by Amanda Dcosta

Created on: May 19, 2009   Last Updated: February 18, 2011

How To Freeze And Keep The Vegetables You've Grown

The number one logical step after collecting in your harvest is to store it for optimum use. Some of it might be dried, some might be canned, while some of it might be distibuted to family and friends around. But the one way to reuse vegetables later, in its almost fresh form, is the method of freezing. Freezing is nothing other that storing food in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator following simple storage guidelines, and where the temperature of the freezer is maintained below 0 degree celsius.

Freezing is one of the simplest ways of preserving food. It is neither a long drawn process like canning, with the use of the pressure canner or the water bath, nor is it time consuming like the process of drying or using dehydrators. Freezing makes use of hot bubbled water for the purpose of blanching, and air tight packets, jars or plastic containers for the purpose of storing in the freezer.

In order to freeze vegetables, an identification of freezer-friendly vegetables has to be done. Generally, water-rich vegetables like Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Lettuce are not ideal for freezing. When water is present in food meant for freezing, it expands and literally damages the food, preventing it from being edible later. Most other vegetable can be stored by freezing.

WHY IS FREEZING DONE?:

Freezing is done to preserve food over long periods of time; or in technical terms, to increase the shelf life of the food. Vegetables are perishable items, when at room temperature, become useless for human consumption in about a week as a rule. In order to store food from being thrown away and to preserve a bulk harvest of home gardening, the method of freezing is adopted.

EQUIPMENT USED:

* A pot for boiling water; used to blanch vegetables.

* A pot of cold water

*Strainer, colander or perforated spoon

* Clean containers, jars or plastic sealable packets.

* Ample freezer space to store bulk proportions of vegetables for bulk harvest without over stocking the freezer.

STEPS:

* Blanching (for vegetables other than Onions and Peppers. Tomatoes are best pureed or in juice form for freezing. Water rich vegetables are not stored by freezing)

* Frying (optional for some vegetables)

* Packaging and sealing

* Storing in a freezer

BLANCHING:

Blanching is done to stop the growth process or the vegetable and to prevent enzyme action on the food that will otherwise affect the quality, texture and colour of the vegetables.

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