Summer’s coming to an end, and for many people that means that locally grown produce isn’t as readily available anymore. One way to save all the nutritional benefits of this fresh produce while still keeping your carbon footprint down is to freeze the produce yourself. You can make your own fruit and veggie mixes perfect for smoothies, stir-fries, soups, and more, so that this delicious produce can be enjoyed all year long!

FROZEN PRODUCE’S ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

Purchasing loose produce in bulk cuts down on excess packaging going into landfills or oceans, especially when using Reusable Produce Bags
Freezing is a great way to preserve the life of your produce while keeping all the nutritional benefits of each, as household food waste is a huge contributor of greenhouse gasses
Buying locally grown and in-season produce significantly cuts down on the carbon emissions created during transportation, helping lower your carbon footprint

How to Freeze Fresh Produce

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 2 Hours

Ingredients:

Suggested Produce to Freeze:

Green Beans

Corn

Carrots

Potatoes

Spinach or Kale

Peas

Broccoli or Cauliflower

Strawberries

Blueberries

Bananas

See notes for recommended mixed fruit and vegetable sets

Instructions:

1. PREP: Rinse off any fresh fruit and vegetables that you’re going to be freezing. Cut up your produce into relatively small, bite sized pieces, or however big you would like them to be. Corn should be left on the cob for par cooking and can be cut up after fully cooled.

2. PAR COOK: As fruits don’t have to be cooked prior to freezing, skip ahead to the “FREEZE” step for them. Most vegetables and potatoes should be par cooked before freezing to lock in freshness and to speed up the cooking process post-freezing. This can either be done on the stove by par boiling or in the microwave by steaming (or even sauteing or grilling). Most foods should only take a few minutes at most, and be sure not to overcook anything! You’ll want everything to be undercooked so that it’ll finish cooking post-freezing without being too mushy (see notes).

Stovetop – Bring a pot of water to a boil, and lower in your produce. For item like spinach or green beans, 1 minute should be enough time to partially cook them. For items like whole corn cobs and potatoes, they’ll take around 3-5 minutes.

Microwave – Place your produce into a microwave safe bowl with 2-3 Tbsp of water, and cover with a Reusable Silicone Lid. Microwave for a few minutes, checking regularly to ensure that nothing is overcooking.

Sauteing or Grilling – For items like corn, onions, or peppers, you may want to saute or grill these to add in some extra flavor. Similar to the other par cooking methods, just make sure that your items are not fully cooked, and allow them to cool down in open air rather than blanching in the next step.

3. BLANCH: Immediately after your produce has par cooked, place them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Leave them there until they’re completely cooled. For corn, you can cut all of the corn off of the completely cooled cob.

4. FREEZE: After blanching (or rinsing off your fruit) transfer the produce onto a clean kitchen towel and pat dry, removing as much water from the outside as you can. Gather a baking sheet, making sure the sheet can fit flat into your freezer. Transfer all of your ready-to-freeze produce onto a baking sheet lined with a Reusable Silicone Baking Mat, and place the sheet into your freezer. Allow the produce to freeze completely for about 1 ½ - 2 hours.

5. ENJOY: After freezing, you can remove the baking sheet from the freezer and transfer all of the produce into your reusable freezable container of choice. You can use jars, bowls, food containers, or reusable zip top bags, or anything else that works for you. Return the produce to the freezer, where it should last 6 months (or longer). When you’re ready to cook with them, just add the frozen produce directly into your dish, making sure that everything’s hot and cooked through once finished.

Notes:

Cooking Separately – The best way to ensure that none of your produce is being overcooked is to cook each item separately. It might seem like a hassle, but it’ll definitely be worth it when the produce comes out perfectly cooked rather than mushy.

Saving Old Produce – Freezing is a great way to save leftover produce from rotting in the fridge before it gets used. If you have a some fruits or veggies that aren’t going to be used any time soon, freeze them to save for later.

Frozen Fruit & Veggie Mix — Most store bought frozen fruit and veggie mixes are perfect for throwing together quick meals and getting a whole lot of nutrients. You can make these same mixes at home from any of the produce you freeze! And they’re completely customizable, so feel free to add in or leave out any items you do or don't want!

For Mixed Berries, add together strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

For Mixed Vegetables, add together peas, corn, carrots, and green beans.

For a Potato Scramble Mix, add together onions, bell peppers, and potatoes

Save the Water – After you’ve finished par boiling and blanching your produce, don’t toss out the water just yet! You can reuse your par cooking water for making pasta, vegetable stock, soup, or cooking other vegetables. Once the water cools down to room temperature, it can be used to water plants (as long as it's not heavily salted)! Same thing with the blanching water, allow it to warm up a bit and use it for watering plants so that nothing goes to waste.

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