You can freeze most vegetables successfully, but once frozen you cannot always use them as if they were fresh.

Do Not Freeze

Celery and onions lose their crispness after freezing, but you can use them for cooking. Do not freeze cucumbers, lettuce and radishes; they also lose crispness.

You Can Freeze

You can freeze tomato juice and stewed tomatoes. Use them for sauce, chili, spaghetti sauce or in meat loaf.

Freezing vegetables is relatively simple, but for best results you need to follow certain guidelines.

There are usually numerous varieties or hybrids of any vegetable. Quality varies after freezing. Some vegetables may be unpalatable.

Procedure

Select mature vegetables. They should be fresh, tender, and succulent just right for immediate table use.

Prepare quickly and carefully. Most vegetables lose quality quickly after harvest. Freeze vegetables the same day you pick them--within a few hours from vine to container.

If there is a delay before you prepare vegetables for freezing, keep them in a refrigerator. Or, you can put them in any cool place not higher than 40 degrees F and preferably as low as 32 degrees F.

Prepare for freezing as for table use. Wash thoroughly and discard inferior vegetables. Trim and cut into serving pieces if necessary. Blanch the vegetables .

Blanching vegetables is a step that should not be omitted.

The enzymes which cause vegetables to lose color and flavor will continue even after the vegetables are frozen. Blanching stops these enzymes. Most vegetables are blanched in boiling water, but steam works well with a few. There are exceptions; some vegetables must be fully cooked and a few can be frozen raw and unblanched.

Blanching in Boiling Water

Fill a large kettle with 1 gallon of water or more; bring water to a brisk boil. Blanch no more than 1 pound of vegetables per 1 gallon of water at a time. Use a basket, strainer or cheesecloth (bundle a pound or less of vegetables in the cheesecloth) to submerge vegetables in the boiling water. If the water doesn't return to a boil in about 1 minute, use a smaller amount the next batch. Cover the pot and boil for the specified time (see individual vegetables, below) then remove quickly and submerge a large bowl or deep pot of water and ice to cool quickly and stop the cooking. When vegetables are thoroughly chilled, remove, drain and pat dry. Keep chilled in the refrigerator if they will not be packed immediately.

Blanching in Steam

Use a large kettle with a rack. It should hold the vegetables over about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, put vegetables in the basket in a single layer. Cover the kettle and keep the heat high for the specified amount of time. Remove to ice water immediately; chill thoroughly, drain and pat dry. Keep chilled in the refrigerator if they will not be packed immediately.

Packing

You can pack the chilled vegetables right in the containers, but dry packing will help to prevent clumping and make it easier to use small amounts from containers. Arrange blanched, chilled vegetables on a baking sheet or tray in a single layer. Freeze at -20° F., or as quickly as your freezer will allow. Once frozen, pack in freezer containers or bags.

General times and guidelines for cooking frozen vegetables