Top Tips for Freezing Garden Produce
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- Опубликовано: 29 авг 2024
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There are lots of ways to preserve your fruits and vegetables, but when everything seemingly needs harvested at the same time you can’t beat the convenience of the freezer.
In this short video we’ll share handy tips to make the most of your freezer space, as well as the best crops to put on ice.
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I just made a batch of potatoes for freezing (the ones I hit with a fork when digging up, which can't be stored all winter). Chop into large dice, blanch, freeze on cookie sheet for a short time, then put into bags and store. Boil or roast after defrosting.
I knew I'd gone a bit overboard with my garden this year when I started looking at a box of 1000 heavy-duty freezer bags online.
how long do you blanch potatoes and how large were your pieces?
Thanks for the chuckle. It is always a joy when the garden gives more than you planned.
What a great idea!
I get it! I just ran over 2 nice green tomatoes mowing and don’t care...too much produce!
You can freeze onions without blanching. If you freeze veg on a tray as you did, you can freeze larger amounts in one bag rather than portion sizes because they will be loose enough to take out what you need.
Thank you for mentioning the re-use of plastic bags. I have not purchased any for at least 10 years by using bread bags etc. from foods that come from the grocers. It saves loads of money and greatly reduces plastic waste.
This is flip flopping amazing. Getting a freezer delivered tomorrow to start storing my harvest!
Small whole chilli peppers freeze very well. Just take one out when you need. Their hard skin makes it easy to dice them after thawing
Love the idea of freezing sauces into blocks without dedicating a container in the freezer!
If freezing tomatoes, just remove the core on the stem end with a paring knife, rinse, and pop into the freezer bag. When you are ready to use them, just run them quickly under warm water and the skins will peel right off--so much easier. For freezing herbs, pack them into the bottom of a ziplock bag until it is sausage-shaped and about the size of your thumb. Use Ben's straw trick to get out the air, roll it all into a tube, and freeze. When you use them, just pull the "herb sausage" out and use a knife to cut off as much as you need--it is much easier to gauge how much you have.. This also allows you to cut it as fine as you need for that particular recipe--if it's for a stew or a braise, you may just want to cut off as much as you need and toss it in whole--it will separate as it thaws. Put the rest back into the freezer for the next time. Easier than ice cubes!
Brilliant! Thanks for sharing this.
Another way to freeze you veggies is to use a vacuum saver/vacuum sealer. Yes the Vacuum saver/sealer can be expensive to purchase, but it will more than pay for itself in saved food. You can also marinate foods with a vacuum saver/sealer too!
Love this as I had no idea how to do it and fast too many beans. Even the neighbors have had enough 😂 I also store my herbs in a nice butter and freeze, such as a garlic one, coriander and parsley etc. Perfect addition for pasta and new potatoes as well as many more!
How many viewers breathed in when the straw was put in the bag 🤣🤣
I know I did. 😂
I freeze my tomatoes whole & thaw, blend and eat. I don’t bother to skin my tomatoes. I also freeze my garlic after I skin them and break them into individual cloves.
That ice cube herb tip is fantastic! Thank you.
Just got my first ripened tomato, in my first summer gardening! There’s loads more tomatoes on the plant too
Me too wish I had realised how rewarding it is years ago
Good for you. keep up the good work!
@@jimski5358 took the words right out of my mouth, I had my first tomatoe yesterday and it was worth it.
Good for you! Don’t forget to save some seed, next generation seeds grow stronger and more productive when they are conditioned to your garden already! Keep growing! 😊
Wonderful :) It's so rewarding and nourishing......enjoy
Corn and carrots are my favorite. Thank you for the tomato sauce tip!
Thank you for very useful tips!
Beautiful garden and well presentation, thanks for sharing to us such an amazing informative and educational looking forward to see more posting
Hey, I love that little freezer, built in to your cabinet! Nice!!!
Thank you so much for this video! It was quite helpful!
I've found another great way to preserve tomatoes is by making fermented salsa. When you open up a jar in February, it still tastes like summer!
That's a great idea!
Just what I needed. Thanks. I froze a large batch of runner beans a few years ago and didn’t realise I had to blanch so all ruined. Now planning to deliberately over produce to have veg in freezer as backup and out of season.
Yes I didnt know u had to blanch beans. This video is so informative
If you plan on using them in a couple months you don't need to blanch. I just clean, cut to size and freeze. @anOregoncottage.com has some good resources!
Mimi Antonetti Thank you Mimi, I’ll take a look.
I just found this older video of yours, very timely as my harvests are getting larger. Thanks Ben , I love your gardening tips now I will use the freezing tips, I just need to find your cooking tips and I’ll have the whole package👍
Glad you found it Lynda.
I have very limited freezer space and I like to freeze pesto flat in freezer bags. I break off bits as need be to add to recipes. It takes less room than cubes. I sometimes "file" these flat items upright in a freezer tray or shoe box. Great tips. Motivating!
I like the idea of a file of pestos and sauces - nice idea.
Happy you shared this. Wasn't sure I could freeze and keep things fresh. I'm harvesting daily and starting to run out of people to share with
Thanks for this. I have a large amount of dwarf and French beans at the allotment and my family don't wish to eat them everyday. I will try your freezing method.
Really enjoy your short and concise videos I find them really useful, thanks for sharing stay safe David 👍
Dehydrating is also a good way to preserve fruits and some veggies. The machines aren't too expensive but you can also just leave small pieces of fruit or veggie in an oven set as low as it can go.
Once dehydrated, I keep some back and grind the fruit or veg to a powder...easy to store and great for making soups, sauces and smoothies.
I always end up making frozen mash and potato gnocchi for the freezer before my potatoes start to germinate .I also freeze green beans without the blanching process
That straw tip is a great idea!! Will definitely be using that.
Hi you can use masking tape for labelling as it marks well and sticks to most things and is cheap .keep up the good work ,G.
That's a great idea Graeme, thank you for sharing. :-)
Thanks!
Thank you!!
Great idea to freeze herbs! Thank you! I will try this with ones that I mix into cocktails - especially blended or muddled ones. It will even reduce dilution if I use a few of them as ice cubes in those mixed drinks afterwards.
Sounds like a good move Alix.
Great video! I freeze basil topping the ice cubes trays with tomato juice not water - perfect for all the winter stews, pasta sauces and casseroles.
Great idea Lydia.
You are full of fresh vibration of gardening.... 👍👍
Love your videos.
This is our second year with your program. Our output was up significantly this year and we felt so supported by all your great advice. We even did succession planning for the first time ever. Will definitely try out the freezer tips. Thanks for all the expertise and the enthusiasm!
That's really great to hear Jan - we're always delighted when people report an appreciate increase in harvests.
Love the tips with herbs & sauces :) Thank you :)
Thank you, this was very helpful.
I love the straw idea.
Thanks, I enjoyed your video. I have frozen blackberries, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, pineapple, green beans, field peas, and tomato sauce right now.
I have lots of wild garlic pesto 'ice' cubes in the freezer.
Lovely stuff!
A very useful vid. I don't use ziplock bags all the time by way of economy. Cheap Supermarket freezer bags will do if you slightly twist the necks and SUCK! You can hear and feel the air leaving and then quickly seal of knot the bags and - hey presto - job done! I only use ziplock bags for such as sauces. Still, very helpful vid - Paul
Cheers for that. Yes, it's always good to economise where you can for sure.
best way to save space in your freezer is to can your crops!
Thank you. This was very informative.
Love your videos. Watched all of them. Wish there was one every day. 🌻💗🌻💗
Lovely, useful tips! Thank you!
Great ideas. Thank you!
Brilliant video great info I will definitely take your advice! Loved the use of the straw!👍☘️☘️☘️
The straw trick is a nifty tip I picked up - and it really does a good job at sucking out the air.
Thanks for the info! Very helpful right now! Harvest, what a wonder time of year! 🥰
It certainly is!
A real keeper video! Full of good ideas. Thx!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Another top notch vid with awesome advice from the gardening legend! Cheers dude 🍻 😎
Cheers matey!
Great advice, thank you
Very good straightforward video.Thanks
Thanks for your epic videos.
For years I have frozen paste tomatoes straight out of the garden until I get enough to can a batch. Then I run them under very warm water and the skins slip off. I then put them in a colander and as they thaw they release a lot of water (that I don't have to try to cook down to reduce). When they are thawed I just can them as usual.
Brilliant technique there, thanks for sharing.
Loved the idea of using a straw to take out the rest of the air! I have issues with the freezer burn and will try this. I am looking forward to making your Tomato Chutney recipe (canning) today!! Great videos, always informative and to the point, thank you!
I use a deep bowl of water. I close the baggie almost all the way and hold the open part above the water while I submerge the rest. I close the last bit after the water has pushed the air out of the bag. No water gets in the bag unless you dunk that part under.
What a great idea!
really useful video full of great, straight to the point, hints and tips. Thankyou
I just freeze herbs like basil leaves on a tray and then stick into bags. I never blanch; I simply freeze. It saves a lot of work and I don't see a great difference. A good tip for tomatoes: cut off the stem end and freeze, then run under warm water and squeeze...the tomato pops right out and then puree or stew for sauces and then freeze in batches. If I grow corn, I'll try your method...it look good.
That's a great tip regarding the tomatoes - I'll have to try that, thanks.
I washed my okra, dried them and froze them whole. I keep adding to the bag as I cut more. Hope that works.
Thank you for all the useful tips. I have saved yr videi. The best tip for me was remiving the corn. At the moment my freezer is full of corn on the cob. After watching yr video I am going to buy some more and do what u reccommeded. For the next few weeks corn on the cob is cheap then it doubles in price. Kind refards👍🌞🍓🍒🌽🥬😀🌺🍏🍎🍉🍌🍇🍍🥑🥥🥦
Hi Iris, you're very welcome. If you have lots of corn I have seen people rig up incredible set ups whereby they spear the top-and-tailed cob with a drill, and then spin the cob through a ring to sheer off the kernels. Very clever ideas out there.
Great info thanks!
We need a video on putting veggies up by canning them. As there just isn’t enough space in the freezer for all of the veggies. 🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️
I need to can my tomatoes. There’s so many different videos, IDK which one is correct. Afraid I won’t get the jars to seal properly. 🥺😓
@@jonihughey1352 No fear! I prefer to pressure can mine (it's faster). Check out Homestead Corner - ruclips.net/video/o-BwCdi1rX4/видео.html and Living Traditions Homestead on RUclips. Sarah at LTH has an entire series on home canning, as does Wanda from Deep South Homestead. Once you see how easy it is, you'll never go back! Just know that I have idiots in my family who are successful canners, LOL.
Try RUclipsrs living traditions homestead. Lots of canning videos. Get the Ball big book of canning off Amazon - it's their (and my) preserving Bible, and good luck!
I dehydrate, takes up much less space and powdered takes up even less 😉
Thanks for the suggestion Julie. Some good suggestions on videos from others here. It's on our to-do list for future video topics.
great video :)
I love the little freezer with the drawers - who makes it and about how much is it? Loved your space-saving ideas. You are never too old to learn! Many thanks! An afterthought: I have tried to pressure can my beautiful beets. They look good going into the canner, but when they come out they are pale pink. I never cut off the roots and I also blanch prior to canning. What in the world am I doing wrong? Can beets be frozen like other veggies in your videos? Would love to know. Thanks again.
As usual, great content and enjoyable presentation
Like many other people you cut off BOTH ends of green beans! WHY? The blossom end is perfect and does not need to be removed. Perhaps people want them to look just like the ones out of the can!
Do you know what Stella, that may be the reason! You are right, there's no need to cut off the blossom end of the bean.
Just finished an epic two day two month worth fill the freezer. Ran out of space so had to beg a neighbour to use some of their freezer space but still have some veg which need processing. Tge broccoli I bought on Thursday have started to yellow so probably going to turn them into soup.
Submerge the zip lock bag up to the top in water, to get rid of the air
Will you plz do a how to grow brocoli video?
Fab !
Thanks for the great tips 👍
I bake, double wrap in foil, and freeze loaves of zucchini bread. When I want one I just take it out the night before and let it thaw on the counter. I’d love other advice for zucchini!
I grate bag and freeze for soup and loaves.
I love to make zucchini pancakes: 4 C grated zukes, 1-2 eggs, 1 t baking pdr, some salt and however much flour you need to make it stick together. Add some oil to keep it from sticking and fry them up like pancakes. That's the basic recipe, but then I flavor it Italian or Asian or Mexican or sweet - whatever I'm in the mood for. It's a very versatile recipe.
Peter Bergel . That recipe sounds good and versatile. I’m definitely going to give it a try. I do so thing similar with sweet corn adding some spices.... thanks for your tip.
@@TomTom-df9ph YW. Hope you enjoy it.
Zucchini fritters and pancakes for me.
Amazing tips thanku!!
Helpful! Thank you!
I have been freezing my herbs like sage, marjoram & thyme but I didn’t chop it, Just froze it whole so it can be added to soups and stews for flavor
Cut off my corn raw and scrape cob. For each dozen add 1T water, 4T butter and 1t salt. Heat on medium , stirring very frequently til comes to simmer. Simmer for three minutes stirring frequently. Can add another T of water if corn really dry. Then put corn in room temperature pan or bowl and place container in sink full of ice water. Stir occasionally. When cooled off put in freezer container. Delicious
Nice twist there Sara, thanks for sharing.
Great info...!! Thanks.
What about tomatoes, squash, eggplant, & okra. Thanks for showing me how to freeze my herbs. I have lots of tomatoes coming in & it’s a lot of trouble to can them. I’ve already done my corn.
Squash can be cut into cubes then steamed before freezing. Okra I would suggest be blanched for 1-2 minutes and then frozen. Eggplant - cut into inch-thick slices then blanch for four minutes before freezing.
GrowVeg Thanks! 👍
If you don't want to can your tomatoes, are you up for making sauce to freeze? I tried a trick with my crockpot last year where I whizzed up the tomatoes in the blender, strained through my foodmill (I know this sounds like lots of work), and then put them in the crockpot with the lid OFF for 24+ hours until it cooked down to the consistency I wanted, then packed and froze in portions. I also made a version this same way but with butter and onions in like Marcella Hazan's infamous recipe and that was the first to run out it was so good. A bit of work up front but the crockpot does most of the work unattended.
What kind of recipes do you use the cilantro/coriander ice cubes in? Thanks; love your videos!
I drop them into curries towards the end of cooking. The water melts and the cilantro/coriander flavour permeates the curry. Delicious hit of freshness.
Great video, thanks!
I make pesto with no cheese and freeze in ice cube trays, also fresh herbs pulse with olive oil in ice cube trays. strawberries, rhubarb and blueberries so far this year, will make tomato sauce for the freezer in plastic bags, lay flat and freeze. For chard, blanch strain and freeze in bags or pulse and freeze in cubes for smoothies. Apple sauce in jars, jam in jars and freeze.
Michelle Guevremont interested in why you would freeze jam?
@@fionajackson5048 Just to make sure they wont spoil, sometimes the top does not pop. If I am sure they pop then I will keep in the cupboard. Also freezer jam needs less sugar.
Some great ideas there Michelle, thanks very much.
Great advice
I have an Excalibur dehydrator and make jars and jars of "soup mix." One of the best thing about winter is soup cooked on the wood stove.
That sounds interested, not heard of that before. How do you make a soup mix?
What a good idea. I too have an Excalibur - it's just fantastic. I use it to dehydrate vegetables for backpacking/hiking foods to save on weight.
@@alihall4443 I fill a jar with a variety of dehydrated veggies - greens, squash, onions, corn, etc. A couple of friends who hiked the AT said my soup mix saved them!
D. Harris wow, sounds like I need to get myself a dehydrator! I am running out of space in my second chest freezer
What variety are those beans? So skinny!!! I grew bush beans for the first time this year (pole bean lover) and love my Dragon Tongues, but those looked like legit!
I'm ashamed to say I've forgotten the variety. They are a variety of French/fine bean though - I think from memory probably 'Blue Lake'.
Can I freeze my chard stalks so I can make chard stalk hummus throughout Autumn?
I never heard of chard stalk hummus!! Sounds fascinating and I have a lot of chard in my garden. Is there a recipe you recommend ? I'd love to try it :)
Me too! My concern with freezing chard stalks is that they would turn to mush, much like spinach, on defrosting. So I'm not sure how suitable they'd be for recipes. Certainly chard as a whole can just be blanched and frozen.
@@GrowVeg I haven't tried making it yet but here's the recipe for you both to try: healthyslowcooking.com/chard-stalk-hummus-from-the-csa-cookbook/. We already ate the leaves and I left the stalks to experiment - I'll get back to you when I make the hummus this week...
Great video, was needed for those "not in the know".
the greatest way to get all the air out of a zip-lock bag is to submerge the bag into water just below the zip-lock. Then simple zip it closed and you are ready.
Great tip, thank you! :-)
Amazing!
Hello you have a great channel full of previous information,what camera do you use?And microphone?
Hi Mateus, thank you. I use a Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5M camera, though most of the video clips from earlier videos were taken with its predecessor. The microphone used attaches onto the camera and is a Rode Videomic.
GrowVeg thank you so much!
Hmmm I like this video except I won’t have much to freeze as I was hit with massive zucchini fungus and pests this year so I haven’t had much to harvest except the tomatoes are coming on so maybe able to make some sauces.
I keep making successive plantings in different places in the garden.
Hello GrowVeg! I'm planning to grow some snap peas, and I have a question... I have soaked them for 18 straight hours. Is this suitable, and will the seeds germinate when in soil, or will they fail to? Please respond soon, Thank You🙏🙏
Yes, quite a lot of people soak their seeds overnight before sowing, so you should be fine and they should germinate in the soil. 18 hours is possibly a bit too long to soak, but I think the seeds should still be fine.
The blanching bothers me. Submerging into an ice bath then pat dry.
There’s no chance you can remove all that water.
This means you have a build up of extra ice when you take your veg out the freezer.
This year , no blanch.
Chop and freeze.
I found information online of people who have done this successfully.
1year max can be done before food starts to destroy itself.
I did this last year and it was great. The vegetables taste much fresher and less rubbery without blanching. Also tomatoes can be frozen whole and the skin peels right off them when you thaw them out !! amazing!! :) Good luck !!
Great video. What's best way to freeze potatoes please. Loads of desires. Thanks
There's a comment from here from @Wendy's Garden which should be useful:
I just made a batch of potatoes for freezing (the ones I hit with a fork when digging up, which can't be stored all winter). Chop into large dice, blanch, freeze on cookie sheet for a short time, then put into bags and store. Boil or roast after defrosting.
I knew I'd gone a bit overboard with my garden this year when I started looking at a box of 1000 heavy-duty freezer bags online.
😊👍
Have you ever looked at canning with mason jars iive been looking for a while now soups stock veg fruit sauces to keep the freezer free also in stead of a straw to eradicate air/oxygen put your berries in food bags and dip them in water to the seal and then seal
The same with meats sauces and also purees
Yes, someone else offered the tip of submerging in water - I'll have to try that. There's also been a suggestion on canning, so I've jotted that down as an idea for a future video, thanks.
I freeze in paper bags and never have issues (or maybe I do and I literally don't notice :P )
Nice!
If you suck air out of packs what happens when you need to leave a space in a Tupperware for it to expand? Sorry if this is an ignorant question but if I don’t ask I’ll not learn thanks x
The items in the bags can still expand okay. It's just removing excess air to help avoid freezer burn that's all. :-)
@@GrowVeg do you get freezer burn in Tupperware? X
hi, i noticed that the carrots that you prepared for freezing were not completely peeled. Do you just scrub the ones that come from your garden? Or is it better to peel them completely? Thanks.
I never peel carrots - just wash off the dirt and then use them. Apparently there's a lot of nutritional value in the skins of many fruits and vegetables, and by growing them organically you never need to worry about the build up of toxins/chemicals that can occur in non-organic produce.
@@GrowVeg Great because I just harvested all my carrots~ wish I could share a picture here because they are BEE-U-TI-FULL. Thanks for the reply.
No need to blanch green beans if you grow organically without sprays etc., just top and tail them, cut longer beans in half and put straight into ziplock bags, draw out all the air with a drinking straw and quickly zip the bag shut. They taste much better than blanched ones, which, to me, taste soft and mushy. Not quite as good as fresh ones picked and boiled quickly from the garden, but almost.
Thanks James. I've always blanched mine but will freeze a few without blanching to compare.
@@GrowVeg They need very little cooking with this method, just a light steaming to remain al dente.
Excellent timing as always. Pro tip: Suck and seal machine......
Yes, good point!
@@GrowVeg they also seal tempered glass canning jars wtih an attachment to avoid plastic use which can be toxic when it breaks down, just remember leave head space. It really helps to suck the air out like you said