Freezing is the easiest way to prepare food for the winter. Moreover, you can freeze almost everything: vegetables and fruits, mushrooms and berries, various spices and herbs. Fresh food stored in this way perfectly preserves its vitamins and useful properties throughout the winter. Semi-finished products are also frozen, which, if necessary, can be simply defrosted and added to the prepared dish during its preparation. However, it must be borne in mind that freezing any supplies has its own characteristics. Step-by-step recipes with photos will help you take into account all the nuances in order to preserve as many vitamins as possible.

The best recipes with photos

The last notes

The main difficulty in storing radishes is that when frozen in a regular freezer, where the standard temperature is -18 to -24 ° C, the water contained in the radish turns into crystals that break the fruit. And when defrosting, the radish will simply drain, leaving a puddle of water and a sluggish rag.

I find buying a freezer very good! At first I thought that I could not even fill it halfway, but now there is no free space in it, everything is so crammed with food, blanks and other useful things. I will share my experience of freezing food, and also show you where and what I have in the freezer.

Storing food in the freezer. Examples of

In addition to a separate freezer, I also use a freezer in the fridge. In it I store those products that I use every day, so as not to go to another room with a freezer once again.

Usually, modern refrigerator models have a fairly spacious freezer and consists of three deep compartments and a tray for freezing flat foods and ice cubes.

It is more convenient for me to store the products I use most often in the upper compartment (1) - this is frozen meat, bacon, bacon, minced meat, meatballs, dumplings, dumplings, spring rolls, frozen cabbage rolls and stuffed peppers, broth, soup and the like.
In the middle compartment (2) - all kinds of vegetables, fruits, milk, hard cheese, tomato paste.
And products such as mushrooms, fish, seafood and others are at the very bottom (3) .

So, let's look into my freezer (it consists of 6 trays).

The first two trays - all kinds of meat products and preparations.
Having a one-year-old child in the house is very convenient to freeze in advance from different types of meat. I have chicken, rabbit, beef and fish balls (cod and hake). On the shelf next to them are homemade dumplings, as well as prepared minced meat.

Let's see what's in the depths? And there they lie. It is very convenient to freeze them in such foil forms, alternating with vegetable dressing and tomato juice. In this form, I have 14-16 cabbage rolls. You just need to put them in a hot oven and dinner is ready.

Choose where to send you the table:

The next shelf - all the same meatballs, only "grown-up" (with spices and black pepper, more salty), as well as mountains (with meat and mushrooms). I ice pancakes in bags with a zip-lock, 8-10 pieces. I heat them either in a frying pan, in the microwave, or in the oven. My household members may not ask me where the filling is, because on each package it is written in black marker what these pancakes are with.

Behind the pancakes and meatballs are layers of homemade bacon and a piece of bacon. Lard is stored at low temperatures just fine, does not lose its properties and does not turn yellow. I have had such lard for 4 months already and, based on my experience, it will lie for the same amount without loss of taste.

When I fry pancakes, I cut off a piece of frozen bacon and grease the pan.

In general, frozen bacon can be used in the same way as fresh: cut into strips or cubes, fry with onions and serve with or potatoes.

I cook pea soup from frozen bacon, season the potatoes and serve with th. All you need to do is transfer the bacon to the refrigerator and let it defrost overnight.

The next compartment is reserved for pure meat. Here is everything that the soul desires: homemade chicken, cut into pieces, pork (neck, rib, shoulder blade), parts of a rabbit, as well as whole carcasses of ducks to cook for the holidays or with prunes.

Look on our website how to properly cut and freeze, as well as portions.

All pieces of meat are in tight bags (parts such as wings and backbone, as well as ribs - I put them in two bags), each of them has a label indicating the type of meat, part of the carcass and the date of freezing.

The next two shelves are filled to the maximum with frozen vegetables and fruits. Of course, a lot has already been eaten, but I also have something to show.

Green beans have been lying for 6 months, they do not turn black and do not lose their properties at all. And all because I froze it correctly. Ask how exactly by reading our freezing recipe.

Of the vegetables, there are still zucchini and eggplant. The cutting was different: cubes, strips, wedges, grated vegetables and even mashed potatoes. All vegetables look fresh, nothing darkened, not covered with ice crusts.

Many housewives complain that raw carrots in the freezer turn gray, spoil and are not suitable for consumption. Look at mine. She is as fresh. And all because I adhered to the required temperature regime and freezing rules. Pay attention to the month of the freeze. I have kept it for 6 months already. This supply will be enough for me for another two months.

Not a single soup or borscht is complete without generous bunches of dill and parsley. I froze as much as I could, and it was about 3-4 kilograms of each green. I also store it in bags with a zip-lock. For convenience, I use bags of different sizes and so that the greens do not freeze in one large lump, I freeze them in thin layers.

A favorite shelf in the freezer is the fruit compartment. It's just a holiday. There is such an abundance of berries and fruits that no supermarket can compare to my freezer.

All berries are separate from each other, there are no layers, frozen lumps of cherries or currants.

The main rule for freezing berries is to dry them well from moisture and first freeze them on a flat tray, and then put them in bags or trays. In the summer, I froze black, red, and white currants, stocked up.

In addition to my favorite zip-lock bags, I often use boxes or trays for freezing berries. Here they are protected from mechanical damage and it is a pleasure to get the berries out of them. The photo shows your favorite berries for making a vitamin compote. By the way, be curious about how I froze, and.

I try to freeze seasonal vegetables and fruits on time, at the peak of their mass appearance in markets and shops. At this time, such products are the cheapest, and you can choose the best from a variety of fruits and berries.

I also freeze foods such as meat in large quantities. I order poultry, pork, rabbits, etc. from farmers, buy 40 kilograms, ice cream and I can not think about a meat shelf in the freezer for 2-3 months. When I see that we have enough meat for a week, I order again and again ice cream. It's easier for me to spend one day freezing different cuts and pieces of meat than buying a little bit every couple of weeks and freezing them.

I don't have a lot of fish in the freezer, I buy it once a month, no more than 1-2 kilograms. These are mainly fresh pike perch, mackerel and herring.

I try to make preparations (such as stuffed cabbage, dumplings, dumplings, pancakes with a filling, cutlets and meatballs) in large batches, but not all in one day. I break it into groups. For example, on Saturday I decided to make dumplings and dumplings. Already on Thursday-Friday, I start preparing: I make minced meat, boil potatoes and liver for the filling, cabbage carcass. I hide it all in the refrigerator. On Saturday morning, I knead the dough in a bread maker and bring the filling to readiness. Well, then I turn on my favorite TV series and make dumplings and dumplings. It turns out 200 pieces of both. Thus, I do not get tired in the kitchen and do not wash mountains of dishes until 12 at night.

The same is the case with spring rolls - the filling can be prepared in advance, or the pancakes can be baked, and then only rolled and frozen.

How to keep track of frost

I showed you the bins of my freezer, and now I'll tell you how I keep records of all this stuff.

Using a spreadsheet, I made a list of all the foods that I freeze throughout the year. I broke all the products by seasons. For example, SPRING: spinach, wild garlic, wild strawberries, rhubarb, SUMMER: raspberries, blueberries, etc. Filled in the required fields, namely the date of freezing and the shelf life. Well, and then a smart program using a formula itself shows me how many days are left until the end date of using the product, or even writes that the product is expired.

When I see that in 2-3 weeks a product will expire, I post it in a prominent place in the freezer and plan a menu using this product.

Naturally, in addition to the program, labels help orient the product's shelf life.

Sample accounting table

(tables + tables of shelf life of products will be received by the training participants ““)

An example of an accounting table (Blanks).

The freezer is my faithful assistant. It contains so many foods, vegetables, fruits and semi-finished products that I can not think about cooking and devote more time to my family.

The freezer is one of the best inventions of the 20th century. In it, at a temperature of -18 degrees Celsius, berries collected in the summer, boxes with herbs, meat purchased for future use are stored. Even soups and broths are frozen by zealous housewives. But very often irreparable mistakes are made during long-term storage of products. We will tell you what not to do when storing frozen food.

Boxes

There is always a lack of a freezer. And so I want to shove into it more berries for winter fruit drinks, another portion of cutlets and several large fish. But remember that you cannot stuff the boxes so that they barely close. The food in the freezer should be free and there should be free space in the drawers for air circulation. How else to cool?

Packaging

Regular plastic bags and cling film will not work. In the freezer, they will crumble and break from the cold. We need dense polyethylene. These can be special packages, such as are now on sale, or simply tight packages, for example, packaging from soft milk often gets a second life in the freezer.

A lot of air in the package

You can't just stick a piece of meat in a bag and put it in the freezer. First, it must be tightly packed so that as little air as possible remains in the package. Then the product will freeze faster, it will be better stored. The tightly closed packaging ensures that your meat does not absorb the smells of frozen fish lying nearby.

Large portions

It is best to pack food for freezing in small bags and containers. Then you can get the amount of greens you need for the dish, for example, and not defrost a large package to take quite a bit.

Wrong products

Not all food can be stored in the freezer. Some only deteriorate from frost:

Strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, papaya, and all high water content berry fruits... Firstly, in the cold they can crack (after all, the liquid expands). Secondly, after defrosting, they will lose both taste, shape and aroma.

Cabbage, celery, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsnips, chicory, radish, radish... They also contain a lot of liquid and only lose their taste when frozen.

Potatoes... Raw root vegetables after defrosting become lethargic, watery and sweet.

Eggs... After freezing, they acquire an unpleasant taste, and bacteria penetrate through the cracked shell, which makes this product completely unsuitable for food.

Kefir, yogurt, cheese... The beneficial properties and pleasant taste of fermented milk products deteriorate, moreover, due to the low temperature, they can curdle.

Cream, sour cream, milk sauces, custard, mayonnaise... After freezing, they can be thrown away - they stratify, become watery and lumpy.

Ready-made pasta, spaghetti, rice... These side dishes lose their texture and flavor after freezing. Cunning

Storage periods

And finally, the most important point. The fact is that no product can be stored in the freezer for many years. The maximum is 1 year. And in most cases even less.

It should be remembered that during storage, even when frozen, the quality of the product deteriorates. This is especially true of fatty foods - fatty fish, for example, loses its taste very much if stored frozen for more than 2-3 months.

To avoid errors with shelf life, labels with the date of freezing can be affixed to each product. It is also best to sign what is in the package so as not to unwrap the package again.

So, the maximum you can store:

Bird- 9 months

Beef, pork, lamb, horse meat - 4-6 months

Fish: oily - 2-3 months, the rest - 6 months

Seafood- 3-4 months

Semi-finished products (dumplings, dumplings, cutlets, pancakes, cabbage rolls, minced meat, etc.) - 3-4 months

Ready meals, including broths and soups, sauces, cutlets - 2-3 months

Vegetables and fruits up to 1 year, except for tomatoes (2 months), peppers (3-4 months), zucchini and pumpkins (10 months), apples (4 months), apricots (6 months), peaches (4 months)

Mushrooms: boiled up to 1 year, raw - 8 months

Berries usually stored for six months.

Greens and herbs - 6-8 months

Ice creamstored for 2 months

Margarine and butter - about 9 months

Bread and other baked goods - 2-3 months

More and more gardeners are engaged in freezing vegetables for the winter at home. This is a quick way to prepare for the winter. Products retain the maximum amount of nutrients. Supermarket shelves are filled with all kinds of frozen fruits and vegetables. But what could be better and tastier than strawberries, cherries, cabbage and zucchini grown in our own country house.

A bountiful harvest requires immediate processing. And in the beds another wave of vegetables ripens. The gardener often does not have enough time for pickling and salting. And it is not difficult to put semi-finished products into the freezer chest and does not take much time.

You can freeze almost everything that grows in the country and gives a harvest: greens, berries, fruits and vegetables. The main thing is to follow the rules. Then the blanks will delight you in the long cold winter.

Why freeze

Harvest preservation is the main task of the gardener. Summer and early autumn are a hot season. Vegetables and berries require immediate processing. The summer resident does not always have enough time to prepare pickles and marinades.

Freezing food comes to the rescue. Almost every garden house has a refrigerator and freezer. And it will take a little time to prepare and lay the raw materials.

The advantage of frozen products is the preservation of vitamins. Most of them are destroyed during heat treatment. And this way of storing food makes semi-finished products useful.

Not all gardeners have enough storage space for pickles and marinades. Some (mushrooms) should not stand at room temperature. And frozen canned food is compact.

You can buy almost any vegetable mixture at the store. But products grown in their own garden and frozen on their own are much tastier.

General rules for freezing

To obtain high quality vegetables, you need to freeze them according to the rules. This will keep the color and presentation. Vegetables correctly selected and placed in the chamber have a characteristic consistency and are easy and simple to cook.

At what temperature are vegetables frozen

The prepared raw material is placed in the freezer in the "fast freezing" mode. It is -25 degrees Celsius. After freezing (about an hour), the temperature is raised to -23 degrees.

Features of storing food in the freezer

It is not enough to simply store the crop. You need to have the right food to prepare delicious meals in winter. To obtain high-quality semi-finished products, you should follow the recommendations:

1. It is necessary to follow the rule of commodity neighborhood. Frozen vegetables should not be stored in the same compartment as meat, fish or mushrooms. If the latter are spoiled, vegetables will remain edible.
2. Before storing, drawers and shelves should be thoroughly washed and dried.
3. It is recommended to write the type of workpiece and the date of storage on the packaging. This is required to quickly revise the contents of the freezer.
4. Drawers and shelves are filled as tightly as possible. But pre-frozen semi-finished products should be stacked. The layers of raw food freeze up: it becomes impossible to pull them out.
5. Mixtures should be packed in containers for portion use: they are difficult to get out of large bags. Re-freezing defrosted food is not permitted.

You should not try to freeze the entire crop as a whole: any harvesting has a shelf life. It's a shame to throw away what you didn't have time to eat.

Storage periods

Gardeners often neglect the shelf life of frozen foods. It's not safe. Even at sub-zero temperatures, bacteria live and multiply. The cold only slows down their development. Using the freezer outside the expiration date may be harmful to health.

When vegetables are stored at temperatures from -23 to -18 degrees Celsius, the products retain their beneficial properties for a year. At negative temperatures above -18 - vegetables can be consumed without fear for 8 months.

Each chest freezer has a temperature sensor. You should regularly pay attention to its values.

Packaging for storing food in the freezer

Only food-grade packaging should be used for freezing. Cellophane freezer bags are ideal. Raw materials are laid in them, air is expelled. Flat containers are easily stacked.

Some gardeners use food containers. They must be marked accordingly. The container is filled with chopped vegetables and covered with lids. Rectangular containers of equal size fit snugly on the shelves.

How to choose and prepare vegetables for the winter correctly

The quality of frozen products depends on compliance with the rules for storing. The basic recommendations should be followed:

1. Take ripe vegetables with intact skin. The presence of rot or stains is unacceptable.
2. Wash food thoroughly in hot water before placing it. Then spread out to dry. Excess moisture reduces the quality of the workpieces.
3. The dense skin should be peeled off, the seeds should be removed from the middle, the stalks should be cut off.
4. Blanch if necessary. This operation will preserve the marketability of raw materials.
5. The workpiece should be stored in a tightly closed container: this will protect the vegetables from drying out.

Vegetables are frozen, either cut or whole. It depends on the intended use and the place in the freezer.

What kind of dishes do you need

Use only specially marked plastic containers for placing in the chest freezer. This will keep it from cracking and the vegetables from spoiling.

It is permissible to use glass or porcelain dishes at intermediate stages. Juicy vegetables (tomatoes) are laid out on them. From above, the dishes are tightened with cling film to prevent freezing. After an hour, the frozen pieces are transferred to a container.

Do I need to wash vegetables before freezing

It is assumed that the frozen food is completely ready for cooking. After defrosting, you can immediately make a side dish or appetizer from them. Therefore, the laid vegetables must be washed in hot water. A brush is recommended for heavily soiled food.

Why blanch vegetables before freezing

Blanching - alternately immersing vegetables in boiling water and cold water. It is performed within 2-5 minutes. With prolonged operation, the product becomes boiled.

Blanching is a necessary part of the freezing process for some foods. It allows you to keep the presentation. Cauliflower without this operation changes color from white to gray. It becomes unpleasant to eat it.

Some vegetables, when blanched, acquire the missing density. This prevents the pieces from sticking together.

What vegetables can be frozen at home

Almost all vegetables grown in the garden are subject to freezing. But they need to be properly prepared for storage. Foods often look attractively fresh, but removed from the freezer do not make you want to eat them. The mass has an incomprehensible consistency and a strange color.

The reason is a violation of the procurement rules. Fruits were selected green or overripe, damaged by insects. The temperature inside the chest was too high or unstable. The packaging has been damaged during insertion. To avoid disappointment, you should carefully follow the rules for sorting, processing and setting vegetables.

Tomatoes

Berries are frozen in several ways:

1. Peel the peel from the tomatoes. Cut large tomatoes into pieces, remove the seed chambers together with the partitions. Place the remaining dry parts in a plastic container and place in the freezer. Tomatoes are used for fresh consumption and cooking.
2. Cherry tomatoes are frozen whole. Sort the berries, wash and place in a plastic bag.
3. Cut the tomatoes into pieces and put on a glass dish in one layer. Cover with cling film. After freezing (after 60 minutes), the tomatoes should be carefully removed and transferred to a plastic bag.

Thawed tomatoes taste the same as fresh ones.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers are also suitable for freezing. Better to use salad varieties. Zelentsy should be cut into pieces, rings or strips. Then place in containers. This is a semi-finished product for winter salads. But it is recommended to use the product within six months.

Bell pepper

Bell peppers are frozen for winter stuffing or additives in stews, soups. In the first case, the stalks are removed from the peppercorns and the seeds are cleaned. The fruits are inserted into each other and placed in plastic bags. The pepper is ready for stuffing.

In the second case, the fruits are cleaned of seeds and cut into cubes or strips. Sliced \u200b\u200btightly fill the container and put it in a chest freezer.

Some gardeners immediately fill the peppercorns with minced meat or vegetable. When using meat, the shelf life should not exceed 3 months..

Eggplant

This representative of the nightshade has a rough and bitter skin. It needs to be cleaned off. Then the fruits should be blanched for 5-7 minutes. After all the preparatory operations, the eggplants are cut and frozen.

For stuffing, the fruits are cut in half lengthwise and frozen in this form.

Green peas and milky corn

Green peas and milky corn are favorite ingredients in winter salads. We freeze the components ourselves:

• plowing cobs (three of them against each other) and pods;
• put in bags;
• tie tightly.

The result is a great addition to salads and soups.

Cabbage

Broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and Brussels sprouts are suitable for harvesting. Broccoli and color are disassembled into inflorescences, we cut off the legs. Then blanch for 3 minutes. Dry and freeze cabbage in a plastic bag.

Brussels - disassemble into heads of cabbage, clean from the covering leaves and also blanch. Dry and freeze.

We clean the kohlrabi from the dense skin and rub it on a coarse grater. Then we put it in a plastic container and put it in the freezer. Freeze the released juice with cabbage. In winter, it is used to make soups and sauces.

Zucchini, squash, pumpkin

It is easy and pleasant to harvest melons and gourds. They must first be cleaned and seeds removed. For stew, vegetables must be cut into cubes, for stuffing - with washers (with a cleaned center). Divide the vegetables in portions (for one cooking) in bags and freeze.

Green beans

Asparagus beans are used to prepare various dishes. It's nice to have it on the menu in winter.

Pods should be sorted, damaged pods should be discarded. Then cut off the stems and tips. Cut large into pieces. The pods need to be blanched in salted water. The processing time is 3 minutes. Then they should be dried on a paper towel. After all the actions, put the product in bags and put in a chest.

Ginger

It is a popular spicy and healthy food additive. The root can be frozen in the following ways:

1. In a freezer freezer, the food is frozen whole. It is washed, dried and placed in a plastic bag.
2. Gardeners use grated ginger for cooking. The root is washed, peeled and grated. Then they are carefully laid out on a platter and covered with plastic wrap. After 60 minutes, the frozen hemispheres are laid out in a bag or container and placed in storage.
3. Ginger can be frozen chopped. The root is washed, peeled and cut into the desired pieces. They are placed in a bag and frozen.

In the first case, after defrosting, the root should be cleaned.

Turnip

Turnip is included in the dietary menu. It is added to soups, stews. Turnips are garnished with meat dishes.

Freezing a root vegetable is easy. First, it is washed, peeled. Then cut into cubes and blanch for 3 minutes. The dried pieces are placed in a plastic bag and frozen.

Zucchini

This representative of melons is frozen similarly to zucchini, squash and pumpkin.

Potatoes

Often the gardener does not have time to peel potatoes. And so you want to cook fries or just fried! Freezing for future use will solve the problem.

First place the peeled potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes. Some of the starch will settle to the bottom: this will preserve the taste of the roots when frozen.

Then cut the tubers into wedges and blanch for 5 minutes. Dry on a paper towel, pour into a bag and store in a chest.

It is important to choose potatoes with a low amount of starch: freezing will be tastier..

Corn

To freeze this product, choose ears with a waxy degree of maturity. Too young or completely ripe are not suitable: when frozen, they lose their presentation.

Some gardeners freeze corn on the cob. To do this, the heads of cabbage should be cleaned of covering leaves. Then wash and blanch for 5 minutes. Put the ears in freezer bags (2-3 pieces each) and place in the chest.

The second way is to freeze the grains. Heads of cabbage should be husked, grains should be cleaned of pieces of stem and debris. Then collect in a colander and blanch for 3 minutes. Pour the seeds onto a spread paper towel and pat dry for 30 minutes. Divide dried corn into bags, seal tightly and mark in a chest.

The second method saves space in the freezer. But it is more time consuming.

Other vegetables

It is convenient to freeze small carrots and beets. Root vegetables should be washed, peeled, chopped and placed in containers or sachets.

DIY vegetable mix recipes

Supermarket shelves offer mixes for all tastes. But it's more pleasant to compose recipes yourself from products grown in the garden. The proportions of ingredients depend only on the taste and desires of the gardener.

All vegetables should be separately prepared for freezing. Then they are connected, sealed and stored.

Paprikash

This recipe came from the Balkans. The mixture consists of bell peppers, zucchini (you can substitute zucchini), tomatoes (you can of any color) and green beans. The proportions are arbitrary.

Peel and chop the courgettes and bell peppers. Blanch the beans for 3 minutes in salted water, then pat dry on a towel. Cut out partitions and seed chambers in tomatoes. Mix everything in a large bowl and arrange in bags. Place in a chest.

Rustic vegetables

Mix composition:

• bell pepper;
• broccoli;
• corn;
• green beans;
• carrot;
• potatoes.

All vegetables are prepared separately. Blanch potatoes, beans, broccoli and corn. Then cut the ingredients into random pieces, mix in a bowl, arrange in bags and freeze.

Lecho

Some gardeners cannot imagine their menu without this mixture. It consists of tomatoes and sweet peppers. Seed chambers and partitions should be cut out from tomatoes. For pepper, remove the seeds. Chop randomly, mix and freeze.

Spring mixture

This mixture is actively used not only in spring. Vitamins are needed in slushy autumn and cold winter.

You should prepare:

• green pea;
• cabbage (broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts);
• carrot;
• potatoes.

Vegetables are prepared for freezing separately. The cabbage and potatoes are blanched. The ingredients are then mixed and stored.

Hawaiian mix

This mixture includes rice. Composition:

• potatoes;
• green pea;
• pepper;
• corn.

Rice should be boiled in salted water until half cooked. Blanch potatoes and corn. Cut vegetables into arbitrary pieces, put together with boiled and chilled rice in a bowl, mix. Then arrange into containers and store.

Mexican platter

The mixture has a wide range of ingredients. It consists of:

• carrots;
• green beans;
• sweet multi-colored pepper;
• corn;
• eggplant;
• red beans;
• green peas;
• luke;
• root celery.

Beans (green and red), corn, eggplant and root celery are prepared for freezing and blanched. Then the ingredients are dried on a towel. The rest of the vegetables are cut. All are mixed in a deep bowl, laid out in containers and stored.

Defrosting rules

Frozen vegetables must be properly defrosted to prepare delicious and nutritious meals.

The workpieces should be placed in a deep dish and placed on the lower shelf of the refrigerator. This natural defrosting will preserve the maximum vitamins.

Defrosting at room temperature leads to the loss of vitamins, juice and presentation.

Application of frozen food

Frozen vegetables and mixes are used along with fresh foods. They are used to prepare: soups, salads, sauces and side dishes. To get tasty and healthy meals, it is recommended to follow the rules for freezing, storing and defrosting food.

In this article, we'll talk about how to prepare vegetables and fruits for the winter by freezing, how to rationally allocate storage space and other secrets of freezing.

One wants to enjoy the generous gifts of nature in the form of vegetables, fruits and berries not only in summer, but also in winter. In winter supermarkets, of course, you can buy, if not all, then almost all types of fresh vegetables, berries or fruits, but their quality will not be the best.

You can also prepare pickles, compotes, preserves and other types of preparations in jars for the winter. However, this option is not suitable for everyone. Some housewives do not like to mess around in the kitchen for a long time, others do not have time. Also, pickles may not work, many people know that cans with conservation sometimes explode. In addition, many simply do not have a place to store cans with conservation. And the very last argument - it will not work to keep all vitamins in their original form.

Homemade vegetables

Many housewives prefer freezing vegetables. With a large freezer, you can prepare a variety of healthy and delicious vegetables. However, it will not be superfluous to learn about the tricks of freezing, so as not to accidentally get not appetizing gruel instead of healthy vegetables.

So, list of vegetablesthat can be frozen:

• Black Eyed Peas
• Broccoli
• Pumpkin
• Cauliflower
• Zucchini or zucchini
• Brussels sprouts
• Sweet and / or bell pepper
• Cucumbers
• Tomatoes
• Corn
• Green pea
• Eggplant
• Mushrooms

Turnips, radishes, lettuce are not subject to freezing.

Most vegetables must be blanched before freezing, that is, immersed in boiling water for a short time, and then quickly cooled. For instance, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, eggplant, asparagus beans, green peas, corn need to blanch.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, mushrooms do not need to be dipped in boiling water. Small cherry tomatoes can be stored intact, just make a few punctures so that the fruit does not burst from frost. Large tomatoes can be sliced \u200b\u200bor mashed. Cucumbers should also not be kept whole, cut them into small cubes or strips.

How to freeze vegetables correctly?

You can also freeze potatoes, onions, carrots, beets. But it is worth considering whether it will be rational? The freezer is usually small in size, and seasonal vegetables are mere pennies and can be stored for a long time without cold. Better to freeze what you can't buy in winter.

Vegetable mixes for the winter in packages: recipes

Vegetables must be washed and dried before freezing. Sealed containers or bags are suitable as containers. The airtightness will prevent the absorption of foreign odors from nearby products. For example, dill has a strong odor that can be absorbed into other vegetables or berries.

It is convenient to freeze vegetable mixtures so that you can cook different dishes later. It is better to freeze the mixture in small portions, so as not to beat off the piece from the frozen mass later, but to take the finished portion at a time.

Vegetable mix options:

1. Corn, peas, bell peppers.
2. Carrots, peas, green beans, red beans, corn, celery, peppers, corn.
3. Onions, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes.
4. Tomatoes, onions, peppers.

Important: Frozen fruits and vegetables can be stored in the freezer for up to a year.

Delicious vegetable mix

Seasonings from vegetables for soups, salad, pasta, main courses: recipes for the winter

You can also freeze greens, which you can then add little by little to soups, salads or main courses.

• Wash and dry the greens thoroughly.
• Then chop it finely.
• First, freeze the greens in bulk, that is, spread them in a thin layer on the surface and freeze.
• After the greens are frozen, place them in a tightly resealable bag.

Greens can be frozen in combination of several types. For instance:

1. Dill + parsley for soups
2. Dill + sorrel + onion feathers for green borscht
3. Cilantro + parsley + basil for salads

Important: Greens should be stored separately. Do not mix greens with other vegetables, otherwise the smells will mix.

Sorrel for the winter: how to freeze

For soups the following vegetable mixture is suitable:

• Green peas, carrots, onions, potatoes
• Carrots, onions, potatoes, cauliflower
• Cauliflower, corn, potatoes, carrots, onions
• Bell peppers, carrots, potatoes, onions

These same mixtures can be added to other dishes such as risotto, stew, vegetable casseroles.

Video: How to freeze greens for the winter?

Freeze Vegetable Mix for Stews: Recipe

You can enjoy a healthy stew if you freeze:

• Zucchini, zucchini
• Bell pepper
• Green pea
• Cauliflower
• Tomatoes
• Greens

Also, potatoes, onions, carrots, white cabbage must be added to the stew.

Stew is a mixture of different vegetables, so you don't have to stick to a strict recipe. If you don't have one ingredient, you can easily replace it with another. The main thing is that there are several types of vegetables in the dish.

Important: Many people are interested in the question, do you need to defrost vegetables before cooking? No, you can't do that.

If you defrost vegetables, they will lose their shape during cooking and turn into gruel. Therefore, send vegetables from the freezer to the pan immediately. Thus, they will remain fragrant, beautiful and healthy.

Freezing vegetable mixtures

Recipes for frozen borsch dressings for the winter

Borscht in winter will be many times tastier and healthier if you take care of the refueling in advance.

Borsch dressing recipe:

• Sweet pepper in thin strips
• Diced onion
• Carrots, strips or grated
• Beetroot strips
• Tomato puree

It will be useful parsley and dill as a spice, only you need to store the herbs separately.

Wash, dry, cut, grate and mix all ingredients. Pack the dressing in separate bags per meal.

This method will help not only to cook a fragrant borscht in winter, but also save the family budget.

Dressing for borscht for the winter

How to freeze stuffed peppers with vegetables?

Stuffed pepper - a tasty and healthy dish, but you can fully enjoy it only in season, that is, in autumn. But if you freeze the pepper, then you can cook your favorite dish at any time of the year.

Some housewives stuff the peppers and then put them in the freezer. This method is good, but it takes up a lot of space in the freezer.

There is another way:

1. Wash pepper, pat dry with paper towel
2. Peel the fruit stem and seeds
3. Insert the fruits one into the other
4. Stack the peppers in columns, carefully wrapping them in bags.

For salads, stews, soups and other dishes, chunks of pepper are suitable. It is much more convenient to store it in this form than whole.

Pepper for the winter

What vegetable mixtures should I freeze in the freezer for feeding a baby for the winter?

If there is a baby in the family, or a replenishment is expected, a young mother should be puzzled by the preparation of homemade vegetables for complementary foods.

Complementary foods should be introduced at 5-6 months of the baby's life, if the baby is breastfed. If the child eats an adapted mixture, then complementary foods should be introduced earlier - at the 4th month of life.

If this period falls in winter or spring, then frozen vegetables will become a lifesaver during the introduction of complementary foods.

To feed your baby, you can freeze the following vegetables:

1. Cauliflower
2. Zucchini
3. Broccoli
4. Pumpkin

After the baby starts eating vegetable puree, light vegetable soups can be introduced in a small amount. To do this, freeze in advance:

• Potatoes
• Carrot

Vitamins and naturalness is the main advantage of freezing vegetables for complementary foods. Provided that you are sure that the vegetables were not treated with chemicals, or grown in your garden.

Vegetable puree for complementary foods

What fruits and berries can be frozen in the fridge freezer and freezer: a list

You can freeze any fruits and berries:

• Strawberry
• Strawberry
• Blueberry
• Blackberry
• Lingonberry
• Plum
• Apricots
• Peaches
• Apples
• Currant
• Gooseberry

Frozen berries

Should fruit be washed before freezing?

You can freeze in addition to vegetables, fruits and berries. Before sending them to the freezer, thoroughly wash and dry fruits and berries.

Do not re-freeze fruits and berries. Firstly, they will turn into porridge, and secondly, they will lose all useful properties.

How to freeze fruits and berries fresh for the winter?

You can puree the berries and freeze them as they are, with or without sugar - your choice.

Another way to freeze is dry... Lay the prepared berries or fruits in a thin layer on a surface, for example, on a board. Freeze so, then send the berries in a bag, releasing air from it.

Delicate berries such as strawberries, raspberries should be stored in a container so that the berries are not damaged.

The apples can be cut into wedges. Store small and fleshy fruits (plums, apricots, cherries) whole and with seeds.

Recipes for mixtures of fruits and berries for the winter

From frozen fruits and berries in winter, you can make aromatic compotes, fruit drinks, add fruit to yogurt or porridge.

Remember to freeze ripe and undamaged fruits. Form small portions of berries and use one bag for one preparation.

Mixes of fruits and berries:

• Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries
• Plums, apricots, apples
• Apples, apricots, raspberries
• Cherry, apple, strawberry
• Cherry, currant, raspberry
• Strawberries, currants, cranberries

Important: Most modern refrigerators do not require defrosting, but if necessary, wrap the container with frozen vegetables and fruits in a thick blanket so that the blanks do not have time to defrost. In winter, freeze can be taken outside or on a balcony.

How to freeze fruit

Freezing fruits, berries and vegetables is a profitable and quick way to get all the useful vitamins in winter and enjoy the taste of summer. But do not forget to follow the freezing rules in order to preserve vitamins and taste. You can watch a video on this topic and learn a lot of useful things about freezing vegetables and fruits.

Video: How to freeze greens, vegetables and fruits correctly?