Freezing Vegetables, Blanching Vegetables, How to Freeze Vegetables

Tips and "how to's" for freezing vegetables from your backyard vegetable garden. Learn the best way to prepare, blanch and freeze garden vegetables for winter use.

Design Your Own Vegetable Garden Layout Using our Free "Vegetable Garden Planner" Software!

By freezing vegetables, you can enjoy almost all the fresh produce grown from your vegetable garden long after the harvesting season is over.

A friend of mine recently told me about opening up a package of corn for dinner that was frozen in 1996 and it tasted as sweet as the day it was packed.

Nutrition, flavor, and natural color are kept better in most foods by freezing than any other preservation methods.

Most vegetables and fruits suitable for canning are suited for freezing as well.

Preparing vegetables and fruits for the freezer is quick and simple.

Food can be frozen in quantizes easily that would be too small to justify the time and effort it would take to put them up by canning.

Putting up a pint or two at a time by freezing extra garden vegetables is perfectly feasible when canning such a small quantity would be uneconomical.

Freezing Vegetables Successfully

For freezing vegetables successfully, it is a good idea to purchase a stand-alone freezer, and not try to use the freezer compartment of your refrigerator.

The freezer should be capable of maintaining a temperature of zero degrees or below for effective initial freezing and safe storage.

Download Free Garden Planning Worksheets, Garden Diary, Zone Chart, Or Planting Guide

The colder, the better, as the freezer life of frozen vegetables kept at zero degrees or below is from 8 to 12 months.

The freezer life is much shorter if the temperature inside the freezer is only a few degrees higher.

Using air-tight containers will also extend the freezer life of your vegetables.

How to Freeze Vegetables

Tips for Preparing Vegetables for Freezing

How to Blanch Vegetables Before Freezing

Nearly all vegetables must be blanched for best results before being frozen.

The simplest method of blanching vegetables is to place one pound of prepared vegetables in your perforated pot insert and immerse them in a large kettle holding at least 2 gallons of rapidly boiling water.

Cover the pot and blanch the vegetables at the recommended time for the type of vegetable you are blanching.

As soon as the blanching time is complete, remove the vegetables from the pot and cool them immediately in a large container of ice water.

Hold the vegetables in the cold water for the same length of time that they were scalded, until they are chilled.

Drain thoroughly.

If you will be blanching and freezing large quantities of vegetables, it is best to purchase a large unit made especially for this purpose. Or use a large kettle for boiling water, and a large colander for immersing the vegetables.

Packing Vegetables for Freezing

Label Packages with Date and Contents

Using a felt tip marker, label the containers and freezer bags by writing down the contents of each and the date the food was packed and frozen.

The key to freezing vegetables successfully is using high quality foods to begin with, following proper processing guidelines, ensuring all air is excluded from the containers or bags, and that they are properly sealed.

Back To Top

Freezing Vegetables to Vegetable Gardening

You Might Also like to Read:

"Get the Dirt!" on Vegetable Gardening! > > A FREE Vegetable Gardening Tips and Ideas Newsletter < < "Where to begin with my own vegetable garden? I need some help!" Should I just try planting some seeds in the ground? Is there more to vegetable gardening than meets the eye? How about a container garden? Get the answers, tips, ideas, and more by subscribing to our FREE "Get the Dirt" newsletter.

New! Comments