I definitely recommend eating as much of the fresh vegetables as you can but , if your garden is super friendly this year,and If you do it right, you'll probably have more vegetables than you can eat in one season. That is why it is important to know what vegetables freeze well and how to do it correctly. Freezing vegetables allows you to have fresh tasting vegetables all winter. It also helps reduce your grocery bill.
The majority of freeze-worthy vegetables need to be blanched first. Blanching means to plunge the vegetables into boiling water for a few minutes, remove, and freeze. Before blanching, be sure to clean, peel, and cut your vegetables. You want to be able to take them from freezer, to stove, to table in the future with no worries. To blanch properly bring a large pot of water to boiling.Add 1/4 cup salt to every gallon of water. Then take your prepped vegetables and put them in either a large hand-held strainer that you can lower into the water, or just drop them in by the handful. The water should begin to boil again within a minute. If it doesn't, you are trying to blanch too many vegetables at one time. Follow the approximate times below for some common vegetables for blanching.Be sure to have a large bowl of Ice and water mixture to place the vegetables in once they reach the correct time , this will immediately stop the cooking process and lock in the desired color. After the vegetables have cooled completely , place the in a air tight container. Label them with date and name of the vegetable. Place in the freezer until needed. Best eaten within 2-4 mths after freezing.
Asparagus - 2 to 4 minutes depending on thickness
Green Beans - 3 minutes
Broccoli - 3 minutes
Brussels Sprouts - 3 to 5 minutes depending on size
Carrots - 3 minutes
Cauliflower - 3 minutes
Corn - Blanch for 3 to 6 minutes on the cob. Remove the kernels after blanching if desired.
Peas - 1 to 2 minutes
Bell Peppers - 2 to 3 minutes or just freeze
Zucchini - 3 minutes
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