Well, I sure hope that, after Freezing…Part I, you all went out and picked up some of this year’s bumper crop of blueberries. Whether you pick your own, or buy some from a local farmer, you can save a bit of summer’s bounty for winter yummies. And don’t forget to do the same when the peppers (particularly the red and orange ones!) come around.
Some folks like the non-blanching method for beans and summer squash, too. I haven’t tried freezing those without blanching, but I may this year. Hey, if it saves time and the end product is just as good, why not?!
Now, for the slightly more complicated method of freezing. This one, though, is suitable for pretty much every vegetable, with the possible exception of tomatoes and those peppers.
Blanching is an important step that you really don’t want to skip. It helps preserve the vegetable’s taste and texture when frozen. The resulting product, as in our first method, will really not result in veggies that you want to eat out of hand, but they are a great product for side dishes, soups, casseroles, etc.
Before you start, make sure all the goods are cleaned, chopped and ready to go.
Next, bring some water to a boil. Most sources recommend one gallon of water per pound batch of veggies. I use this pan to blanch in:
I find the surface area boils water faster, both at the beginning, and when bringing the veggies back up to a boil, plus it has a cover to help with the boiling, too. I add a little kosher salt when it starts boiling.
When the water is boiling, add a batch of your veggie (not too much – you need to bring the water back to a boil and the more you shove in the pan, the longer that will take). Bring the water back up to a boil, and then begin timing. Depending upon the specific vegetable, you’ll leave them in the whirlpool for 2 to 5 minutes.
Here are some common vegetables available around here right now, and the length of time that I blanch them for:
- peas: 2 minutes
- beans: 3 1/2 minutes
- summer squash: 2 minutes
- spinach: 2 minutes
- pre-chopped mixture of onion, pepper and carrot (for soup starters): 3 minute
Once you’ve boiled for the right amount of time, start the dance: 1) transfer the veggies into a colander that’s in a bowl of ice water, 2) bring your water back to a boil 3) add the next batch, 4) while you’re waiting for those to boil, move the now cold veggies on to a paper towel or clean kitchen towel. You can get a pretty good rhythm going.
Once everything is reasonably dry, freeze on trays first or just package and freeze.
Enjoy in January.
