freezing veg

[lizagrowbag]

im still trying to get to grips on storing the veg i grow what types of veg freeze well and which if any do i need to blanch first
ty

[lizagrowbag]

[saddad]

We don't blanch any...  :-X

What do you want to freeze?  :-\

[Sinbad7]

A chef told me last year if you see it in the supermarket frozen then you can freeze it too.

[lizagrowbag]

We don't blanch any...  :-X

What do you want to freeze?  :-\

french beans? can ya freeze carrots?
when i tried to chip a few home made chips they went black lol

[manicscousers]

we're freezing french and runner beans, we've already frozen some blanched carrots and parsnips 'cos we didn't get around to eating them  ;D

[Duke Ellington]

Liz ...

You can freeze carrots french beans peas tomatoes onions courgettes beetroot leeks ...I could go on forever but you can freeze most vegetables. I blanch, steam or lightly fry my vegetables before freezing.

To freeze carrots ~ Cut them up in the way you like to serve them.
Blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.
Drain them.
Plunge into ice cold water.
Drain and dry them.
Place into polybags or polyboxes and freeze.

Check out this web site :)
http://www.gardenguides.com/how-to/tipstechniques/vegetables/freezing.asp


Duke :)

[lushy86]

This is probably a stupid question but what does the blanching do?

Lushy x

[saddad]

Essentially it kills the enzymes, microbes and so on that make food discolour when peeled and leads to rotting... so they keep longer and a better colour...   :)

[lushy86]

Thanks sadad, so how come you don't blanch then?  :)

[Duke Ellington]

Hi again...
I have always been led to believe that blanching halts some kind of enzyme action that spoils the vegetables and it also gives a longer storage time. Non blanched vegetables should not be stored for as long as blanched ones. The blanching is supposed to remove dirt and bacteria. Now I dont know if this is true but I have always done it this way I just follow my books instructions on how to freeze vegetables.
Apparantly onions do not need to be blanched or pre cooked before freezing. .dont ask me why ?
??? lol
Duke

[saddad]

It takes time Lushy, and I'm lazy... and most stuff gets used before it has time to deteriorate, even from the freezer...  :-\

[small]

I don't blanch anything either, I used to but found it made no difference. I open freeze on steel trays then bag once solid, keeps stuff separate. Beans, peas, tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, carrots, parsnips, red and green cabbage, courgettes, new potatoes, all raw: once the tomatoes are frozen, I skin and reduce them to make coulis: oven roasted courgettes for a taste of summer in midwinter: sage, basil, parsley, thyme, freeze the leaves then crunch: best advice is to try and see, even if stuff is a bit squodgy it's still your own home-grown!

[lizagrowbag]

thank you everyone for the advise all useful i was also wondering about beetroot can you freeze this?

[Duke Ellington]

Yes you can freeze beetroot. Wash the beetroot ~do not remove any straggly roots~twist off the leaves~ Cook for about 10-25 mins until tender(this depends on the size of your beetroot)~Plunge into cold water~drain~dry. Cut off roots~peel off the skins. Leave baby beets whole~slice or dice bigger ones. Pack into poly bags or poly boxes.

Duke :)

[lizagrowbag]

great thank you so much for the reply ive got enough beetroot to last us through 2 wars lol