Preserve your Harvest… in the Freezer

If your garden is producing quite you’ve got time to preserve by canning or dehydrating, freezing is another great option. Nearly everything from the garden is often frozen, with a couple of exceptions like potatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers. Freezing fruits, veggies and herbs is quick and straightforward, doesn’t require any special equipment, and preserves everything for up to a year – just in time for your next harvest season! weck jars for canning or freezing

Freeze Safely with the proper Tools

Before you start, it’s important to possess the proper supplies. Always use freezer-safe containers, and don’t overfill. The container must be ready to accommodate expansion from any liquid inside – more for juicy tomatoes and berries, less for carrots and greens, and none for broccoli and other things that don’t pack tight anyway. Label your freezer containers with the contents and therefore the date of preservation. Check your freezer setting to store at 0°F for 9 to 12 months. it’s best to freeze your harvest during a thin layer, like during a vacuum-seal bag or zip-top bag, or spread on a cooking utensil to freeze before fixing a container. That way everything is quickly exposed to the freezing temperature rapidly, rather than cooling slowly inside an enormous block of food which will encourage the expansion of harmful microorganisms. Once frozen, avoid making one huge stack of food in your freezer; instead, separate container layers with air space in order that everything stays the right temperature. Freezer bags with plums

A Method for each Veggie

Most veggies should be blanched before freezing. Blanching only takes a couple of minutes, and it helps to preserve the flavor, nutrients, and texture of your vegetables. It also helps to wash and sterilize the veggies in order that they don’t spoil within the freezer. To blanch your vegetables, boil an outsized enough pot of water to submerge them. Place the veggies within the boiling water for a quick time, then remove and submerge in an ice bath for the same time. For elevations over 5000 ft, add a moment to the blanching time. Herbs don’t need to be blanched before freezing. To preserve fresh herbs, run them through a kitchen appliance to form a paste, and freeze in containers or as single servings in cube trays. you’ll also place whole leaves in cube trays with a tablespoon of water. Once frozen, move cubes to a freezer container. Frozen herbs are best utilized in hot recipes like soups and stews; simply adjust the quantity of water within the recipe to account for any utilized in the cube tray. Fruits can typically be frozen straight from the garden, with little to no preparation required. Small fruits like blueberries and raspberries just need to be washed. Strawberries and anything larger should be sliced. make certain to get rid of the pits of stone fruits, cores of apples, and other inedible parts of fruits before freezing, because it is far more inconvenient to get rid of them later. Blanching plums to get rid of the skins

Taking Freezing a Step Further

If you’re not during a hurry now, freezing is also an excellent thanks to preserving your harvest during a ready-to-use form to save lots of time later:

Herbs are often made into sauce, like pesto or chutney.

Garlic paste – puree one part garlic to 2 parts vegetable oil . this may stay soft within the freezer, just scoop out what you would like without defrosting the entire container.

Stew tomatoes or make into pasta sauce or masala.

Roasting veggies before freezing adds extra flavor. Roasted red Poivrade is different to organize them before freezing.

Pureed fruits are often preserved as popsicles or sorbets.

Don’t get overwhelmed when your harvest basket is overflowing… just freeze it!

Preserve your Harvest… in the Freezer

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