by Pamela Kay

Created on: May 18, 2009   Last Updated: June 15, 2009

Learning how to freeze and keep the vegetables you've grown will allow you to preserve foods with a minimum of effort. It's the easiest and quickest of the many ways to preserve vegetables, if you follow a few basic guidelines. This article addresses these guidelines from what vegetables freeze well, to how to do it, to how long it will retain its flavor and nutritional value.

*Which Vegetables Can You Freeze

The first thing to learn is which vegetables can and cannot be successfully frozen raw and which turn out better when cooked first. Lettuce cannot be frozen and remain edible and neither can cucumbers, cabbage and potatoes. Celery and onions can be frozen if first cooked and even then, they lose their crunch and can only be used in casseroles.

Leafy vegetables such as collards, turnip greens and spinach can be frozen but must first be wilted and drained well. You can use the wilt water to cover the greens before freezing but this takes up valuable space in the freezer.

Most other vegetables can be frozen with a little preparation though some would do better if dried, canned or pickled. Always start with freshly gathered vegetables at the peak of ripeness, cutting out any bruised areas or insect damage.

*Prepping Vegetables For Freezing

The first step for prepping your vegetables is the same step you would use if you were cooking it; wash and dry, string green beans, shell peas, peel beets, tomatoes, carrots and winter squash, shuck, de-silk and remove corn from the cob and so on. The next step is to either blanch or partially fry the vegetable.

*Blanching Vegetables For Freezing

Blanching is the term used for placing vegetables in a hot water bath to stop the growth process and to maintain flavor when frozen. The hot water bath is immediately followed by a cold-water bath to halt the cooking process.

For blanching vegetables you need a large pot of boiling water and either a large slotted spoon or colander as well as a large container of ice-cold water. Place the vegetables in the colander if you have one and lower it into the gentle boiling water. If you don't have a colander, place the vegetables directly into the water. Once the water returns to a boil begin timing per the blanching chart found here.

When the time is up, quickly remove the vegetables and plunge them into the cold water until completely cooled. Remove the vegetables and place on paper towels to drain. The dryer the vegetables, the less chance of frostbite in the freezer.

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