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Saturday, June 9, 2012

Keep the bounty.




You'll pick up a great bag of string beans one day, asparagus the next, and you can't possibly eat all the goodies you bring home. With a bit of time, and with simple tools and supplies, you can preserve the rest for those rainy days.

Tools: pot, scoop, colander and bowl with iced water, cookie sheet covered with wax paper or parchment paper, quart size plastic bags for freezing.


Step one: Put a pot of water to boil. I cook mine in batches. You can cook all at once.

Step two: Boil the greens for two minutes.

Step three: Scoop and drop in a colander set atop ice water. Cool and Drain.

Step four: Lay wax paper on a cookie sheet and spread your drained produce in one layer.

Step five: Freeze for a few hours.

Step six: Divide and bag the frozen produce. I bag mine as individual servings.

When ready to cook: Drop the frozen vegetables in a steamer and steam for two minutes or until tender, and then proceed with your usual recipe. 

8 comments:

  1. I must try this as my green beans frozen are not the best I have tasted though quite passable. Diane

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  2. I'll try this! I had never been able to freeze vegetables successfully before -- didn't know about that two minute cooking secret. Thanks, Rosaria!

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  3. I love canning but this is a wonderful alternative I've never thought of trying. Honestly, I rarely have enough fresh greens to put up anymore, but I'll park this secret for later.

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  4. Our peas are about ready to harvest. They are the kind that you can eat the whole pod. Do you think I need to cook them before freezing?

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  5. Great idea! I have always had a big freezer and like to freeze everything this way. It cuts the dinner prep time in half and it's always nice to have a fresh veggie stash.

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  6. Thanks for the tips. I freeze fruits on the cookie sheet for an few hours and them put them in bags. I was just wondering the other day about freezing peppers. Have you ever frozen the red, yellow, and orange bell peppers? I don't grow them, but at times they are on sale 10 for $10. I've thought of slicing them, blanching them, and freezing them to use in cooking. I don't know why it wouldn't work, do you?

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