We get lots of calls at AnswerLine as callers are getting ready to freeze vegetables from their gardens. We give directions for blanching food and then often need to review the directions for blanching as it has been a while since the caller has blanched anything.
Blanching food is done for quality reasons, not safety reasons. Therefore, you do not HAVE to blanch a food that you will be freezing to keep it safe. Blanching destroys enzymes that naturally occur in the food so that they won’t overly soften the food while it is stored in the freezer. In order to destroy the enzymes, the food must be heated long enough to penetrate the flesh of the vegetable. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has a guide available with times for blanching various vegetables.
One confusing part of the blanching process is just when do I start my timer? We advise callers to work with small batches of vegetables. Get a large pot of water boiling, place the quart sized batch in the water. It is best to blanch an amount that will allow the water to return to a boil within 1 minute. Otherwise the food will be in the hot water too long and will be overly cooked. After the water begins to boil again, set the time for the required amount of time. If you can use a basket to lower the food into the boiling water, you can easily remove it all at once. Then you can submerge the food in ice water and stop the cooking process. After the food has cooled, package and freeze it.
Remember that you do not want to put stacks of freshly blanched food into the freezer. Instead, spread the packages around inside the freezer. This allows the food to freeze quickly, which will give the best possible frozen food. You can also spread food onto a tray or cookie sheet with sides and freeze overnight. Package it the next day and you will have free flowing frozen vegetables—just like those you buy at the store.
Happy gardening and happy blanching.
