Fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes, sweet peppers, corn, and okra are among my favorite veggies. Right now they are in plentiful supply, but come October those $1.25-larger-than-my-hand sweet red peppers shoot up to a whopping $3.99 each! Forget tomatoes in the fall and winter–they may be reasonably priced, but they lack any kind of flavor.
Take advantage of summer vegetables and fruit now while in season, and stock your freezer for fall and winter months. The savings will be substantial and, as for flavor, there is no comparison.
Don’t have a garden–or one that is supplying enough produce to freeze? Visit your local farmer’s market. I make a weekly trip to Jaemor Farms, north of Atlanta. Each week I choose one or two vegetables to purchase a bit more of for freezing.
Freezing Tips
* Use good freezer bags in sizes that fit your families’ serving size. Freezer bags do not have to be name brand, just make sure they seal well. I use zipper-sealed bags in quart and gallon sizes.
* Flatten filled freezer bags and stack in freezer–they will freeze flat and not take up lots of room. I only have a side-by-side fridge / freezer and can get plenty of stacked bags in with no wasted space.
* Anything will freeze. If you are unsure, freeze some this week and cook it next week to see how you like it. Can you believe even chopped onions will freeze!
Freezing Okra
* Wash, chop and spread out to dry. Allow to air dry several hours, then bag. I overheard an elderly lady at the farmer’s market say she goes ahead and breads and cooks the okra and then freezes it in serving-size baggies. She reheats in the microwave when she wants to serve okra–and she said it tastes fresh. Haven’t tried that yet this summer as we eat it as fast as it cooks!
Freezing Corn
*Cut from cob and place in a shallow baking dish with some water and cook at about 250 -300 degrees for about 30 minutes. My mom shared this idea with me as it is an easy way to blanch corn without standing over it and risking scorching on the stovetop. Remove from oven and allow to cool before bagging and freezing.
Freezing Tomatoes
Wash tomatoes and place in a pot of boiling water for up to five minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Gently peel the tomato skin, remove seeds, and place in baggies. I use this for chilis, casseroles, and soups.
Freezing Sweet Peppers
* Wash, chop (removing seeds) and store in baggies. I like to dice some peppers, cut others into chunks and cut the rest into thin strips. I also bag red and green peppers together in serving sizes that are perfect for stir-fry.
Freezing Berries
* To freeze blueberries and blackberries: everyone I’ve talked with said to NOT wash the berries prior to freezing. Simply bag and freeze. Wash before using in muffins, fruit smoothies and other recipes. I went against the grain and washed them this year–I’ll let you know how it works out!
What are you freezing or canning this summer for fall and winter months?
I wash my berries before I freeze them. The trick is to have them mostly dry before freezing, otherwise they clump together. I let the berries drip in the colander and then I transfer them to a dish towel to gently pat dry. I put them in a single layer on a cookie sheet in the freezer first. When mostly frozen I then place in freezer bags. This system works great!
Thanks Deanna for sharing about flash-freezing. I do that also–and forgot to put it in the article. I agree, it helps avoid a giant clump of berries!
Thanks Kellie! I also freeze everything… green onions, carrots, beans, etc. Like you I freeze tomatoes, but I do it a little more simply… I just cut my tomatoes into 4 and put them in the zipper-seal bag. The skin & seeds add fiber to my soups, stews and chilis. Cutting them in half or quarters just help keep them from exploding in the bag. I’ve done it whole as well – either works.
Thanks! Good reminder this time of year!
I’ll freeze some tomatoes ‘Carla’ style this week! I’m thinking about making homemade vegetable soup with the fresh veggies this week and freezing. Green onions–do you do anything special? Just wash and freeze or do you slice them up?
I freeze salsa in ziplocs as well. That way when you take it along to a gathering you do not lose your expensive jar. I put a tsp of cornstarch in it if it is runny.
What a wonderful idea! Do you make your own homemade salsa and can you share the recipe?
I need to get in this habit. As a new SAHM, I’m trying to find new ideas that are both time-saving and economical. I’m looking forward to experimenting.
Thanks for sharing!
Daphne
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