Budget Cookery Part 4 - How To Freeze Your Home-grown Produce
This article is part of the Grow your own series and therefore
, we are not concerned with freezing meat or baking products. There is nothing better than the taste of home-grown new potatoes, sweet young peas and carrots with your Christmas Dinner when all of these items are out of season. Freezing halts the action of enzymes, which break down vitamins in our fresh food and start working the moment the vegetables are harvested. Before we review what we can freeze, there are some basic techniques you must be aware of before we start freezing.
1.Blanching: This is the method used to ensure that the quality of our frozen produce remains the best possible throughout its frozen state. Blanching is simply boiling the fruit or vegetables for a short time to eliminate any bacteria and other micro-organisms, the causes of decay and infection. Once blanched for the specific time, the produce must be quickly cooled by placing it in iced water to stop the cooking process. Once drained and dried, the produce is packed and frozen.
2.Vegetables: Always cook from frozen. The blanching process will have slightly cooked them, and you will not need to cook them as long as fresh vegetables.
3.Fruit: When thawed, these tend to go mushy, especially soft fruits such as strawberries and blackberries. These are best used for making jams, tart fillings etc. All fruits need gentle heat to help prevent them from breaking up.
If you dont have enough of your own vegetables to freeze, pop down to your local fruit and veg store and see what bulk buys are available. Peas, beans and carrots are much cheaper by the sack than by the pound. A large sack of carrots, properly prepared and frozen into portions will feed a family for months from the one purchase. Here at Bill and Sheilas Cookbook, we do this with carrots, broad beans, Brussels sprouts and peppers. Buy in bulk in season and you will have a plentiful supply until next season - without having to pay inflated prices for imported veg. Freeze only the best. What is left, use for the table now.
Selected Fruits and Vegetables for home freezing.
These fruits and vegetables are the ones we suggested you grow in your container gardens in the previous articles in this series. There are many more items that can be frozen, but are outside the scope of this short article. Visit the main article on Bill & Sheilas Cookbook if you want to see the full range.
Apricots. If you are growing your own apricots then by all means freeze them. We dont have a problem. Apricots grow all around the Mediterranean and we have a plentiful supply. But it is much easier to buy ready to eat dried apricots which are excellent for all culinary purposes. To prepare fresh apricots for freezing, cut them in half, remove the stone and brush with lemon juice to stop them from going brown.
Asparagus. For those of us who grow our own, you will note that the season is very short, so freezing for later in the year is a good option. Prepare the asparagus in the usual way by cutting off the woody ends and dropping them into a pan of boiling water for 2-4 minutes depending on the thickness of the stems. Cool quickly in iced water, dry with kitchen paper and open freeze until solid. When frozen, place in plastic boxes and store in the freezer.
Beetroot. Pull the young beets when they are about 3 inches in diameter. Twist off the leaves never cut them or they will bleed when cooking. Fully cook the beets for about 20 minutes until tender and cool quickly in cold water. The skins should just rub off with your fingers. Leave them to go cold. Slice them and freeze in plastic bags or ice cream boxes. When you want to use them, let them defrost naturally at room temperature.
Broad Beans. These are one of the easiest beans to grow in your containers. Plant them in November and they will provide beans for you from about March. They are best used fresh, but if you do have a lot of spare, pick them when they are not fully-grown. These will remain tender when you thaw them for use. Remove the beans from their pods and blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Cool them in iced water and dry with kitchen paper. Its best to open freeze beans until they are sold and then pack them into polythene bags for storage. They will keep well right through to next season.
Runner beans and French beans are good croppers for the trellis system and provide an abundant supply of beans for freezing. Prepare in the same way as the broad beans but leave the beans in their pods. Top and tail them and slice them into two-inch pieces. Freeze in the same way as broad beans.
Brussels sprouts are ideal for freezing and are just as good after cooking as fresh ones. Trim all the loose outer leaves. Cook in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, cool in iced water, drain and pat dry. Open freeze until solid and pack into polythene bags for storage. Like beans, they will keep well for up to 12 months.
Carrots. Freeze carrots immediately after harvesting to ensure they remain tender after the freezing process. Freeze whole carrots if they are small or dice or slice the larger ones. Use the open freeze process after blanching for 2-3 minutes. Pack them into useable packs and store for up to 6 months. Cook from frozen for about 6 minutes until tender and cooked through.
Peas. Dont buy in peas for freezing. They will be too old and will not give you that young fresh, sweet flavour that you expect from frozen peas. Only use you own excess produce for home freezing. Remove from the pods and blanch for 2 minutes. Cool in iced water and drain and pat dry with kitchen paper. Pack in useable quantities in polythene bags. Cook from frozen for about 5 minutes.
Peppers. All bell peppers: red, green, yellow and orange may be frozen, but you can only use them for inclusion in recipes such as stews and casseroles. They cannot be used as a salad item because they go limp and soft. All crispness is lost in the freezing process. Slice the peppers either in rings or in slices. Blanch for about 2 minutes and cool in iced water. Pat dry before freezing. Spanish stuffed peppers can also be assembled and frozen complete. Look on the website for Spanish Recipes for this item.
Turnips and Swedes. These are best pulled young. Remove the tops and bottoms and peel the skin. Chop into small dice and blanch for about 2 minutes. Cool in iced water, pat dry and open freeze. Store in polythene bags. Ideal for use in stews, vegetable soups and casseroles.
This has been a brief overview of just one of the ways in which to preserve your home-grown produce. Follow the links below to learn more about growing your own fruit and vegetables in a limited area and cooking on a budget.
by: Bill Robinson M.I.Mgt
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