How to Blanche and Freeze Your extra Vegetables

Originally published November 18, 2020

In the video below, I walk you through the basic steps to freeze excess produce. Blanching is a critical step in preparing vegetables for freezing. Blanching cleanses off the surface dirt and microorganisms, brightens the color, helps retain vitamins, and reduces the action of enzymes which can destroy the fresh flavor of the produce.

Before blanching, wash, drain, sort, trim and cut the vegetables as you would for fresh cooking. Blanche the vegetables in boiling water using the guidelines below. As soon as blanching in complete, the vegetables should be cooled quickly to stop the cooking process. This is best done by immersing the vegetables into ice water. The vegetables should be stirred several times during cooking, which should not be longer than the blanching time.

Lay the vegetables out to dry to reduce moisture and prevent ice crystals during freezing. Vegetables usually are packed loosely without seasoning into meal-size, airtight containers.

Green Beans: 3 minutes

Broccoli: 3 minutes

Brussel Sprouts: 3-5 minutes depending on size

Cut Carrots: 3 minutes

Whole Carrots: 5 minutes

Cauliflower: 3 minutes

Corn (whole kernel): 5-6 minutes

Peas (sugar snap): 2 minutes