The season for fresh vegetables is quickly passing, but sometimes in winter there is a desire to eat something green, so reminiscent of summer. Green pea ripens quickly and departs just as quickly. Despite the fact that now you can find almost everything in stores, many housewives prefer to make their own preparations for the cold weather. In this article we will share with you how to freeze green peas at home for the winter.
Is it possible to freeze peas for the winter?
Many people are interested in the question of whether it is possible to freeze peas for the winter. First, we suggest you understand what the benefits of this product are. So, this representative of legumes contains:
- vitamins C, B, folic acid, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, potassium;
- amino acids choline, lecithin and methionine, which are responsible for lipid metabolism in the human body;
- protein and carbohydrates;
- vitamin inositol, which is very beneficial for the heart.
In addition, peas are indicated for prevention purposes in diseases such as goiter, anemia and atherosclerosis.
The fresh product has the most energy value, however, those who want to consume peas for a long time can freeze them at home.
Which peas are best for freezing?
Sometimes you can hear complaints from housewives that they tried to freeze the product, but in the end it didn’t work out. Sometimes this actually happens, and this happens for the reason that it is worth taking into account some of the subtleties of freezing.
First of all, you need to pay close attention to the product. So, you need to choose peas of excellent quality, not wormy and without obvious signs of disease. It is best to pay attention to young peas; overripe legumes will not work, especially if you plan to use such a product in salads in the future.
Green pods are selected, in which it is clear that the peas are fleshy, not overripe or damaged. By the way, this is not an easy task, since young legumes tend to ripen quickly and, as a result, become overripe. However, they are easy to distinguish from young ones - they are distinguished by their yellow color and dried out skin.
Preparing the refrigerator
Perhaps some housewives have no idea, but before the freezing process, special attention should be paid to the place where it will take place, namely the refrigerator.
If the refrigerator has a chamber with a temperature regime below -18 degrees, this option is simply ideal. At the initial stage of freezing, the product must be stored under exactly these conditions. After some time, the peas are transferred to a regular freezer compartment of the refrigerator, where they can be safely stored for up to a year, that is, almost until the next harvest.
You need to clear some space in the refrigerator for frozen foods. Naturally, not everyone has space in the freezer, and peas, in any case, will be adjacent to other products, so special attention should be paid to the tightness of the packaging of each content stored in the refrigerator.
How to freeze green peas at home
Since the new generation of household appliances appeared, many things have become simpler. Thus, fresh green peas can be stored in the freezer without any problems until the next harvest. The main thing is to adhere to all the subtleties in the process of freezing these healthy legumes.
If the housewife has a lot of this ingredient, it is best to freeze the product in small batches, since it dries quickly in the fresh air.
Freezing green peas at home is not difficult, and the whole process does not take very much time. So, pre-processed fruits are laid out on a surface covered with cling film and simply moved to the freezer, where an intensive freezing program is set.
In this mode, the legumes are kept for as long as is written in the instructions for the refrigerator, after which they are transferred to a special container and placed in the freezer for long-term storage.
Freezing peas can be done in several ways, which you will learn about below.
Freezing raw peas
To begin with, as stated earlier, you need to carefully select your peas. So, the peas should have a bright color and not be soft, wormy or stained. It is worth choosing fresh and ripe peas. After this, it must be sorted out and debris removed from it.
In a small saucepan you need to boil water and place the peas in it, after which the fire is turned off and the product remains in boiling water for 2 minutes. Next, the legumes are transferred to cold water for 10 minutes, after which they are taken out on a towel.
Dried peas are placed in a container for freezing and placed in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator for 2 days.
With previous blanching in pods
Freezing peas in pods with preliminary blanching is carried out as follows:
- The pods are sorted and washed.
- Water is boiling over a fire in a large saucepan. You also need to prepare a spacious bowl with cold water or ice cubes.
- The bean pods are placed in a colander and, as such, placed in a boiling liquid. Instead of a colander, you can use a cloth or muslin bag or a wire basket.
- Blanching occurs in this order: for snow peas - 1 minute; for sweets – 1.5-2 minutes.
- Next, everything is removed from the heat and immediately transferred to cold water. This is necessary so that the cooking process can be stopped immediately.
- Dry the pods naturally or with paper towels. At the same time, it is not recommended to leave the pods in the air for a long time, as they can become hard.
- After all the above steps, the product can be frozen. Peas are placed in special bags or containers. You need to make sure that all the air from the packaging (if the peas are placed in bags) is released. In addition, the product can be placed on a baking tray, previously covered with parchment paper, wrapped in cling film and placed in this form in the freezer of the refrigerator. Afterwards, the frozen pods are placed in special bags or placed in containers for long-term storage.
In ice trays
This method is of interest to many housewives. To prepare peas in ice trays for the winter, you must strictly follow the recommendations presented below.
The peas are removed from the pods, washed and placed in ice containers. Baking molds made of silicone may also be suitable for these purposes. Next, the peas are filled with water (broth). The liquid should not be filled to the very edges of the molds, as they will expand during freezing and may leak out. The finished forms are placed in the freezer for one day, after which the ice and beans are taken out and placed in a special container for long-term storage.
Storage period and rules for frozen products
Many housewives who have stored peas for the winter are interested in how long they can last in the freezer. When it comes to storing frozen peas, the most important thing is to maintain temperature conditions.So, if the product is stored at a temperature of -18 degrees, then it can be eaten for up to 9 months. When freezing, it is best to make a note on the package with the preparations when it was made.
To preserve the taste, color and freshness of peas, you need to ensure that they do not absorb foreign odors. This can only be done by choosing the right packaging.
So, special bags or containers are suitable for freezing food. It is necessary to ensure that the packaging is airtight, since the quality of the product also depends on the integrity of the storage container.
How to defrost peas correctly
If we talk about defrosting peas, everything will depend on the form in which you plan to use them.
So, if the housewife is going to cook soup, peas and pods, without defrosting, are sent into a boiling liquid and boiled for 3 to 5 minutes. If the housewife wants to add peas to the salad, before doing so, they need to be defrosted naturally by putting them in the refrigerator.
