im still trying to get to grips on storing the veg i grow what types of veg freeze well and which if any do i need to blanch first
ty
We don't blanch any... :-X
What do you want to freeze? :-\
A chef told me last year if you see it in the supermarket frozen then you can freeze it too.
Quote from: saddad on August 04, 2009, 18:44:14
We don't blanch any... :-X
What do you want to freeze? :-\
french beans? can ya freeze carrots?
when i tried to chip a few home made chips they went black lol
we're freezing french and runner beans, we've already frozen some blanched carrots and parsnips 'cos we didn't get around to eating them ;D
Liz ...
You can freeze carrots french beans peas tomatoes onions courgettes beetroot leeks ...I could go on forever but you can freeze most vegetables. I blanch, steam or lightly fry my vegetables before freezing.
To freeze carrots ~ Cut them up in the way you like to serve them.
Blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.
Drain them.
Plunge into ice cold water.
Drain and dry them.
Place into polybags or polyboxes and freeze.
Check out this web site :)
http://www.gardenguides.com/how-to/tipstechniques/vegetables/freezing.asp
Duke :)
This is probably a stupid question but what does the blanching do?
Lushy x
Essentially it kills the enzymes, microbes and so on that make food discolour when peeled and leads to rotting... so they keep longer and a better colour... :)
Thanks sadad, so how come you don't blanch then? :)
Hi again...
I have always been led to believe that blanching halts some kind of enzyme action that spoils the vegetables and it also gives a longer storage time. Non blanched vegetables should not be stored for as long as blanched ones. The blanching is supposed to remove dirt and bacteria. Now I dont know if this is true but I have always done it this way I just follow my books instructions on how to freeze vegetables.
Apparantly onions do not need to be blanched or pre cooked before freezing. .dont ask me why ?
??? lol
Duke
It takes time Lushy, and I'm lazy... and most stuff gets used before it has time to deteriorate, even from the freezer... :-\
I don't blanch anything either, I used to but found it made no difference. I open freeze on steel trays then bag once solid, keeps stuff separate. Beans, peas, tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, carrots, parsnips, red and green cabbage, courgettes, new potatoes, all raw: once the tomatoes are frozen, I skin and reduce them to make coulis: oven roasted courgettes for a taste of summer in midwinter: sage, basil, parsley, thyme, freeze the leaves then crunch: best advice is to try and see, even if stuff is a bit squodgy it's still your own home-grown!
thank you everyone for the advise all useful i was also wondering about beetroot can you freeze this?
Yes you can freeze beetroot. Wash the beetroot ~do not remove any straggly roots~twist off the leaves~ Cook for about 10-25 mins until tender(this depends on the size of your beetroot)~Plunge into cold water~drain~dry. Cut off roots~peel off the skins. Leave baby beets whole~slice or dice bigger ones. Pack into poly bags or poly boxes.
Duke :)
great thank you so much for the reply ive got enough beetroot to last us through 2 wars lol