TOP 10 recipes for properly freezing vegetables for the winter at home with your own hands

More and more gardeners are freezing vegetables for the winter at home. This is a quick way to prepare for the winter. The products retain the maximum amount of nutrients. Supermarket shelves are overflowing with different options for frozen vegetables and fruits. But what could be better and tastier than strawberries, cherries, cabbage and zucchini grown at your own dacha.

A bountiful harvest requires immediate processing. And another wave of vegetables is ripening in the beds. The gardener often does not have enough time for pickling and salting. And putting semi-finished products into the chest freezer is easy and does not take much time.

You can freeze almost everything that grows in your dacha and produces a harvest: greens, berries, fruits and vegetables. The main thing is to follow the rules. Then the preparations will please you during the long cold winter.

Why do you need freezing?

Preserving the harvest is the main task of the gardener. Summer and early autumn are a busy time. Vegetables and berries require immediate processing. A summer resident does not always have enough time to prepare pickles and marinades.

Freezing food comes to the rescue. Almost every garden house has a refrigerator and freezer. And it will take a little time to prepare and lay the raw materials.

The advantage of frozen products is the preservation of vitamins. During heat treatment, most of them are destroyed. And this method of storing food makes semi-finished products healthy.

Not all gardeners have enough space to store pickles and marinades. Some (mushrooms) should not be left at room temperature. And frozen canned food is compact.

Almost any vegetable mixture can be purchased at the store.But products grown in your own garden and frozen yourself are much tastier.

General rules for freezing

To obtain high-quality vegetables, you need to freeze them according to the rules. This will preserve the color and presentation. Vegetables that are properly selected and placed in the chamber have their own consistency and are easy and simple to prepare.

At what temperature are vegetables frozen?

The prepared raw materials are placed in the freezer in the “quick freezing” mode. This is -25 degrees Celsius. After freezing (about an hour), the temperature is raised to -23 degrees.

Features of storing food in the freezer

It is not enough to simply store the harvest. You need to have the right ingredients to prepare delicious meals in winter. To obtain high-quality semi-finished products, you should follow the recommendations:

1. It is necessary to comply with the commodity neighborhood rule. Frozen vegetables should not be stored in the same compartment as meat, fish or mushrooms. If the latter spoil, the vegetables will remain edible.
2. Before storing, thoroughly wash and dry drawers and shelves.
3. It is recommended to write on the packaging the type of workpiece and the date of storage. This is required for a quick inspection of the contents of the freezer.
4. Drawers and shelves are filled as tightly as possible. But pre-frozen semi-finished products should be placed. Layers of raw food freeze: it becomes impossible to remove them.
5. Mixtures should be packaged in containers for portion use: they are difficult to remove from large bags. Re-freezing of defrosted products is not permitted.

You should not try to freeze the entire harvest: any preparation has a shelf life. It's a shame to throw away what you didn't have time to eat.

Shelf life

Gardeners often neglect the shelf life of frozen foods. It is not safe. Even at sub-zero temperatures, bacteria live and multiply. The cold only slows down their development. Using frozen food beyond the expiration date may be harmful to health.

When storing vegetables at temperatures from -23 to -18 degrees Celsius, the products retain their beneficial properties throughout the year. At negative temperatures above -18, vegetables can be consumed safely for 8 months.

Each chest freezer has a temperature sensor. You should regularly pay attention to its meanings.

Packaging for storing food in the freezer

For freezing, use only food-grade packaging. Cellophane freezer bags are ideal. Raw materials are placed in them and air is expelled. Flat containers are easy to stack.

Some gardeners use food containers. They must be marked accordingly. The container is filled with chopped vegetables and closed with lids. Containers with a rectangular profile and equal size fit tightly on the shelves.

How to properly select and prepare vegetables for the winter

The quality of frozen food depends on compliance with the storage rules. Basic recommendations should be followed:

1. Take ripe vegetables with intact skin. The presence of rot or stains is unacceptable.
2. Before storing, products should be thoroughly washed in hot water. Then spread out to dry. Excess moisture reduces the quality of workpieces.
3. The thick skin should be peeled off, the seeds should be removed from the middle, and the stalks should be cut off.
4. Blanch if necessary. This operation will preserve the marketability of raw materials.
5. The preparation should be stored in a tightly closed container: this will protect the vegetables from drying out.

Vegetables can be frozen cut or whole. It depends on the intended use and freezer space.

What utensils are needed

When storing in a chest freezer, use only plastic containers with a special mark. This will keep it from cracking and the vegetables from spoiling.

It is permissible to use glass or porcelain dishes at intermediate stages. Juicy vegetables (tomatoes) are laid out on them. The top of the dishes is covered with cling film to prevent freezing. After an hour, the frozen pieces are transferred to a container.

Do I need to wash vegetables before freezing?

Frozen products are assumed to be completely ready for cooking. After defrosting, you can immediately make a side dish or snack from them. Therefore, it is imperative to wash the vegetables you put in in hot water. For heavily soiled products, it is recommended to use a brush.

Why blanch vegetables before freezing?

Blanching is the process of alternately immersing vegetables in boiling and cold water. Completes within 2-5 minutes. During prolonged operation, the product becomes boiled.

Blanching is a necessary part of the freezing process for some foods. It allows you to maintain its presentation. Without this operation, cauliflower changes color from white to gray. It becomes unpleasant to eat.

When blanched, some vegetables acquire the missing density. This prevents the pieces from sticking together.

What vegetables can you freeze at home?

Almost all vegetables grown in the garden can be frozen. But they need to be properly prepared for storage. Often food looks attractively fresh, but when taken out of the freezer it doesn't make you want to eat it.The mass has an incomprehensible consistency and a strange color.

The reason is a violation of procurement rules. Fruits were selected that were green or overripe and damaged by insects. The temperature inside the chest was too high or unstable. The packaging container was damaged during storage. To avoid disappointment, you should carefully follow the rules for sorting, processing and storing vegetables.

Tomatoes

Berries are frozen in several ways:

1. Peel the skins from the tomatoes. Cut large tomatoes into pieces, remove the seed chambers along with the partitions. Place the remaining dry parts in a plastic container and place in the freezer. Tomatoes are used for fresh consumption and cooking.
2. Cherry tomatoes are frozen whole. Sort the berries, wash and place in a plastic bag.
3. Cut the tomatoes into pieces and place on a glass dish in one layer. Cover with cling film. After freezing (after 60 minutes), carefully remove the tomatoes and place them in a plastic bag.

Thawed tomatoes taste no different from fresh ones.

cucumbers

Cucumbers are also suitable for freezing. It is better to use salad varieties. Greens should be cut into pieces, rings or strips. Then put into containers. This is a semi-finished product for winter salads. But it is recommended to use the product within six months.

bell pepper

Bell peppers are frozen for winter stuffing or added to stews and soups. In the first case, the stalks of the peppers are removed and the seeds are cleaned. The fruits are inserted into each other and placed in plastic bags. The pepper is ready for stuffing.

In the second case, the fruits are cleared of seeds and cut into cubes or strips. The slices are tightly filled into the container and placed in a chest freezer.

Some gardeners immediately fill the peppercorns with minced meat or vegetables. When using meat, the shelf life should not exceed 3 months.

Eggplant

This representative of the nightshade family has a rough and bitter skin. It needs to be cleaned. Then the fruits should be blanched for 5-7 minutes. After all the preparatory operations, the eggplants are cut and frozen.

For stuffing, the fruits are cut in half lengthwise and frozen in this form.

Green peas and milky corn

Green pea and milky corn are favorite ingredients in winter salads. We freeze the ingredients ourselves:

• peeling the cobs (three of them against each other) and pods;
• put in bags;
• tie tightly.

The result is an excellent addition to salads and soups.

Cabbage

Broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and Brussels sprouts are suitable for preparations. We separate broccoli and cauliflower into inflorescences and cut off the stems. Then blanch for 3 minutes. Dry the cabbage and freeze it in a plastic bag.

Brussels sprouts - we disassemble into heads of cabbage, peel off the covering leaves and also blanch. Dry and freeze.

Peel the kohlrabi from its thick skin and grate it on a coarse grater. Then put it in a plastic container and put it in the freezer. Freeze the released juice with the cabbage. In winter it is used to prepare soups and sauces.

Zucchini, squash, pumpkin

Harvesting melons is easy and pleasant. First, they should be cleaned and the seeds removed. For stew, vegetables need to be cut into cubes, for stuffing - into pucks (with the center cleaned out). Place the vegetables in portions (for one preparation) in bags and freeze.

Green beans

Black Eyed Peas used for preparing various dishes. It's nice to have it on the menu in winter.

The pods should be sorted and damaged ones should be discarded. Then cut off the stems and ends. Cut large ones into pieces. The pods need to be blanched in salted water. Processing time: 3 minutes. Then they should be dried on a paper towel. After all the steps, put the product into bags and put it in the chest.

Ginger

This is a popular spicy and healthy addition to dishes. The root can be frozen in the following ways:

1. If the freezer is free, the product is frozen entirely. It is washed, dried and placed in a plastic bag.
2. Gardeners use grated ginger for cooking. The root is washed, peeled and grated. Then carefully lay out on a dish and cover with film. After 60 minutes, the frozen hemispheres are placed in a bag or container and placed in storage.
3. Ginger can be frozen chopped. The root is washed, peeled and cut into desired pieces. They are placed in a bag and frozen.

In the first case, after defrosting, the root should be peeled.

Turnip

Turnip is included in the diet menu. It is added to soups and stews. Turnips are used as a garnish for meat dishes.

Freezing root vegetables is easy. First, it is washed and peeled. Then cut into cubes and blanch for 3 minutes. The dried pieces are placed in a plastic bag and frozen.

Zucchini

This representative of melons freezes similarly to zucchini, squash and pumpkin.

Potato

Often the gardener does not have time to peel potatoes. And I really want to make French fries or just fried ones! Freezing for future use will solve the problem.

First, place the peeled potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes. Some of the starch will settle to the bottom: this will preserve the taste of root vegetables when frozen.

Then cut the tubers into slices and blanch for 5 minutes.Dry on a paper towel, pour into a bag and store in a chest.

It is important to choose potatoes with a low amount of starch: freezing will be more tasty.

Corn

To freeze this product, you should choose cobs with a waxy degree of maturity. Too young or completely ripe are not suitable: when frozen, they lose their presentation.

Some gardeners freeze corn on the cob. To do this, the heads of cabbage should be cleared of covering leaves. Then wash and blanch for 5 minutes. Place the cobs in freezer bags (2-3 pieces each) and place in a chest.

The second method is freezing the grains. The heads of cabbage should be husked, the grains should be cleared of pieces of stem and debris. Then collect in a colander and blanch for 3 minutes. Place the beans on a paper towel and dry for 30 minutes. Place the dried corn into bags, seal tightly and place in the chest.

The second method allows you to save space in the freezer. But it is more labor-intensive.

Other vegetables

It is convenient to freeze small carrots and beets. Root vegetables should be washed, peeled, cut and placed in containers or bags.

DIY vegetable mixture recipes for freezing

Supermarket shelves offer mixtures for every taste. But it’s more pleasant to create recipes yourself from products grown in the garden. The proportions of ingredients depend only on the taste and desire of the gardener.

All vegetables should be prepared individually for freezing. Then they are combined, hermetically packaged and stored.

Paprikash

This recipe comes from the Balkans. The mixture consists of sweet peppers, zucchini (can be replaced with zucchini), tomatoes (can be of any color) and green beans. The proportions are arbitrary.

Peel and chop the zucchini and bell peppers. Blanch the beans for 3 minutes in salted water, then dry on a towel. Cut out the partitions and seed chambers of tomatoes. Mix everything in a large bowl and put into bags. Place in the chest.

Country-style vegetables

Mixture composition:

• onion;
• Bell pepper;
• broccoli;
• corn;
• green beans;
• carrot;
• potato.

All vegetables are prepared separately. Potatoes, beans, broccoli and corn should be blanched first. Then cut the ingredients into arbitrary pieces, mix in a bowl, put into bags and freeze.

Lecho

Some gardeners cannot imagine their menu without this mixture. It consists of tomatoes and sweet peppers. Seed chambers and partitions should be cut out from tomatoes. For peppers, remove seeds. Cut as desired, mix and freeze.

Mixture "Spring"

This mixture is actively consumed not only in spring. Vitamins are needed in slushy autumn and cold winter.

You should prepare:

• green pea;
• cabbage (broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts);
• carrot;
• onion;
• potato.

Vegetables are prepared for freezing separately. Blanch cabbage and potatoes. The ingredients are then mixed and stored.

Hawaiian blend

Rice is included in this mixture. Compound:

• onion;
• potato;
• rice;
• green pea;
• pepper;
• corn.

Rice should be boiled in salted water until half cooked. Blanch potatoes and corn. Cut the vegetables into arbitrary pieces, add them together with the boiled and cooled rice into a bowl, mix. Then put it into containers and store it.

Mexican platter

The mixture has a large range of ingredients. It consists of:

• carrots;
• green beans;
• sweet colorful peppers;
• corn;
• eggplant;
• red beans;
• green peas;
• Luke;
• celery root.

Beans (green and red), corn, eggplant and celery root are prepared for freezing and blanched. Then the ingredients are dried on a towel. The remaining vegetables are chopped. Mix everything in a deep bowl, place it in containers and store it.

Defrosting rules

To prepare tasty and nutritious dishes, frozen vegetables must be properly defrosted.

The blanks should be placed in a deep bowl and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. This natural defrosting will preserve the maximum vitamins.

Defrosting at room temperature leads to loss of vitamins, juice and presentation.

Application of frozen products

Frozen vegetables and mixtures are used along with fresh products. They are used to prepare: soups, salads, sauces and side dishes. To obtain tasty and healthy dishes, it is recommended to follow the rules for freezing, storing and defrosting food.