A rich harvest is a joy for any gardener, but at the same time it is a problem, because you want to preserve every grown fruit, vegetable or berry. Part of the crop can be eaten fresh, part can be used to make jams and pickles, and part can be frozen. The main thing is to do it right so as not to end up with a sticky lump without taste and aroma.
How to freeze berries and fruits
Fruits and berries can be frozen whole or in slices, in pure form, in syrup, in the form of puree, or sprinkled with sugar. Mashed potatoes can be made from peaches, otherwise they lose vitamin C and may darken over time. Peaches keep well in the freezer if you pour over them with syrup. If this fruit is still needed in its natural form, it is recommended to remove the skin from it before freezing and soak it in water acidified with lemon for several minutes. Plums and apricots can be frozen in any way, after removing the pits. The pears need to be cut into 4 pieces, and after removing the core, it is recommended to blanch them in sweet water for a few minutes. It is best to store pears in syrup.
Strawberries and raspberries can be sprinkled with sugar (150 g of sugar per 1 kg of strawberries and 300 g of sugar per 1 kg of raspberries). Remove the stem of strawberries before freezing.
All small berries (blueberries, currants, blackberries, blueberries) can be frozen in any way, but be sure to remove the twigs. Sweet cherries and cherries are frozen with or without seeds; these fruits can be conveniently frozen in the form of mashed potatoes, which can be used for compotes, pie fillings or fruit dressings.
How to freeze vegetables
A convenient option for freezing peppers is a matryoshka. To do this, you need to remove the core and stalks, and then lay out the peppers one by one. If the pepper is needed for a stew, it is best to cut it into chunks.
It is better to choose not very large tomatoes for freezing - cherry, plum or finger. And from large tomatoes it is better to make mashed potatoes, which is ideal for making pasta or soups.
Cucumbers are rarely frozen, choosing only very small and strong ones.
Before freezing broccoli and cauliflower, the heads of cabbage must be disassembled into inflorescences and soaked in salted water for 20-30 minutes, and then immersed in boiling water for just a couple of minutes. After this, the inflorescences need to be cooled, dried with a paper towel and immediately sent to the freezer on a tray or baking sheet. Once the cabbage is frozen, it can be placed in containers or bags.
The eggplants must first be cut into slices and sprinkled with salt to remove the bitterness (this will take about 20-30 minutes). In some cases, the eggplants are first baked by removing the stem and peeling the peel, and then freezing - in this case, the vegetable can be used in winter for making caviar or salads.
Green peas are frozen immediately after harvest to preserve vitamins. It is best to freeze peas in one layer, after dipping them in boiling water for a couple of minutes, cooling and drying them. In this case, it will not stick together.
It is recommended to freeze all vegetables, fruits and berries in portions, because after defrosting, it will not be possible to return the unused part to the freezer.
