It’s getting to be that time of summer again; tomatoes everywhere. After you have eaten your fill of tomatoes it is time to start preserving them. Remember that unblemished fruits and vegetables make the best quality preserved foods.
Freezing tomatoes, to me, is just about the easiest vegetable (or is it a fruit?) to preserve. I drop the tomatoes into boiling water for 30 seconds, slip off the skins, and then place the tomatoes on a cookie sheet to freeze overnight. After they are frozen solid, I place the tomatoes into a large freezer bag. That way I can easily use just one or two tomatoes in soup next winter.
I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Food Science at Iowa State University. I love to quilt, sew, cook, and bake. I spent many years gardening, canning, and preserving food for my family when my children were at home.
Soon there will be more sweet corn available than we can eat. I plan to freeze some so we can enjoy that good Iowa sweet corn this winter. Use the easy directions listed below after you have husked removed the silks and trimmed the ends of the corn cobs.
Whole kernel corn: can be frozen by blanching the kernels before removing them from the cob. Blanch the corn for 4 ½ minutes, cool in ice water, and then cut the kernels from the cobs.
Cream style corn: follow the above directions but only cut the kernel tips. Next scrape the cobs with the back of a knife to remove the heart of the kernel and form some “cream”.
Corn on the cob: Blanch the ears for the time listed in the chart. Cool the cobs in ice water. If you don’t cool the corn long enough the corn may become mushy and have a “cobby” taste. Cooling the corn requires a longer time than blanching.
I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Food Science at Iowa State University. I love to quilt, sew, cook, and bake. I spent many years gardening, canning, and preserving food for my family when my children were at home.
Is the garden producing more vegetables than you can use right now, or have you been tempted by the beautiful produce at the farmers market? Here is a quick “how to” on blanching vegetables for the freezer.
Blanching tomatoes
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a small amount of produce (typically a quart or less) to the pot. When the water returns to a boil, set your timer. If you use a colander or metal basket you can place the vegetables into the boiling water easily and remove them quickly when the timer rings. Next, plunge the vegetables into cold or ice water for at least as long as the blanching time. This step will stop the cooking process. Drain the vegetables, package them, and freeze. Remember to use freezer containers or bags and not storage bags. The freezer bags and containers are not permeable to the air in the freezer and will protect your vegetables until you are ready to eat them.
Hint: If you want to have “free flowing” vegetables like those you buy at the store, freeze the vegetables on a tray or cookie sheet overnight and then place them in the freezer bags.
Blanching time for vegetables varies with the type of vegetable. This link will take you to the University of Georgia’s website—The National Center for Home Food Preservation. This page has a lengthy list of vegetables and the appropriate blanching time for each.
I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Food Science at Iowa State University. I love to quilt, sew, cook, and bake. I spent many years gardening, canning, and preserving food for my family when my children were at home.
