intellectual nourishment preservation is a prison term - honour tradition that admit the copiousness of the fall harvest to be saved for the winter months . The most fourth dimension - have and labor - intense aspect of the harvest is usually its saving once it ’s out of the garden . It does n’t have to be this way , however , as many modernistic nutrient preservation technique are fast and easier than their traditional counterparts .
Food saving , put plainly , is the storing of harvested food for late utilization . Most of the time , this intend root cellaring , canning ( bottling ) , freezing or drying . Today , many home gardeners prefer to freeze their harvest to save time and ensure good nutrient memory without knottiness . Most unremarkably grow garden foods will stop dead well and frozen veg and fruit can easy be dissolve and used as if tonic .
How to Freeze Vegetables
Freezing is much faster and easier than canning or bottling . Canning requires a comely amount of processing , a lot of work over a hot stove , and provide the uncertainty of some of the bottles not sealing properly , ending in spoiled nutrient later . freeze , on the other hand , involve only simple processing and a freezer .
If you ’re using an adjustable freezer ( even icebox - impound freezers are normally adjustable ) , turn it down to -10F a couple of days before you begin . This will lower the freezer ’s temperature and speed up the process . It ’s not necessary , but it does help . Two or three sidereal day after the harvest has been put into the deep-freeze , you’re able to work it back up to its common setting ( normally 0F ) .
The easy way to process and freeze veggie is to do it over sentence rather than all at once . The most susceptible to spoil should be done first followed by those that can be refrigerate , shelved , or even lead in the land for a while . Doing a fortune of vegetables at once will put a breed on any deep freezer and will make the physical process take longer in the long foot race .
If using Tupperware - style containers , make certain to fill them wholly and to varnish them tightly before pile in a deep-freeze . Use masking piece tape recording and a marking to clear judge the containers ( include the appointment ! ) , even if they are transparent . These containers have a mode of fogging up , making it hard to distinguish one gullible veggie from another .
pliant deep freezer bags are another good pick . drop them and advertise all of the air out before sealing to minimize Deepfreeze bite . plane bags are easier to stack and also thawing out quicker than do stuffed roundish bags . Again , label them clearly and include the date .
In all cases , as soon as the vegetables are process and package , they should go flop into the freezer . This will pour down bacterium and other microbe quickly , keep the solid food from hogwash or flavor red ink . Most hoi polloi prefer to freeze their vegetables “ ready to cook ” – gullible beans are cut , spinach is trim , peppers are dice or slice , etc . This makes them easier to use later and reduces their volume for storage .
Vegetables That Freeze Well
Many vegetable do well in the freezer . Green bean , peas , carrots , peppers , spinach , most herb , Brussels burgeon forth , etc . can all be immobilize raw after only pick and perhaps write out / clipping . If store tender , these vegetable should be soundly cleaned , dried , and clip of any excess . They should then be backpack together closely into their container and put directly into the deep-freeze .
Some vegetables require blanching before freeze . Leafy vegetables and less “ solid ” diversity are often the pick . Asparagus , some edible bean ( lima , snap ) , beet , broccoli , cabbage , mushrooms , okra , most squelch , potatoes , and tomato will all necessitate to be blanched before frozen . Many also blanch Brussels sprout and other vegetables that are normally assist blanched anyway , making it easier to speedily heat and eat them .
parboil is childlike , but if process more than one type of veggie , do not apply the same water for all of them , but apply new water supply for each vegetable eccentric . This keeps cross - contamination of flavor from ruining the food . but boil the water and duck the vegetable in it and wait for the water to re - boil ( use about 1 pound of vegetables per gallon of water ) . Then time for about 2 - 3 minutes and remove to frigid urine , usually a rinsing . Then ironical and freeze . Steam blanching is also a good method .
Storing Garden Vegetables to Last Longer
Many root crops such as white potato vine , as well as hard - shelled harvest like butternut squash , can be well hive away without freezing . These demand only steady temperatures and relatively stable atmospheric conditions to stay comestible for month at a time .
For shorter - term store , most saucy garden veggie and fresh cut herbs can be refrigerated . Do not slew or break them if it can be avoid , as these breaches of the plant ’s skin will be where waste will begin . When refrigerate , store in a space that allows good circulation and that is furthest away from the cooling lover / ingredient of the fridge . Most modern refrigerators have vegetable tray or drawers that are the consummate pick .
Want to learn more about quick tips to preserve the garden harvest?
Check out these helpful resources : National Center for Home Food PreservationPreserving the Harvest Tips & Recipes
