Guide to Freezing Vegetables
Freezing vegetables is a wonderful way to extend their lifetime. A necessary first step is to blanch your vegetables (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time). This 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.
WATER BLANCH
For home freezing, the most satisfactory way to heat all vegetables is in boiling water. Use a blancher which has a blanching basket and cover, or fit a wire basket into a large pot with a lid.
Use one gallon water per pound of prepared vegetables. Put the vegetable in a blanching basket and lower into vigorously boiling water. Place a lid on the blancher. The water should return to boiling within 1 minute, or you are using too much vegetable for the amount of boiling water. Start counting blanching time as soon as the water returns to a boil. Keep heat high for the time given in the directions for the vegetable you are freezing.
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 listed below.
Asparagus - 3 minutes
Beans (Snap or Green) - 3 minutes
Brussel Sprouts - 4 minutes
Cabbage (Shredded) - 1.5 minutes
Carrots - 5 minutes
Cauliflower - 3 minutes
Celery - 3 minutes
Collard Greens - 3 minutes
Corn - 9 minutes
Eggplant - 4 minutes
Okra - 3 minutes
Onions - 3-7 minutes **blanch until center is heated
Peas (In the pod) - 2-3 minutes
Peas (Shelled) - 1.5 minutes
Peppers (Sweet) - 3 minutes
Rutabagas - 3 minutes
Squash (Summer) - 3 minutes
Turnips (Cubed) - 2 minutes
COOL
As soon as blanching is complete, vegetables should be cooled quickly and thoroughly to stop the cooking process. To cool, plunge the basket of vegetables immediately into a large quantity of cold water, 60ºF or below. Change water frequently or use cold running water or ice water. If ice is used, about one pound of ice for each pound of vegetable is needed. Cooling vegetables should take the same amount of time as blanching.
Drain vegetables thoroughly after cooling. Extra moisture can cause a loss of quality when vegetables are frozen.
FREEZE
Sheet pans are your best friend. Blanched leafy greens can be transferred right away to storage containers, but the ideal way to freeze all other vegetables is on a sheet pan. Spread them out in a single layer so that the pieces aren’t touching. Freeze until solid. Once frozen, the vegetables can be transferred to the storage container of your choice. The beauty in this method is that you’ll end up with individually frozen veggies and not a solid mass.
We hope this information is helpful to you and look forward to hearing about all the great dishes that come from your kitchen!