Food Preservation Blog
If you hope to pull tasty, nutritious vegetables from your freezer next winter, you need to blanch them first. Blanching stops the action of enzymes. These naturally occur in vegetables helping them grow and ripen. The enzymes continue to act after harvest and will cause color, flavor, texture, and nutrient losses. Freezing slows down the action of enzymes - but does not stop them.
Have you ever been searching for a package of ground beef in your freezer and discovered a bag of strawberries frozen five years ago? Bacteria will not grow in food stored at 0°F or lower. However, the quality of the food can deteriorate over time. If freezer bags get torn or lids of freezer boxes become loose or if they were not vapor proof to start with, you may notice grainy, brownish, dry looking spots.
Crisp, tender sugar peas combined with new potatoes make a tasty dish that signals the beginning of a bountiful garden. English or hull peas are equally delicious. With careful processing, peas can be preserved to be enjoyed throughout the year.
One of spring’s favorite vegetables, asparagus, is so delicate that it requires special care.
Sweet delicious strawberries that ripen in your garden or are available from local produce stands provide the best flavor. Freezing is by far the most popular method of preserving this nutritious little bundle of flavor.
Rhubarb is the vegetable that is enjoyed as a fruit. By itself it provides a unique tart flavor. Unlimited possibilities exist for combining rhubarb with other foods to create delicious sauces, pies, cakes, cobblers, muffins, and even jams. Most foods prepared with rhubarb can also be frozen.
