Comments on: Freezing Produce by the Handful

By: Phyllis

Phyllis — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:55:44 +0000

Thanks! The steaming will commence shortly. Note to Keira: Canning tomatoes is fabulous, don’t worry. Somewhere I’ve read that adding lemon juice will bump up the acidity if that concerns you. When canning, keep everything hot & clean. Once you get your equipment you’ll be consumed with thinking of things to can — jellies, jams, salsas, tomato juice. Apple-Jalapeno Jelly slathered on crackers with cream cheese. Get grapes in season, make juice now and freeze it. In the winter, defrost it and whip up a batch of jelly. Strawberry Jammmmm. See what I mean?

By: Ivory Soap

Ivory Soap — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:28:04 +0000

@nikole–if you blanch them, they will still keep well. If not, the enzymes kill all of the flavor. Have you ever gotten a stir fry mix at the store? They come out like that.

By: Ivory Soap

Ivory Soap — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:25:52 +0000

@Nancy–The green peppers peel really well once they’re thawed.

By: Ivory Soap

Ivory Soap — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:13:20 +0000

@Phyllis- I have a steamer basket in the pot with water underneath. Just boil it and put the top on.

By: Phyllis

Phyllis — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:13:00 +0000

Anyone? Bueller? Hello? I’ve got mounds of goodies waiting to get steamy. Do you use a steamer basket with no water? Are the veggies just on the bottom of the pot? Can it be that easy? Do I start with a cold pot? How high of a flame? Thanks….

By: Nancy

Nancy — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:42:10 +0000

I do this with with fruit (cut up peaches, blueberries, bananas) but I don’t blanche them. I never thought to do this with veggies. I can’t wait to go to the farmers market! Can you get the skin off the green peppers after they are cooked?

By: Phyllis

Phyllis — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:48:51 +0000

Do you add any water to the pot for the steam?

By: Keira Eddy

Keira Eddy — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:09:23 +0000

I’m so glad to hear you can do this with tomatoes. I had heard that canning them is dangerous, so I’ve frantically been making soups and sauces to use them up before they go bad. My minestrone and lentil stews have never tasted better, but there are still more tomatoes! Thanks for the easy tip.

By: Nikole Gipps

Nikole Gipps — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:42:22 +0000

The question is – what do they come out as? I froze some of my harvest this year too. Everyone is of the opinion that the frozen items later taste terrible. (Tomatoes like cardboard, someone just said to me.) So what do you think about the end result of it?

By: Ivory Soap

Ivory Soap — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:37:36 +0000

@Sarah–there are enzymes in the veggies that make them deteriorate in the freezer. Blanching them first denatures the enzyme and keeps the flavor and nutrients.