It’s that time of year when fresh produce is in abundance. I often buy far more than we can possibly use before going bad. Solution? Freeze it. Wash and completely dry your fresh produce. Chop if necessary. Place produce in an even layer on a baking sheet, being sure not to overlap. Allow to freeze completely, about three hours. Once individual pieces are frozen through, combine in a freezer safe bag or container and store until ready to use, removing as much air as possible. This process keeps your produce from freezing together in a massive clumps. I also use this technique for making scones and muffins.
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I really need to be better about freezing our fresh produce at throughout the summer. I’m tempted to print out this tip and stick it on my fridge as a reminder.
That’s a good question. I typically freeze a lot of fruits such as rhubarb, berries, even cranberries (never tried apples, bananas, or oranges though). If I’m freezing strawberries for smoothies, I freeze them whole, if for muffins or scones, I freeze them diced. It’s very similar to if you were to buy frozen produce from the store. In general frozen produce retains more water than if you were to eat it fresh. Usually I plan to cook a lot of the produce I freeze rather than serving it raw or “fresh”. You can also blanch some of your vegetables before freezing if you wish to eat them thawed rather than cooked.
What an excellent tip to help avoid waste of precious, fresh produce. I need to get into the groove and follow your suggestion. Nice post! And btw, we attended a wine pairing dinner last night where one of the courses featured ramps. Because of your previous post I was the only one at our table who knew what they were, the timing couldn’t have been better or more ironic!
Thank you so much for sharing this tip! We always buy and overabundance of veggies and they always go bad before we get through them.
I aways do this the broccoli, spinach and kale!! I love adding them right to soups!!
Great tip Melissa!
I really need to be better about freezing our fresh produce at throughout the summer. I’m tempted to print out this tip and stick it on my fridge as a reminder.
You and me both! I always tell myself I’ll do it tomorrow. Too many tomorrows is always too late 🙂
Do you have a list of produce that freezes well and a list of whoops! freezing experiences?
That’s a good question. I typically freeze a lot of fruits such as rhubarb, berries, even cranberries (never tried apples, bananas, or oranges though). If I’m freezing strawberries for smoothies, I freeze them whole, if for muffins or scones, I freeze them diced. It’s very similar to if you were to buy frozen produce from the store. In general frozen produce retains more water than if you were to eat it fresh. Usually I plan to cook a lot of the produce I freeze rather than serving it raw or “fresh”. You can also blanch some of your vegetables before freezing if you wish to eat them thawed rather than cooked.
Good point. If it isn’t in the frozen foods section, there’s a reason. 🙂
What an excellent tip to help avoid waste of precious, fresh produce. I need to get into the groove and follow your suggestion. Nice post! And btw, we attended a wine pairing dinner last night where one of the courses featured ramps. Because of your previous post I was the only one at our table who knew what they were, the timing couldn’t have been better or more ironic!
Yeah! Another great tip. I always do this with excess spinach + kale. Perfect addition to smoothies!
I need to start doing this with kale and spinach! Somehow they escape my mind.