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]

Re: Freezing Food Questions

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]

Re: Freezing Food Questions

I don't freeze anything.

[flash]

Re: Freezing Food Questions

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]

Re: Freezing Food Questions

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]

Re: Freezing Food Questions

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]

Re: Freezing Food Questions

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]

Re: Freezing Food Questions

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]

Re: Freezing Food Questions

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

[shelbylovesmelby]

Re: Freezing Food Questions

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]

Re: Freezing Food Questions

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

http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/hesguide/foodnut/gh1503.htm

[missmoorea]

Freezing food

I made cassoulet in an aluminum pan and I have to cancel my lunch party due to illness. Can I put the whole aluminum pan in the freezer until ready to serve?

[hopeangel292713]

This won't help with freezing veggies from your garden, but one thing I like to buy in advance when they are on sale and freeze is bananas. If you cut them up and freeze them in individual ziploc bags they make great smoothies (don't have to add ice - just some milk and whatever else you like to add like berries, peanut butter, tofu, etc).

For veggies I always prefer to prepare them before freezing. I will make a large batch of tomato sauce and freeze it. Sometimes I make meatloaf with grated veggies in it, cook the meatloaf, and then freeze it to reheat later (this works well if you make them meatloaf in a cupcake pan and you can freeze individual portions).

Otherwise I try to freeze the same kinds of veggies you can find in a freezer section. I will blanch green beans, corn, carrots, peas, and spinach and freeze in individual size baggies. You have to use something that will seal packages air-tight (like a food saver) if you want to keep stuff for more than a few weeks.

[Harlem]

I try to take fresh fruits and vegetables. I hate freezing.