Some of that produce in your garden is about ready for harvest, so you’ll want to be prepared to deal with the surplus. Freeze it properly, and you can eat well all year, and save money, too. Even if you didn’t grow your own fruits and veggies, you can purchase them cheaper when they’re at their peak.

Freezing is the easiest, most convenient, and least time-consuming method of preserving foods. Freezing does not sterilize foods or destroy the organisms that cause spoilage; the extreme cold simply slows the growth of microorganisms and the chemical changes that affect quality or cause spoilage.

Freezing produce is relatively simple, but for best results you need to follow certain guidelines:

• Use recommended varieties. There are usually numerous varieties or hybrids of any vegetable or fruit. Quality varies after freezing. Some produce may be unpalatable after freezing. Therefore use only those varieties that tests say yield a high quality frozen product.
• Select mature fruits & vegetables. They should be fresh, tender, and succulent – just right for immediate table use.
• Prepare quickly and carefully. Most fruits & vegetables lose quality quickly after harvest. Freeze fruits & vegetables the same day you pick them–within a few hours from vine to container.
• Prepare for freezing as for table use. Wash thoroughly and discard inferior produce.
• Trim and cut into serving pieces if necessary.

Keeping Enzymes in Frozen Food

Enzymes are complex proteins, present in all living tissue, that help organisms ripen and mature.

During freezing, enzyme action is slowed but not stopped. If not inactivated, these enzymes can cause color and flavor changes and loss of nutrients during freezer storage.

Vegetables
Blanching vegetables before freezing inactivates the enzymes. During blanching, the vegetable is exposed to boiling water or steam for a brief period. The vegetable is then rapidly cooled in ice water to prevent cooking.

The use of microwave ovens for blanching has become popular. However, microwave blanching produces uneven results because of varied heat patterns within an oven and from one oven to another. Microwave blanching requires working with only small quantities at a time; there is no time saving when working with large quantities of vegetables. Blanching also helps destroy microorganisms on the surface of the vegetables. When blanched, vegetables such as broccoli and spinach become more compact.

Following the recommended times for blanching each vegetable is important. Overblanching results in a cooked product and loss of flavor, color, and nutrients. Underblanching stimulates enzyme activity and is worse than no blanching at all.

Fruits
Enzymes in fruits can cause browning and loss of Vitamin C. Fruits, however, are not usually blanched.

Instead, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is used to control enzymes in frozen fruits. Commercial mixtures of ascorbic acid are available for home use. Citric acid or lemon juice also may be used to prevent darkening of fruits, but they are not as effective as ascorbic acid. Packing fruit in sugar or sugar syrup also will control browning.

If there is a delay before you prepare vegetables for freezing, keep them in a refrigerator. Or, you can put them in any cool place not higher than 40F and preferably as low as 32F.

Look for more information on freezing later this week!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 at 6:22 am and is filed under Articles - Food, Budget & Finance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.