| 1 | I froze beautiful fresh home grown produce. I blanched each vegetable for the recommended time and then finished the cooking by plunging into ice cold water then dried them off on paper towels then I placed in plastic bags. The air was fully expelled then they were frozen. When I came to using them I tried three methods - microwaving, steaming and cooking in a small amount of water. All methods produced awful results. Has anybody got any ideas on why the should taste awful? nanee2jlp - 2019-04-01 17:46:00 |
| 2 | Not enough seasoning?
Did you use salt in the blanching water?
Too long to freeze down (either too big pieces, or too slow) - the commercial ones are blast frozen to retain all the goodies... Try using some (genuine) vegetable stock in the cooking water.
Or try using a cheese sauce to finish them with.... |
| 3 | Remember going to all that trouble once> Once was enough!! rainrain1 - 2019-04-01 17:55:00 |
| 4 | The runner beans (sliced before frozen) were absolutely tasteless, the cauliflower went all limp and smelly same with broccoli they were nowhere like the fresh ones. Thanks for your suggestions but I really don't want to season them or use with sauces. No I didn't use salt in the blanching water I never use salt in vegetables yet we still love the taste of fresh vegies. Any other ideas please as at this stage I wont ever freeze again. I did have great success with corn and pumpkin. Sliced peeled red onions went too watery and limp on cooking Edited by nanee2jlp at 5:59 pm, Mon 1 Apr nanee2jlp - 2019-04-01 17:57:00 |
| 5 | When I used to freeze beans I never blanched them, ran them under the tap, drained and dried them before putting them in a bag and lay them flat so they were free flow frozen. The bean eaters never complained. I only ever did beans and peas, they were the only things I bothered freezing as I prefer fresh for vegetables that are available all year round. kacy5 - 2019-04-01 18:11:00 |
| 6 | nanee2jlp wrote:
I froze beautiful fresh home grown produce. I blanched each vegetable for the recommended time and then finished the cooking by plunging into ice cold water then dried them off on paper towels then I placed in plastic bags. The air was fully expelled then they were frozen. When I came to using them I tried three methods - microwaving, steaming and cooking in a small amount of water. All methods produced awful results. Has anybody got any ideas on why the should taste awful?
What was the taste like?
I've done little packets including a variety of veges when I've had a glut ...steamed, cooled, frozen & the only way I like them are in a stir fry type meal & that works for me, with plenty of other flavourings.
Remember that they are almost cooked when they go into the freezer.
Like kacy, I usually only eat what's in season, so not used to frozen vegetables (apart from Mr Talley's peas).
It's a big ask to expect frozen veges to taste like fresh ones, but apparently they don't lose too much food value, so I'd just add them to other dishes. Edited by samanya at 6:30 pm, Mon 1 Apr samanya - 2019-04-01 18:24:00 |
| 7 | When we have vegetable gluts I make main course dishes that incorporate whatever vege we've grown too much of and freeze them that way. For example, green beans go into a Lebanese lamb, tomato and bean stew, cabbage goes into a beef, coconut and cabbage curry, eggplants go into a myriad of Middle Eastern, Indian and SE Asian dishes. davidt4 - 2019-04-01 19:25:00 |
| 8 | I only buy frozen baby peas...don't enjoy any other frozen vege...there's plenty of seasonal fresh to use.
Long ago gave up growing veges, for just two people, there's so much waste. wheelz - 2019-04-01 20:41:00 |
| 9 | Thanks for the comments. Has no one found a successful way of just cooking them on their own and having them remain palatable? I don't really want them just added to dishes. I grew an excess amount thinking I could save costs by freezing them but it seems that purpose is defeated if they are going to taste so horrible. Edited by nanee2jlp at 9:38 pm, Mon 1 Apr nanee2jlp - 2019-04-01 21:35:00 |
| 10 | Dehydrating is the way to go. Much better than freezing and takes up less room. pugswal - 2019-04-02 07:56:00 |
| 11 | Depends what it is.
Blanching works to a point...I find it makes no difference with some veges. Shop ones are flash frozen - this is with extremely low temps, so the freeze instantly, not possible with a home freezer. Stick with what works....I never freeze home grown peas, A)They're cheap enough and I'd rather eat mine fresh and raw for instance. lythande1 - 2019-04-02 08:03:00 |
| 12 | OP. I feel your pain. I found out what you have just discovered decades ago and once bitten, twice shy. Never again will I freeze my own fresh vegetables. Even some commercially frozen vegetables are naff. buzzy110 - 2019-04-02 15:17:00 |
| 13 | buzzy110 wrote:
OP. I feel your pain. I found out what you have just discovered decades ago and once bitten, twice shy. Never again will I freeze my own fresh vegetables. Even some commercially frozen vegetables are naff.
What was wrong with your vegetables, the taste, the texture?
At least with home grown you know that they are as organic as poss (well mine are)
I love having home grown vegetables in the freezer ...broad beans, corn off the cob, tomatoes to add to dishes & they all taste great.
I'm not as keen on beans, but have frozen a few this year but they will be included in other things & always have fresh green leafy veges so don't bother with those.
I prefer to eat veges seasonally, but the above are very useful to have on hand. samanya - 2019-04-02 16:28:00 |
| 14 | nanee2jlp wrote:
.... Has no one found a successful way of just cooking them on their own and having them remain palatable? I don't really want them just added to dishes. ..... I suspect that my suggestion won't be to your liking, but what I would do is heat the frozen veges gently in butter or extra virgin olive oil until just hot, then season well. The blanching has cooked them, the plunge into cold water has removed any flavour they might have retained, and the boiling/steaming/microwaving has overcooked them. They will be like hospital food unless you give them some flavour. davidt4 - 2019-04-02 16:39:00 |
| 15 | davidt4 wrote:
I suspect that my suggestion won't be to your liking, but what I would do is heat the frozen veges gently in butter or extra virgin olive oil until just hot, then season well. The blanching has cooked them, the plunge into cold water has removed any flavour they might have retained, and the boiling/steaming/microwaving has overcooked them. They will be like hospital food unless you give them some flavour.
I agree.
IMO, freezing vegetables is a matter of trial & error & likes & dislikes ...I hate waste, so I sometime freeze vegetables that I don't particularly like frozen, but use them as 'fillers' in a curry or a similar dish.
Frozen broad beans are the only vege that I like 'as is', with heaps of butter. & samanya - 2019-04-02 17:22:00 |
| 16 | davidt4 wrote:
I suspect that my suggestion won't be to your liking, but what I would do is heat the frozen veges gently in butter or extra virgin olive oil until just hot, then season well. The blanching has cooked them, the plunge into cold water has removed any flavour they might have retained, and the boiling/steaming/microwaving has overcooked them. They will be like hospital food unless you give them some flavour. Excellent advice I used to ferment excess beans in a salt ferment, carrots and celery in a lacto ferment and cucumber with grape leaves and salt. They all came out tasting exactly like freshly picked. I prefer to purchase commercially frozen peas. Corn is OK but I only use it fresh. I wouldn't consider freezing courgettes, leeks, onions or leafy greens. I've done pumpkin because it was semi-roasted before being frozen, rather than blanched and dunked in water and it was reasonably edible. I wouldn't rave about it. Over winter, if broccoli and cauliflower are expensive I make other choices. Nothing wrong with cabbage, silverbeet and watercress. buzzy110 - 2019-04-02 17:37:00 |
| 17 | That's a shame that you wouldn't freeze leeks ...I have a glut most years, because I buy a punnet with gazillions of seedlings & plant what I think I'll need (I'm lucky to have a vege garden way bigger than most town sections) & I give heaps of seedlings away & I still end up with too many, so I saute them gently in butter, until they are caramelised & into the freezer they go ...very useful in quiches/tarts etc.
Zucchini I have done as an experiment, I grated them & freeze & they work well for Zucchini muffins/loves/cakes in winter, but I squeeze the excess liquid off before using them.
Parsnip is another vege that I have frozen ...& no flavour is lost but texture is not quite the same.
As I said up there ^^^ it's a matter of taste & experimentation to find out what suits.
We all know that fresh is best, but it's also useful to have out of season vegetables that are home grown, over the winter months.
I never freeze caulflower, or broccoli, because I plan ahead & always have them over winter, in a white butterfly proof walk in enclosure ... I'm going to have a glut of Pak Choy soon, spilled a whole packet of seeds in said enclosure, recently! samanya - 2019-04-02 18:30:00 |
| 18 | I'll be interested in what you do with a glut of Pak Choy. We always seem to have too much of it and I don't find that it tastes right in European meals, only in Asian ones. We eat a lot of Asian food but not every night... davidt4 - 2019-04-02 19:27:00 |
| 19 | I do exactly as OP does and never had a problem. Were the veg frozen as soon as picked, and were they picked young? I pick all the peas, beans, peppers, broccoli and cauli as soon as they are ready so they are young and fresh, and freeze enough to keep us going through winter as we can't grow enough variety during the winter. biggles45 - 2019-04-03 08:28:00 |
| 20 | I have never had a problem. Blanching cauliflower make sure water is boiling dunk the cauliflower for a minute then straight into cold water then drain and freeze Same with broc, peas and broad beans. Always freeze cut up onion but never blanch it. Never blanch carrots either. Usually anything I freeze is for use in soups, casseroles etc so doesn't matter if they go a bit mushy but they never seem to. Always taste good. Can't beat home grown carrots. Hate the taste of the brought ones something to do with what they wash them in. strathview - 2019-04-03 08:34:00 |
| 21 | We just leave the carrots in the ground rainrain1 - 2019-04-03 09:40:00 |
| 22 | rainrain1 wrote:
We just leave the carrots in the ground
So do I. samanya - 2019-04-03 10:45:00 |
| 23 | rainrain1 wrote:
We just leave the carrots in the ground Unless that ground is required for another crop. Not everyone owns suburban size gardens with butterfly proof enclosures. buzzy110 - 2019-04-03 11:12:00 |
| 24 | davidt4 wrote:
I'll be interested in what you do with a glut of Pak Choy. We always seem to have too much of it and I don't find that it tastes right in European meals, only in Asian ones. We eat a lot of Asian food but not every night... Same, we eat what we can give rest to kids, they love it then plant more lol fifie - 2019-04-03 12:24:00 |
| 25 | buzzy110 wrote:
Unless that ground is required for another crop. Not everyone owns suburban size gardens with butterfly proof enclosures.
A bit of digging going on right now? samanya - 2019-04-03 12:38:00 |
| 26 | davidt4 wrote:
I'll be interested in what you do with a glut of Pak Choy. We always seem to have too much of it and I don't find that it tastes right in European meals, only in Asian ones. We eat a lot of Asian food but not every night...
I quite like it sauteed, but I suspect that my family & friends will get a lot of it. samanya - 2019-04-03 12:40:00 |
| 27 | samanya wrote:
So do I. So did I, when I lived in Wanaka and Southland.
Takes no room at all to leave a couple of rows in the ground.... |
| 28 | nanee2jlp, I hope you found some helpful suggestions ...we could be neighbours after looking at your profile :o) I'm out over the northern bridge.
I think most of us would agree that home grown veges are not quite as good as fresh, because we don't have access to a blast freezer like commercial operations have ...it's trial & error to sort what you like & what is better shop bought ...hope this thread has helped you a bit. samanya - 2019-04-03 18:37:00 |
| 29 | autumnwinds wrote:
So did I, when I lived in Wanaka and Southland.
Takes no room at all to leave a couple of rows in the ground....
Of course it doesn't ...most people who actually have a vegetable garden would know that. Carrots grow down, not wide. samanya - 2019-04-03 18:41:00 |
| 30 | samanya wrote:
Of course it doesn't ...most people who actually have a vegetable garden would know that. Carrots grow down, not wide. Yeah, down, for sure.....
So far down that, in Wanaka, we had to use pitchforks and pickaxes to get deep enough to get the blighters out! It was like permafrost, the three winters I lived through there...... |
| 31 | nanee2jlp wrote:
Thanks for the comments. Has no one found a successful way of just cooking them on their own and having them remain palatable? I don't really want them just added to dishes. I grew an excess amount thinking I could save costs by freezing them but it seems that purpose is defeated if they are going to taste so horrible.
I have frozeen vegetables for many years successfully,cauliflower in particular at a guess I would say the length of time you blanched them may be wrong, too long which would make them soft and horrible, its a whole lot easier to freeze small lots at a time too. I usually put the vegetables into boiling water and leave them only for as long as it takes for the water to come back to the boil then out and into the iced water to cool right down. annies3 - 2019-04-03 19:12:00 |
| 32 | autumnwinds wrote:
Yeah, down, for sure.....
So far down that, in Wanaka, we had to use pitchforks and pickaxes to get deep enough to get the blighters out! It was like permafrost, the three winters I lived through there......
I can imagine ...bet your carrots tasted 100% better than shop ones though.
I've been through a time when I couldn't grow vegetables & had to buy & carrots were the one vege that I missed ... the bought ones were totally tasteless ...probably the chemicals etc that they wash them with to get them 'sanitised' to appeal to shoppers & to last on the shelves? samanya - 2019-04-03 19:13:00 |
| 33 | annies3 wrote:
I have frozeen vegetables for many years successfully,cauliflower in particular at a guess I would say the length of time you blanched them may be wrong, too long which would make them soft and horrible, its a whole lot easier to freeze small lots at a time too. I usually put the vegetables into boiling water and leave them only for as long as it takes for the water to come back to the boil then out and into the iced water to cool right down.
Blanching is to just get rid of the bugs, isn't it?
If so, it figures that the less 'cooking' before they are frozen the better. samanya - 2019-04-03 19:16:00 |
| 34 | No, the purpose of blanching is to deactivate the enzymes that would otherwise cause the vegetable to deteriorate even while frozen. davidt4 - 2019-04-03 19:45:00 |
| 35 | In case anyone is interested, here is some science-based advice about freezing vegetables. https://extension.umn.edu/preserving-and-preparing/science-f
reezing-foods davidt4 - 2019-04-03 19:49:00 |
| 36 | davidt4 - thank you I will try what you suggest. I can't understand why the manuals that come with the freezer tell us to blanch them and for how long if that takes the flavor out of them.
Biggles45 - yes the veges were fresh from my garden and market stall the very morning I froze them.
Annie3 - no problem with the blanching time the problem is when I cook it.
Cooking in the microwave they go limp. I do them in 1 minute increments until they are just defrosted. I also tried steaming (horrible) and next time I
boiled in a little water (still horrible)
After trying every method I think the problem is home freezing doesn't freeze them fast enough. I believe as some have suggested they are only suitable for adding to stews, casseroles, stirfry etc.
Samanya - I even tried not blanching cauliflower at all and although it didn't turn slightly brown in the freezer as it did when I blanched it the taste was nowhere like the fresh white cauliflower I brought home to freeze. Blanching is supposed to stop the enzyme activity and so the vegetable can be kept frozen longer Thanks everyone for your help. I will keep an eye on this thread to see what anyone else thinks Edited by nanee2jlp at 8:00 pm, Wed 3 Apr nanee2jlp - 2019-04-03 19:59:00 |
| 37 | buzzy110 wrote:
Unless that ground is required for another crop. Not everyone owns suburban size gardens with butterfly proof enclosures. Umm, the butterflies don't go underground to eat the carrots buzzy110, nor to lay their eggs Edited by rainrain1 at 8:13 am, Thu 4 Apr rainrain1 - 2019-04-04 08:10:00 |
| 38 | rainrain1 wrote:
Umm, the butterflies don't go underground to eat the carrots buzzy110, nor to lay their eggs
The sods have taken a liking to my runner beans & geraniums ...there's a bit of shake & squish here atm. samanya - 2019-04-04 12:42:00 |
| 39 | samanya wrote:
The sods have taken a liking to my runner beans & geraniums ...there's a bit of shake & squish here atm. Our garden is a real mess this year because of the white butterfly, and it being very dry doesn't help, cauliflowers, cabbages, a mass of holes, apart from the carrots of course, although they have hardly grown well. rainrain1 - 2019-04-04 14:10:00 |
| 40 | rainrain1 wrote:
Our garden is a real mess this year because of the white butterfly, and it being very dry doesn't help, cauliflowers, cabbages, a mass of holes, apart from the carrots of course, although they have hardly grown well.
You need a butterfly proof cage ;o)
Mine was already here when I bought the property & it looks a bit shabby. It's got a fine mesh (roll product from the likes of M10) & it letts rain through, but not the dreaded white butterfly They party up on the roof ...they can smell the brassicas I'm sure, but can't get at them, so attack the runner beans instead.
I'm sure there have been more around this season. samanya - 2019-04-04 14:59:00 |
| 41 | samanya wrote:
You need a butterfly proof cage ;o)
Mine was already here when I bought the property & it looks a bit shabby. It's got a fine mesh (roll product from the likes of M10) & it letts rain through, but not the dreaded white butterfly They party up on the roof ...they can smell the brassicas I'm sure, but can't get at them, so attack the runner beans instead. I could do with one of those (butterfly-proof cage). I thought I'd got all the blighters, but one must have sneaked past, laid eggs, and suddenly, all my parsley was stripped. Now, the war is on!
samanya wrote:
I'm sure there have been more around this season. Yup, many more pests this year - white butterfly, stinkbugs, paper wapses (my daughter's word for them when little), and especially those darned Praying Manti - three different sorts of the dashed things, here, and they should be PREYing, as that's what they do... especially the Monarch Butterflies - eggs, caterpillars, chrysalii, and butterflies, sucking the juice/life out of them! Poor Monarchs would be INside the butterfly cage, if I had one, for their own survival - they're at least 75% less this year :( And I think I discovered Myrtle rust on a plant this morning - getting it checked out..... :(
I'd hate to think it could be the creeping demise of our iconic pohutukawas (not to mention feijoas and heaps of other plants, native or not) |
| 42 | Pleased that you are getting suspected Myrtle rust checked out ...hopefully it's not, but better to be safe.Keep us posted?
I had two late monarchs & one chrysalis is in the conservatory area of my lounge & the other caterpillar was doing the U shaped hang up on a swan plant & next day ...totally vanished. I haven't noticed any praying mantis or anything suss.
I've seen off around 50 Monarchs this year, a few didn't make it ...but I figure that even if I lose a few, there's still more on the planet than if I hadn't bothered to raise & nurture the swan plants for them. samanya - 2019-04-04 19:03:00 |
| 43 | autumnwinds wrote:
Yup, many more pests this year - white butterfly, stinkbugs, paper wapses (my daughter's word for them when little), and especially those darned Praying Manti - three different sorts of the dashed things, here, and they should be PREYing, as that's what they do... especially the Monarch Butterflies - eggs, caterpillars, chrysalii, and butterflies, sucking the juice/life out of them! Poor Monarchs would be INside the butterfly cage, if I had one, for their own survival - they're at least 75% less this year :( And I think I discovered Myrtle rust on a plant this morning - getting it checked out..... :(
I'd hate to think it could be the creeping demise of our iconic pohutukawas (not to mention feijoas and heaps of other plants, native or not) wapses, love it, my daughter used to call them wass :) rainrain1 - 2019-04-05 07:40:00 |
| 44 | samanya wrote:
Pleased that you are getting suspected Myrtle rust checked out ...hopefully it's not, but better to be safe.Keep us posted? Fortunately not Myrtle rust - thank goodness!
It's a small area of powdery mildew, caused by being densely packed with growth in the very hot and humid weather. Easily sorted, even some organic methods - from the Royal NZ Institute of Horticulture, no less! - which others may be interested in, too:
http://www.rnzih.org.nz/pages/powdery-mildew.htm |
| 45 | autumnwinds wrote:
Fortunately-
not Myrtle rust - thank goodness!
It's a small area of powdery mildew, caused by being densely packed with growth in the very hot and humid weather. Easily sorted, even some organic methods - from the Royal NZ Institute of Horticulture, no less! - which others may be interested in, too:
http://www.rnzih.org.nz/pages/powdery-mildew.htm
I'm really, really pleased to hear that ...imagine life without Feijoas & Pohutukawa? Edited by samanya at 7:12 pm, Fri 5 Apr samanya - 2019-04-05 19:08:00 |
| 46 | samanya wrote:
The sods have taken a liking to my runner beans & geraniums ...there's a bit of shake & squish here atm. My lovely geraniums have been attacked by the green-looper caterpillar which is the larvae of a night-flying moth. I hates thems. https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/resources/identification/
animals/bug-id/alphabetic-list-of-bugs/green-looper-caterpil
lar I tried freezing broccolli but it defrosted into a soggy mess. Good for cream of broccolli soup though. hazelnut2 - 2019-04-06 09:10:00 |
| 47 | Maybe that's what is getting at my plants as well ...I was blaming the white butterflies?
One of my favourite soups is broccoli & blue cheese samanya - 2019-04-06 12:31:00 |
| 48 | Mr has a good garden, carrots,leaks etc stay in the garden.
Brocolli, i freeze, cut stems off, chop, i only using tight heads of brocolli, ( if they arnt i dont freeze) cut florets off, blanch all only about 3 mins, into ice water to stop cooking drain pat dry, freeze. To use i keep stalks for winter soups, put frozen florets in a steamer to have as a veg, lid on and steam till crunch tender, works for me. fifie - 2019-04-06 13:00:00 |
| 49 | samanya wrote:
Maybe that's what is getting at my plants as well ...I was blaming the white butterflies?
One of my favourite soups is broccoli & blue cheese Have just made a large pot of broccoli, onion, kumera, celery and herb soup, with "proper" chicken stock, of course - and about a cup of the sauce from last night's lamb korma. Oooh, tastes yummy! And have just had help to make the cheese rolls, and finely chopped the mint, parsley and thyme to go with sour cream and blue cheese on top, for an easy tea tonight (with a yummy pud, too) |
| 50 | fifie - thankyou. That's exactly how I froze mine. I will try again to steam them and see what happens this time nanee2jlp - 2019-04-06 20:37:00 |
