Email to Buny      

.Preserving Various Vegetables

Source of Recipe

unknown

Peapods: To prepare for freezing, string peas and then blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. then chill in ice water for 3-5 minutes. After blanching, lay pods separately on trays and freeze immediately. When thoroughly frozen, package in small plastic bags to seal and freeze for further use. Once frozen, use sugar snap peas only in cooked dishes.

Spinach: Wash thoroughly and saute for just a few minutes. Freeze cooked in small plastic containers.

Green Beans: Pick before bean seeds begin bulging in pods; avoid picking when plants are wet from dew or rain, or rust spots will appear. Can be eaten raw. Beans must be blanched; plunge whole beans into boiling water for 3 minutes, cool in ice water, drain and pack. For cut beans, blanch for 2 minutes. Dry beans once drained; can then pack in large heavy plastic bags and will separate easily in amounts needed. Taste is superior if extra moisture has been removed.
Beans can be canned whole if they are young and tender. Must be preserved under pressure (10 pounds of pressure for 20 minutes for pints, 25 minutes for quarts). Add 1 tsp salt per quart and fill with boiling water, leaving half-inch head space. Adjust lids and process.

Corn: When freezing corn, cut from the cob, blanch, cook and drain before cutting from the cob. Cut corn can be frozen in sturdy plastic bags. Corn can be frozen on the cob as well; blanch first, 6 minutes for small, 8 minutes for medium and 10 minutes for large ears. Then it must be cooled rapidly in cold running water, drained, and "sharp" frozen quickly.

Kohlrabi: Select tender, young kohlrabi. Scrub, peel and nd cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Blanch in boiling water 1 minute. Cool, drain and pack in plastic freezer containers to freeze.

Tomatoes: may be frozen whole. To freeze, choose fully ripe tomatoes; wrap in clear plastic and simply store in freezer. when using, rinse frozen tomato under cold water and the skin will pop; then cut with sharp knife on cutting board. Can also seed and skin by cutting X in surface of tomato and blanching for a few minutes. Then puree and can freeze.

Zucchini: can freeze either in slices or in grated form (just drain well before adding to recipe).

Bell Peppers: require no blanching before freezing. Dice surplus green peppers and freeze on a cookie sheet; store frozen tied in a double plastic bag.