Learning how to freeze fruits and vegetables is such a great skill to have! If you have a small garden or a large one, freezing the harvest while it’s in season is the a great way to have seasonal fruits and vegetables during the off season. Here’s a full guide to help you along your way.

 

I love canning, I love dehydrating, but what I find myself doing the most often is freezing! Freezing is a favorite long term storage solution for seasonal fruits and vegetables. It’s easy to do, you don’t need a lot of supplies, and one of my favorite parts is that you can freeze small or large batches! This method is definitely the easiest, most convenient, and least time consuming method of preserving foods.

You don’t need gallons and gallons of tomatoes to freeze like you might to do a batch of canning, you can put in one bag of fruits or vegetables at a time in the freezer. Before you know it, you’ll have a freezer full of amazing fruits and vegetables to use all winter long.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Reduce Waste: Freezing fruits and vegetables helps you preserve fresh produce that might otherwise go to waste in your fridge or on your counter.
• Cost-Effective: Buying or growing fruits and vegetables in bulk when they’re in season and freezing them can give you a freezer full of low-cost produce.
• Convenience: Having a stock of frozen fruits and vegetables means you always have healthy options on hand, even when they’re out of season.

Supplies

• Freezer
• Marker or something to label food
• Packaging (such as: rigid containers such as plastic or glass, flexible freezer bags, vacuum packing)
• Fruits or vegetables

How long are things good for in the freezer?

Product	Storage Period
Bacon	1 month
Butter	6-9 months
Chops	4-6 months
Egg whites or yolks	12 months
Fish, fatty	2-3 months
Fish, lean	4-8 months
Fruits	8-12 months
Ground or Stew Meat	3-4 months
Ham	1-2 months
Milk	1-3 months
Poultry, Cooked	1 month
Poultry, Uncooked	12 months
Roasts	4-12 months
Steaks	6-12 months
Vegetables	8-12 months
Yogurt	1-2 months

Factors to Consider When Freezing

• Relatively high energy cost
• Medium preparation time
• Short processing time
• Closest to nutrient value of fresh product

Raw Product FRUIT	Approximate Pounds needed for 1 Quart Jar or Container
Apples	2 ½- 3
Apricots	2- 2 1/2
Berries (except Strawberries and cranberries)	1 ½- 3
Cantaloupes	1 large melon
Cherries	2- 2 ½
Cranberries	1
Figs	2- 2 ½
Grapes	4
Grapefruit	4- 6 fruits
Nectarines	2- 3
Peaches	2- 2 ½
Pears	2- 2 ½
Pineapples	2 ½
Plums	2- 2 ½
Rhubarbs	2
Strawberries	6- 8 cups
Tomatoes	2 ½ – 3 ½

Raw Product VEGETABLES	Approximate Pounds Needed for 1 Quart Jar or Container
Asparagus	2-3
Beans, Lima	4-5
Beans, Green or Wax	1 ½ -2
Beets	2 ½-3
Broccoli	2-3
Brussels Sprouts	2
Cabbage	2 ½ -3
Carrots	2 ½ -3
Cauliflower	2 medium heads
Corn, Sweet	4-5
Eggplant	2
Greens	2-3
Okra	1 ½
Peas, Field Green	3 ½ -4
Peppers	1 1/3
Pumpkin	1 ½ -3
Spinach	2-6
Squash, Summer	2-2 1/2
Squash, Winter	3

Expert Tips

• Cool cooked and blanched foods
• Package in appropriate freezer materials
• Remove as much air from containers as you can
• Most vegetables need to be blanched before freezing to help prevent loss of flavor, color, texture, and vitamins. 
• Some fruits such as peaches, apples, pears, and apricots darken when exposed to air. They need to be placed in a solution to prevent discoloration. These may include ascorbic acid mixtures, citric acid, lemon juice, and steaming (if you’re going to cook the food before eating)

More Preserving Recipes to Consider

Preserving Guide

How To Preserve Asparagus

Preserving Guide

How To Preserve Apricots

Preserving Guide

How To Preserve Apples

Canning Recipes

How to Can Food: Learn the Basics

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