The basics: Freeze vegetables at home

   If you are not knowledgeable in the process or lack the proper materials for water-bath canning or pressure canning, freezing vegetables from the garden can be another easy way to preserve food. The flavor, nutritive value and color can be maintained like fresh foods for up to a year if the foods are frozen properly. Vegetables that need to be cooked or hold up to cooking well also freeze well. Cucumbers, lettuce, radishes and tomatoes are examples of foods that become limp when they are frozen. Freezing foods is best when the food is at its peak of freshness right out of the garden. Containers for freezing, preparation of the vegetables, heating and cooling vegetables, freezing vegetables, and packing, and loading the freezer are areas of planning before beginning the process.
    —Containers: A good container keeps the food value, color, flavor and texture of the food, is moisture-vapor resistant, preventing the loss of fluid, and does not give the food a flavor of its own. If a food is liquid packed, tempered glass, plastic and heavily-waxed cardboard containers are good choices. For dry-packed vegetables, heavy duty plastic bags made for freezer use are the best. Be sure to select a size that is suitable for only one family meal at a time to prevent thawing too much at a time.
    —Preparation: Wash the freshly picked vegetables as soon as possible in cold water and sort only the prime, tender young vegetables for freezing. Then peel or trim and cut the vegetables into desired pieces. For vegetables with lots of crevices, like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, soak them in a solution of 1 tablespoon of salt to 1 quart of water to draw out possible insects. Take them from the solution and then wash them again in fresh cold water to rid the vegetable of anymore insects and salt.
    —Heating/blanching: Blanching or heating foods for freezing in boiling water is necessary to stop or slow the enzyme action in the food which causes it to spoil. For each pound of food use at least 1 gallon of boiling water. Put the vegetables in a wire basket and lower them into the boiling water. Place the lid to the kettle on immediately and start counting the time necessary for the specific vegetable type. Blanching times will vary for the thickness of the stem or pieces of vegetable. Here is the preparation and time for blanching for a few common vegetables:
    Green beans cut in pieces, three minutes; broccoli split lengthwise, three minutes; carrots scraped, sliced and diced, two minutes; small whole carrots, five minutes; whole green peas shelled, one-1½ minutes; green peppers sliced or diced, no blanching; summer squash cut in half-inch slices, three minutes; stewed tomatoes with cores and ends removed, cook 10-12 minutes.

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