Food Preservation: Freezing
As I cooked oats for breakfast this morning, I reveled in the opportunity to throw in a handful of frozen blueberries that I had picked earlier in August. It is always a treat to have Michigan fruit in December and freezing is one of the easiest ways to be able to preserve summer and autumn’s bounty to enjoy year-round. Pretty much everything can be frozen successfully except for eggs in the shell, cream sauces, mayonnaise, milk, and precooked meat. Most people don’t freeze more frequently simply because they don’t realize how easy it can be! For example if you go raspberry picking, all you need to do is spread the berries out on cookie trays in the freezer, let them set, and then shovel them into freezer bags. If you have a garden and don’t know what to do with all your extra zucchinis, wash and slice them, blanch them for 3 minutes, and throw them in a freezer bag. They’ll be delightful for zucchini bread in the winter. It's hard to mess up freezing food, but a few simple tips can make you more satisfied with the end product.
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General Freezing Tips:
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Freeze as soon as possible.
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To minimize the formation of ice crystals, you may want to put your freezer on a quick-freeze cycle because the faster the food freezes, the fewer ice crystals will form. Otherwise, just try to put the food in the coldest part of your freezer when you first introduce it.
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Freeze your food in bags and containers that are specifically designed for freezing.
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Though glass works too, be sure to leave extra space for food expansion and be careful when removing the jar as it will become slippery.
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Package your food in easy-to-access quantities.
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If you are putting multiple servings in one bag, separate them with pieces of tin foil or cut-up plastic bags.
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If freezing liquids or sauces, you can freeze them in ice-cube trays and then transfer them to bags for quick-access later.
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This works great for pesto, salsas, and juices.
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Additional Resources:
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- Want to learn more about freezing? Click here!
- Want to learn about what you can and cannot freeze? Click here!
- Don’t want to wait until summer to freeze your own fruits and vegetables for next winter? Check out Save the Season, a frozen CSA program that provides a monthly box of organic local produce to have fresh produce through March!
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Information adapted from Our Food, Our Right: Recipes for Food Justice