Tips for Freezing Vegetables

Recently, I’ve made some really positive changes to my diet. I am eating lots of vegetables each day, which means I’m buying lots of vegetables, too…and I’m making a huge effort to make sure I actually eat them all and don’t throw any away. 

This means I need to make sure I store my veggies properly, and with Earth Day taking place this month, I’m extra aware of my food storage practices (I feel actual guilt when I throw away food…and if that’s not bad enough, think of the ALL THE WASTE that comes from tossing old food in the trash). Sometimes, though, I just don’t get to every veggie in the fridge.

Which is why I’ve started making an effort to freeze vegetables – I had no idea how many could be frozen! I’m going to share a list of 10 veggies that you most definitely CAN freeze, and then some great tips for freezing them.

10 Veggies You Can Freeze

1. Spinach

2. Brussels Sprouts

3. Corn on the cob

4. Asparagus

5. Mushrooms

6. Cauliflower

7. Herbs (not vegetables, I know, but…still freezable!)

8. Zucchini

9. Pumpkin

You can get tons of information about how to properly store your food – veggies or not! – at Glad’s Protection Pointers website.

But what about the extra food you have? How do you freeze vegetables, and what do you need to know? I’ve got you covered.

6 Tips for Freezing Vegetables

1. Keep a freezer container for mixed veggies that are on the verge of going bad – you can use these later for soup. For example, I have an airtight Glad FreezerWare container that I keep in the freezer. If I have an onion around that I know we aren’t going to eat, I can cut it up and toss it in the container. I’ll do this with everything – even spinach (there’s a proper way to freeze spinach, which you can read about below…but this works fine for my soup veggies). When the container is full, add it to some broth and noodles and there you go – vegetable noodle soup!

2. Have the right materials on hand. Use heavyweight, airtight containers (like Glad FreezerWare) or freezer bags.

3. Blanch veggies before freezing them. All this means is that you will boil them for a few minutes and then submerge immediately in ice water. Dry them before packing for the freezer.

4. Veggies freeze best at 0 degrees – or colder.

5. When freezing veggies (or fruits) for smoothies, consider pureeing them first. You can puree spinach and freeze it in ice cube holders. Transfer the frozen cubes to freezer bags and pop one (or two) in your smoothies.

6. Remove as much air as you can from freezer bags. When I freeze spinach, I actually wrap it first in Glad ClingWrap and press all of the air I can out before doubling up with a freezer bag.

7. Frozen vegetables can go right from the freezer and into boiling water. 

Freezing vegetables saves us money and energy (when I need something green to eat – which is often these days – it sure is nice to have something in the freezer and not have to run to the store). It’s also a simple but REALLY effective way to reduce food waste and, in turn, be a better citizen of the Earth. It’s the little things, sometimes, that can really add up and make a big difference.

For ALL THE FOOD STORAGE information you could ever need (and then some!), visit Glad’s Protection Pointers. You can also find Glad on Facebook and Twitter.

I’d LOVE to know your favorite veggies to freeze and how you use them!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Glad Food Protection. The opinions and text are all mine.

Copyright: cokemomo / 123RF Stock Photo