Freezing Vegetables

Freezing vegetables usually requires blanching in boiling water, cooking, or steam blanching prior to freezing. After blanching, cool in ice water for 1 1/2 times the blanching time. These are the blanching times for common vegetables:

Asparagus – Blanch medium stalks 3 minutes; large stalks 4 minutes

Bean Pods – Blanch 3 minutes

Lima Beans – Blanch 3 minutes for medium; 4 minutes for very large

Beets – Remove all but 2 inches of the top; Don’t blanch – cook until tender; Chill; Then slice and freeze

Beans/Soybeans – Boil in the pods for 5 minutes; remove beans; chill; freeze

Broccoli – Remove tough leaves; Remove woody ends; Slice stalks lengthwise; soak ½ hour in salt brine*; rinse and drain; then blanch 3 minutes or steam 5 minutes

Brussels sprouts – Soak in salt brine* for ½ hour; Blanch small for 2 minutes; medium for 4 minutes; large for 5 minutes

Cabbage – Blanch wedges for 3 minutes; shredded for 1 ½ minutes

Carrots – Trim, wash and scrape the carrots; dice or slice them; blanch for 2 minutes

Corn on the Cob – Blanch small ears 7 minutes; medium 9 minutes; large 11 minutes

Corn – whole kernel – Blanch on the cob for 4 ½ minutes; then cut off the cob after cooling in ice water

Corn – creamed – Same as above, except when cutting off the cob, only cut the kernel tips; then scrape the cob with the back of your knife to get juice and pulp

Herbs – Wash and drain, but don’t blanch; wrap sprigs or leaves in foil, or seal in a plastic bag; put inside a carton or glass jar in your freezer

Mushrooms – Wash, remove stem base; Blanch medium or small whole mushrooms 5 minutes; or cut-up mushrooms for 3 minutes (Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to your water to prevent darkening)

Okra – Blanch small 3 minutes; Large for 4 minutes

Peas – Green and English, Blanch 1 ½ minutes; Blackeyes for 2 minutes; Sugar, Chinese or Pods, Blanch for 1 ½ to 3 minutes depending on size; Be sure to remove strings from pods

Hot Peppers – Wash, drain and freeze

Green and Red Peppers – Cut in two and remove seeds; Blanch halved peppers 3 ½ minutes

Pumpkin/Squash – Wash, cut into pieces, remove seeds, and bake or steam until tender; After cooling, scoop out the pulp from the rind and freeze

Potatoes – Don’t freeze well unless prepared as food first, such as French fries, hash browns; for new potatoes, wash and scrape skins off, then blanch 4 minutes for very small up to 10 minutes for very large – eat frozen new potatoes within one month for best flavor and texture

Spinach, collards, greens – Spinach, blanch 2 minutes; collards, blanch 3-4 minutes (the more tender your leaves, the less time you need for blanching)

Summer Squash/Zucchini – Cut into pieces, then blanch for 3 minutes

Tomatoes – Wash and core your tomatoes; cut them up; Don’t blanch, cook until soft

Tomato juice – Wash, core and cut up your tomatoes; Cook for 5 minutes; Put your tomatoes through a food mill to make juice or for tomato puree, cook the juice until it is half its volume; freeze

* Soaking in brine gets rid of insects which may have crawled into the vegetable

* See my accompanying article, “Tips for Freezing Vegetables” for the steps to freezing.