Freezing the Harvest

Freeze berries by placing them in a single layer on a cookie sheet or flat dish so they don't clump together in freezer bags.

By Charlie Nardozzi

It's hard to keep up with the harvest this time of year. With tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers, and many other vegetables crowding the refrigerator, it's hard to find space other crops such as blueberries and raspberries. While meals are loaded with vegetables and fruits and you can give away some of the bounty to neighbors, friends, family, and the local food shelf, it's also good to think ahead. In many parts of the country, fall and winter mean a fresh food desert, with little produce coming from the garden. A way to preserve this bounty, save money, and enjoy some healthful foods in winter is to can, dry, or freeze the harvest.

I love canning tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables, but I must admit it takes time and resources. You need to have the right equipment and a good amount of time to do it properly. Drying is a great way to preserve the harvest, especially if you live in a hot, dry climate or have a dehydrator. But my favorite way to preserve the bounty is to freeze it.

Freezing is fast, easy, and, if you have a separate chest freezer, a great way to store lots of produce for winter. I routinely freeze tomatoes, berries, corn, and beans. I even make pesto cubes in my freezer trays to freeze in bags for winter. The key with freezing berries is to keep them separate by freezing them on a cookie sheet before storing in bags. That way they won't clump together. For vegetables, you need to blanch the produce before freezing. Blanching means lightly dipping the vegetables in boiling water for only a few minutes. The process stops enzyme activity in the vegetables so they retain their color and flavor in the freezer. Underblanching may not stop all the enzyme activity, while overblanching makes the food tasteless. After the vegetables have been blanched, cool them off and place them in freezer bags.