Climbing, climbing, out of reach, need ladder...
Bearing so heavily that I can't keep up; just gave a bag full to neighbor.
Would like to save some for "winter".
Seems sacrilegious to freeze homegrown organic produce...but if I do, should I blanch first? Research on-line elicits strongly differing opinions, some purporting to be backed by science.
Anybody have practical experience to share?
TIA
HB
Blanch them. The reason to do so is to stop enzyme activity which degrades the veges even when frozen. Take care to time them carefully and refresh in cold water otherwise you will cook them and reduce the freshness and soften the testure. There are tables of times for various veges available. I realise than on usenet/internet it is possible to get an argument about anything but I haven't heard anybody against blanching, what reason is given?
David
I fill pint zip-locs with green beans cut into about 3/4" lengths (okra too) and freeze for fall soups/stews (really no reason to blanch if used within a few months), can even cook your veggies in stoups immediately and freeze, cooked veggies take much less freezer space and are always ready to eat... I make my soups condensed, takes far less space, just add some water to suit when heating (use minimal salt in foods to be frozen, obviously will freeze better - salt to taste upon serving). Freezing in rectangular containers takes much less freezer space than round. I make lots of soups/stews to freeze (I use a 16 qt soup pot), I haven't bought canned soup in more than 40 years. Everyone who vegetable gardens needs a second refrigerator freezer, mine is in my basement, a fridge/freezer won't work well or last long in a hot/cold garage... how else can one store a glut of fresh veggies until ready to use... a second fridge-freezer is far handier than a stand alone freezer. Also everyone who vegetable gardens needs to learn how to pickle. There are many recipes, I prefer fermented pickles (they go in my second fridge):
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We normally boil them for 5 - 6 minutes, then put them in ice water. They get sauted briefly in butter with shallots, and parsley, and they are ready to serve.
Seems freezing them after the ice water bath would be the most practical.
purporting to be backed by science.
Interesting. The diversity of views to blanch or not to blanch pretty much reflects what I found on-line.
Guess I'll have to set up a proper experiment:
This should get me a Nobel prize.
Brooklyn that was a sensible tip about making space-saving condensed soups & adding (liquid) just before consumption.
Can't afford the second refrig/freezer, however; utilities are through the roof here. After [censored] years in the same community, I look back thro ugh a veil of tears at the price of electric, gas, water, trash in a by-gon e era. Thank goodness I don't need A/C, like I bet David Ross does on the o ther side of the mountain.
HB
Since you've got so many beans, you might want to try making "leather britches":
My mom's family would hang them in the attic (100-120oF or so) to dry, or if it was a dry summer, just place them on screens on the roof to dry.
If you like the version of green beans where you cook them with bacon or a ham shank till they're Really Dead, you'll probably like these. It is a different flavor and texture from fresh or frozen beans cooked until they're just done.
Kay
Food science researchers determined that blanching is necessary. The food processing companies (Green Giant, etc.) are convinced that it is necessary. They wouldn't expend the additional effort and cost of blanching if it wasn't obvious that it preserves the quality of the product.
What my family has always done is pack the raw cleaned vegetables into those heatproof vacuum-seal bags, seal the bags, then drop the bags into boiling water to blanch. They then go into ice water for the quick chill before going into the freezer. It's much less hassle bagging them before blanching. It might also preserve a bit more flavor, being that the juices aren't being washed away in the water/ice baths.
Thanks, Kay - maybe I will give it a try.
But just for the record, I don't cook green beans -- or indeed any veg -- u ntil they're "Really Dead". I pick the beans, wash, cut into small pieces , nuke in the micro with a tbsp of water, then sauter quickly in (my late m other's) iron skillet where I have previously sauteed ground Tamari almonds in butter. A little salt & pepper and away we go.
Cook fast if cook at all When my corn comes in -- any day now -- it's s o sweet that I've been known to just stand there and eat it off the cob, wi thout bothering to go to the kitchen.
HB
much reflects what I found on-line.
Very interesting. Raises another question. If water is not contacting the veg -- which I assume is the ordinary definition of blanching?? -- why not pop the bags into the micro to "blanch"? (for what period of time, compar ed with water blanch?). Then into ice water, then freezer.
I strongly agree with you on preserving not only flavor, but also VITAMINS! When I nuke fresh veg with a tbsp of water, I always drink the water.
Tx
HB
Because contact with water is not in itself relevant to the objective of blanching, blanching is done by immersing food in hot water because it is an easy way to heat it quickly and uniformly. Using a microwave is another method but it would not heat as evenly as immersion. Cooling in ice or ice water is the reverse process aiming to quickly cool the vegetable down to prevent it from cooking. The water is just heating or cooling the food in each case nothing else.
The aim is to raise the temperature briefly to deactivate the enzymes that can keep working and degrade the product if you don't. Before you dismiss the body of evidence that says blanching is beneficial you ought to at least understand the principle. You still haven't told why you don't want to do it or who said it was not necessary.
D
QED.
HB
I used to blanch the snap beans in the microwave, but the process actually goes faster in boiling water. It takes more time for the microwave to heat the vegetable to the required temperature. Also, for denser packages - corn kernels, for instance - it usually doesn't heat evenly. So we moved to boiling water for everything.
That's the other advantage of this process. Frankly, I don't like watery vegetables, and I don't like bags full of ice crystals, which you can get if too much water sticks to the veggies when you bag them after the water dip. Plus, when you exhaust the air from the bag during the sealing process, you can smooth the bag evenly flat so they blanch evenly, then stack nicely and freeze fast in the freezer.
Anyhow, we've been doing it this way since the days of the Dazey Seal-A-Meal, if any of the old-timers remember that early precursor to the vacuum sealers now on the market.
Hey, I used to have one of them puppies! When it died & went to veg heaven, I shopped for a replacement, but everything's gone hi-tech & expensive. Sometimes the Golden Oldies show up in thrift shops.
HB
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