Freezing

Freezing is a method of preservation used by lowering temperatures to prevent spoilage and inhibiting the growth of microorganisms.

It has been used for centuries, especially in colder regions, as their most common way to preserve foods. When you want to preserve fruits and veggies, it is important to freeze them as soon as possible, as they continue to undergo chemical changes that could result in spoilage overtime.

Freezing is one of the more simpler ways to preserve things, but there’s definitely a method to be successful at long term freezing. Sure you can stick that extra loaf of bread in there for a week or two, freeze an extra bag of cheese, or left over chili, but when it comes to fruits and vegetables, you really need to take some time to do a little research.

Blanching first, stops the enzymes from being active thus stopping the process of ripening and spoiling, keeping the color as bright and vibrant as possible, and hopefully stopping freezer burn longer than if you hadn’t taken this extra step. Be sure to drain whatever you blanched very well, otherwise that water will freeze with the product, and you don’t want that. If you’re freezing meals, or something like the burritos pictured below, be mindful of the liquid content, let everything cool before building so that condensation or moisture doesn’t affect the end product.

I prefer to use half gallon and gallon bags, and when it comes to freezing leftover scrap until I have enough to make stock, I try to reuse bags, or use a cloth bag, which actually works great! It really depends on how much of something I’m processing at the time. I have never used glass mason jars for many reasons, mainly because I dont want the chance of one breaking but people swear by them. Also plastic containers, I could see for stock or something that might work okay, but there has to be a head space, and that will result in freezer burn. With plastic bags you can seal them air tight, even better if you actually have a vacuum sealer.