HOME FREEZINGNo doubt, there is nothing better than fresh vegetables and fruits. And vitamins in them, and trace elements, and micronutrients. But now the season ends, and we either cook jam, prepare salads and other preparations for the winter, or go to the vegetable department of the supermarket for vitamins ... Jams and pickles, of course, are good, but, unfortunately, little of the usefulness remains there. And those fruits and vegetables that are on the shelves all year round also raise doubts - who knows where and how they are grown ... But there is one way out - home freezing.
Freezing is perhaps the most profitable and convenient way to preserve. Judge for yourself - with this method you do not use vinegar, salt, or high temperatures, which destroy almost all vitamins. True, during freezing, a certain amount of vitamins is also lost, but these losses are incomparable with cooking and pickling. There is one more disadvantage - the color and shape of the products, alas, are lost. But if you don't care what the berries from your garden will look like, then this article is for you.
Of course, someone with a huge freezer is in luck. But even a regular refrigerator will fit a lot of useful greens, mushrooms and other sweets from the country.
There are several rules for freezing: • Suitable for freezing fresh and ripe, firm, not deformed food;
• Before freezing vegetables and fruits, be sure to thoroughly wash and dry - if this is not done, all your frost will stick together into an unappetizing lump;
• Most vegetables need to be blanched before freezing.Blanching is a short-term cooking in boiling water or steam, followed by rapid cooling. Blanching destroys oxidative enzymes that lead to off-flavor and discoloration.
• Frozen food should be tightly packed in containers with lids or plastic bags. The denser the products are packed, the less moisture will evaporate from them during storage.
• Containers and bags must be sealed.
• It is advisable to freeze food in small batches - so that they can be used at once. So, instead of a huge package of vegetables or berries, it is better to make several small ones at a time. Re-freezing your freezer is not worth it, it will just be a translation of the product.
• The temperature in the freezer must not exceed –18 ° C, in which case the food can be stored for up to a year. Frozen can be stored at temperatures from 0 to –8 ° C for no more than three months.
You can freeze almost everything - from herbs to mushrooms. Only turnips, radishes, radishes are not frozen. When using frozen greens, you do not need to defrost them, and the rest of the products require half the cooking time. The ideal way to cook frozen vegetables is with a double boiler.
Greens. Dill, parsley, sorrel, onion feathers, cilantro, celery, etc., are thoroughly washed before freezing, dried (this is important!) And cut. Prepared greens are put in bags, squeezed so that air comes out, the bags are tightly tied. Another way to freeze greens is to freeze in small portions in water. To do this, moist greens are tightly tamped into ice molds, filled with water and frozen. The resulting ice cubes are poured into a bag and stored in the freezer. Use without defrosting, throwing 1-3 dice into the finished meal.
Cucumbers. Cut into circles or slices, tightly packed into small molds, hermetically packed and frozen. Frozen cucumbers are stored for no more than six months, using for salads.
Tomatoes. Small cherry tomatoes can be frozen whole, while large tomatoes are cut into slices and treated in the same way as with cucumbers. You can freeze tomato puree.
Bell pepper. Pepper for stuffing is frozen whole by cutting off the "caps" and removing the seeds. Prepared peppers are put into one another and frozen. However, with this method, they take up a lot of space. Peppers can be frozen in another way by cutting them into cubes or strips and tucking them tightly into plastic bags. In this case, the pepper must be blanched for 10-15 minutes and dried.
Eggplant. Before freezing, eggplant is blanched for 5-10 minutes, allowed to drain, cut and frozen.
Green beans wash, clean, dry, cut into 2-3 cm pieces and freeze.
Green pea frozen in bulk, after washing and drying. Peas are poured onto a tray, frozen and poured into a bag, tying tightly.
Corn milk ripeness is husked from the cobs and frozen in the same way as peas.
White cabbage it is frozen in the form of straw, it is laid out in bags, air is removed and tied tightly.
Cauliflower. In fresh cauliflower, the upper leaves are removed, the head is divided into inflorescences. Blanch with the addition of a small amount of citric acid for 3 minutes, cool and dry on a towel. Place in bags and freeze.
Broccoli - very delicate, so there is no need to blanch it. Broccoli is divided into inflorescences, washed, dried and laid out in bags.
Brussels sprouts freezes after a short blanching (2-3 minutes), in bulk on a tray.
Zucchini and squash before freezing, cut into cubes, remove seeds, boil for 10-15 minutes, discard in a colander, cool. They are laid out in packages, air is removed from them, and tightly tied.
Carrots and beets washed, peeled, cut into small cubes or coarsely grated and frozen in small batches in bags.
Pumpkin frozen in the same way as zucchini. It is cut into cubes, removing the seeds, blanched for 10-15 minutes, cooled and put into bags. Pumpkin can be coarsely grated and frozen in small batches.
Apples. Sweet and sour apple varieties are suitable for freezing. Apples are thoroughly washed, peeled, cored. Cut into slices or slices and dipped in acidified or salted water so as not to darken, but for no more than 20 minutes. Arrange the prepared apples on a tray and put in the freezer. When the apples are a little cold, remove the tray, quickly separate the wedges from each other and put them back in the freezer for final freezing. Place the frozen apples in plastic bags and tie tightly.
Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries. These berries are thoroughly washed, dried and frozen in bulk on trays. Berries are poured onto a tray in one layer. Frozen berries are best stored in containers so that they will not wrinkle and will retain their shape when thawed.
Currant, gooseberry etc. Berries are washed, dried and frozen, sprinkled on a tray. Ready berries are poured into plastic bags and tied tightly. Any berries can be frozen as puree.
Apricots, peaches, cherries, plums. Necessarily peeled, frozen in flat containers along with the released juice. The resulting briquettes are put into bags.
Mushrooms. Strong, non-wormy porcini mushrooms, boletus, aspen mushrooms, mushrooms, honey agarics, chanterelles are suitable for freezing. The mushrooms should be stored the same day they are harvested. Before freezing, the mushrooms are carefully sorted out, cutting off the spoiled parts, and washed in several waters. The prepared mushrooms are dried on a towel. Mushrooms can be frozen raw, fried, boiled, or as a ready-made soup. For the "raw" method, large mushrooms are cut into several parts, small ones are left whole, spread on a baking sheet and frozen. The frozen mushrooms are transferred to a container or bag. If you are afraid of freezing raw mushrooms, then you can first boil them, fry or stew them. Boiled mushrooms are discarded in a colander, cooled and placed in containers. The same is done with fried mushrooms. Braised mushrooms can be frozen along with the aromatic liquid in which they were cooked. Or you can prepare a semi-finished mushroom soup: boil light mushrooms, pour the cooled broth together with the mushrooms into containers in which food bags are inserted, and freeze. After that, remove the bags from the containers and store the soup in neat briquettes.
Vegetables can be frozen individually or any platter can be prepared. Paprikash, Hawaiian or Mexican mix, ratatouille, paella - you can make it all yourself. Prepare the necessary vegetables, peel, wash, cut into cubes. Blanch all vegetables. Rice or beans, if used, must be pre-cooked until half cooked. Here, for example, are several options for such mixtures. The most important thing is only for you to decide what and how much you put there.
Frying vegetables with mushrooms: rice, green peas, corn, peppers, onions, carrots, champignons.
Paprikash: bell peppers, zucchini, green beans, tomatoes.
Mexican mix: carrots, green beans, peppers, corn, eggplant, red beans, green peas, onions, celery.
Rustic vegetables: potatoes, corn, broccoli, peppers, carrots, onions, green beans.
Spring vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green peas, carrots, potatoes, onions.
Paella: eggplant, pepper, rice, peas, corn, carrots, zucchini, onions.
Gyuvech: eggplant, peppers, onions, tomatoes.
Hawaiian Blend: green peas, corn, peppers, rice.
Lecho: tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, carrots, onions.
Greens for salads: cucumbers, dill, green onions, parsley.
Greens for soup and main courses: dill, parsley, basil, green onions.
Vegetable stew: cauliflower, carrots, green onions (with a head), dill, green peas.
Dressing for borscht: bell peppers, green onions (with a head), hot peppers, dill, parsley, garlic.
Mushroom soup: champignons or porcini mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, onions.
Sorrel soup: sorrel, potatoes, carrots, onions.
Borscht: beets, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, onions.
Vegetable mixtures are prepared without defrosting, steamed or stewed in a pan with a minimum amount of oil. Frozen soups are placed in boiling broth or water and boiled for a short time.
You can eat frozen berries and fruits just like that, or you can prepare interesting dishes and drinks.
New year shakeIngredients:
1 cup frozen berries
1 bottle of champagne
1 bottle of white wine
sugar to taste
Preparation:
Pour berries into a wide glass decanter, add sugar to taste, pour champagne, let stand for 1-2 hours. Then pour in the wine, cool. Pour into wide glasses with berries.
Ice dessertPreparation: grind any berries or a mixture of berries in a blender with sugar, pour into jars of yogurt and freeze.
SorbetPreparation: slightly defrost frozen berries, beat with a mixer or blender until fluffy.
If you need to defrost fruits or berries, then it is best to do this gradually by placing the container or bag from the freezer in the refrigerator. This method avoids deoxidation.
Keep summer in the fridge and get vitamins all year round! This is what home freezing is for. 🔗 
