Anita Shackelford
Contact me  
  • Home
  • Digitized Patterns
  • Short Arm Patterns
  • Made by Hand - Books, Templates, Needles
  • Needles
  • For sale
  • Quilt Rescue
  • Statler Tutorials
  • Red and Green Quilts
  • Kids at Work
  • About Anita
  • Contact
  • What's New
  • Store

Quick Freeze for Vegetables

3/18/2021

0 Comments

 
At the grocery this week, I found good prices on two vegetables we like, so I bought extra; more than we could fit into menus right away. I have the equipment to blanch and freeze large amounts of vegetables when we are bringing them in from our garden, but today I want to share a quick idea I use to prep vegetables for freezing when I have only a small amount.
Picture
Picture
Beautiful asparagus and broccoli from the market, washed and ready to cut into smaller bites.
Picture
After veggies are prepped, the next step is to bring a large bowl of water to boiling, in the microwave.
I added the asparagus to the hot water and blanched (cooked) it on High for 3 minutes. This process is important because it stops the enzymes that cause food to spoil.
Picture
Also have ready, a bowl of ice water. Make sure the bowls you use are stoneware or other ceramics that will tolerate the sudden change of temperature for this technique.
Use a slotted spoon and lift the veggies out of the hot water and into the ice water to stop the cooking process.
Picture
Let the veggies chill for several minutes to be sure they are cold all the way through.
​After cooling, lift the vegetables out and drain them in a colander to remove excess water.

Picture
Spread them out on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer until they are completely frozen.
Picture
Frozen spread out like this, the asparagus was easy to pick up and put into a freezer bag.
​Label and date are a good idea if you do very many packages.


Picture
Picture
The broccoli went through similar steps, although I blanched these pieces for 5 minutes because they were larger and had thicker stems.
You can read on line for suggestions on blanching and freezing other vegetables. If you have the freezer space to do this, you can count on having just what you need to make a favorite recipe. 
P. S. Some of the fresh asparagus is going into tonight's dinner. Watch for that recipe later.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Anita has a long background rooted in traditional handwork and quiltmaking, which she still enjoys.

    Often, these days, you'll find her digitizing patterns for the Statler Stitcher and other computerized longarm quilting machines. 
     
    Her summer days are spent in the garden and she loves finding new ways to prepare good veggie-based meals.


    She's always in search of a way to balance all of those activities and find time to share with others who are passionate about the same things.

    This page is a sneak peek into what's happening in her world right now.

    Archives

    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020

    Categories

    All
    Binding
    Christmas
    Country Living
    Handmade
    Kitchen Garden
    Landscape
    Meatless Monday
    Pottery
    Quilting
    Quilt Rescue

    RSS Feed