freezing veg

[joko]

i know you cant just put them in the freezer, but how come you can say mash potato or carrot and turnip etc and freeze them, but a carrot whole will just go black and grey...?

also can you just chop stuff an freeze in bags?

I have been given a load of veg you see and wondered if i can store some of it in this way, and if so what is the best way to do it?

thanks

[poodicat]

Hi joko you have to blanch your veg first before you freeze...

[joko]

ah i see. cheers....how do i do that?

[pastafreak]

Step-by-step instructions here..... http://www.ehow.com/h...lanch-vegetables.html

[poodicat]

Chop veg cook for a minute and then plunge into iced water,drain and then bag and freeze...

[joko]

cheers guys

just one thing does it matter how big the chunks are? is there a 'norm' for blanching?

[boxtops]

joko I just do pot luck, I do also (if desperate) just wash 'em and freeze 'em, fruit particularly, doesn't matter if it goes a bit funny looking if you are going to stew it afterwards.

[joko]

oh, and is this for any veg? i have leeks, onions, toms, poataoes, beetroot, swede, garlic, squash, carrots?

[cc1]

I wouldn't freeze tomatoes, such a high water content. The potatoes will be difficult too to freeze uncooked.

[boxtops]

I don't think beetroot will freeze, it will go all squishy, you'd do better to bottle that.

[boxtops]

Garlic will keep for ages if you hang it up in a pair of old tights in an airy place.

[Clanad]

Actually, tomatoes freeze very well. I freeze them whole with skins on. Just trim off the stem from the end and remove any bruising or other blemishes. Wash them thoroughly and put on a cookie sheet fairly close together but not touching. Put them in the freezer until hard as a rock (probably about 24 hours) and place several at a time in freezer bags (not storage bags). Like many other frozen veggies, they are good for stews, sauces and soups but don't try to slice them. By the way, when you thaw them for use, the skins just slip right off.
I've said it before but it bears repitition that if you freeze a lot of things you can't go wrong investing in a vaccum machine for freezing. Ours cost about $100 U.S., the rolls of bags are very reasonable and the process for vacuum bagging is very simple. It really does prolong the useability of frozen foods...

[Clanad]

I see someone thinks you can't freeze "beet roots" (we call them beets here in the U.S.) whereas we have frozen them for years with good luck. If you have good fresh ones (the only kind) trim off th etap root, but leave about 1 inch of the leaf stem (to keep it from 'bleeding' when cooked. Cook until fork tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. The skins and remaining leaf stem will slip right off. Slice, dice or leave them whole... place them on the aforementioned cookie sheet and then vaccum seal or place in a freezer bag.
Hint: if you you use a freezer bag, use the type with the slide seal at the top. When the bag is full enough close almost fully "zipped" and then take a common drinking straw to suck out as much air as possible. It does work to keep them longer, but, of course,not as good as the vacuum machine...

[boxtops]

great tip re the beetroot, clanad, I would not have done that. I too freeze tomatoes, works well as you say.

[ladyalex]

ONions keep for ages if you string them. If they have the stems still on that is. If not, store them hung up in old tights as boxtops suggested for garlic.