Whether you planned ahead and planted extra crops so you’d have garden veggies all winter, or accidentally planted too much and can’t seem to give enough of your surplus away, here’s a simple guide to freezing your garden goodies.
- Set your freezer to the coldest setting you can without overloading it. The quicker they freeze, the less damage is done.
- Choose vegetables that are just ripe and have a low moisture content. Be ready to freeze anything you harvest immediately, the sooner you freeze them, the fresher they’ll be.
- Clean, and cut your veggies as you desire then blanch them by placing them in boiling water for 1-3 mins (different veggies have different cook times) and then immediately placing them in ice water to halt the cooking process.
- Choose air tight, heavy weight containers or bags to store your veggies in. Portion out your veggies into bags, squeeze/suck out as much air as you can, mark, and freeze. Or spread pieces on an open cookie sheet in a single layer, freeze and then store to prevent sticking and clumping.
For perfect defrosted veggies: make sure your storage containers will keep out all air and moisture, quickly freeze on coldest setting after harvest.
Frozen veggies are good for 12-18 months depending on how well they are stored. Always check for any spoilage while the veggies are thawing, so you won’t ruin any meals.
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