The Market season may be coming to an end, but a regular supply of your favorite Market produce doesn’t have to stop. You can continue to enjoy locally grown produce throughout the winter by learning how to properly freeze and store fresh vegetables.  

Not all vegetables are ideal for freezing, but onions, peppers, beans and tomatoes are perfect candidates. Make sure to pick vegetables that are in good condition and have just ripened. The quality of frozen vegetables will always match the condition of the vegetable when they’re fresh.

Preparation:  

First, wash the vegetables in very cold water. Next, prepare the vegetables as you would if you were cooking them (i.e. cutting off the ends of green beans, squeezing beans out of the pod). Finally, cut them into bite-sized pieces. 

Blanching: 

Blanching is the most important step in the process, and is critical to preserving the flavor of the vegetable while it is frozen. Vegetables can be blanched in either boiling water or with steam.

Boiling method: boil a gallon of water in a large pot. Once the water is at a full boil, pour in one pound of prepared vegetables and cover with a lid. Once the water starts boiling again, start the timer. Blanching times vary depending on the vegetable. Check online gardening guides for specific times. (One of our favorites is, Colorado State University’s guide to blanching times: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09330.html)

The steam method: Bring a pot of water (steamer attached) to a full boil, then pour in the vegetables. Cover the steamer with a lid and start the timer. Again, blanching times for vegetables vary. 

Chilling: 

After the vegetables are boiled or steamed, chill them right away. The best way to do this is to place the vegetables directly in a kettle full of icy, cold water, until the vegetables are cool inside and out.  A good rule of thumb is to leave them in the cold water for the amount of time that you boiled them. Then put the vegetables into freezer bags. Make sure to pack the bags full and firm.