Sunday, August 16, 2009

Freezing Blueberries, Rhubarb and Zucchini


Alright, this is pretty simple, but I was putting everything else up, so why not this as well?

I have done this for years and it works really well. The pre-measured bags are really handy, when I want to bake something, I pull out the bag with the correct amount and allow it to thaw as I am getting everything else ready and started. I have been doing this long enough that I know what amounts I need for my favourite recipes to do the pre-measured bags, but I have found that 2 cups is usually pretty standard.

Blueberries:
1. wash the blueberries and pick out any "bad" berries.
2. Lay in a single layer on a pan/cookie sheet and put in the freezer until the berries are frozen and firm.
3. Measure out and place in freezer bags. Remove the air from the bags, seal and label before placing back into the freezer.

I did bags of 4-5 cups (pie, cobbler, crisp), and 2 cups (muffins, breads, snacks)

Rhubarb:
1. Wash the sticks of rhubarb and chop into small chunks.
2. Measure out the desired amounts and place in freezer bags. Remove the air from the bags, seal, label and freeze.

For this I usually do bags of 4-5 cups (crisp) and 2 cups ( mixed crisps, muffins)

Zucchini:
We always have tons of zucchini from the garden and we do this every year. We usually let the zucchinis get pretty big (half the time because we forget to check for them).

This sight has great pictures for the steps (which I of course forgot to take), so check it out.

1. Peal the zucchini (I know not all people do this but I don't like the dark green flecks in my baking). I then cut the zucchini in half and remove the seeds with a spoon.
2. Grate the zucchini with a cheese grater.
3. Measure out desired amounts of the grated zucchini, and place in freezer bag. Remove the air from the freezer bag, label and place in the freezer.

I have found that most of the bread recipes call for 2 cups, so I do lots of 2 cups bags, and the occasional 1 cup bag (incase I stumble upon a smaller recipe I want to try or I want to half something I am making.) The bags of zucchini are also great to thaw and add to lasagna or casseroles.

No comments: