How green are your vegetables?
EATING at least five servings of fruit and vegetables everyday is recommended by the Ministry of Health. However, many of us often do not have the time to shop for fresh ingredients and prepare healthy, balanced meals.
Fresh ingredients can be expensive or out of season when you want them, but do not forget that frozen vegetables count too.
While frozen vegetables are a convenient and nutritious alternative to fresh vegetables, it is important to note that the nutritional value of the products available in the supermarket varies. This is because nutrient loss begins from the moment of harvesting and continues until consumption.
The nutritional quality of frozen vegetables is influenced more by the way in which the vegetables are prepared for freezing than by the actual freezing process. Freezing does not alter the nutritive value of the vegetables.
The better choice
Wattie’s range of frozen vegetables is grown in New Zealand by local farmers. With over 40 years of experience in frozen food preparation, Wattie’s has continuously worked to implement best practice methodologies. Wattie’s frozen vegetables are harvested at their sweetest stage and snapfrozen within hours to capture their natural goodness.
Today, Wattie’s is focused on growing crops with sensitivity to the environment and processing them into tasty, healthy products in manufacturing facilities that are constantly reducing their resource use.
Therefore, the company has invested significantly in plant breeding for 20 years, which includes a pea breeding programme to deliver new garden pea cultivars with natural resistance to fungal diseases, reducing the need for fungicides. The improved characteristics in peas include eating quality, colour, appearance, texture and flavour.
Cooking for the best results
Too often, there are comments that frozen vegetables are soggy and tasteless. However, this will not be the case if they are heated according to on-pack instructions or even used as a last minute addition to a stew or stir-fry meal. As frozen vegetables are partially cooked by a rapid steam blanching process, they need minimal cooking. To get the best results with frozen vegetables, here are some easy tips: -
– During shopping, select frozen food last to reduce chance of partial thawing.
– Place in the car and take straight home to put in the freezer.
– Never thaw frozen vegetables before cooking.
– If adding to a stew or sauce of any sort, such as a bolognaise, or other pasta sauce, add frozen vegetables around two minutes before serving to just heat them through.
New products
Now there are more reasons to eat vegetables – Wattie’s has just launched a range of Pick of The Crop vegetable mixes and Wattie’s Famous Potato Pom Poms. These are available at selected supermarkets.
For more information, look out for Heinz’s advertisement in this Starspecial.