The Art of Freezing Vegetables

I hate to see vegetables go to waste, but with the best will in the world sometimes it is impossible to use up the vegetables purchased with the grandest and best of intentions before they start to turn. I find that the most effective way of preserving surplus vegetables is freezing. Some vegetables  are unsuitable for freezing, including chicory, cucumber, kale, lettuce, radishes and Jerusalem artichokes. Whilst potatoes and other roots are best stored in other ways, but they will freeze with good results. 

In order to achieve successful freezing, you will need to blanch the vegetables before freezing. Blanching is the technique in which vegetables are plunged into boiling water and then plunged into ice cold water to halt the cooking process.  For more information on the blanching process visit http://suite101.com/a/freezing-fresh-produce-keep-down-weekly-shopping-bill

Prepared and blanched correctly, vegetables will retain their colour, vitamins and nutrients when frozen.

 

                                                  HOW LONG DO I BLANCH FOR?

Vegetable	Preparation	Blanching Time
Artichokes, Globe	Remove all outer coarse leaves and stalks, and trim tops and stems.  Clean thoroughly, add a little lemon juice to the blanching water. Cool, and drain upside down on kitchen towel.	Blanch a few at a time, 7-10 min.
Asparagus	blanch the stems loosely. Cool and seerate stems with greaseproof paper before freezing	Thin stems 2 min. Thick stems 4 min.
Aubergines	Peel and slice thickly (approx 1 "). Blanch, chill and dry on kitchen towel. Freeze in layers, separated by non stick paper	4 min.
Beans, Runner & French	Wash, trim and blanch. Young beans are best.	2 - 3 min.
Beans, Broad	Shell & Blanch	3 min.
Beetroot	Choose small beets. Wash well and scald, after scalding rub the skin to remove. Beetroot under 1 inch(2.5 cm) in diameter may be frozen whole; large ones should be sliced first. If the beetroot is to be stored for a long time, consider pickling as long freezing time can make beetroot rubbery and unpleasant.	Small whole 5 - 10 min. Large cook until tender 45 - 50 min.
Broccoli	Trim off any woody parts and large leaves. Wash in salted water, and cut into small sprigs. Blanch, cool and drain well.	Thin stems 3 min. Medium stems 4 min. Thick stems 5 min.
Note:	old margarine and ice cream tubs make for ideal freezing vessles for delicate vegetables such as asparagus
Cabbage Green & Red	Use only crisp cabbage in optimum condition.Wash thoroughly, shred finely. Blanch, cool and drain well. Pack in small quantities in polythene bags. Do not exceed 1 1/2 min blanching.	1½ min.
Carrots	Scrape or peel and then slice or  dice. Blanch, cool, drain and pack in polythene bags.	3 - 5 min.
Cauliflower	Heads should be firm, compact and white. Wash, break into small sprigs, about 2 in (5 cm) in diameter. Add the juice of a lemon to the blanching water to keep them white; blanch, cool, drain and pack	3 min.
Celeriac	Wash and trim. Cook until almost tender, al dente,  peel and slice	N/A
Celery	Trim, removing any strings, and wash thoroughly.  Cut into 1 in (2.5 cm) lengths. Suitable only for cooked dishes	3 min.
Courgettes	Choose young ones, make sure that the courgettes are firm.  Wash and cut into ½ to 1in (1 cm) slices. Either blanch, or saute in a little butter or oil. Bag in small quantities before freezing.	1 min.
Fennel	Trim and cut into short lengths. Blanch, cool, drain and pack	3 min.
Kohlrabi	Use small roots, 2 3 in (5 7 cm) in diameter. Cut off tops, peel and dice. Blanch, cool, drain and pack	1½ min.
Fennel	Trim and cut into short lengths. Blanch, cool, drain and pack	3 min.
Marrow	Young marrows can be peeled, cut into ½-1 in (1 - 2.5 cm) slices and blanched before packing. If you have older marrows they can be reserved as a pickle or made into jam.	3 min.
Leeks	Cut off tops and roots; remove coarse outside leaves. Slice into ½in (1 cm) slices and wash well. Sauté in butter, olive oil or vegetable oil, drain, cool, pack and freeze. Only suitable for casseroles or other stew type dishes.	Sauté 4 min.
Mushrooms	Choose small button mushrooms and leave whole, wipe clean but don't peel. Sauté in butter. Mushrooms larger than 1 in (2.5 cm) in diameter are suitable only for slicing and using in cooked dishes. Otherwise try pickling mushrooms for a delicious salad addition.	Sauté 1 min.
Onions	Can be peeled, finely chopped and packed in small plastic tubs for cooking later; packages should be over wrapped, to prevent the smell filtering out.	2 min. Small whole 4 min.
Parsnips	Trim and peel young parsnips and cut into narrow strips. Make sure the parsnips are firm and not bendy. Blanch, cool and dry.	2 min.
Peas	Use young, sweet green peas, not old or starchy. Shell and blanch, then shake the blanching basket from time to time to distribute the heat evenly. Cool, drain and pack in polythene bags	1 - 2 min.
Peas, Mange-tout	Trim the ends. Blanch, cool, drain and pack	2-3 min.
Peppers	Wash well, remove stems and all traces of seeds and membranes. Can be blanched as halves for stuffed peppers, or in thin slices for stews and casseroles.	3 min.
Potatoes	New potatoes and salad potatoes:  Scrape, cook fully with mint and cool.  Freeze in small bags.
Sweet Corn	Select young yellow kernels, not starchy, over ripe or shrunken. Remove the kernels after blanching and store in bags.	Small 4 min. Medium 6 mins
Spinach	Select young leaves. Wash very thoroughly under running water; drain. Blanch in small quantities, cool quickly and press out excess moisture. Pack in rigid containers or polythene bags, leaving ½in (1 cm) headspace	2 min.
Tomatoes Whole	Placed whole in bags the skins are easily removed on defrosting for use in cooking.
Tomatoes Purée	Skin and core tomatoes, simmer in their own juice for 5 min. until soft. Pass them through a nylon sieve or liquidise, cool and pack in small containers or soup bags.
Tomato Juice	Trim, quarter and simmer for 5 to 10 min. Press through a nylon sieve and season with salt 1 level tsp (5 ml) salt to every 2 pints (1 litre). Cool, and pack in small containers or soup bags.
Turnips	Select small, young turnips. Trim and peel and cook fully, mash, cool and bag. Ideal for topping pies.	n/a

 

 Always remember to label your vegetables with a freezing date.