As the bounty of the harvest rolls in, the question arises of what to do with all the produce. Here are some simple and fast ideas for putting food away for the winter.
Green Beans: Green beans freeze remarkably well. On a day when you are boiling beans for dinner anyway, wash all of the beans and cut the stem ends off. Boil a pot of water and fill a second bowl with cold water. Boil a couple of handfuls of beans for 3 minutes, then use a pair of tongs to transfer the beans to the cold water. Add the next handful of beans to the boiling water while the first batch cools. When cool, dry on a towel, then spread the beans out on a baking sheet at place in the freezer for a couple of hours. When frozen, transfer to a zippered plastic bag.
Berries: Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries simply need to be washed, dried, and spread out on cookie sheets to freeze. When frozen, transfer to a zippered plastic bag.
Corn: Sweet corn can be frozen still on the cob. Simply remove the silks and place in a freezer bag, still in the husks.
Zucchini: Zucchini can be shredded, sliced, or cubed, then placed in zippered plastic bags and frozen. Shredded zucchini can be added to quick breads and muffins. Sliced zucchini works well in hot dishes and layered vegetable bakes. There are some great recipes calling for cubed zucchini on Victorian Workbasket.
Check out these additional tips on freezing produce.
How do you preserve your produce? What ways do you use frozen produce?
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