Ok, so frozen veggies are not bad for you. Yes, it is definitely better to buy fresh local or organic fruits and veggies and eat them right away because you get SO many more nutrients. But let's face it, not everyone is able to do that, and some times before you can get around to eating them, they go bad. And another problem can be that unless you're getting the frozen veggies during those 10 for $10 sales, they're a convenience item and can be expensive, not to mention it's hard to find organic frozen veggies, if that's what you like.
Well here is a way to buy those organic veggies, but freeze them for later use. At the end of the season, fruits and veggies that are no longer going to be in season will go on sale like crazy with farmers trying to get rid of all their produce. So what you do is buy all those cheap organic (or local, sometimes local is better) veggies and freeze them yourself.
There is one small catch, you can't just stick them right in the freezer. If you do that, you will freeze off all those amazing nutrients! So what you want to do is blanch your veggies first, which just means to cook them just slightly, then freeze them for later use. When veggies are blanched, then frozen at the peak of freshness, you won't lose any of those amazing nutrients. This is also a great time saving, and produce saving technique for those who grow their own veggies!
Corn on the Cob
I'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't love fresh corn on the cob way better than frozen corn. If you like corn on the cob, or off the cob, here's a simple way to keep it tasting delicious!
So everyone knows how to cook corn on the cob, you just boil it. Some people like to grill it, that's fine as well. You only want to boil them for about 5 minutes or so, depending on how many pieces you throw in there. Once blanched, throw in an ice bath for a few minutes to stop the cooking process**. Once it's cool, and dry (!very important that they're dry!) either freeze them whole on the cob or you can remove the kernals and freeze them too! To do this, you're going to want to take you're sharpest, thinnest knife and cut the kernals off into a bowl. Below is a picture of the easiest way to do this.
Take a big bowl, and put a smaller bowl in it (in this case I used a ramekin). Rest the cob on the smaller bowl and cut. All the kernals will fall right into the bigger bowl instead of all over your kitchen!
Then transfer to an airtight freezer bag and put in the freezer for later use.
Broccoli (and Cauliflower etc)
Ok, it's pretty simple for these veggies, too. Again, you just want to blanch them. You will know your broccoli is cooked because it gets very green. So boil just for a few minutes, about 3, but stop before it gets super green. Once blanched, put it an ice bath for a few minutes** then transfer to a collander and let dry completely before transferring to an airtight freezer bag. Freeze and enjoy for later use!
You can do this with any kind of veggies; peas, shelled and washed; asparagus, stems cut off; beans, cleaned, stems pulled off; all for about 1 minute each.
Tomato's are another veggie that freezes great. Once boiled, the skin slides right off and you can freeze them however you like, crushed, whole, diced, etc.
**THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART. Make sure once the veggies are blanched they go into an ice bath to stop the cooking process, otherwise they will continue to cook while they cool and dry, and when you you go to cook them after freezing you will have overcooked veggies!**
Another helpful tip is to freeze them in portion control sizes. Once you boil a few heads of broccoli for example, [I pre-cut and de-stem mine before boiling] put them into a few small sandwich sized zipper bags, then those small bags into a larger freezer bag and freeze. Then you can take out one portion at a time. This way you can also make your own mixed veggie bags. Take your favorite veggie; peas, carrots, mushrooms and corn for example. Make indiviual mixed veggie bags with a little of each veggie. When you're ready to cook, throw into a pot with some chicken for some stirfry!
Another thing I also like to do with veggies that I'm not going to freeze, is chop them and prep them when I get them in case I don't get to use them right away. Chopped peppers, zucchini, cucumber, etc., will last much longer in an airtight bag or container in the fridge, than out and exposed to the air and other veggies.
In case you didn't know, having fruits and veggies near each other speed up the ripening process. That's why your bananas are brown after a few days!
Taking the time when you come home from the farmers market or grocery store to blanch and freeze your fresh veggies is an easy, time and money saving technique to get healthy, nutritent rich foods quickly!
