What to do?

[Aussie Chick]

hi,

I have picked so much lovely vege today but I am away on holiday tomorrow for a week and would like to know the best thing for tomatoes, beetroot, chard, beans, potatoes, courgettes and carrots.

I'll be eating a little of it all tonight but can i just put the rest into the freezer? Do Courgettes freeze well?

Hoping you help me out of my Glut!!!

Thanks,
AC

[Aussie Chick]

[Icyberjunkie]

The beetroot in root form will store okay in a cool dark place as will the potatoes.

The beans, carrots and courgettes will freeze okay although courgettes will be alittle soft on thawing.  For all three you will need to blanch them first.  (a few minutes in boiling water then dipped straight into cold water to cool down).   This 'kills' the enzymes and bacteria that reduce storage time.  You can find the blanching times for each on the internet but think its about 2 minutes.

Alternatively, store the courgettes in the fridge or even garage and they should be fine for a week.

No idea about the chard!

Iain

[Aussie Chick]

Thank you very much.

I have eaten the carrots, half a cooked beetroot, the rest I will put in cider V.

I have made a big Vat of ratatouille with all the toms and most of the courgettes.

The beans are in the freezer and the Potatoes are in a sack in the garage.

One happy girl!!  ;D

[Hot_Potato]

Wardy.....how do you mean - 'you found them there'.....are they some you'd picked/gathered from lottie & forgotten were there....if so, how long had they been there then??

Mind you - I use the boot of my car as a permanent storage place for potatoes, onions, & garlic as there's just not enough room in my kitchen, which already has a bucket standing on the floor overflowing with pots. apples & courgettes plus a bicycle basket with more of the same stored 'under the sink', then there's spinach wrapped in newspaper in fridge plus beetroot waiting to be cooked!! - I just love it ::) H.P.

[Andy H]

toms in boiling water,remove skin then bag and freeze