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The best way to preserve the color and the nutrients of vegetables is to boil them briefly in water (blanch), then cool them quickly with a dunk in an ice bath (shock). This technique also helps firm the flesh of a fruit while loosening the skin, which makes peeling (peaches or tomatoes, for example) easier. And it works for herbs, too.
Steps to Follow for Freezing Vegetables also try and avoid bruised, damaged, or overripe vegetables.
What you will need:
- Large pot with boiling water
- Large bowl with ice water or placed underneath running cold water
- Towels to dry vegetables
- zip lock freezer bags or other suitable freezer containers
Preparation:
As a general rule, use at least a gallon of water to each pound of vegetable, preheated to boiling point in a covered pot.
When you plunge your vegetables into the boiling water, start timing when the water returns to a boil.
Cool quickly to stop the cooking process.
Veggies that are not cooled quickly are over blanched and show a loss of color, taste, texture and nutrients.
Plunge your blanched vegetables immediately into cold water, ice water, or cold running water.
Towel dry and package at once in freezer bags or suitable containers.
Blanching Other Vegetable Time it takes
As a general rule, use at least a gallon of water to each pound of vegetable, preheated to boiling point in a covered pot.
When you plunge your vegetables into the boiling water, start timing when the water returns to a boil.
Cool quickly to stop the cooking process.
Veggies that are not cooled quickly are over blanched and show a loss of color, taste, texture and nutrients.
Plunge your blanched vegetables immediately into cold water, ice water, or cold running water.
Towel dry and package at once in freezer bags or suitable containers.
Blanching Other Vegetable Time it takes
Artichokes
Select small artichokes or artichoke hearts. Cut off the top of the bud and trim the thorny end down to a cone. Wash and blanch for 8 minutes.
Asparagus
Wash, cut and blanch for 4 minutes.
Beans
Wash, snip ends, cut and blanch for 3 minutes.
Broccoli
Rinse, peel and trim. Blanch in boiling water for 2-4 minutes. (If there is a chance that the tiny green cabbage worm has invaded the buds, soak in cold salt water for 10 -15 minutes. Rinse well and pick over. Rinse, peel, trim and blanch.)
Brussels Sprouts
Pick only green buds. Rinse and trim, cutting off outer leaves. Blanch in boiling water for 4 minutes.
Cabbage
Trim off outer leaves. Shred for tight packing of cut into wedges. Blanch shredded cabbage for 1 1/2 minutes. Blanch wedges in boiling water for 3 minutes.
Carrots
Trim, wash, peel and blanch in boiling water for 2 – 3 minutes. (smaller pieces, 2 minutes; larger pieces, 3 minutes)
Cauliflower
Wash and break into florets. Peel and split stems. Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. (If there is a chance that the tiny green cabbage worm has invaded the buds, soak in cold salt water for 10 -15 minutes. Rinse well and pick over. Rinse, peel, trim and blanch.)
Corn
Pick ears as soon as they ripen. Natural sugars in corn turn to starch quickly after ripening, so good timing is critical. To blanch whole ears of corn, blanch 3 at a time in boiling water for 6 – 8 minutes. Cool and pack separately, or pack together enough for one meal. Ears can be wrapped in freezer paper, a double layer of aluminum foil, or in plastic freezer bags. If you are freezing cut corn, blanch with kernels on the cob first. Follow above blanching directions. Then cool and remove the kernels from the cob with a sharp knife or corn cutter.
Greens
Clean leaves and blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes. Cool and chop, if dersired, before freezing.
Leeks
Leeks do not need to be blanched. Just slice and freeze!
Okra
Wash and cut off stems. Blanch in boiling water for 2 – 3 minutes.
Onions
Onions do not need to be blanched. Just peel, slice and freeze!
Peas
For podded peas, pick when seeds become plump and pods are rounded. Shell but do not wash. Freeze the same day they are harvested, as sugar is rapidly lost at room temperature. Discard immature and tough peas. Sugar or snow peas can be harvested any time before the pods fill out. Blanch both types of peas in boiling water for 2 minutes.
Peppers
Peppers do not need to be blanched. Just clean, slice and freeze!
Tomatoes
Tomatoes do not need to be blanched. Freeze whole tomatoes on baking sheets and, when frozen, store them in plastic bags. The skins will peel off when they are defrosted!
Photo credit:http://www.shelands.com/
Select small artichokes or artichoke hearts. Cut off the top of the bud and trim the thorny end down to a cone. Wash and blanch for 8 minutes.
Asparagus
Wash, cut and blanch for 4 minutes.
Beans
Wash, snip ends, cut and blanch for 3 minutes.
Broccoli
Rinse, peel and trim. Blanch in boiling water for 2-4 minutes. (If there is a chance that the tiny green cabbage worm has invaded the buds, soak in cold salt water for 10 -15 minutes. Rinse well and pick over. Rinse, peel, trim and blanch.)
Brussels Sprouts
Pick only green buds. Rinse and trim, cutting off outer leaves. Blanch in boiling water for 4 minutes.
Cabbage
Trim off outer leaves. Shred for tight packing of cut into wedges. Blanch shredded cabbage for 1 1/2 minutes. Blanch wedges in boiling water for 3 minutes.
Carrots
Trim, wash, peel and blanch in boiling water for 2 – 3 minutes. (smaller pieces, 2 minutes; larger pieces, 3 minutes)
Cauliflower
Wash and break into florets. Peel and split stems. Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. (If there is a chance that the tiny green cabbage worm has invaded the buds, soak in cold salt water for 10 -15 minutes. Rinse well and pick over. Rinse, peel, trim and blanch.)
Corn
Pick ears as soon as they ripen. Natural sugars in corn turn to starch quickly after ripening, so good timing is critical. To blanch whole ears of corn, blanch 3 at a time in boiling water for 6 – 8 minutes. Cool and pack separately, or pack together enough for one meal. Ears can be wrapped in freezer paper, a double layer of aluminum foil, or in plastic freezer bags. If you are freezing cut corn, blanch with kernels on the cob first. Follow above blanching directions. Then cool and remove the kernels from the cob with a sharp knife or corn cutter.
Greens
Clean leaves and blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes. Cool and chop, if dersired, before freezing.
Leeks
Leeks do not need to be blanched. Just slice and freeze!
Okra
Wash and cut off stems. Blanch in boiling water for 2 – 3 minutes.
Onions
Onions do not need to be blanched. Just peel, slice and freeze!
Peas
For podded peas, pick when seeds become plump and pods are rounded. Shell but do not wash. Freeze the same day they are harvested, as sugar is rapidly lost at room temperature. Discard immature and tough peas. Sugar or snow peas can be harvested any time before the pods fill out. Blanch both types of peas in boiling water for 2 minutes.
Peppers
Peppers do not need to be blanched. Just clean, slice and freeze!
Tomatoes
Tomatoes do not need to be blanched. Freeze whole tomatoes on baking sheets and, when frozen, store them in plastic bags. The skins will peel off when they are defrosted!
Photo credit:http://www.shelands.com/
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