Why blanch peppers before freezing. How to freeze vegetables for the winter. What to consider when selecting material for storage

28.05.2022

A process such as blanching is familiar to many housewives. It is used during cooking, in the process of conservation, as well as before freezing vegetables, fruits and berries. What is blanching? In French, "blanshire" means to turn white. This is a short-term heating of products in hot water or steam in order to destroy harmful microorganisms on their surface, as well as to facilitate the process of their culinary processing. During blanching, vegetables and fruits do turn a little pale. But, despite this, it is the scalding of fruits that helps to better preserve their color, aroma and structure. What is it for?

It all depends on what you plan to do with the products after blanching. If you are preparing a dish, then scalding vegetables, fruits or even meat with boiling water helps them retain their taste properties during further heat treatment. Cuts of meat stay juicier, potato strips hold their shape better when pan-fried, broccoli retains its vibrant green color when stewed, and so on. In addition, with the help of blanching, you can easily peel tomatoes, peppers and apples. It also helps to remove films from seafood (squid and octopus). If peeled apples or potatoes are scalded with boiling water, they will not oxidize in the air and darken. Blanched cucumbers and peppers are easier to fit into jars for pickling and do not break. And in plums and apricots, when scalding, small cracks appear through which sugar syrup passes better during canning. Although before freezing, as you understand, blanching these fruits would be inappropriate.

Often blanching completely replaces cooking. After all, many delicate vegetables and fruits under the influence of high temperatures very quickly lose their beneficial properties. Therefore, nutritionists advise us not to boil cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, onions, celery, green peas, young corn and peppers, but to limit ourselves to scalding vegetables in boiling water. Blanching is also very convenient for preserving and freezing vegetables, fruits, berries and herbs. The temperature difference creates a protective film on the surface of the products, preventing moisture loss and slowing down the action of enzymes that destroy their color, aroma and shape. In addition, it helps to remove unpleasant odors and bitter tastes.

How to blanch properly

Most often, vegetables and fruits are blanched with hot water, although a steam bath can also be used. How to blanch food properly? Whole and sliced \u200b\u200bfruits are put in a colander or a special net for blanching and dipped in boiling water at a temperature of 80-100 ° C (or put in a steam bath) for several minutes. Then the products are quickly removed and immediately immersed for 10 minutes in very cold water, or left to cool on the table in an open dish. It is better, of course, to use water to stop the heating process. Otherwise, the vegetables will simply cook under the influence of their own temperature. It is difficult to talk about how long you need to keep different vegetables, fruits, berries or herbs in hot water. Since everything here depends on their size, degree of maturity, juiciness and density. It can be either 2 minutes or 10 minutes. The duration of blanching is usually indicated in preservation recipes. And also you can quite focus on the eye.

Blanching vegetables

When processing vegetables, you need to clearly know which ones are blanched and which are not. For example, cauliflower, spinach and asparagus become even tastier after scalding with boiling water. But it is better not to blanch tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, as they can lose both taste and useful properties. Also do not blanch raspberries, cherries and sweet cherries. Although scalding in hot water helps to remove air from the fruit, which improves their storage. However, it is important to strike a balance between the benefits and harms of this process. For example, beetroot loses more than 20% of soluble solids during scalding. In order for vegetables to retain more useful trace elements, you can blanch them not in water, but in steam.

Now let's deal with the blanching time of various fruits. Greens blanch the fastest. It is enough to hold it in a steam bath for 1 minute. To scald asparagus and spinach, you will need 1-2 minutes. Next come apricots, soft apples, green peas, zucchini, young carrot rings and cauliflower - they only need 2-4 minutes in boiling water. Blanching cabbage (Brussels cabbage, white cabbage, broccoli and kohlrabi) takes 3-4 minutes. For scalding onions, celery, eggplant, mushrooms, pears, hard apples and quince, 3-5 minutes are enough. Blanching potatoes, green peas and sweet corn cobs takes 5-8 minutes. The longest time is to keep beets and whole carrots in boiling water for at least 20 minutes. Blanching vegetables requires a fairly large amount of liquid. For 1 kg of fruit, you need to take at least 4 liters of water. But you can quite use the same water many times, heating it constantly over low heat.

And the term, the essence of which we will reveal today, is blanching.

Despite such an unusual name, the procedure itself is elementary, very simple and probably familiar to everyone. This is just a short-term treatment of the product with boiling water or steam. Probably, each of us at least once in our lives doused tomatoes with boiling water, so that the peel would be easier to peel off. So, this is also blanching.

If anyone does not remember how this is done, I remind you:

We wash the tomatoes, cut them crosswise and remove the place where the stalk is attached (I personally do not cut before blanching).

Boil water in a saucepan and dip tomatoes into boiling water. Leave them to boil for only one minute.

Taking it out of boiling water with a slotted spoon,

quickly transfer them to a pot of cold water,

where they stay until cool.

After that, easily remove the skin from the tomatoes.

Everything! Tomatoes are peeled - easy and fast!

So, most often vegetables or fruits are scalded with boiling water or boiled for several minutes in water or in saline solution, adding a little citric acid. With tomatoes, everything is clear, but why do they do it with other vegetables and fruits?

Blanching (from the French blanchir - turn white) is a special method of processing products: vegetables, fruits, fish, meat. Such processing is done for various purposes. As already mentioned, the skin is easily removed from a blanched tomato. And blanched kohlrabi gets an amazing color and can be frozen without losing its nutritional properties.

Blanching whitens bones, meat, removes the specific smell of foods or their excess bitterness, and so on.
Blanching is the easiest way to peel peanuts and almonds.

What does blanching give?
Blanching achieves an interesting effect: the work of enzymes that destroy the structure, color and aroma of the product slows down or stops altogether. Also, blanching helps to create a kind of film on the surface of the product, which prevents the loss of nutrients and vitamins in the process of further cooking.

Blanched green vegetables will not turn unsightly brown and will become a real decoration of the table. Many vegetables are also perfectly stored in the freezer, if they are blanched and cooled immediately before laying, so that the process of heat exposure to the vegetable stops.

Blanching vegetables: the subtleties of the process

During blanching, the product is either simply doused with boiling water, or immersed in boiling water for several minutes, or the same few minutes are kept in a sealed container, exposed to hot steam. The most important thing is not to overexpose the product and not turn it into a boiled one. If you throw a little baking soda or salt into boiling water in advance, the color of green vegetables will turn out just emerald!

Refrigerate blanched vegetables as quickly as possible. Often, not just cold water is prepared for cooling, into which vegetables can be dipped after heat treatment, but water with ice. There should be a lot of it so that the vegetables do not heat the water, otherwise nothing will work.

Blanch vegetables in boiling water
Starting blanching, take the vegetables and wash them well. Water is already boiling in a saucepan on the stove, and an ice bath is prepared on the table - a bowl or basin with cold water and crushed ice. If you are going to blanch the asparagus, use a deep frying pan rather than a pot of boiling water to make it more convenient. For a kilogram of vegetables, take 4 liters of boiling water.

We put the washed and prepared (cut, peeled) vegetables in boiling water, in which we add a teaspoon of salt in advance. Vegetables should spend at least two minutes in boiling water. Usually this time is enough, but you can take a piece and place it in an ice bath, and then try whether it has reached the desired consistency and what it tastes like. If the vegetables are not ready yet, continue to blanch them for another minute or two.

Once the blanching time has elapsed, all vegetables are transferred to a bowl with ice and water with a slotted spoon. So the cooking process stops immediately, and the color of the vegetables remains attractive.

“In ice” blanched vegetables should be about the same time as they spent in boiling water. Then the vegetables are taken out and placed on a clean towel. The boiling water that was used is quite suitable for blanching a new portion of vegetables.

When blanching in boiling water, it is convenient to use a colander to immediately immerse all the vegetables and take them out of boiling water at once.

The step by step process looks like this:

1. Wash and properly prepare your chosen vegetables.

2. Pour a lot of water into a large pot: ~2.8 liters of water for 450 g of vegetables. A large amount of water contributes to the rapid preparation of vegetables. Otherwise, the vegetables will begin to stew, which will affect their texture, color and nutritional value.

You can cover the pot while you wait for the water to boil, but you should cook vegetables without a lid. Otherwise, you will not release the volatile acids that come out of the vegetables during cooking, and the color and texture of the vegetables will change because of this.

Keep the pot over high heat. Boiling water directly affects the condition of green vegetables, as they need to be cooked as quickly as possible.

Serve immediately. Drain and serve. Do not refrigerate vegetables naturally as they will continue to cook.

If you are going to use the vegetables later, put them in ice water and serve cold or reheated later.

Steam blanch vegetables

Steam blanching is suitable for almost all vegetables, but takes a little longer. To steam vegetables, take a large pot, pour water into it, bring it to a boil and place a wire colander with vegetables in the pan. Of course, the water level must be below the bottom of the vegetable basket. The whole structure is tightly covered with a lid and left on fire for 4-8 minutes, after which the vegetables are quickly cooled in a container with ice water.

Prepared vegetables should be placed in a single layer in the basket, otherwise they will be steamed unevenly. Instead of a pot and wire basket for steam blanching, it is very convenient to use a steamer, but a microwave oven is not suitable for blanching.

Pour 4 liters of water into a large saucepan. Place the steam basket on the pot.
Bring the water to a strong boil. Put 0.5 kg of vegetables.

The vegetables should be in a single layer in the basket so they can cook evenly.

Cover with a lid.

Blanch for the specified amount of time.
Check readiness. To test the readiness of a blanched vegetable, remove a piece from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and taste it. If you like the texture, the vegetable is ready.

Leafy vegetables should be removed and drained as soon as they are no longer tough. Tough or very fragrant greens should be boiled for up to 5 minutes (enough to soften their texture and improve taste).

Remove blanched vegetables from boiling water.

Immediately place the vegetables in ice water or in a clean sink under cold running water. This is called shocking vegetables.

Drain the water.

Freeze. Most cooks freeze vegetables in a single layer and then transfer to a container.

This will make it easier for you to use the vegetables when you need them.

The duration of the blanching process for some vegetables and fruits

Some vegetables are blanched by scalding - you do not need to boil them in boiling water. For example, onions cut into rings or cubes after scalding with boiling water will lose their unpleasant bitterness and smell, but remain crispy, and can be added to salads without fear.

Vegetables
There are vegetables that are often cooked solely by blanching, such as spinach or asparagus. Blanching is widely used before freezing vegetables. This procedure removes air from fruits and vegetables that is not needed for long-term storage. Blanching allows you to preserve the structure, color and aroma of products.

For blanching vegetables, water is taken in a ratio of 1: 4, that is, 4 liters of water will be needed for one kilogram of vegetables.

Blanching time for vegetables:
. asparagus - 2-4 minutes (large shoots)
. broccoli - 3 minutes in boiling water or 5 minutes for a couple
. Brussels sprouts - 3-5 minutes
. white cabbage - 1.5-3 minutes
. cauliflower - 2 minutes
. kohlrabi - 3 minutes
. celery - 3 minutes
. green peas - 2-3 minutes
.green beans - 3 minutes
. zucchini - 2 minutes
. eggplant - 4 minutes
. potatoes - 5-8 minutes
. carrots (chopped) - 2 minutes
. small carrots - 5 minutes
. onion rings - 10 seconds
. spinach - 1-2 minutes
. parsley or celery roots - 2-3 minutes
. parsley and dill - 1-1.5 minutes

Fruit
Blanching fruit is done in exactly the same way. But fruits are recommended to be blanched without dipping into boiling water, but only by holding it over steam.
Blanched fruits should be immediately immersed in cold water so that the fruits do not soften too much.

Fruit blanching time:
. apples, pears, quince - 3-5 minutes (at 90-95°C)
. apricots - 40 seconds
. plums - 10 seconds (at a temperature of 90 ° C).

Meat
The meat can be blanched before cooking to preserve the juiciness and taste of the product. This will sanitize the meat by creating a protective film on the surface that retains the special adhesives. They are responsible for the taste of the dish. While washing the meat with cold water, on the contrary, washes away the sticky substances.

By experimenting in the kitchen, you can quickly determine by experience how long it takes to blanch which vegetables. This means that your dishes will acquire not only new shades of taste, but will also look like real works of art.
Based on materials

With the advent of modern spacious freezers in almost every home, the issue of proper freezing of vegetables is especially relevant. Everyone wants frozen foods to retain their appearance, taste and priceless vitamins for as long as possible. This article will tell the reader how to properly freeze vegetables, as well as give some tips on preparing preparations for future delicious dishes.

The benefits of fresh produce

It is not necessary to focus on the advantages of frozen vegetables over canned foods. Vegetables prepared for the winter in jars with the help of preservatives will not retain all the vitamins and minerals inherent in their fresh counterparts. In addition, canned foods cannot be considered healthy from a dietary point of view. And the last point, which speaks in favor of the fresh product stored for the winter. much easier and simpler than preserving them. The only obstacle is the lack of a freezer.

General freezing rules

So, we have a great desire to keep as many fresh vegetables, fruits and berries as possible for the winter, an impressive harvest and a freezer of a certain size. The dimensions of this chamber hint to us that vegetables need to be stored prepared, and not containing any unnecessary elements. In order to freeze vegetables, it is not enough to sort and wash the source material, it is necessary to remove all unnecessary elements in the form of a core, seeds, and, if possible, chop the product.

We form briquettes

If there is a global freezing of vegetables and fruits, and we risk not fitting into the volumes of the freezer, we should first form small rectangular briquettes from the vegetable mixture. To do this, until completely frozen, we send the vegetables to the freezer in plastic containers, laying the pieces as close as possible to each other, without filling the space a little to the edge. Small or too large containers for a temporary shelter for the vegetable mixture will not work. Freezing vegetables at home involves the formation of such portions so that later, when defrosting, you can use the entire briquette at once for cooking. Re-freezing of food is not allowed. The optimal volume of one frozen serving is 300 grams.

As soon as the vegetables in the container are completely frozen, you need to remove the container from the freezer, briefly place the contents under a stream of warm running water. Now, turning the container over, you can easily shake the vegetables out and pack them in a tight plastic bag. Remember that during long-term storage, even at temperatures below -18 degrees, the worst enemy of products is air that has got inside the package.

What should be considered when selecting material for storage?

Sometimes people freeze slightly underripe vegetables. It's not a problem. But it is better not to put overripe vegetables in the freezer. After you take out the package and place the contents in a cooking pot, overripe vegetables will lose their appearance and burst.

What vegetables can be frozen? We use blanching

You can freeze almost any vegetables, the only condition is to blanch them in boiling water so that the fruits stop their development during storage. After all, even critical sub-zero temperatures cannot prevent the ripening of fruits and the characteristic change in color and taste. In addition, frozen vegetables can become undesirably hard over time without blanching. Among all vegetables, only onions and sweet bell peppers can do without a brief heat treatment. Leafy vegetables are also blanched before being sent for long-term storage.

Blanching steps before freezing

For the procedure, we use a colander, which can fit about half a kilogram of ready-made vegetables. We take a five-liter pan, fill it with water, bring to a boil. We turn off the gas and immediately put a colander with a vegetable mixture into the pan, cover the lid and wait. The blanching time for each type of vegetable is different.

Before freezing vegetables, after blanching them, they must be cooled in ice water. If the water in the pan can safely withstand up to 6 bookmarks of vegetables, then cold water must be changed after each batch. Now it remains for us to dry the vegetables and pack them for long-term storage.

Blanching time for vegetables

Cauliflower and cabbage - 3 minutes.
Cabbage, chopped into strips - 1.5 minutes.
Eggplant - 4 minutes.
Whole carrots - 5 minutes.
Carrots, chopped - 2 minutes
Mushrooms - 5 minutes.
Zucchini - 2 minutes.
Leafy vegetables - 1.5 minutes.

So that the leaves do not stick together during blanching, it is necessary to double the volume of water in the pan.

Frozen vegetables: recipes for cold soups and okroshka

Both for the cold soup "Tarator" and for the okroshka, you will need such a blank. We take finely chopped cucumbers, onions, dill and parsley. Place the chopped vegetable mixture in a plastic container and fill it with kefir. We tightly close the package and send it to storage. Instead of kefir, you can use sour milk.

mexican mix

For this preparation, in equal proportions, you will need chopped carrots, green beans, sweet peppers (preferably red), as well as corn and green peas of milky ripeness. Frozen vegetables recipes recommend not defrosting before cooking, which is very convenient. After taking out the package from the freezer, feel free to send it to the soup, to the pan or to the slow cooker.

Preparations for making yogurt

We talked a lot about vegetables, but actually bypassed the freezing of berries, mentioning it only in passing. But berries can be stored not only in whole form, but also in the form of fruit puree. This puree is ideal for making desserts, drinks, and yogurt at home.

First, wash and sort the cooked berries, then grind them with a blender. Pour the puree into ice cube trays and set the timer to freeze quickly. Then we pour the resulting cubes into a bag, get rid of excess air and put them in long-term storage. It is a pleasure to use such cubes for making desserts.

Freezing vegetables for the winter is a simple and affordable way to enrich your diet for the cold season with all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. In addition, vegetables taken out of the freezer will remind you of a warm, gentle summer.

More and more gardeners are engaged in freezing vegetables for the winter at home. This is a quick way to prepare for the winter. Products retain the maximum amount of nutrients. Supermarket shelves are full of different varieties of frozen vegetables and fruits. But what could be better and tastier than strawberries, cherries, cabbage and zucchini grown at your own dacha.

A bountiful harvest requires immediate processing. And on the beds another wave of vegetables ripens. The gardener often does not have enough time for pickling and salting. And laying semi-finished products in the chest freezer is easy and does not take much time.

You can freeze almost everything that grows in the country and gives a harvest: greens, berries, fruits and vegetables. The main thing is to follow the rules. Then the blanks will delight you with a long cold winter.
Why freezing is needed
Preservation of the crop is the main task of the gardener. Summer and early autumn are hot seasons. Vegetables and berries require immediate processing. The summer resident does not always have enough time to prepare pickles and marinades.

Freezing food comes to the rescue. Almost every garden house has a refrigerator and freezer. And preparing and laying the raw materials will take a little time.
The advantage of frozen products is the preservation of vitamins. During heat treatment, most of them are destroyed. And this way of storing products makes semi-finished products useful.
Not all gardeners have enough space to store pickles and marinades. Some (mushrooms) should not be kept at room temperature. And frozen canned food is compact.

Almost any vegetable mix can be bought at the store. But food grown in your own garden and frozen on your own is much tastier.
General freezing rules
To obtain high-quality vegetables, you need to freeze them according to the rules. This will preserve the color and presentation. Properly selected and put into the chamber, vegetables have a characteristic texture, they are easy and simple to cook.
At what temperature do vegetables freeze?
Prepared raw materials are placed in the freezer in the "quick freeze" mode. It's -25 degrees Celsius. After freezing (about an hour), the temperature is raised to -23 degrees.
Features of storing food in the freezer
Harvest is not enough just to store. You need to have the right products to cook delicious meals in winter. To obtain high-quality semi-finished products, you should follow the recommendations:
It is necessary to follow the rule of commodity neighborhood. Frozen vegetables should not be stored in the same compartment as meat, fish or mushrooms. If the latter spoil, the vegetables will remain edible.
Thoroughly wash and dry drawers and shelves before storing.
On the packaging it is recommended to write the type of workpiece and the date of storage. This is required for a quick revision of the contents of the freezer.
Drawers and shelves are filled as tightly as possible. But pre-frozen semi-finished products should be laid. Layers of raw food freeze together: it becomes impossible to pull them out.
Mixtures should be packed in containers for portioned use: it is difficult to get them out of large bags. Re-freezing of defrosted products is not allowed.

Do not try to freeze the entire crop as a whole: any workpiece has a shelf life. It's a shame to throw away something that you didn't have time to eat.
Shelf life
Gardeners often neglect the shelf life of frozen foods. It is not safe. Even at sub-zero temperatures, bacteria live and multiply. The cold only hinders their development. Freezing past the expiration date may be harmful to health.
When storing vegetables at a temperature of -23 to -18 degrees Celsius, the products retain their beneficial properties throughout the year. At negative temperatures above -18 - vegetables can be consumed without fear for 8 months.
Each chest freezer has a temperature sensor. You should regularly pay attention to its values.
Packaging for food storage in the freezer
For freezing, use food-grade packaging only. Cellophane freezer bags are ideal. Raw materials are laid in them, air is expelled. Flat containers are easy to stack.
Some gardeners use food containers. They must be labeled accordingly. The container is filled with chopped vegetables and closed with lids. Containers of rectangular profile and equal size fit tightly on the shelves.
How to choose and prepare vegetables for the winter
The quality of frozen products depends on compliance with the storage rules. The main recommendations should be followed:
Take ripe vegetables with intact skin. The presence of rot or stains is unacceptable.
Before laying, the products should be washed thoroughly in hot water. Then spread out to dry. Excess moisture reduces the quality of the workpieces.
The dense skin should be peeled off, the seeds removed from the middle, and the stalks cut off.
Blanch if necessary. This operation will preserve the marketability of raw materials.
Store the workpiece in a tightly closed container: this will protect the vegetables from drying out.

Vegetables are frozen cut or whole. It depends on the intended use and the place in the freezer.

What utensils do you need
For laying in the chest freezer, use only plastic dishes with a special mark. This will keep it from cracking, and vegetables from spoilage.
It is permissible to use glass or porcelain dishes at intermediate stages. Juicy vegetables (tomatoes) are laid out on them. From above, the dishes are tightened with cling film to prevent freezing. After an hour, the frozen pieces are transferred to a container.
Do I need to wash vegetables before freezing?
It is assumed that frozen products are fully prepared for cooking. After defrosting, you can immediately make a side dish or snack from them. Therefore, the laid vegetables must be washed in hot water. For heavily soiled products, it is recommended to use a brush.
Why Blanch Vegetables Before Freezing
Blanching - alternately immersing vegetables in boiling water and cold water. Runs within 2-5 minutes. With a long operation, the product becomes boiled.
Blanching is a necessary part of the freezing process for some foods. It allows you to keep the presentation. Cauliflower without this operation changes color from white to gray. It becomes unpleasant to eat.
Some vegetables, when blanched, acquire the missing density. This prevents the pieces from sticking together.
What vegetables can be frozen at home
Almost all vegetables grown in the garden must be frozen. But they need to be properly prepared for storage. Often foods look attractively fresh, but when they are taken out of the freezer, they do not make you want to eat them. The mass has an incomprehensible consistency and a strange color.
The reason is a violation of the procurement rules. Fruits were selected green or overripe, damaged by insects. The temperature inside the chest was too high or unstable. The packing container was damaged during packing. To avoid disappointment, you should carefully follow the rules for sorting, processing and laying vegetables.
tomatoes
Berries are frozen in several ways:
Peel the skin off the tomatoes. Cut large tomatoes into pieces, remove the seed chambers along with partitions. Put the remaining dry parts in a plastic container and place in the freezer. Tomatoes are used for fresh consumption and cooking.
Whole cherry tomatoes are frozen. Sort the berries, wash and place in a plastic bag.
Cut the tomatoes into pieces and put on a glass dish in a single layer. Cover with cling film. After freezing (after 60 minutes), the tomatoes should be carefully removed and placed in a plastic bag.

Thawed tomatoes taste the same as fresh ones.
cucumbers
Cucumbers are also suitable for freezing. It is better to use salad varieties. Greens should be cut into pieces, rings or strips. Then place in containers. This is a semi-finished product for winter salads. But it is recommended to use the product within six months.
bell pepper
Bulgarian pepper is frozen for winter stuffing or addition to stews, soups. In the first case, the stalks are removed from the peppers and the seeds are cleaned. The fruits are inserted into each other and placed in plastic bags. The pepper is ready to be stuffed.
In the second case, the fruits are cleaned of seeds and cut into cubes or strips. The container is tightly filled with slices and laid in a chest freezer.
Some gardeners immediately fill the peppers with minced meat or vegetable. When using meat, the shelf life should not exceed 3 months.
eggplant
This representative of the nightshade has a rough and bitter skin. It needs to be cleaned up. Then the fruits should be blanched for 5-7 minutes. After all the preparatory operations, the eggplants are cut and frozen.
For stuffing, the fruits are cut in half lengthwise and frozen in this form.

Green peas and milky corn
Green peas and milky corn are favorite winter salad ingredients. We freeze the components ourselves:
peeling cobs (three of them against each other) and pods;
put in packages;
tie tightly.

The result is a great addition to salads and soups.
Cabbage
For preparations, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and Brussels sprouts are suitable. We disassemble broccoli and color into inflorescences, cut off the legs. Then blanch for 3 minutes. Dry the cabbage and freeze in a plastic bag.
Brussels sprout - we sort it into heads, clean it from covering leaves and blanch it too. Dry and freeze.
We clean the kohlrabi from a dense skin and rub it on a coarse grater. Then put in a plastic container and put in the freezer. The released juice is frozen with cabbage. In winter, it is used to make soups and sauces.

Zucchini, squash, pumpkin
Gourds are easy and pleasant to harvest. First, they should be cleaned and the seeds removed. For stew, vegetables need to be cut into cubes, for stuffing - with washers (with a cleaned middle). Arrange the vegetables in portions (for one preparation) in bags and freeze.
string beans
Asparagus beans are used to prepare various dishes. It's nice to have it on the menu in winter.
Pods should be sorted, damaged - discarded. Then cut off the stems and ends. Large cut into pieces. The pods need to be blanched in salted water. The processing time is 3 minutes. Then they should be dried on a paper towel. After all the steps, the product is decomposed into bags and placed in a chest.
Ginger
It is a popular spicy and healthy addition to dishes. The root can be frozen in the following ways:
With a free freezer, the product is frozen whole. It is washed, dried and placed in a plastic bag.
Gardeners use grated ginger for cooking. The root is washed, cleaned and grated. Then carefully lay out on a dish and cover with a film. After 60 minutes, the frozen hemispheres are laid out in a bag or container and placed in storage.
Ginger can be frozen chopped. The root is washed, peeled and cut into desired pieces. They are placed in a bag and frozen.

In the first case, after defrosting, the root should be cleaned.
Turnip
Turnip is included in the diet menu. It is added to soups, stews. Turnip garnish meat dishes.
Freezing a root crop is easy. First, it is washed, peeled. Then cut into cubes and blanched for 3 minutes. The dried pieces are placed in a plastic bag and frozen.
Zucchini
This melon representative is frozen in the same way as zucchini, squash and pumpkin.
Potato
Often a gardener does not have time to peel potatoes. And so you want to cook french fries or just fried! Freezing for future use will solve the problem.
First, place the peeled potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes. Part of the starch will settle to the bottom: this will preserve the taste of root crops when frozen.
Then cut the tubers into slices and blanch for 5 minutes. Dry on a paper towel, pour into a bag and store in a chest.
It is important to choose potatoes with a low amount of starch: freezing will turn out tastier.
Corn
To freeze this product, you should choose cobs with a waxy degree of maturity. Too young or fully ripe are not suitable: when frozen, they lose their presentation.
Some gardeners freeze corn on the cob. To do this, heads of cabbage should be cleaned of covering leaves. Then wash and blanch for 5 minutes. Arrange the cobs in freezer bags (2-3 pieces each) and place in a chest.
The second way is freezing grains. Heads of cabbage should be husked, the grains should be cleaned of pieces of the stem and debris. Then collect in a colander and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain the seeds on a paper towel and pat dry for 30 minutes. Arrange dried corn in bags, seal tightly and mark in a chest.
The second method allows you to save space in the freezer. But it is more labor intensive.

Other vegetables
It is convenient to freeze small carrots and beets. Root crops should be washed, peeled, cut and placed in containers or bags.
Do-it-yourself vegetable mix recipes for freezing
Supermarket shelves offer mixes for every taste. But it’s more pleasant to make recipes yourself from products grown in the garden. The proportions of the ingredients depend only on the taste and desire of the gardener.
All vegetables should be prepared for freezing separately. Then they are connected, hermetically packed and stored for storage.
Paprikash
This recipe came from the Balkans. The mixture consists of sweet peppers, zucchini (zucchini can be replaced), tomatoes (any color can be) and green beans. The proportions are arbitrary.
Peel and cut zucchini and sweet pepper. Blanch beans for 3 minutes in salted water, then dry on a towel. Cut out the septa and seed chambers from the tomatoes. Mix everything in a large bowl and divide into bags. Place in the chest.
Village vegetables
The composition of the mixture:
Bell pepper;
broccoli;
corn;
string beans;
carrot;
potato.

All vegetables are cooked separately. Blanch potatoes, beans, broccoli and corn. Then cut the ingredients into arbitrary pieces, mix in a bowl, arrange in bags and freeze.
Lecho
Some gardeners cannot imagine their menu without this mixture. It consists of tomatoes and sweet peppers. Tomatoes should cut out the seed chambers and partitions. For peppers, remove the seeds. Cut randomly, mix and freeze.
Mix "Spring"
This mixture is actively consumed not only in spring. Vitamins are needed in slushy autumn and cold winter.
You should prepare:
green pea;
cabbage (broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts);
carrot;
potato.

Vegetables are prepared for freezing separately. Blanch cabbage and potatoes. The ingredients are then mixed and stored.
Hawaiian Blend
Rice is included in this mixture. Compound:
potato;
green pea;
pepper;
corn.

Rice should be boiled in salted water until half cooked. Blanch potatoes and corn. Cut vegetables into arbitrary pieces, put together with boiled and chilled rice in a bowl, mix. Then sort into containers and store.
Mexican platter
The mixture has a large set of ingredients. It consists of:
carrots;
string beans;
sweet multi-colored pepper;
corn;
eggplant;
red beans;
green peas;
Luke;
root celery.

Beans (green and red), corn, eggplant and celery root are prepared for freezing and blanched. Then the ingredients are dried on a towel. The rest of the vegetables are chopped. Everything is mixed in a deep bowl, laid out in containers and stored.
Defrost Rules
To prepare delicious and nutritious dishes, frozen vegetables need to be properly defrosted.
The blanks should be placed in a deep bowl and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Such natural defrosting will preserve the maximum of vitamins.
Defrosting at room temperature leads to loss of vitamins, juice and presentation.
Application of frozen food
Frozen vegetables and mixtures are used equally with fresh products. From them prepare: soups, salads, sauces and garnishes. To obtain tasty and healthy dishes, it is recommended to follow the rules for freezing, storing and defrosting food.

How should zucchini be frozen for the winter at home? Everyone wants to have healthy and tasty vegetables on the table all year round, like in summer. I always freeze them in the summer, because it is practical and healthy, the taste of such vegetables is incomparable to the taste in winter, and the only way to prolong the life of vitamins is to really just freeze them. In fact, the convenience of freezing is invaluable.

I read several Italian articles (just in Italy, cooking and everything connected with it is a science, in Italy the strictest control over food, well, in general, they are just specialists in cooking. Everyone, not just housewives).

I was surprised by the scarce information in our Runet on this issue, so I prepared an sensible article for you, now I will tell you how simple it really is. Suitable not only for zucchini, but also for other vegetables.

Mandatory requirements for vegetables when freezing zucchini for the winter at home

They must be fresh and ripe.
All kinds of "defects" of the vegetable, such as specks, soft spots, scratches, etc., must be carefully removed.
Never freeze overripe vegetables. Remember this!

OK. It's like that. Now what? How to cut?

my carefully zucchini, wipe dry, cut off the “tails”. If the zucchini is large and with seeds, then remove them, the skin is thick - the same.

We cut assuming, how do you plan to consume them

I do the most on a grater — for kids. I also add carrots, so it’s more convenient for me later when cooking soups. Zucchini and carrots are always a good base! Then I just cut potatoes, add any vegetables you want. Most importantly, it's fast! The contents of one ice cream bag for one soup, I throw directly into boiling water.

Cubes convenient too! Also for soups, stews, cereals, risotto!

ringlets less often. Usually cut like this for casseroles and vegetable lasagnas. If you freeze fried, but fry without oil!!

Do I need to blanch zucchini before freezing?

Blanching, that is, subjecting to a short heat treatment, NECESSARY. And definitely. That's why…

Zucchini retain their beneficial properties, structure and color better.

The fact is that even with such a short heat treatment, the enzymes responsible for the process of growth and ripeness of vegetables completely die. Upon reaching full maturity, these enzymes cause loss of smell and taste.

If the fruits are not heated enough before freezing, then the enzymes will continue their activity even inside the freezer ... That is, the vegetable will ripen further even in sub-zero temperatures!

Was it scary? And me. Therefore, I will never again throw vegetables into the freezer without boiling them for another minute, and I do not advise you. This also applies to eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. But peas, peppers, tomatoes, parsley and basil do not need blanching. If you don't want to open a bag of zucchini in the winter and see what you want to immediately throw in the bin, then by all means blanch! I was not too lazy and went through the forums for information about freezing without boiling, and so all the housewives just complain that the vegetables are simply unsightly, no shape, no color and smell. That's it...

Well, what's the deal? Then boil the chopped zucchini for 3 minutes without salt (1 kg of product per 2 liters of water), then place them in cold water, preferably with ice. Now we are sure that our zucchini will not lose their rich color, structure and will not fade over time! Leave in the water until the vegetables are completely cooled. After we recline in a colander and further lay out on the surface until dry.

By the way, my mother-in-law has such a freezer. And then there is the one in the refrigerator… Is there a place to freeze? So you will spend less time at the stove ... This is a fact. My mother-in-law does not fuss at all in the kitchen, because she prepares everything in advance. He always buys more vegetables, precisely for the purpose of subsequent freezing. So you kill two birds with one stone.

You don't have to buy the product, you already have it at home)
Half done - less time to cook. It remains only to defrost and do as you wish. Defrosting vegetables is generally a quick process. You can also over low heat in a frying pan, if there is no way to pull it out in advance ...

I adopted the experience of my mother-in-law, now I freeze not only purchased vegetables, but I always try to cook for the future, so that I can freeze them later. It's like a magic wand when there is no time ... And it happens sooo often. Now I cook the perfect (tasty and healthy) dinner in a maximum of half an hour. No headache, but what to do for the whole family? In general, it’s great that you don’t have to stand at the stove and eat a balanced diet at the same time!

We freeze!

Place the zucchini in the freezer on a partial freeze tray. Do not forget to pre-wrap it in a plastic bag - so our zucchini does not absorb all the smells of your freezer "bins". Pull out after an hour, lay down freezer bags so it will be more convenient for you to decide later how much to put for a particular dish.

How do you defrost then?

You can take them out of the freezer a few hours before cooking.

You can immediately - we take our vegetables, put them in a frying pan without oil over low heat, let them come up. After 5 minutes, you can cook them as you wish.

The shelf life of blanched zucchini is 12 months.

By the way, this is how they look when defrosted...

Grilled zucchini ... for freezing.

Awesome recipe, I haven't met anyone yet who doesn't like them. I suppose everyone understands what the recipe is about? You will find Zucchine grigliate in the most popular Italian restaurant of our planet. I got used to cooking really tasty variations of this side dish according to this recipe .. Who cares -. To have such sweets in reserve, you just need to ... just fry them without oil in a grill pan (or any other at worst), cool and pack them in bags in the quantity you need. All spices and dressings - after defrosting, already in winter)))

Do you want to know how every second housewife in Italy prepares zucchini for the winter?

In addition to the freezing option, they are also rolled up .... with vinegar, here is the recipe

Cooking.

Wash the zucchini, wipe them and cut them with washers not very thin (if there are seeds, be sure to remove them). Put the vinegar on the fire, as it boils, throw the zucchini there, cook for 8 minutes. Then drain the vinegar and let the zucchini dry on some kind of woven napkin. When they dry, you can start the canning process. To do this, put in layers in sterilized jars: a layer of zucchini, a little chopped garlic, parsley (washed, dried and finely chopped) and hot pepper. Lay out in layers until there is no room left, then pour in the olive oil, being careful not to leave any air pockets. Well, that's all, close and boil. I suggest this: put a cloth in a pan, our jars are on it, fill it with water and boil for 40 minutes. Before you take out the jars, make sure that the water has cooled down ... We are waiting for a couple of months before opening)))

Something like that. I hope you found this article useful, subscribe to updates to receive my gifts - a book of recipes "Vegetables" and a mini-guide to learn how to eat right and lose weight.