Freezing Vegetables

Vegetable	Preparation	Blanching Time (in boiling water unless stated)
Asparagus	Wash thoroughly, sort by size. Cut in 2-inch lengths or leave in spears. Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze.	Small stalks -- 2 min Medium stalks -- 3 min Large stalks -- 4 min
Beans: green or wax	Select young tender beans. Wash and remove ends. Leave whole, slice or cut into 1-inch to 2-inch lengths. Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze.	3 minutes
Beans: lima or fava	Select beans ready for table use with slightly rounded, bright green pods. Wash, shell and sort according to size. Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze.	Small beans -- 2 min Medium beans -- 3 min Large beans -- 4 min
Beets	Wash and sort according to size. Leave tap root; trim tops leaving 1/2-inch of stem. Cook in boiling water until tender. Cool, peel (removing stem and tap root) and cut into slices or cubes. Package, seal and freeze.	Cook: Small beets -- 25-30 min Medium beets -- 45-50 min
Broccoli	Wash and trim. If insects are present soak 1/2 hour in solution of 4 teaspoons salt to 1 gallon of cold water. Split lengthwise into pieces no more than 1-1/2 inches across. Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze.	In water -- 3 minutes In steam -- 5 minutes
Brussels Sprouts	Select green, firm, compact heads. Make sure no insects are present. Trim, removing coarse outer leaves. Wash and sort. Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze.	Small -- 3 min Medium -- 4 min Large -- 5 min
Cabbage (for cooked dishes)	Select fresh, compact heads. Remove coarse outer leaves. Cut into medium to coarse shreds, or thin wedges, or separate head into leaves. Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze.	1-1/2 min
Carrots	Select tender, mild-flavored carrots. Remove tops. Wash and peel. Leave small carrots whole. Cut others in 1/4-inch cubes, thin slices or lengthwise strips. Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze.	Small, whole -- 5 min Diced, sliced or strips -- 2 min
Cauliflower	Choose tender, firm, snow-white heads. Break into pieces about 1 inch across. Drain. Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze.	3 min
Corn: whole kernel and creamed	Blanch, cool and drain. For whole kernel corn, cut corn off cob about 2/3 the depth of kernels. For cream style corn, cut at 1/2 the depth of kernels and scrape cob with back of knife to remove juice. Package, seal and freeze.	4 min
Eggplant	Wash, peel and slice 1/3 inch thick. Blanch in 1 gallon of water containing 4-1/2 teaspoons citric acid or 1/2 cup lemon juice. Cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze. Bake eggplants whole or in pieces at 350º C until softened, cool and freeze	4 min
Greens: beet greens, collards, chard, kale, mustard greens, spinach or turnip greens	Select tender leaves. Wash and remove stems. Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze.   Note: freezing without blanching works well.	Collards -- 3 minutes Other greens -- 2 minutes

Fresh Herbs (for cooked dishes)	Wash, drain and pat dry with paper towels. Wrap a few sprigs or leaves in freezer wrap and place in a freezer bag. Seal and freeze.	-----
Kohlrabi	Select stems when fully grown but tender. Cut off tops and roots. Wash and peel off the tough bark. Leave whole or dice in 1/2 inch cubes. Blanch, cool promptly, and drain. Package, seal and freeze.	Whole -- 3 minutes Cubes -- 1 minute
Okra	Wash pods and separate into small pods (4 inches or less) and large pods. Remove the stems at the end of the seed cells, being careful not to expose the seed cells. Blanch, cool, and drain. Leave whole or slice crosswise. Package, seal and freeze. For Frying -- Slice blanched pods crosswise and dredge with flour or meal. Spread in a single layer on a shallow pan. Freeze just until firm. Package, seal, and freeze.	Small pods -- 3 minutes Large pods -- 4 minutes
Onions (for cooked dishes only)	Choose mature bulbs and clean as for eating. Blanch, cool promptly, and drain. Package, seal and freeze.	3 to 7 minutes or until center is heated
Green Onions	Young green onions may be chopped for salads and sandwiches and frozen without blanching, but they will not be crisp. They will be highly flavored but may be slightly tough.	-----
Peas: edible pod	Choose table-ready, tender pods. Wash, remove blossom ends and strings. Leave whole. Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze.	Small pods -- 1-1/2 minutes Medium pods-- 2 minutes
Peas: green	Pick sweet and tender table-ready peas. Shell, blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze.	1-1/2 minutes
Peppers: hot	Wash and remove stems. Package, seal and freeze.	-----
Peppers: sweet	Wash, cut in half, remove stems and seeds. If desired, cut into 1/2-inch strips or rings. For Use in Cooked Dishes -- Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze. For Use in Uncooked or Cooked Foods -- Do not blanch. Package, seal and freeze.	Halves -- 3 minutes Strips or rings -- 2 minutes
Rutabagas	Select young, medium-sized rutabagas. Cut off tops, wash and peel. Cubed -- Cut into cubes, blanch, cool, and drain. Pack, seal and freeze. Mashed -- Cut into chunks and cook until tender in boiling water. Drain, mash, and cool. Pack into containers, seal and freeze.	Cubed -- 3 minutes
Summer Squash (including Zucchini)	Place sliced Zucchini on a lightly-oiled pan and bake at 350ºC until cooked.  Cool, pack, and freeze.
Tomatoes	Freeze whole without peeling and remove skins after freezing by running warm water over them.	-----
Green Tomatoes	Select firm, sound green tomatoes. Wash, core, and slice 1/4-inch thick. For Frying -- Pack the slices into containers with freezer wrap between the slices. Seal and freeze.	-----