Is it possible to freeze whole carrots for the winter. Freezing carrots in the freezer

23.04.2019 Buffet table

How to freeze carrots for the winter and is it worth doing? Undoubtedly, it is worth it, because this blank can immediately solve two important tasks. The first is cost savings: in winter, carrots are expensive, and the price is also constantly growing, as are the owners' appetites retail outlets... And the roots bought in the fall are poorly stored, rot and wither. While frozen - they are perfectly stored in the freezer for several months and even longer if you got root vegetables for freezing good quality and suitable grade... Best of all, not very juicy carrots are stored.

The second task is even more practical: you will save time. However, let's talk about everything in order.

Is it possible to freeze carrots for the winter

You can and should! Freezing carrots - great way preserve its freshness for a long time, do without dubious preparation methods such as stewing in a large number oil and subsequent storage with the addition of vinegar.

If you freeze the carrots yourself, then you will be 100% sure of the quality and safety of the product. In addition, you can make preparations for different dishes, which will save time and effort in the future. How long you can store frozen carrots depends on the equipment and packaging. The best option Is a separate refrigerator with deep freeze products. Such equipment (with special freezing bags) will ensure the freshness and healthiness of the carrots on whole year... If you use the freezer and do not bother with the bags, then it will be stored for up to 9 months.

Training

It is important to take fresh carrots, and preferably only from the garden. Root crops should be chosen without damage and not rotten. If you can't freeze them right away, put fresh carrots in the refrigerator until you have time to tackle them. Do not use old, overripe carrots for freezing, nothing good will come of it.

Select the size of the average fruit. Small is also fine, but it loses its taste when frozen. It is better not to use a large one.

Before freezing, you need to clean the carrots well from dirt. Wash it and trim it thin upper layer... Then slice the carrots any way you like. If the carrots are small, they can be frozen whole. It is recommended to consider in advance how much different cuts will be needed within a year, and make preparations according to the plan: for soups, borscht, stews, hodgepodge, various types vegetable caviar, pilaf and other dishes that make up your usual menu.

Prepare required amount hot water enough for all the carrots. Can be divided into portions and bookmarked in several approaches. The main thing is that the water is only from the fire. You will also need plenty of cold ice water.

Blanching

Carrots contain enzymes and bacteria that negatively affect useful material, as well as changing the color and taste of the vegetable. You can get rid of this problem by processing carrots. hot water to kill "bad" bacteria and stop enzymes from working. Boil whole carrots for 5 minutes, and chopped carrots for 2 minutes.

Start counting as soon as you put the carrots in the water. Then close the pan with a lid and simmer over high heat. In this water, you can boil the carrots several more times. If you want to freeze carrots for soups, borscht and other dishes, then boil the whole carrots, and after cooling, grate and pack, as will be described below.

Cooling

After blanching, remove the carrots from the boiling water and put them in ice water. The water should completely cover the carrots. Keep vegetables in water for as long as you boiled them. We take out the chilled carrots and let them dry.

Pre-freeze

To prevent the carrot pieces from sticking together when frozen, you can use this simple trick. Spread the pieces apart on a wooden board and place in the freezer for several hours. If the pieces stick to the board, just scrape them off with a spatula.

Package

For freezing use containers or plastic bags(vacuum is better). Glassware it is better not to take it, as it can burst.
Leave a few centimeters of free space when using the container as the vegetables will expand when frozen.

If you are using a bag, it is recommended that you blow out as much air as possible. Therefore, it is better to use a vacuum bag. But if you don't have one, there is one way to help you. Draw up cold water and lower the bag to the brim. Close it carefully so that no water gets into the bag and you're done. The trick is that the water presses on the edges of the bag and squeezes out the air from the inside.

Frozen carrot dishes are as delicious as fresh ones. No one will feel the difference, and you can save a few precious minutes when preparing your next dinner or lunch. After all, to add carrots to the dish, it will be enough to get the bag out of the freezer!

I advise you to freeze the carrots for the winter, especially since now you know how to do it.

This root vegetable, familiar from childhood, should be consumed throughout the year for the reason that it is rich in vitamins B, PP, C, E, K, as well as carotene, which is metabolized during the passage gastrointestinal tract to vitamin A.

IMPORTANT: Carrots are especially useful for people whose work is associated with increased eye strain. With minor myopia, it will help prevent its further development.

Is it possible to use a freezer?

The traditional way of storing carrots is to pack them in boxes or bags, which are located in a dark and cool place, which is usually the case. But in a city apartment, this is usually not possible, so you should give preference to freezing it (you can learn how to preserve carrots in an apartment at).

Storing carrots in the freezer is a great way to provide yourself with this vegetable for the entire cold season. When frozen, a large amount of nutrients is retained in carrots., which will help to avoid vitamin deficiency.

For grated

Storing grated carrots is one of the most common methods due to the following benefits:

Carrots can be grated much faster and in larger quantities than carrots.
Such carrots are more compact than sliced ones, which is important for small freezers.
Already grated carrots are very easy to use when preparing a wide variety of dishes:
- soups;
- stew;
- pies.

It will be enough to get the bag with the blank and defrost it. o grated carrots also have a drawback: it often happens that, due to the strong compaction, it can be difficult to divide them into portions. In this case, it is necessary to wait for the minimum softening of the ice crust, which negatively affects the structure of the unused product.

Watch a video about freezing grated carrots for the winter:

Wholly

Storing root vegetables in the freezer as a whole is possible if the fruits are thin and have approximately the same size for compact placement. Freezing whole carrots requires significantly more space than chopped carrots.... This method requires a large freezer.

Also, the disadvantages include long-term defrosting of the vegetable and the difficulty of cutting it, if a small amount is required for the dish.

For blanched

Storage of boiled carrots is allowed, but it is worth remembering that this leaves useful substances minimal amount... Typically, this form of workpiece is used for making baby purees and various bakery products stuffed with carrots.

If you want to freeze thermally processed food, it is recommended to resort to blanching. This method involves immersing the carrots in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. To quickly extract it, use a sieve or drushlag. Hot carrots you must immediately douse with ice water, which will help preserve in the root crop maximum amount vitamins.

Watch a video about preparing blanched carrots for freezing:

How long to store?

When frozen, carrots lose some useful properties instantly, then a plateau follows, during which this process is much slower.

It's believed that carrots should not be stored in the freezer for more than 9-12 months whole and 6-7 - chopped or grated. It is recommended not to store the blanks remaining after the winter season until the next cold weather. About how long carrots can be stored during storage different ways, read.

Vegetable preparation

After selecting the root vegetables that are suitable for freezing, follow the instructions:

IMPORTANT: Using small zip-lock bags allows you to store carrots in portions needed to prepare one dish.

Saving rules

Storing pre-cooked carrots in the freezer has some special features.... Let's consider them:

Packaging for carrots must be completely airtight. This product absorbs odors very well, if this condition is not observed, there is a risk of getting carrots with a smell fish cakes or parsley.
In order not to get a monolith from grated carrots, it is not recommended to compact them too much, trying to save space in this way.
Each cycle of defrosting and thawing negatively affects the vegetable, it becomes tough and loses all vitamins, therefore, when defrosting the refrigerator, place the product on the balcony (see about the possibility of storing carrots on the balcony).
The recommended temperature for freezing carrots is 18 to 25 degrees.

Crushed storage without freezing

Apart from the method discussed above, grated carrots can also be saved as sharp workpieces, preserved and dried. It is recommended to resort to them if the crop is too large to be stored in freezer.

in the oven, but this process requires constant monitoring, since there is a high probability of getting coal instead of neat orange "chips".

What if something went wrong?

When freezing carrots, the following difficulties may arise:

The carrots were too juicy when rubbed. In this case, it is better to make juice from it, because when freezing, the release of juice on the surface of the pieces will only increase, and you will get 2 individual products: carrot ice and dry cake.
The opposite situation - the selected vegetable is too tough and cannot be called juicy. The blanching technique discussed in the article will help to correct the situation.
In the middle of winter, you opened a container of carrots and found that they were soaked in odors from the freezer. Most likely, the container or bag was not closed tightly enough or has a violation of integrity.

There are several ways to freeze carrots for the winter. But to keep everything valuable properties product, you need to know how to do it correctly. You should prepare the vegetables themselves and the necessary equipment.

Important information

Many people ask the question whether it is possible to freeze carrots and whether beneficial substances are stored in it? If you follow all the rules, then all the vitamins are preserved, and the product crushed on a grater can be easily added to any dish without wasting time.

Reasons why many housewives choose to store vegetables in the freezer.

Saving money. In winter, vegetables are much more expensive, it is much more pleasant to take an already prepared product from the refrigerator without leaving home.
It is not known in what conditions the product is stored in shop conditions... Besides, winter vegetables on the shelves often pass additional processing for better storage and flavoring. Therefore, taking out your carrots from the freezer, you can be sure of its environmental friendliness.
Saving time. When you start cooking, you don't need to waste time peeling and chopping the vegetable. Is everything ready!
It happens that there is nowhere to store vegetables from your garden. In this case, the freezer comes to the rescue. Not everyone has spacious cellars and basements (in addition, in these rooms, it is also necessary to maintain the correct conditions).

A small root crop is suitable for freezing, dense structure, sweetish taste... Carrots can be stored both whole and chopped on a grater.

It is not necessary to buy a freezer for storage, many refrigerators have a freezer in which you should store long time any vegetables, including carrots. Transfer to the normal refrigerator compartment is only necessary if gradual defrosting of the product is required.

Preparation rules

Freezing carrots for the winter at home should be done according to all the rules, then all vitamins will remain intact.

Vegetables must be carefully selected. Do not freeze old, rotten roots, eaten by pests. After selection, you need to wash the carrots, clean them of dirt and dust, cut off the ends.

The next step is blanching. Prepare two containers of water. In one you need to boil water, pour into the other ice water. Big size root vegetables are dipped in boiling water for 4 minutes, small enough to hold for two minutes. After that, vegetables are immediately sent to ice water. Thanks to cold water, the vegetable will not cook completely, it will remain fresh and crispy.

Root vegetables are spread on a towel and left to dry completely. Cut clean, dry carrots in any way: cubes, rings and strips. Can be grinded with a grater. It all depends on what kind of dish the slicing is intended for.

So that the pieces of vegetables do not freeze to each other, you need to lay them on an ordinary wooden board in layers and send them to the freezer for 1.5 hours. Then collect in one pile. After this procedure vegetable mix will be stored without sticking.

For freezing, it is better not to choose plastic bags and glass dishes. The first option may tear, and the second may crack due to the low temperature.

The most the best choice will become plastic containers. They fill the product without reaching the edge of 1 cm. You can use vacuum bags, which are fixed with paper clips, adhesive tape or special clips.

It is recommended to indicate on each package or container the date and time when the product was packaged. Plastic cups, containers for storing ice can also serve as containers for freezing the product.

Freezer storage temperature for vegetable preparation best kept below -18 degrees. The higher the temperature, the less the frozen food will be stored. So, for example, at a temperature of -8 degrees, carrots can be stored for no more than three months.

Freezing methods

There are several basic and popular ways to freeze carrots in the freezer for the winter.

The most common option is to freeze freshly chopped carrots:

you can put all the chopped mass in one bag and roll it into a block, cut off the required amount of carrots as necessary;
you can simply put the cooked carrots into a large bag, but after two hours in the freezer, shake the bag so that the chopped strips do not freeze to each other;
you can decompose the vegetable mass in portions.

Option with preparatory stage blanching:

carrots are cut into separate pieces in any shape, but of the same size;
all chopped slices are dipped in boiling water for two minutes;
then the vegetables need to be cooled by placing them in ice water for three minutes;
spread the pieces on a towel and let them dry;
vegetables are ready for freezing.

Carrot puree (ideal for those with small children):

peel and cut carrots into slices;
chopped vegetables are poured with water and, after boiling, cook for about 40 minutes;
cooked root vegetables are kneaded with a fork or chopped with a blender;
the resulting puree mass is laid out in ice molds or any other small plastic container after the final cooling (so that the puree cools faster and does not darken, you need to immerse the container with the contents in cold water);
at a temperature of -18 degrees, the contents of the molds are frozen within three hours;
then the vegetable cubes are removed from the molds and put into bags.

In winter, this puree can be given to small children or added during cooking to various cereals and soups. They dissolve easily and give the dish a pleasant taste.

Roasting with onions (other vegetables can be added):

peeled and chopped carrots;
cut the onion into small slices;
chopped vegetables are sent to a pan with butter and stewed for about 35 minutes;
as soon as the vegetables have cooled down, you can start freezing.

After the slices are distributed in containers, they must be tightly closed so that the carrots do not absorb neighboring odors.

Frozen carrot dish, subject to the preparation technology, can be stored for about a year. After this time, it is better to prepare fresh vegetables again.

Defrosting rules

Frozen fresh or boiled carrots no need to defrost. Take enough vegetable from the freezer and add to the dish for the last stage cooking.

If carrots are not supposed to be added to a hot dish, then you need to follow some rules in order to preserve valuable components:

from the freezer, the vegetable is moved to the regular refrigerator so that the product thaws a little;
after that, you can start defrosting at room temperature;
you cannot use the microwave for this purpose, since all nutrients.

Before use, it is enough to warm carrot puree or add frozen, for example, to mashed potatoes or soup.

Source: https://DachaMechty.ru/retsepty/zamorozka/morkov-v-morozilke.html

The first is cost savings: in winter, carrots are expensive, and the price is constantly growing, as are the appetites of the owners of outlets. And the roots bought in the fall are poorly stored, rot and wither.

While frozen, they are perfectly stored in the freezer for several months and even longer if you got root vegetables of good quality and suitable variety for freezing. Best of all, not very juicy carrots are stored.

The second task is even more practical: you will save time. However, let's talk about everything in order.

Is it possible to freeze carrots for the winter

You can and should! Freezing carrots is a great way to preserve their freshness for a long time, to do without questionable harvesting methods such as stewing in a large amount of oil and then storing with the addition of vinegar.

The best option is a separate deep-freeze refrigerator. Such equipment (with special freezing bags) will ensure the freshness and healthiness of the carrots for the whole year. If you use the freezer and do not bother with the bags, then it will be stored for up to 9 months.

Training

Select the size of the average fruit. Small is also fine, but it loses its taste when frozen. It is better not to use a large one.

Before freezing, you need to clean the carrots well from dirt. Wash it off and trim the top layer thinly. Then slice the carrots any way you like. If the carrots are small, they can be frozen whole.

It is recommended to think in advance how many different cuts will be needed during the year, and make preparations according to the plan: for soups, borscht, stews, hodgepodge, various types of vegetable caviar, pilaf and other dishes that make up your usual menu.

Prepare the right amount of hot water for all the carrots. Can be divided into portions and bookmarked in several approaches. The main thing is that the water is only from the fire. You will also need plenty of cold ice water.

Blanching

Carrots contain enzymes and bacteria that negatively affect nutrients, as well as change the color and taste of the vegetable. You can get rid of this problem by treating carrots with hot water to kill the "bad" bacteria and stop the enzymes. Boil whole carrots for 5 minutes, and chopped carrots for 2 minutes.

Cooling

Pre-freeze

Package

For freezing, use containers or plastic bags (preferably vacuum ones). It is better not to take glassware, as it may burst.
Leave a few centimeters of free space when using the container as the vegetables will expand when frozen.

I advise you to freeze the carrots for the winter, especially since now you know how to do it.

This is also interesting: ActionTeaser.ru - teaser advertising

Source: http://neboleyka.info/kak-zamorozit-morkov-na-zimu_foto/

How to freeze carrots for the winter

Many hostesses are happy to freeze berries and summer vegetables- cucumbers, zucchini, eggplants. And they don't even think about freezing carrots. After all, you can buy it even in winter.

But is it worth comparing that winter carrot that is starting to sprout, already a little wilted, with dark spots with the one that was just dug out in the garden? The advantage of the latter is obvious! Dense, juicy, with orange sweet pulp, carrots just need to be kept in this form! And freezing will help with this.

By the way, properly frozen vegetables retain almost all nutrients, including vitamins.

Preparing carrots for freezing

Only freshly dug carrots are suitable for freezing.

Root crops should be smooth, without deformation, and should not have black, green or rotten spots.

Carrots should not be overgrown, since very large roots are not so sweet and juicy. Most often, such carrots are tough, like wood.

Freezing is not worth it and too small carrots because it is not yet so bright and has a less pronounced taste. And some young carrots are also bitter.

The tops and tail of carrots are cut off. Wash thoroughly.

Peel carrots by peeling them off in a thin layer. And washed again.

Root vegetables are laid out on a towel and dried well.

While the carrots are drying, prepare the containers for freezing. These can be small plastic containers, disposable cups, ice cube trays, plastic bags with zip fasteners, or special ones designed for freezing. Ordinary plastic bags will work as well. But they must be dense and, of course, new.

Carrots are frozen both raw and boiled.

Carrots can be frozen in combination with other vegetables or herbs, as well as in the form of a salad - a semi-finished product.

How to freeze chopped carrots

Method 1... Depending on the purpose of freezing, the prepared carrots are cut into cubes, sticks, straws, slices or circles.

To prevent the carrot slices from sticking together during freezing, they must be completely dry.

The chopped carrots are laid out in bags so that this amount is enough to prepare one dish. And so that frozen vegetables do not have to be removed from the refrigerator several times.

If the carrots are not dry enough, then they need to be frozen in two stages.

Stage 1 - preliminary freezing. Put chopped carrots in one layer on a tray or cutting board and placed in a freezer for 1-2 hours.

Stage 2 - final freezing. Frozen carrot slices are placed in bags, if possible, deaerated and fastened or tied well. They make the bags more compact and put them in the freezer for later storage.

Method 2... Washed and peeled carrots are cut into cubes (cubes, slices, circles ...)

Small portions of carrots are placed in a colander and immersed in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.

Then the colander with carrots is immersed in very cold water for the same time. Thanks to this procedure, carrots improve not only taste qualities but also retains the vivid color. Method with cold water also used for cooking carrots for salads.

Put the cooled chopped carrots on a towel and wait until all the water has drained off.

The carrots are put in small bags and put into the freezer. To prevent the carrot pieces from freezing, they can be frozen in two stages (this was mentioned above).

If the carrots are put into the freezer without pre-freezing, you can use this method: after two to three hours they take out a bag with chopped carrots and, without opening it, "break" the lumps. Just like you do with purchased dumplings or dumplings. Then put the bag back into the freezer. After this manipulation, the carrot slices will freeze one by one.

Method 3... The whole washed and peeled carrots are placed in a saucepan and boiled for 5-7 minutes.

Then the carrots are removed from the pot and immediately immersed in cold water for a few minutes.

The carrots are laid out on a towel and allowed to dry well.

Then it is cut into cubes or in some other way.

They are packaged in portioned bags, let air out of them, tie well and freeze, preferably in two stages (preliminary freezing, final freezing).

How to freeze grated carrots

Grate the prepared carrots on a medium grater, place them tightly in portioned sachets and give them a flat shape.

The thickness of the bags filled with carrots should not exceed 2-3 cm. Then the carrots will quickly freeze, and such bags are convenient to store, since they are compact and take up less space in the freezer.

Some housewives have adapted themselves from such briquettes, as needed, to break off pieces of frozen carrots and use them in cooking. But in this case, they take out the bag of carrots several times, which does not have a very good effect on further storage and the quality of carrots.

Therefore, it is still better to use bags or containers of such a volume that they can hold as many harvested carrots as required for one meal or for one recipe.

How to freeze carrot puree

Carrot puree is used less often in cooking. But mothers who have a baby use this method of freezing quite often. After all, frozen carrot puree is the best suited for cooking dishes for babies up to a year and older.

To prepare carrot puree, clean and peeled carrots are cut into cubes or slices, dipped in boiling water and cooked until soft, about 20-25 minutes.

Then the carrots are chopped in a blender.

The resulting puree is quickly cooled and placed in portioned plastic containers.

They are well closed with lids or cling film and put away in the freezer.

How to defrost frozen carrots

Most often, such carrots are placed in a dish during cooking without defrosting.

But remember that frozen vegetables cook much faster than fresh ones.

Pre-boiled carrots are placed in a dish at the very end of cooking.

Carrot puree is only warmed up before use. Or, without defrosting, add to mashed potatoes from other vegetables and warm up.

Grated carrots are also added to the dish during cooking without defrosting.

If you need to defrost carrots, they are placed in the plus compartment of the refrigerator or thawed at room temperature.

The shelf life of frozen carrots is 8-10 months.

Source: http://OnWomen.ru/kak-zamorozit-morkov-na-zimu.html

What can be frozen for the winter

Modern man uses frozen foods - with varying degrees of frequency, but quite regularly, this is a fact that cannot be argued with.

Finished puff pastry, pacific fish, blueberries in winter, convenient broccoli bags and even regular ice cream - we all eat convenience foods and frozen foods, and this is already quite difficult to deal with, even if you are an ardent opponent of food cooked deep in advance.

However, you must admit that this is convenient - almost at any time of the year you can afford what you could not have dreamed of before: soup with green peas, strawberry pie, pasta with mussels are always available thanks to supermarkets. And what can you freeze for the winter if there is still room in the freezer at home?

Homemade frozen semi-finished products are first of all convenient: there is nothing easier than puree soup from vegetables that can be found in the freezer. Secondly, it is, of course, useful: when frozen, most foods retain the vitamins they can boast of. In the third - economically: compare prices for, for example, Bell pepper now and at the end of winter, you will not need any other arguments.

What can you freeze for the winter?

10 simple and affordable ideas.

1. Soup set

Yeah, no matter how strange it sounds, but exactly soup set- what can serve as the basis for a rich vegetable broth is now much cheaper.

Celery root and coarse sprigs of parsley (now they are coarse, thick and tasteless, but still very fragrant and healthy), cauliflower bases after you made a stew with it, substandard bell pepper(here is the one with a cropped ugly barrel and a slightly dried, wilted top), a couple of tiny carrots that are inconvenient to rub (do you also have a poor carrot harvest this year?), parsnips, pumpkin, tomato - peel everything, if necessary, cut into two - three parts (vegetables must be large), mix and pack in freezer bags. In winter, having taken out a portion of such a blank, you can easily cook an unrealistically fragrant and healthy vegetable broth- a cheap and excellent base for any soup.

2. Eggplant

Now is the season of the blue ones. If you have already tried freezing eggplants and are disappointed, do not rush to the next paragraph - there is an option in which these vegetables will not taste bitter, they will turn out delicious and very, very interesting. To freeze eggplants, they must first be ... baked.

In the oven or over a fire, bring them to softness, then cool, peel, cut into pieces (or rather tear) and freeze.

In winter, you have the foundation for a beautiful vegetable snack(it will only be enough to defrost it and mash it with a blender along with a couple of cloves of garlic, a spoon olive oil and a handful of greens), component vegetable stew, cream soup, tart.

3. Greens

Greens, of course! Lots of parsley, cilantro, dill, basil, tarragon and everything, everything, everything that can be added to soup, pasta, stewed potatoes, stuffing for pies, stews.

To properly freeze greens, wash and dry them well, then chop and put in plastic containers. Cover, store in freezer, use as needed.

Simple, cheap and flavorful.

4. Tomatoes

Few people know that tomatoes can be frozen.

And nevertheless - it is possible and necessary! Now, at the peak of the season, they are cheap, they are tasty and as fragrant as possible, which means we go to the market, buy tomatoes, after returning home, wash them, cut the skin, scald with boiling water, peel, and then puree with a blender.

Pour into bags (containers or disposable cups) and freeze. In winter, you will say thank you to yourself when you can cook awesome delicious borsch, refuel stewed cabbage fresh tomato puree, prepare an unreal sauce for pasta and stew the fish in a cheap tomato marinade.

5. Beans

Now it is not only cheap, but also young, soft, juicy. After you dry it, the cooking time will increase significantly. If you freeze it, you will always have a serving of young beans for your soup or stew. Cheap and convenient.

6. Watermelon

Now that the markets are overwhelmed with this wonderful berry, buy a couple of watermelons, peel and seeds, cut in large pieces and freeze. In winter, you can feel the taste of summer by simply placing the preparation in the bowl of the kitchen processor and turning it into a wonderful watermelon ice cream or adding a couple of cubes to any cocktail.

7. Carrots

You, too, have nowhere to store your carrot crop, do you have a cellar and a box of sand? Peel it, grate it and place it in containers. From now on, making soup will become an even faster process, because there will be no need to waste time manipulating carrots! Among other things, autumn carrots are much cheaper than winter and even more so spring carrots.

8. Bell pepper

Do you like stuffed bell peppers? If you hurry up a little now, you can enjoy this dish in winter too.

To do this, you need to wash the pepper, carefully remove the stalk, fold the peeled peppers into each other and be sure to wrap them in a bag.

If you freeze peppers just like that, without polyethylene, the thin walls of vegetables will dry out pretty quickly - as a result, you will get frozen thin-walled peppers. Edible, but less aromatic.

9. Broccoli

And here everything is simple: we cut into inflorescences, put them in bags, send them to the freezer. The base for the puree soup and the addition for the stew pies are ready. Delicious, simple and, importantly, significantly cheaper than buying frozen broccoli in stores.

10. Plums

You probably already managed to freeze all kinds of berries that summer delighted you with. And now is the plum season, and I strongly recommend that you freeze a couple of bags of this luxury as well: in winter you can not only cook fresh compotes, but also pamper your family with delicious plum pies

According to statistics, in winter a person goes to the store less often, buys fewer products... And all because in winter time products prepared since summer are consumed. These are marinades, compotes, preserves, jams, salads. And most importantly, frozen fruits and vegetables. Buying them in the midst of the summer season, we spend a penny on them than if we took them in the winter. In addition, frozen fruits and vegetables do not lose their beneficial properties - they fully retain all vitamins and minerals. Today we'll talk about carrots - how to properly prepare them for freezing, in what form to freeze and how to safely defrost this vegetable.

The benefits of carrots for the human body

Carrots are carotene that the growing body needs so much. That is why carrots are considered to be a tall vegetable. But for this carotene to be well absorbed, it must be taken together with vegetable oil. The perfect combination- vegetable salad with carrots, seasoned with a spoonful of sunflower oil.

Carrots are incredibly beneficial for eye health. It contains a lot of vitamin A, a deficiency of which can cause night blindness in a person. For diabetics, boiled carrots are useful, even more than raw carrots. Red carrots lowers blood cholesterol levels, strengthens the walls blood vessels- makes them more elastic. Red carrots are high in potassium, which is good for the heart.

And also carrots are rough alimentary fiber, which are not completely processed, swell in the intestines and, like a large hard brush, clean out all unnecessary and stagnant feces. This is wonderful remedy from constipation. In addition, carrots absorb all toxins and toxins, cleaning the body completely.

Carrots are not only eaten - they are used externally. Carrot gruel perfectly heals wounds and ulcers, relieves inflammation and redness. And masks with grated carrots are rightfully considered the best against aging and sagging skin.

Why freeze carrots

Indeed, why, if all year round is it on sale? As noted above, the first reason is economy. In winter, vegetables, including carrots, are much more expensive. Also, you don't know the conditions under which they were stored. Often, the grower processes root crops chemical compositions so that they do not deteriorate and still look good long time... By adding artificial gloss to carrots, the seller deprives them of their beneficial properties. Such root vegetables can be not only useless, but also dangerous - you do not know how they were stored and how they were processed.

The second reason to freeze carrots is to save time. Now you will not need to peel the carrots every time, wash them, cut them into desired pieces. Now you can just get it and add it to ready meal the right amount finished purified product. Quite tempting, isn't it?

In general, carrots, of course, can be stored in fresh... In this case, it should be placed in a cool basement or glazed balcony. It is important to choose the right temperature to prevent the carrots from freezing and rotting. It is also necessary to take into account the humidity of the room so that the fruits do not dry out and become moldy. Keep in mind that if it's too warm, the carrots will start to grow, giving away all the nutritious juices to the useless sprouts. In a city apartment, hardly anyone has a clean, dark basement with optimal humidity and temperature. That is why it is much more convenient to freeze carrots - I bothered once and forgot about the storage problem. All that remains is to get the carrots out of the freezer as needed and use them for their intended purpose.

For freezing, you need to take fresh root vegetables, it is better if they come from the garden. If you freeze carrots from the market, you can make sure of their freshness by the tops - if they are green and not withered - the carrots were recently harvested. Best to freeze spring carrots- it is more juicy and sweeter.

Root crops must be washed and dried thoroughly. Wet carrots will stick together and will be difficult to take in the right amount if you freeze everything in one container.
Young carrots do not need to be peeled - their skin is very delicate and thin. Ripe carrots should be peeled.
Now sit down and think about what you are cooking from carrots. The cutting shape of this vegetable depends on this. Carrots are often used in different dishes, therefore it is cut in different ways. Cut some carrots into strips - they are suitable for pilaf, make carrot circles - they will do when you cook roasts. Diced carrots can be used to add to soup. For borscht, carrots can be grated. Want to save time? Mix grated carrots with beets and add these preparations to borscht in winter.
If you want to save even more time, you can blanch the carrots before freezing. In this case, the carrots will be almost ready - they will cook much faster when added to the dish. Dip the chopped carrots in boiling water for 3 minutes, then transfer them to a bowl of ice water. Such a temperature difference will not allow the vegetable to turn into porridge - the slices will remain intact. Then discard the vegetables in a colander to drain the excess water.
Now the carrots should be packaged. You can split the vegetables into several packages - one with straws, one with grated carrots, and one with slices. However, in this case, each time you cook, you will have to pick out the right amount of the vegetable, and put the rest back in the refrigerator. Such temperature drops have a negative effect on the benefits of the product, so it is better to freeze carrots in portions. Pack all carrots in small bags so that only one serving is needed per dish. By the way, it is convenient to freeze grated carrots with beets for borscht in muffin tins. Once the vegetables are frozen, you can simply transfer them to a bag.
Such carrots can be stored for up to a year. But don't freeze too much, just enough to last until the next harvest.
Carrots do not need to be specially thawed. Just take it out of the freezer required package and toss into a dish.

This is a simple carrot freezing algorithm that will save you time and money.

How to freeze boiled carrots

Carrots can be frozen in any form - boiled, stewed, fried. Boiled carrots are most often frozen by young mothers who have small children. Carrots are excellent complementary foods, but children eat little. Would you like to boil half a carrot every time? To save time, we will freeze boiled carrots. Pour water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. There should be little water so that it slightly covers the roots. No cooking salt is added (if the carrots are intended for a child). Dip the carrots in boiling water and cook for 20-30 minutes until full readiness... When the vegetables become soft, they need to be taken out, cooled and peeled from the thin skin.

The vegetables are cut into several pieces and divided into bags so that only one portion is defrosted at a time. In order not to lose the usefulness of the product, you need to defrost it correctly. Transfer the carrot portion from the freezer to the refrigerator shelf and leave it there for a few hours until it's completely thawed. And only then place the carrots in the microwave and heat up to the right temperature... If you defrost carrots right away in the microwave, a sharp temperature drop will kill all vitamins, and the vegetable will become useless. After warming the boiled carrot, you need to knead it, add a drop if desired vegetable oil... Not a single toddler will refuse such a tasty and healthy treat.

Remember, you cannot re-freeze carrots. And yet, when you put the carrots in the freezer for storage, tie the neck of the bag tightly so that the vegetable does not absorb extraneous odors.

Carrots are a unique root vegetable. It is added to soups, hot dishes, salads and marinades. Not one can do without carrots winter salad, it is needed for sauerkraut... Moreover, carrots are prepared delicious desserts and jam - in Europe, it is generally considered not a vegetable, but a fruit. Even young tops of carrots are used - they are added to various snacks and salads. Eat carrots in various forms, gnaw it raw, freeze. And then your dishes will always be decorated with bright slices of juicy carrots!

Video: harvesting carrots for the winter

Vitamin carrots - necessary for the body vegetable. How good it is when carrots are abundant. What kind of dishes can not be prepared from it and preparations for the winter ...

Freezing carrots for the winter at home is a simple and very convenient "thing" for housewives. The freezer helps to keep everything in carrots important elements and vitamins. Grated carrots for the winter and for soup are good, and for frying, and for filling for pies.

To freeze carrots for the winter in the freezer, in addition to fresh carrots, small packaging bags are required. Compact for the freezer and convenient to use.

Carrots plucked from the "home" garden are best suited for harvesting. We harvest carrots in October, rinse with water and then dry well. We store in the cellar until spring, but we always freeze some. Before cooking, peel off the peel from the carrots, cut off a part from the remaining stalk and the tip.