Freezing Fruits and Vegetables
Adapted from Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication 348 - 596 Authored By: Renee R. Boyer, Professor and Extension Specialist, Food Science and Technology, Virginia Tech; Patsy Pelland, Extension Agent, Prince Edward County; Frank Conforti, Associate Professor, Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Virginia Tech
Freezing extends the shelf life of food. Blanching food before freezing prevents the enzymes in foods from affecting the quality of the foods during storage. Only vegetables can be blanched before freezing. If fruit is blanched, and then frozen, the fruit will become mushy after defrosting.
Equipment Preparation
Proper packaging of foods is important in freezing. The two types of containers used for packaging are rigid containers and flexible bags or wraps.
• Select containers that are designed for freezing food - like freezer bags, plastic freezer containers, or canning/freezing jars. Containers should be moisture/vapor resistant to prevent "freezer burn."
• Wash all containers in hot soapy water. Discard any containers that are cracked or chipped.
• Rinse with hot water and let air dry on a clean towel or rack.
Food Selection and Blanching
Choose young, tender vegetables or well - ripened fruits for freezing. Tomatoes may be cooked, pureed, or juiced before freezing.
Wash, peel, and trim away bruised areas. Cut into serving sizes, if desired, before freezing.
Blanch all vegetables (except peppers and onions) to preserve quality. To blanch, place prepared foods in a metal strainer that fits into a large saucepan. Lower food into boiling water and begin counting the blanching time. Use one gallon of water for each pound of firm vegetables (about 4 cups) and two gallons of water for each pound of leafy greens (about 8 cups). Don't add more vegetables than suggested at one time, as larger amounts will lower the temperature of the water. Time and temperature are critical to destroying the enzymes that cause spoilage. Cool the blanched vegetables by removing the vegetables from the boiling water and immediately plunging them into ice water until cool. This process prevents the vegetable from overcooking and retains its color and nutrients. Remove the blanched vegetable from the ice water, drain, and dry thoroughly. It is important to freeze vegetables dry because extra moisture can decrease the quality. Table 1 on page 2 provides information regarding specific procedures for certain vegetables. The blanch times are listed according to size of cut vegetables. Blanch smaller sizes for the minimum recommended time and larger sizes for the maximum recommended time. Preparing Fruit for Freezing Fruits may be frozen in sugar syrup, dry sugar, or with no sugar at all. Sugar syrup is preferred because it coats the cut fruit and protects it from the action of enzymes that change the color and appearance of the fruit. If no sugar is added, the fruit will not remain firm and will turn brown from the enzyme action. Use dry sugar for fruits that readily produce juice, such as strawberries and peaches. Sugar syrup is used to pack fruits that form juice slowly, such as pineapples and apples. Fruits packed in sugar or with syrup generally have a better texture and flavor than those packed dry, however, small berries such as cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and currants can be frozen without sugar.
Bring water and sugar to a boil and boil until sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. See Table 2.
Page 23 | August 2023
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