Summer is drawing to a close. School will resume, cool weather will come back, and before you know it we’ll be turning the heat back on. The surplus of vegetables in our gardens and farmers markets will slowly disappear as they fall out of season. Even though it seems like we are up to our eyeballs in zucchini, some of us may be missing the summer grown squash in January. In a previous blog post, we talked about different ways to preserve foods to make them last longer and give them new flavor. This month, we are going to talk about one preservation method, freezing, and about a Farmshed program that eliminates all the work of freezing vegetables for you.
Contrary to some beliefs, frozen fruits and vegetables can be just as nutritious as when they are fresh. This is because they were picked at peak ripeness, then the freezing process helps preserve the taste and nutrients in the foods. Buying frozen fruits and vegetables in the grocery store is a great and usually cheaper alternative to fresh produce. There are also still a lot of different recipes and dishes to make with frozen foods: smoothies, soups, stews, stir fry, sauces, and so much more! The best part? They have a long shelf life when kept frozen and can be a great go-to if you catch yourself with an empty fridge.
When it comes to freezing vegetables, a little research needs to be done on the different processes of freezing different vegetables. For example, a necessary step to freezing vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, or corn is blanching. Blanching is the process of plunging produce into boiling water for a certain time interval and then plunging it into ice water after. Doing this can help preserve color, texture, and quality of the food over time. This process is essential for some, but not all veggies. It is important to learn of any specific tasks you need to do before you begin freezing, and what foods DON’T freeze well, like lettuce or radishes.
Sometimes cooking frozen vegetables can deter us from using them unless you invest a lot of time in researching different recipes to keep yourself from being bored. If you love soups and stews, frozen veggies are great for that! To help people stay creative in their cooking, Farmshed created a recipe page dedicated to different recipes for Frozen Assets users to stay creative and satisfied with all our veggies. Some of the featured recipes are: how to roast frozen veggies, butternut squash pasta sauce, and a 15 minute- vegetable stir fry. You can feel more satisfied with each meal when you're trying something new a couple of times a week. One of the most important things to know when you are cooking with frozen vegetables is to NOT defrost them before preparing them for your meals. The blog the Buffalo Market offers quick lessons on how to roast, grill, steam, and sauté frozen vegetables to perfection.
The summer months are slowly disappearing, but the flavors of summer don't have to! Take it upon yourself to learn how to freeze vegetables from your garden, buy more frozen veggies at the store, or purchase a frozen assets share in the Farmshed shop! Summer doesn't have to end when the seasons change.
Yours truly,
Maddie
Comments