Freezing Food Questions

[shelbylovesmelby]

What kinds of fresh fruit & or veggies can you / can't freeze? I know there are some that if you freeze them their consistancy is kinda like mush one they are thawed.

What else have you had good luck with freezing? any tips on preparation prior to freezing if any?

Looking for suggestions so I have more ideas of what to plant in our garden & if I see a deal on something that I can snag it up.

thanks

[PrincessPerky]

if you freeze them use them for stuff you would mash/mush up I use frozen fruit to mix with the kids yogurt, works well.

[Ima saver]

I don't freeze anything.

[flash]

I freeze everything (helps having a Mom who was a chef!). How depends on what it is. Most fruits can go straight in, although you might want to sprinkle with a diluted lemon juice if you don't want any browning. I never do, but you can.

Veggies are more difficult. Some can go straight in, some need to be blanched first. Tomatoes generally best if boil two minutes, peel the skins off, then freeze. Potatoes, some varieties can freeze, some will turn to mush. Rule, if they mush when you boil them, they will mush when you freeze them. If they stay fairly hard when you boil them, they generally hold up. Sweet potatoes/yams work great if you bake them first, but can be frozen direct. I recommend peeling, though.

Any specific questions?

[jodi]

Some specifics from my garden:
zucchini - I have chopped and froze this for use in soups (good) or veggies stir-fry (somewhat mushy). I have also grated it to use in baking (works well).
tomatoes - I have frozen these whole two years ago when we had a bumper crop of teeny tomatoes. Simply run them under hot water when you take them out and the skins peel right off - I use them in soups or sauces. Usually, though, I skin and boil them slightly first, then freeze.
Green and yellow beans - blanch slightly, put right into cold water to stop the cooking. These are good to freeze on a cookie sheet first then transfer to a bag so they don't freeze together in a lump.
Spinach - cook first, then drain and freeze. Comes out like frozen spinach you would buy in the store.
Green peppers - chop and freeze - come out great and a real time saver.
Not from our garden, but we have frozen leftover carrots and celery from a huge veggie tray - not good for anything but soup.

[contrary1]

I freeze what I don't like canned or dried. My freezer space is the most limited........I can store all the food I can process, no end to the room in the pantry space. But, the real estate in my freezer is pretty limited, so I think pretty hard before something goes in there.
Meat is the item that gets priority......and a supply of bread products (since we don't do grocery runs, just a trip a month or less if we're creative!)
Next on the important list is my shelf of prepared items. Dinners, or parts of dinners all ready to go. I freeze all my applesauce I make in the fall, as I'm just not able (for some reason) to get a canned applesauce to work here.
So, when it gets to veggies, I'm more inclined to can them. (I can all the tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, zuchinni, corn, pickles of all kinds)
Berries head to the freezer, flash frozen on a jelly roll pan, then popped into zip lock bags. Berries that have been frozen give off more juice when used to make jam & jelly during the winter too.
I think I use approx half my big freezer for items prepared ahead..........not OAMC, but my method is to cook 2-3 times the amount of something and put the extra in the freezer; my "bank" of meals all ready to go.

[flash]

I'd say large freezer is 1/3 meat, 1/3 home produce, and 1/3 ready meals. Maybe 1/2 ready meals if you include all the muffins baked ahead for breakfasts.

Best investment I think I ever made for saving was the large freezer. It has more than paid for itself!

[mom-from-missouri]

Can someone tell me how to freeze potatoes? I know you can, because you can buy them froozen. I am mainly interested in freezing them shredded or small new potatoes--for hasbrowns and stews or with greenbeans. Do you have to blanch them first??

[PrincessPerky]

I read once that was too hard for home products to do, but I could be wrong, it was an old book.

[shelbylovesmelby]

thanks for the tip on how to freeze tomatos. Is there any reason as to why they need to have the skin removed before freezing?

my main thing is I'm a sahm & I try to waste as little as possible since there are weeks where my grocery $ is just $20. SO I need to be able to preserve things if I find a great deal on them while I have the money rather than cry about it when I don't KWIM?

Also w/ our tax refund I want to buy a freezer.

[flash]

Here is a site for info on freezing almost any vegetable. Very specific, too.


http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplo...nut/gh1503.htm