Easy Freezing of Garden Vegetables

, written by Barbara Pleasant us flag

Freezing cherry tomatoes

Of all the ways you can put by your homegrown produce for another day, freezing is the easiest. Freezing is the perfect way to preserve small batches of this and that, and freezing garden vegetables is fast and easy compared to canning or pickling. Little can go wrong, because there is no worry about pH levels, salt, or exact ingredients. Best of all, you can combine veggies and herbs from your garden in frozen packets, making it easy to enjoy July’s bounty in January.

“Freezing
Sweet peppers cut into strips can be frozen raw

Freezing Raw Vegetables

Most vegetables benefit from blanching or cooking before they are frozen, a step that stops enzyme activity that toughens vegetables and reduces their nutritional content. Most vegetables turn into cardboard when frozen raw, but there are exceptions. Peppers and okra freeze well when cut into pieces, frozen on cookie sheets and then stored in airtight freezer containers, and many gardeners toss extra cherry tomatoes into freezer bags for later use in cooked dishes. Peeled raw cucumbers also freeze well, especially when stored in vacuum-sealed bags, or you can make them into freezer pickles. Cleanliness is crucial when freezing raw vegetables because no heat is used to prepare the food for storage.

“Freezing
When blanched before freezing, purple snap beans turn green

Steam Blanching Tender Vegetables

Many of the most tender and delicious vegetables you can grow are best preserved by blanching and freezing, including asparagus, peas, kale and other cooking greens, broccoli, and snap beans. Blanching means cooking slightly, until no longer raw, and you can blanch vegetables in boiling water or in steam. I prefer steam because it’s less messy. After about 4 minutes steaming over boiling water, you dump the basket of hot vegetables into a big baking pan to cool, and then pack them into freezer bags.

As a final step, squeeze as much air from the bags as you can before sealing them up. I like to place filled bags on a cookie sheet so they freeze flat, which makes the frozen packets easier to stack in the freezer.

“Grilled
Grilled vegetables like squash keep their smoky flavour when frozen

Freezing Grilled Vegetables

Summer is grilling season in many households, and you can boost the flavor of summer squash, eggplant, peppers, and even carrots and parsnips by grilling them before freezing. When freezing grilled vegetables, slathering them with olive oil before they go on the fire helps them pick up smoky flavors and keeps them from sticking to the grill. Marinate them with garlic, herbs or other seasonings if you like. Grilling is the best way I know to take a low-flavor vegetable like zucchini and turn it into a gourmet treat to enjoy when summer is long gone. If you don’t do outdoor grilling, roasting seasoned vegetables before freezing them works well, too.

Freezing Sweet Corn

Freezing is the best way to preserve sweet corn, and there are many ways to prep corn for the freezer. After trying them all, I must report that freezing sweet corn raw is a waste. Blanching or pre-cooking is required to preserve sweet corn’s texture and flavor.

“Freezing
Fresh sweet corn roasted in butter is a true freezer treat

You can blanch and freeze whole ears if you have the freezer space, but it’s much more energy efficient to freeze only the kernels. My favorite method involves cutting the raw kernels from about 20 ears and placing the kernels and milky juice in a large baking pan with a stick of butter. I roast the buttered corn in a hot oven until it’s hot and bubbly and the house smells like roasted corn, about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice. When cool, I transfer the corn to meal-size freezer bags.

I dedicate a shelf of my freezer to frozen garden vegetables, starting on the left and working my way across. When the garden stops producing, it is so cool to enjoy the season all over again, starting with spring asparagus and peas and ending with fall collards. To me, this is one of the unique pleasures of this gardening life.

< All Guides

Garden Planning Apps

If you need help designing your vegetable garden, try our Vegetable Garden Planner.
Garden Planning Apps and Software

Vegetable Garden Pest Warnings

Want to Receive Alerts When Pests are Heading Your Way?

If you've seen any pests or beneficial insects in your garden in the past few days please report them to The Big Bug Hunt and help create a warning system to alert you when bugs are heading your way.

Show Comments



Comments

 
"I've found that freezing green beans without blanching works great. I did a test: blanching half the beans, not blanching the rest, and freezing for 6 months. When cooked, I couldn't detect any difference between the beans (color, flavor and texture)."
Dave on Friday 10 July 2020

Add a Comment

Add your own thoughts on the subject of this article:
(If you have difficulty using this form, please use our Contact Form to send us your comment, along with the title of this article.)

 
   
(We won't display this on the website or use it for marketing)



Captcha


(Please enter the code above to help prevent spam on this article)



By clicking 'Add Comment' you agree to our Terms and Conditions