If you have an abundance of produce from your garden or you loaded up at the farmers market and need to preserve the freshness until it can be used up- freezing is a great way to go. I touched on this briefly in the first post of this series, How to Make Your Produce Last Longer, but I am going more in depth now to take the mystery out of it, for those of you who may not be comfortable with freezing fresh produce. While this is by no means a full list of what can be frozen I have given you a quick list the most common items of each category; fruit, vegetables, and herbs, and some tips for each.
Freezing Fresh Produce – Tips for Freezing Fruits, Vegetables, & Herbs
To prepare the produce for freezing, begin by washing it thoroughly. Remove leaves, stems, and pits from fruits and vegetables.
How to Freeze Vegetables
Vegetables that freeze well: Carrots, Potatoes, Peppers, Green Peas, Corn, Zucchini, Squash, Onions
To prepare vegetables for freezing– Chop vegetables into the shape/size you desire. Slice, shred, and cube potatoes. Cut carrots into coins, cut peppers and onions into strips for stir fry.
Blanch Vegetables – Firmer vegetables, like green beans, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, and snap peas require blanching. Most vegetables can be blanched by submerging them into boiling water for 3 minutes. Then remove the vegetables from the boiling water and immediately plunge them into ice water for the same length of time. Blot dry with a towel before freezing. (You can find more blanching times in Prep-Ahead Meals from Scratch.)
How to Freeze Fruits
Fruits that freeze well: Strawberries, Bananas, Peaches, Cherries, and Blueberries.
To prepare fruits for freezing – Peel and slice or chop larger fruit like apples, and peaches. Most fruits can be frozen without boiling first. When freezing fruit, it’s best to measure it out in various amounts, use gallon bags to freeze enough for a pie, or a cup of strawberries for a shake.
I like to pre-measure strawberries and Greek yogurt in a quart baggie for breakfast smoothies then I add a bit of honey if it needs to be sweetened.
Fruit loses its firm texture when frozen and is best pureed or baked into recipes once thawed.
Herbs that freeze well: Cilantro, Dill, Mint, Parsley, Basil, and Chives
Preparing Herbs for freezing: Blanche herbs in boiling water for 5-10 seconds. Dip in ice water. Pat dry with a paper towel. Herbs can be diced before freezing or frozen right before adding them to your recipes. You can also freeze herbs in an ice-cube tray with some water or stock. Herbs are good frozen for 4-6 months.
How to Freeze Produce Once it Has Been Prepped:
You can either fill a freezer bag with the desired amount of produce or place produce in a single layer on a baking sheet and allow it to freeze solid then place in freezer bags. This is great especially for delicate fruit like strawberries and will make it easier to portion later.
Use a sharpie to label your bags with the contents and the date. Frozen produce can be used up to one year later.
You can find more tips for freezing vegetables in Prep-Ahead Meals from Scratch as well as many recipes that you can use frozen recipes in to create delicious dishes.
Linda L Heeren says
How long can you freeze carrots and celery
Elizabeth Scott says
Oklahoma Girl says
When freezing fresh okra, wipe it with a damp towel and place whole into a brown paper bag. Add to as your crop increases. When ready to cook simply cut frozen pods to desired size, bread and fry, or stir fry, boil, etc.
Judy says
How would I go about freezing fresh yellow and green zucchini? And what about celery.
CW says
Is freezing tomato’s possible?
Alea Milham says
Yes, it is. Here is how to freeze diced tomatoes: https://premeditatedleftovers.com/deals-money-saving-tips/frugal-diced-tomatoes-without-the-can/
Debra @ Bowl Me Over says
Great step-by-step!! Stopping by from #FoodieFriDIY to do some sharing! Thanks for linking up!
Grammy says
Great post! Thanks for the tips 🙂
Tana Mason says
Thanks for sharing! Please come on over and share this at our blog hop we have Wed-Sun https://www.floydfamilyhomestead.com/
gigi says
Thank you so much for this! I’m embarressed to say that I really don’t know how to freeze things! Just tonight my friend was telling me that peaches are good to freeze. I get nervous about how long I can keep things for. For example, cut up or pureed pumpkin?? Thank you!
Stefani @ Crafty Christian says
Great info! I’m always hesitant about freezing stuff unless it’s already cooked, but it would be so much easier! Thanks!
Tammy Hollingshead says
Hello Stefani, I freeze all hot peppers solid (wash, pat dry & put into freezer bags). When ready I simply remove a few from freezer, thinly slice hot peppers for soups, chili, spaghetti sauce anything you want to add heat too. Slices amazingly when frozen. Just slice however you like & add to the dish. I do not wait for them to thaw or anything like that. Bell peppers I like to have them frozen in strips that way there immediately ready for the dish….. CORN ON THE COBB: I use a regular gallon or bigger resealable plastic bag & freeze in its husks.(I chop off the silks before freezing because it’s less messy. The silks tend to be crumbly & make a mess). I take out what I need, reseal, put back into freezer then microwave semi-frozen in its husks. It can keep that way until the next corn season. Love it, very easy & tastes like you just pulled it off the stalk. Butter…salt…enjoy. My favorite is Peaches & Cream Corn. Hope this helps. ?GOD BLESS?♿???
Cathy says
Hi, I wish I had seen this post a few weeks ago. Someone told me to cut and blanche the zucchini, then freeze it IN WATER in a zip bag. So I did it. Any thoughts??? Thanks!
Dan says
I have just aquired5 bunches of bok choy. I maid and albondigas meatball soup tonight what the heck am I going to do with the rest of it? I have the rest already cut up cleaned. Help! thank you Dan
Peg says
Blanch, chill in ice water dry and freeze.
Laki says
Do you have to wash and boil fruits before freezing? I bought a container of fresh strawberries and just stuck them in the freezer. Will they be okay?
Boopsie says
Laki,
I have frozen strawberries by rinsing and patting dry before freezing and the results ended up being dark and mushy strawberries. Then I decided to freeze them whole and wash when ready to use and they have kept their color beautifully and I think not rinsing them first is a no no. This at least is my opinion. 🙂
KaringKathleen says
I learned all of that as well.
So I just Cut the Leaf Ends off and put into Freezer Bags.
Rinse & Pat when Ready to Use Only.