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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

When Good Veggies Go Bad

I purchased about 8 different kinds of veggies when I did my big store run.  All the veggies were fresh.  I read it's important to rotate the kinds of veggies used in daily green smoothies, so I figured I would get lots of different kinds.

However, as a single person in a household of exactly one human, I figured out by day #3 post-shopping I wasn't going to be able to use all the veggies before they went bad.  That would be unacceptable, so time for this old dog to learn a new trick.

Leafy greens have to be blanched before they are frozen.  Otherwise they will turn into a messy goo in the freezer.  I've never blanched anything before (at least not on purpose).  This time it would be on purpose.




  • Fill large pot (as large as you've got) with water & add some salt
  • Boil water in pot & keep it on a slow rolling boil
  • In a separate large bowl, add a lot of ice cubes and fill bowl with water (aka ice bath)
  • Immerse the washed leafy greens in the boiling water
  • Let the veggies boil for 1 to 2 minutes and remove
  • Immediately plunge the blanched veggies into the ice bath and let them completely cool.
  • Drain the cooled veggies in a collandar
  • Squeeze out excess liquid from veggies
  • Package veggies in freezer-proof bags or containers, label, and into the freezer it goes!  Freeze in serving size portions to make things easier.



How to Freeze Fresh Fruit

  • Wash fruit
  • Peel if necessary (most fruit doesn't need to be peeled but bananas & citrus do)
  • Remove seeds or pits
  • Cut larger fruits into chunks
  • Place fruit in a single layer on a plate or cookie sheet
  • Put tray of fruit in freezer for approximately 30 minutes
  • Remove fruit from freezer and put into a freezer proof bag or container.
  • Label and place bag or container back in the freezer.

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