fresh vegetable tips
Source of Recipe
The Oregonian
Recipe Introduction
Don't you wish there was some way to preserve the just-picked flavor of
fresh vegetables (and herbs) from our gardens or from the farmers markets?
Although many vegetables can be canned or dried, they don't have the sameluscious taste. The next best thing to fresh summer vegetables is freezing. Here are some guidelines.
List of Ingredients
Tomatoes Fresh tomatoes can be tricky to freeze. You may see sources that
say you can throw fresh tomatoes in a plastic freezer bag and have them
still taste good in January. FOODday's preserving columnist, Jan
Roberts-Dominguez, and I experimented with this method using different kinds
of tomatoes -- cherry, Roma and regular. Neither of us was happy with the
results.
During the first month of freezing, the tomatoes tasted OK and had good
flavor, but afterward they became bitter, with an unusual off flavor.
A better choice is to cook the tomatoes before freezing. Cooked tomatoes
freeze well and can be used to make soup, stews or pasta sauce. To prepare
them, wash and then peel by plunging into boiling water for 30 seconds to 1
minute. Remove immediately and place into cold water. Skins should slip off
easily.
Quarter the tomatoes and place in a large kettle. Remember to use a
stainless steel, iron, enamel or other coated pan when cooking tomatoes.
Aluminum pans can react with the acid in tomatoes, giving them a metallic,
off taste.
Cook the tomatoes over low heat just until heated through. Simmer 10 to 20
minutes, stirring occasionally so they cook evenly. They do not need to be
soft and mushy, just hot. Freeze with their juices in freezer containers or
plastic freezer bags.
After defrosting, use any accumulated juices in your recipe.
Recipe
Basil Once the first frost hits, fragrant basil will be history, so tucking
some away in the freezer for later use is a good idea.
According to Donna Pierce of the Chicago Tribune, drying homegrown basil in
bunches offers little improvement over commercial brands. And, unlike
parsley, rosemary and thyme, basil blackens and becomes flavorless when
frozen in plastic storage bags.
However, Pierce says that by freezing chopped basil with olive oil, you can
have a year-round supply ready to toss into soups, sauces and stews by the
tablespoonful.
Here's how it's done: Finely chop clean basil leaves by hand or in a food
processor. Add enough olive oil to form a thick paste; spoon 1 tablespoon of
the mixture into individual ice-cube tray compartments and freeze. Transfer
to plastic freezer bags when solid.
If you're preserving basil to make pesto, follow your favorite recipe but
leave out the cheese when you combine the ingredients in the food processor.
Freeze in ice-cube trays or larger containers. Add grated parmesan after
thawing.
Zucchini Zucchini can be shredded and frozen for use in baked goods. It's
best to measure the amount you need for a recipe -- such as 1 or 2 cups --
and package that amount.
When defrosting, be sure to collect any water that accumulates and add it to
the baked product. Remember, since you didn't add any water, eliminating the
water that results from thawing will make the baked product dry.
Corn Corn must be blanched before freezing to prevent further ripening;
otherwise you'll lose considerable eating quality. For the best-flavored
frozen corn, blanch whole ears in boiling water for 4 minutes (size doesn't
matter). Immediately plunge into a large pot of ice cold water and cut
kernels from cobs. Pack in plastic freezer bags and freeze.
For whole cobs, blanch small ears (11/4 inches or less in diameter) for 7
minutes; medium ears (to 11/2 inches) for 9 minutes; large ears (more than
11/2 inches) for 11 minutes. This may sound like a long time to blanch, but
the cob needs to cook long enough or the corn will take on the taste of the
cob after being stored in the freezer for a couple of months. Immediately
plunge into ice cold water and drain on terrycloth or paper towels. Pack in
freezer containers or plastic freezer bags, or wrap well in foil or freezer
paper and freeze.
To cook frozen corn on the cob, thaw the entire cob first or the kernels
will be overcooked before the cob has been heated through.
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