Vegetables that can be blanched and then frozen include beans (green, snap, wax, lima, butter, pinto), cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peas, carrots, kohlrabi, rhubarb, summer squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, and peppers. Be sure to fully cook beets, pumpkins, winter squash and sweet potatoes before freezing.<\/p>\n
Vegetables that don\u2019t freeze well include cabbage, cucumbers, watermelon, celery, cress, endive, lettuce, parsley and radish.<\/p>\n
Freezing fresh fruits:<\/strong> Wash, stem, dry and freeze on cookie sheets first, then store into freezer bags: blueberries, blackberries, huckleberries, elderberries, gooseberries, strawberries, raspberries, currants and rhubarb (which technically a vegetable, used as fruit).<\/p>\n Drying or dehydrating<\/strong> removes the moisture from food so that bacteria, yeast and mold won\u2019t grow. Food dehydration equipment and ovens are most often used. The produce that dries well includes apples, peaches, pears, tomatoes, grapes, plums and herbs.<\/p>\n Pickling<\/strong> means fruits or vegetables are preserved in vinegar or brine. Add more flavor by including spices, herbs or sugar. Commonly pickled foods include cucumbers, peppers, green beans, onions, okra, and radish. Watermelon, peaches and nectarines can also be pickled.<\/p>\n Fermentation:<\/strong> Fruits or vegetables are cured in a salt or water brine for a week or longer. No vinegar is added, which helps the food produce lactic acid, preserving the food and acting as a probiotic.<\/p>\n Water bath canning<\/strong> food is the age-old method of preserving home-grown crops. The goal is to force air out of the jar (can) and create an environment to keep out bacteria. Additional boiling time needs to be added for high altitudes. Increase processing time by one minute for each 1,000 feet above sea level if processing time at sea level is 20 minutes or less. If it\u2019s more than 20 minutes, increase by two minutes per 1,000 feet.<\/p>\n Water bath canning is for high-acid foods, including tomatoes, pickles, sauerkraut, peaches, pears, apricots, plums, lemons, gooseberries and blackberries.<\/p>\n Steam pressure canning:<\/strong> A steam pressure heavy kettle with lid, safety valve, vent and pressure gauge is used to process low-acid foods to a temperature of 240 degrees. Low-acid foods include okra, carrots, beets, turnips, green beans, asparagus, lima beans, peas and corn.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/TDP-Z-FE09TomatoCanned-1-01.jpg\")
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