Freezer Food Prep
Fall is the perfect time of year to do some freezer food prep. What do I mean? Fall is when the vegetables are in season, that can be just diced up and frozen. No need to blanch them or any other steps first. So, you can meal prep for many meals to come, all at once.
This will save you time for the rest of the year, when it comes to making meals. If you do not grow your own veggies, a farmers market this time of year should have plenty to choose from.
For more ideas on how to Grow Your Own Veggies Even In Small Spaces go to this page.
My Favorite Freezer Food Prep Items
There are several types of fruits and vegetables that can be frozen without blanching.
For Fruit, Berries and Zucchini, I prefer laying out a single layer on a cookie sheet to freeze or packaging in single serving sizes. Or sized for a specific recipe. They include:
1. Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.) Wash and leave whole.
2. Apples (peeled and cored).
3. Tomatoes whole (run under warm water and the skins slide right off).
For vegetables:
1. All Peppers (hot, mild or bell)
2. Onions
3. Celery (Stalks diced and Leaves & Hearts whole for Bone Broth/Soup Stock)
4. Zucchini Shredded for baking
5. Garlic (minced).
Onions, Celery & Peppers - Freezer Food Prep
First decide what you’re going to freezer food prep. Secondly, what is the source that you will get it from?
Fall time is a great time to find deals on a whole bushel of peppers or onions. Check your grocery stores, and farmers markets for these options. You can also grow your own.
Even if not a deal, keep in mind how much the price raises on these items when they are not in season. A red pepper for example can cost a lot more money mid-winter than in the Fall.
For Onions and Celery, you can dice as if you were about to use them in your favorite meal. For Bell Peppers, core and dice them. Then I lay them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze.
Once frozen you can remove from sheet and place in a freezer safe container, or my favorite is a Half-Gallon Silicone Bag.
This makes them super easy to bust apart only what is needed for your recipe.
If you skip the step of freezing them on a cookie sheet, they will form one big glob that is impossible to break up for smaller portions.
With the Celery Leaves and Hearts, I like to bag up and freeze whole. I add these when making homemade bone broth or soup stock.
Hot Peppers:
With hot peppers you can leave whole, remove just the stem. They chop up easily in a high-speed chopper or food processor, even when frozen.
Or another one of my favorite ways is to chop them up, I prefer in a food processor.
Then I put them in silicone candy mold, like this pumpkin one.
Next freeze them. Once frozen pop them out of the mold and place in a silicone freezer bag. Make sure and label. Now they are ready to pop in your favorite soup or dish that you want a little extra heat. Excellent for Chili or Taco Soup.
Additional Tips
These freezer food prep tricks also work great when you have some food that is nearing expiration. Say you have a bag of onions that is about to get soft or start molding. Cut them up and freeze them before that happens as directed above.
Avoid throwing out rotten fruits and veggies by freezing them before they spoil or freeze half immediately, if you know that you typically do not eat them all in time. This will save you money as well with less wasted food.
For additional Safe Food Prep Items or Storage check this link.
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