Freezing Produce

Have you ever considered freezing produce? It is really quite simple.

Most fruits can be frozen without much prep. People frequently freeze berries, peaches grapes, cherries, melon, citrus, and bananas. What you can do is line a baking sheet with waxed paper and put the fruit in a single layer across the pan. Stick the pan in the freezer for a couple of hours and then transfer the fruit to ordinary freezer bags. For cherries, remove the pits prior to freezing and then with melon, kiwi or bananas remove the skin or rind.

Frozen fruit can be eaten plain as a snack, just like candy, or you can use it in smoothies or cobbler.

Freezer jams are simple to make. Just follow the directions on a box of freezer pectin. Low sugar varieties are available.

Have a bag of apples or pears getting past their crisp state? Cut them up, remove the seeds and cook them in your crock pot with a little cinnamon. When they are soft, run them through your food processor and put them in small freezable containers (icing and yogurt tubs work great) and freeze your own applesauce/pear sauce. I frequently use applesauce or pear sauce in place of oil in brownies, cakes, and quick breads.

So stock up when the price is right and don’t be afraid to put your freezer to work for you!

Stay tuned for information on freezing vegetables! Even potatoes!