Tips for blanching and preserving frozen vegetables

Freeze vegetables in self-sealing freezer bags that you have labelled and dated with a permanent marker; be sure to press out any excess air from the bag before sealing. Once the vegetable has thawed, do not refreeze.

You can blanch vegetables with either boiling water or steam. Which method you use — and the time required to do it — depends on the vegetable involved.

Water-blanching: 

• Bring at least 2.8 litres (12 cups) of water to a boil in a large saucepan.
• Place 500 grams (one pound) prepared vegetable pieces in a wire-mesh basket and plunge into the boiling water.
• When the water returns to a boil, cook the vegetables for the time required.
• Lift the basket and place it into a large bowl of cold or ice water to cool; change the water as needed or add ice to keep the water cold. Drain completely.

Steam-blanching:

• Place prepared vegetables in a single layer inside a steamer basket in a large saucepan containing five centimetres (two inches) of boiling water.
• Cover, and steam the vegetables for the time required. Cool, but don't rinse the vegetables.

750 g-1.25 kg (1 1/2-2 1/2 lbs) fresh yields 1 kg (4 c) frozen

• Wash and trim off ends and any blemishes.
• Small green beans may be water-blanched whole, but cut larger beans into five centimetre (two inch) pieces.
• Blanch whole beans for three minutes; pieces for two minutes.
• Cool quickly and drain thoroughly. Pack, seal, label, date and freeze.

500 g-1.25 kg (1-2 1/2 lbs) fresh yields 1 kg (4 c) frozen

Wipe with a damp cloth to remove any dirt; do not peel or rinse.

Button varieties: Spread whole, raw mushrooms on a baking tray and place in the freezer. When hard, pack, seal, label, date, and freeze.

Wild mushrooms (portobello, shiitake): Slice and sauté in butter. Pour the mushrooms with the cooking liquid into individual bags. Seal, label, date and freeze.

1.25 kg (2 1/2 lbs) fresh yields 1 kg (4 c) frozen

Sweet peas: Shell sweet peas, discarding any damaged ones. Water-blanch for one and a half minutes. Cool quickly and drain thoroughly. Pack, seal, label, date, and freeze.

Sugar snap or snow peas: De-string pods and water-blanch for two minutes. Cool quickly and drain thoroughly. Pack, seal, label, date and freeze.

1.5 kg (3 lbs) fresh yields 1 kg (4 c) frozen puree

• Wash, peel, and cut in half; remove any seeds and strings.
• Cut into slices or cubes. Steam-blanch until tender.
• Mash and let cool completely.
• Pack in plastic dishes, leaving a five centimetre (half-inch) space at the top, then seal, label, date and freeze.

1.25 kg (2 1/2 lbs) fresh yields 1 kg (4 c) frozen

• Wash leaves thoroughly; remove any thick stems and imperfect leaves.
• Water-blanch for 30 to 60 seconds, or until just wilted. Cool quickly by running cold water over the leaves.
• Drain thoroughly, pressing out excess moisture. Pack, seal, label, date and freeze.

--------------------

Discover the smarter way to save time and money

Ready to start saving more on your groceries and pharmacy purchases? Download the FREE YP Grocery app today! It lets you create shareable shopping lists, automatically finds all the best deals and coupons, then delivers them right to you. No more manually scrolling through hundreds of flyers to find what you’re looking for!

Download the YP Grocery app now!