Not only is freezing vegetables and fruit that you grow yourself quick, easy and convenient, it also preserves food colour, flavour and texture

Freezing vegetables and fruit that you grow yourself is quick, easy and convenient. Freezing preserves food colour, flavour and texture. Frozen food is nutritious, too.

Unfortunately, you can’t simply wash all of your produce, toss it into bags in the freezer and expect it to stay high quality for the whole winter. Different produce has different needs. We’ll get into those below, but in every case always freeze the very best produce as quickly after harvest as possible. Eat all imperfect vegetables or use them in a recipe — which you can also freeze once it’s ready.

Almost all vegetables require blanching before freezing, with a few exceptions. Blanching is a process where food is plunged first into boiling water and then cooled rapidly in ice water to stop the cooking process. Blanching kills enzymes, which cause fruits and vegetables to ripen and cause undesirable changes in food flavour, colour and texture.

Make sure to follow exact blanching times for each type of vegetable. Under-blanching does not destroy all the enzymes while over-blanching overcooks and reduces flavour and nutrient content.

A chart showing blanching times for various types of produce can be found online at: https://gardening.usask. ca/articles-how-to/freezing-and-blanching.php

HOW TO BLANCH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Equipment:

■ Large pot with a cover

■ Wire basket or cheesecloth bag Large bowl

■ Icecolander

■ Fill the large bowl with very cold water. Set aside.

■ Fill pot 3/4 full of water and bring to a boil.

Place vegetables in wire basket or tie loosely in cheesecloth bag, leaving length of string for ease of handling.

Lower vegetables into vigorously boiling water, cover and immediately start counting blanching time. Keep heat on high so water quickly returns to a boil.

Once blanching time is up, chill vegetables immediately in cold running water. If water is not cold enough, add ice.

Leave vegetables in cooling water for same time used in blanching, but no longer than necessary.

Drain cooled vegetables in a colander and pack in freezer containers (label and date) and place in freezer. If you’re using food grade plastic bags for storage, make sure you press out as much air as possible.

Label your food, including the date you froze it. If you keep a lot of frozen food, consider starting an inventory list so you can ensure you use up your oldest produce first.

TIPS

Beans, peas, spinach, whole kernel corn and mashed squash freeze well.

Corn on cob can develop off flavours unless blanched for correct time.

Celery, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers become limp when thawed.

Tomatoes can be frozen whole to add to soups and sauces (plunge frozen tomatoes in hot water and the skins will slip off ).

Tomatoes can also be pureed for sauce or cooked slightly for use in soups and stews.

Carrots and parsnips can be frozen but it is better to store them in a cool room.

Cooked beets and raw onions are best frozen sliced or diced or the texture will become rubbery and limp when thawed.

Vegetables may be stored for one year at -18 C.

Sources: Hertzberg, Ruth; Greene, Janet; Vaughan, Beatrice (2010) Putting Food By: Fifth Edition. New York, New York: Penguin Publishing Group (USA) Inc.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@ hotmail.com ). Check our website (saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page ( facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events: Drought Tolerant Perennials by

Sara Williams – Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m., Emmanuel Anglican Church, 607 Dufferin Avenue, Saskatoon. Free and open to the public.