people think that blanching is very important and others say it is a waste of time and effort except when freezing tomatoes. That will be up to you, but blanching is very easy, so we are going to recommend that you do it. All you need to do is bring a big pot of water to a boil, dip your vegetable (one pound at a time) into the pot for a few minutes, bring it back to a boil, take the vegetables out and dip them into cold water to stop the process. That’s it. If you are blanching beans, snip off the ends before you blanch and if you are freezing corn, feel free to take the corn off the cob (after blanching) to save space in your freezer.
If you are not blanching, we highly recommend that you prepare your vegetables as if you are cooking them for tonight’s meal before you freeze them. For zucchini, cut it into julienne strips for stir fry, shred it for zucchini bread or leave in slices for boiling, then separate it into the various containers to freeze and be sure to include the cutting information on the bag/container label.
As for labeling, there are some key pieces of information that you need to include on the label: the date you are freezing the item, the item name/type and how it is cut. Never assume that you will remember later or that you will know by looking at the container. I’ve defrosted many a bag of vegetables only to find out I grabbed the wrong thing. Another piece of advice is making sure your container is completely closed. It sounds so silly, but we’ve all done it.
There are many Websites that offer great suggestions on how to preserve your fruits and vegetables, so if you are a ‘nervous freezer’, Google ‘Freezing fruit’ or ‘freezing vegetables’ for more information, but here is a table we found on www.bellaonline.com that addresses the basics of freezing vegetables:
Vegetable Freezing Chart
Blanching time is in boiling water.
Unless otherwise noted, chilling time in ice water should be the same as blanching time.
Vegetable Preparation Blanching Time/ Chilling Time
Asparagus Wash and sort stalks according to size, discarding blemished stalks. Break off ends. Stalks may be left whole or cut into 1-1/2" to 2" long pieces. average diameter stalks - 3 minutes
thicker stalks - 4 minutes.
Green Beans Snap off tips. Rinse, then cut or break into desired sizes or freeze smaller beans whole. 3-1/2 minutes.
Lima Beans Wash, shell and sort beans according to size. small and medium beans - 3 minutes
large beans - 4 minutes
Italian Snap Beans Wash, snap off ends and slice into 1" to 1-1/2" pieces. 3-1/2 minutes.
Beets For young, tender beets-
Remove tops and cook until tender. Chill, then remove skins. Leave small beets whole. For medium to large beets, slice or cut into pieces. Pack into freezer boxes or bags. not applicable
Broccoli Remove leaves and tough ends. Cut through stalks lengthwise, leaving stems with 1" to 1-1/2" diameter heads, or cut into pieces. Soak in salt water (2 tablespoons salt to 1 quart water) to remove any insects and larvae. Rinse with tap water and drain. pieces - 4 minutes
stems - 5 minutes.
Brussels Sprouts Wash and trim any tough outer leaves. Soak in salt water (2 tablespoons salt to 1 quart water) to remove any insects and larvae. Rinse with tap water and drain. medium sprouts - 4 minutes
large sprouts - 5 minutes.
Carrots Remove tops, peel, and wash. Cut into 1/4" thick slices. 3-1/2 minutes.
Cauliflower Remove leaves, trim and wash. Split into individual 1" to 1-1/2" pieces. Soak in salt water (2 tablespoons salt to 1 quart water) to remove any insects and larvae. Rinse with tap water and drain. 4 minutes.
Corn-on-the-Cob Husk, remove silk and trim off ends. Blanch in a large stockpot with 10 - 12 quarts of boiling water. 24 small ears, under 1-1/4" diameter - 8 minutes
14 medium ears, 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" diameter - 8 minutes
10 large ears, over 1-1/2" diameter - 11 minutes
Chilling time in ice water should be twice as long as blanching time
Corn - Cut from cob Husk, remove silk and trim off ends. Use a corn cob cutter or a curved grapefruit knife to remove kernels from cob. 4-1/2 minutes
Kohlrabi Remove tops, wash, peel and cut into 1/2" cubes. 2-1/2 minutes.
Mushrooms Wash and remove stems. Freeze smaller mushrooms whole
Cut medium and large mushrooms into 1/4" slices.
To prevent browning, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon ascorbic acid per quart of blanching water. small whole mushrooms - 4 minutes
sliced mushrooms - 3 minutes.
Onions Chopped onions can be packed and frozen without blanching To freeze larger pieces of onions or small whole onions - Peel onions, wash, and cut into quarter sections (except very small whole onions). 1-1/2 minutes
Green Peas, shelled Wash and shell peas. 1-1/2 to 2 minutes
Sugar Peas or Edible Pod Peas Wash; Remove stems and blossom ends; Leave whole. 2-1/2 to 3 minutes
Peppers Chopped bell peppers can be packed and frozen without blanching.
For pepper halves or slices...Wash, remove stem and seeds. Cut in halves or slices halves - 3 minutes
slices - 2 minutes.
Pumpkin Cut; scoop out seeds; peel; and cut into pieces. Bake or steam until tender. Cool, then strain in a ricer, food mill or process in a food processor until smooth. Pack into containers and freeze. not applicable
Spinach Sort; remove any blemished leaves and tough stems; Wash. 1-1/2 to 2 minutes
Zucchini Select 5" to 7" long, tender zucchini. Wash, peel and cut into 1/4" to 1/2" slices. 1/4" slices - 3 minutes
1/2" slices - 4 minutes

Lastly, but most importantly, do not refreeze food that has been thawed.