Blanching and Freezing Vegetables

Triciasgarden 8/12/2013, 10:08 pm

I thought I would share this article about blanching vegetables. The next step would be to freeze them. It is from the National Gardening Association referencing an article from By Carol Burtness, University of Minnesota Extension educator, emerita. This has a chart showing the time to blanch each vegetable.

http://www1.extension.umn.edu/food/food-safety/preserving/vegetables-herbs/blanching-vegetables/

The National Gardening Association has a lot of good articles about a lot of topics.

I am going to grate some zucchini, measure the amount my recipe calls for and freeze it in individual bags. I did this a few years ago and the beautiful green color stays with the frozen zucchini.

**camprn** 8/12/2013, 10:09 pm

Nice! Thanks Tricia!

mschaef 8/12/2013, 10:10 pm

I was just going to look up this today for a friend. Thanks for saving me the time!

Triciasgarden 8/12/2013, 10:11 pm

I had to delete the address for the National Gardening Association because it was wrong. You're welcome!

**camprn** 8/5/2015, 9:51 am

BUMP

See here: blanching times required for optimal preservation of vegetables by freezing.

Very Happy

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/blanching.html Very Happy

**Kelejan** 8/5/2015, 11:43 am

Thanks, camprn, I will being some more freezing shortly.

**Scorpio Rising** 8/8/2015, 9:56 am

Camp, do you think they are talking about summer squash cut into pieces? Has to be, right?

**donnainzone5** 8/8/2015, 10:38 am

Well, I don't think I'd try freezing a whole squash! (If I did that, my freezer[s] would fill up way too fast, among other things.) Shocked

**Scorpio Rising** 8/8/2015, 12:44 pm

donnainzone10 wrote:Well, I don't think I'd try freezing a whole squash! (If I did that, my freezer[s] would fill up way too fast, among other things.)

This is how much I know about preserving food, Donna! Pretty sad, eh? Lol Embarassed

**donnainzone5** 8/8/2015, 1:14 pm

You're about where I was last year.

I'm still learning. For example, I didn't blanch my peas last summer, since I understood that the process is optional for that particular vegetable, and perhaps it is.

However, I was unhappy with the texture and taste of said peas, so I'm doing things differently this year.

Just read a couple of articles about blanching, freezing, canning, etc., and you'll be up and running! Any remaining questions probably can be answered here by more experienced food preservers.

**camprn** 8/9/2015, 12:13 am

Scorp, read this
http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html

**Scorpio Rising** 8/9/2015, 10:24 am

Excellent, thanks, Camp! Great resource, very complete. As I am able to add some SF to my garden, hopfully I can grow enough to make canning worthwhile. I had no cucumbers this year, just no room. I have enough beans and patty pan to blanch and freeze, for sure the squash anyways.

I am thinking about having a 4X4 box built over the winter so I can add some variety, and grow some of the things you guys talk about that I love and miss! I have room for it, I have an acre, but some of it is really low. My boxes lucked out this year with all the rain, due to their relative elevation.

Planning is kinda fun!

**sanderson** 8/9/2015, 1:38 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:I have an acre, but some of it is really low. My boxes lucked out this year with all the rain, due to their relative elevation.

Elevated boxes in the future?? They don't need to be real high, sort of like high water pants. Smile

**Scorpio Rising** 8/9/2015, 4:54 pm

yeah, sanderson, my boxes were really sitting on the ground, but because they were filled with MM they drained 5x faster than the actual ground. They were only elevated by their stature, they rest on the yard.

Not sure, may try to jack them up. But they are not new, they are old window boxes....not sure what to do. They are in pretty good shape though...dilemma....

yolos 8/9/2015, 5:57 pm

Some of my potato harvest was not real pleasing to look at so I culled some of the worst looking ones that were split or had rough looking blemishes. I peeled them, sliced them on my handy dandy electric slicer, blanched them for about 2 to 4 minutes and then flash froze the slices on cookie sheets. Then put them in foodsaver bags and into the freezer they went.

After my onions are finished dehydrating, I will try to dehydrate some potato slices in my dehydrator. I understand the potatoes will also help eliminate any onion odor left on the dehydrator trays. So we shall see.

**donnainzone5** 8/9/2015, 6:59 pm

Here's what I need to blanch and freeze this week:

Blanching and Freezing Vegetables 100_0526

**camprn** 8/9/2015, 7:58 pm

That shouldn't take too long Donna. How are you going to do the zucchini?

**donnainzone5** 8/9/2015, 10:17 pm

Camp,

I did the broccoli today, and it's sitting in the fridge draining right now and will be frozen on a cookie sheet tomorrow, then placed in a freezer bag for long-term storage.

As to the zukes, I generally play it by ear, depending upon the variety, size, and shape.

Sometimes I make strips; other times, I simply slice it into rounds.

I'm beginning to look into zucchini recipes, since I'm getting tired of thawing and steaming it with herbs. BTW, I still have about three one-gallon bags left from last year. This is despite having given away probably at least 40 lbs. of the stuff.

This time, I planted exactly three seeds, each one a different variety.

**sanderson** 12/2/2016, 4:59 pm

Bump. Blanching is not just for summer crops! It's great for excess winter kale, Chard, broccoli, etc.

CapeCoddess 8/31/2018, 12:57 pm

I just typed this out for a friend and thought I'd share it here to:

Blanching & Freezing Greens

This is what I do with all my greens:
- -Hold a big bunch of greens by the stems and dip into boiling water to blanch. I take it out pretty quickly since I like my greens more on the raw side.
- -Run it under cold water to cool.
- - Wring it out, you can cut off the stems of you don’t want them.
- -Wrap in unbleached parchment so it looks like a big fat burrito
- -Write on the parchment paper what it is
- -Put the roll in a plastic bag, freeze.
- -You can add more rolls the bag as you accumulate them.
- -When you go to use some, unwrap one end and thinly slice off as much as you need.

**trolleydriver** 8/31/2018, 1:03 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:I just typed this out for a friend and thought I'd share it here to:

Blanching & Freezing Greens

This is what I do with all my greens:
- -Hold a big bunch of greens by the stems and dip into boiling water to blanch. I take it out pretty quickly since I like my greens more on the raw side.
- -Run it under cold water to cool.
- - Wring it out, you can cut off the stems of you don’t want them.
- -Wrap in unbleached parchment so it looks like a big fat burrito
- -Write on the parchment paper what it is
- -Put the roll in a plastic bag, freeze.
- -You can add more rolls the bag as you accumulate them.
- -When you go to use some, unwrap one end and thinly slice off as much as you need.

Thanks CC.

==========

https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/blanching.html says:

"Blanching (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time) is a must for almost all vegetables to be frozen. It stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture.
Blanching cleanses the surface of dirt and organisms, brightens the color and helps retard loss of vitamins. It also wilts or softens vegetables and makes them easier to pack.
Blanching time is crucial and varies with the vegetable and size. Underblanching stimulates the activity of enzymes and is worse than no blanching. Overblanching causes loss of flavor, color, vitamins and minerals. Follow recommended blanching times ..."

**Kelejan** 8/31/2018, 2:39 pm

donnainzone5 wrote:---

I'm beginning to look into zucchini recipes, since I'm getting tired of thawing and steaming it with herbs. BTW, I still have about three one-gallon bags left from last year. This is despite having given away probably at least 40 lbs. of the stuff.

This time, I planted exactly three seeds, each one a different variety.

Like me you must be a slow learner, DZ. I still have apple sauce from two years ago, I give it to a lady who loves eating apple sauce with ice cream, yoghurt or cream. As I give her a couple of jars I insist that she gives the canning jars back before I give her more. I still have about a dozen 1/2 L jars and some 1 L jars. (Think half pint and one pint, I still do). Then we will start on last year's apples.

Even if I had a surplus I would never sell the food I prepare as I would consider it slave labour, but to give it to someone who appreciates it makes me happy.

**sanderson** 9/1/2018, 2:54 am

**Scorpio Rising** 9/1/2018, 3:05 pm

Love it, yeah, with the exception of science and medicine, most of the US is still on English measurements. I can do both, nurse. Lol! But cooking, I do think English!

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