Freeze vegetables and fruits and preserve them

With a rich harvest, there is often something left that cannot be used immediately. We show you how to properly freeze fruits and vegetables.

The same game takes place in the garden every year: First you wait impatiently for the first fruits to be harvested and almost overnight almost the whole garden is ready for harvest. Soon you will not be able to eat as much as is harvested in the bed - but where do you put all the fruit and vegetables? The easiest way Preserving vegetables and fruits and to save them from the garbage can is probably freezing.

Fast, simple and space-saving, it is not only extremely practical, but is also considered the gentlest type of preservation that preserves many healthy ingredients. Here you can find out what you need to consider when freezing and which types of fruit and vegetables are actually suitable.

Freezing vegetables and fruits: These types are suitable

Unfortunately, not all types of vegetables and fruits can be frozen without any problems - some types are even not suitable for freezing. On the other hand, berries such as Raspberries (Rubus idaeus) or Strawberries (Fragaria) when freezing - these can be easily frozen and stored frozen for a long time. Fruit and vegetables that contain water, on the other hand, are not particularly suitable for freezing, as they lose their aroma when they are frozen and become mushy when they are thawed: Bananas (Musa) and Apples (Malus), but also tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) or Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) are therefore not suitable for storage in the freezer in their unprocessed state. Most vegetables should be blanched briefly before freezing - Carrots (Daucus carota subsp. sativus), paprika (Capsicum) or also mushrooms (Fungi) can be frozen raw without any problems.

Which types of fruit can be frozen?

• Berries like raspberries, blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus) or strawberries
• Stone fruits like peaches (Prunus persica), Plums (Prunus domestica) and apricots (Prunus armeniaca) (core beforehand)
• Apples and pears (Pyrus) (cut into small pieces or processed as puree)
• rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) (cut into small pieces)
• Banana (only when ripe and without peel)

Which vegetables can be frozen?

• Paprika, horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) and mushrooms (raw)
• Carrots and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo var. giromontiina) (blanched or raw)
• peas (Pisum sativum) and Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) (blanched)
• Types of cabbage like cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis), broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica), Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes) or Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis) (blanched)
• Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris), leek (Allium ampeloprasum subsp. ampeloprasum), spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and Turnip (Brassica napobrassica) (blanched)
• aubergine and Kale (ready cooked)

Which fruits and vegetables should not be frozen unprocessed?

• grapes (Vitis)
• Cucumber
• radish (Raphanus sativus var. sativus)
• tomatoes
• Leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. capitata)
• garlic (Allium sativum) and Onions (Allium cepa)

Freeze vegetables and fruits in the correct packaging

When it comes to packaging for freezing food, opinions differ: some swear by the tried and tested freezer bags, while others swear by cold-resistant cans. The main advantage of freezer bags is that you can remove excess air by hand (or better still: with the Vacuum sealer), which extends the shelf life of the food and creates ugly freezer burn prevent. Cold-resistant cans, on the other hand, are much easier to stack and therefore take up less space. In addition, cans can be reused after thawing, which makes them much more environmentally friendly than conventional freezer bags.

But regardless of whether it is a freezer bag or a can - correct filling and portioning is important for both types of packaging. It is space-saving and effective to cut large types of fruit and vegetables into pieces or divide them into their florets before freezing them. In addition, it is always advisable to think in terms of portions: Most foods can be cooked according to Thawing can be frozen a second time without any problems, but with each freezing process the Quality. It is therefore advisable to freeze several small bags rather than one large one. In the case of very watery food, you should be particularly careful with the packaging - because The water expands when freezing can lead to jam-packed boxes and cans when freezing quickly burst. Here it is advisable not to fill the packaging to the top.

How to freeze vegetables and fruits properly: instructions

Freezing fruit and vegetables is not that difficult. After the harvest, everything that is later to be frozen must first be thoroughly cleaned of soil, dirt and other parts of the plant such as stems and leaves. How you then proceed with your harvest, we have summarized for you below.

Freeze berries

Berries are one of the easiest types of fruit to use when it comes to freezing. Washed and freed from their stems, they can also go into the freezer. So that the individual berries do not stick together unsightly during freezing, it is advisable to first place the fruits individually on a tray or on a baking sheet and then put it in the freezer for a few hours - so they don't freeze on each other and keep theirs Shape. Once the berries are frozen, they can simply be repacked in freezer bags or cans.

tip: The faster the berries are frozen, the less likely they will be mushy after defrosting.

Freeze stone fruit

Freezing stone fruits is one of the easiest ways to preserve these fruits. However, you should always remove the seeds before freezing, otherwise they will leave a bitter taste in the pulp. Only with cherries (Prunus avium) the stones can easily remain in the fruit even when it is frozen. For larger fruits such as apricots or peaches, it is advisable to cut them into smaller pieces for reasons of space. In order to avoid unsightly brown discolouration when it comes into contact with air, a little lemon juice can also be drizzled over the fruit. Then the fruits can be packed and frozen.

Freeze apples and pears

Because of their high water content, both apples and pears cannot be frozen as a whole fruit. If you still want to store your harvest frozen, you can process it into puree or compote and store it in this form. However, it is also advisable to add a little lemon juice here - otherwise the puree and compote will quickly turn brown and unsightly.

Freeze vegetables raw

A few types of vegetables, including peppers and horseradish, but also mushrooms can be frozen raw without any problems. To do this, the plants must first be washed and (depending on the variety) carefully removed from the stalk. Mushrooms and horseradish can be frozen whole; for peppers, courgettes or carrots, it is advisable to cut the vegetables into small pieces before freezing. Carrots and zucchini can also be blanched (as described below), which will extend their shelf life. Zucchini should be salted before freezing so that water escapes - this will keep the vegetables crisp even after thawing.

Blanch vegetables before freezing

Most vegetables, such as cauliflower, but also peas and beans, must be blanched before freezing. First of all, you should cut larger vegetables into smaller pieces so that you can store them in portions. Then the vegetables are briefly blanched in boiling water and then quenched in ice water. Blanching slows down the ripening and putrefaction processes and thus extends the shelf life of the individual vegetables during freezing. The ice water, on the other hand, stops the boiling process and thus retains its fresh color and vitamins. After blanching, the vegetables must be thoroughly cleaned of excess water, for example by dabbing with kitchen paper. After that, the harvest can be packed into the freezer well packaged.

How are fruits and vegetables frozen correctly?

• After the harvest, dirt and excess plant parts are removed
• Berries can be frozen immediately after harvesting; Spread out next to each other, they do not stick together in the freezer
• In the case of stone fruit, the kernels are removed before freezing and a little lemon juice protects against discoloration
• Because of their high water content, apples and pears should be frozen as puree or compote
• Some vegetables such as peppers, horseradish and mushrooms can be frozen raw
• Cauliflower, peas and beans are blanched and quenched with ice water before freezing

Freezing vegetables and fruits: observe the shelf life

Even if we would like it to - unfortunately, fruit and vegetables cannot be kept indefinitely, even in the freezer. The shelf life varies between the individual types of fruit and vegetables, but also between the types of preparation. For example, blanched vegetables have a longer shelf life than raw and sugared fruits have a shelf life longer than untreated fruits. As a rule, fruit and vegetables are expected to have a shelf life of 6 to 12 months. Cooked food, on the other hand, should only be frozen for a maximum of 3 months. Labeling the name and date of the freezing helps to avoid confusion in the freezer.

Thaw vegetables and fruits properly after freezing

Freezing is not the only thing that has a major impact on the quality of food - thawing can also affect the flavor and consistency. Often the rule "freeze fast - thaw slowly" applies. Raw fruit in particular should be thawed as slowly and gently as possible, for example in the refrigerator, in order to preserve the ingredients and consistency. Thawing is quicker in the microwave, but here berries and Co. get mushy and lose their aroma. The exception to this rule are blanched vegetables: It is best to land them straight from the freezer in the saucepan so that they do not lose their consistency. The cooking time is then about a third shorter than with fresh vegetables.

What other methods are there Preserving fruits and vegetables, find out here.