Introduction to Farm Freezing, Part 2
As a newbie to freezing,
my first question was "What can I freeze?" I soon discovered that
just about anything can go in the freezer. With our unlimited
freezer space, we even freeze things which taste just as good canned
---- like tomatoes. On a 90 degree September day, when you've got
a bushel or two of fresh tomatoes on your hands, you'll probably prefer
cutting off the tops and throwing them whole into freezer bags rather
than standing over a huge pot of boiling water at the stove for an
hour. I know I do.
I've run across only a few things which I wish I hadn't put in the
freezer. The biggest one is peaches. Last summer, I bought
a couple of bushel baskets of peaches and cut them all up, dreaming of
tasting summer peaches on a cold winter day. But when I
thawed them back out, I discovered that the fruit chunks had turned
flabby and brown
and lost a lot of their delicious flavor. This year, I plan to
can or dry my peaches.
Two years ago, I made a similar mistake with freezing basil and parsley
by themselves. The thawed out herbs were woody and flavorless,
but
luckily I froze lots of pesto which preserved the fresh basil
taste much better. If you're going to freeze herbs, try freezing
them in
oil, or just make up some spaghetti and pizza sauces in advance and
freeze those.
| This post is part of our Introduction to Farm Freezing lunchtime
series. Read all of the entries: |
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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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hi, didn't know if you were aware (and thought you might want to be) that the photos in the posts are covering some of the wording and readers are unable to piece together your sentences. i noticed it in this post as well as a couple others. thanks, lf
Fostermamas --- I use plastic containers that Mark's mom gets at a restaurant supply store. I like them because they're stackable, take up very little space when empty, and come in three sizes (cup, pint, and quart) all of which use the same lid. They are a bit fragile when frozen, but losing a few every year isn't a big deal since they're really cheap.
Everett --- intriguing idea for the peaches. I may have to try that!
Wow, I've never tried freezing whole tomatoes! Pretty cool!
As for peaches, I add sugar to peeled, cut up peach chunks, let them macerate a few minutes, and then freeze. I use them in baked goods and ice creams.
I should add, on the tomato front, that you should only freeze them whole if you don't mind eating the seeds and skins. We like it all, except the woodiest bit o the core, which I cut out. If you're a no-skin and no-seeds person, you'll want to remove those before freezing most likely.
Interesting technique with your peaches. Do you ever eat them raw when you thaw them? How do they taste?
Very good information on freezing produce. I am really enjoying the site.
Garlic stored in oil is a huge botulism risk so never do that. I wouldn't even risk it in the freezer.