No Title 2833
Supplement to “Canning 101”
Home food preservation by freezing
More freezing tips
Karen Lovell’s favorite recipes: pickled okra and pepper jelly
Home food preservation by freezing
“The ease of freezing is amazing,” says Karen Lovell, a Master Farm Homemaker Guild member, of Rosewood. Maybe that’s why people who are interested in home food preservation often start by freezing produce.
And then there’s the garden fresh taste. “Some things are, I think, better frozen,” Lovell says. “I love frozen corn the way I do it. You’ve got a really fresh product, and it’s like you picked it out of the patch that day.”
Freezing produce is also inexpensive. If you have a freezer, all that’s really needed, other than a strainer and pots, is freezer bags. It is important, however, to be sure you buy freezer bags versus storage bags. Dr. Sandra Bastin, Extension professor of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Kentucky, says, “You should freeze in heavy-duty Ziploc bags or freezer containers because they’re air- and moisture-proof.”
That’s important to prevent loss of produce due to freezer burn.
So how exactly do foods get freezer burn? Bastin takes it down to the cellular level to explain. “Freezing slows any bacterial or enzymatic growth. Enzymatic growth is usually ripening. And so it’s more of a quality concern; freezer burn is the major concern with freezing because there’s water inside the cells of fruits and vegetables and as that freezes, it expands like an ice cube would. When that moisture expands, it can break the cell wall and that’s what causes the freezer burn. Once you get one cell that breaks, it’s kind of a chain reaction.”
To try to avoid freezer burn, Bastin recommends blanching a product and freezing it quickly. “Blanching is simply a high temperature for a short period of time. Each product is different, how long we’re going to do that, and then we plunge it into an ice bath. And we’re trying to kill off enzymes so that they won’t continue to cause problems in the freezer,” says Bastin.
Lovell offers additional tips for freezing success: get as much air out of the freezer bag as possible before sealing. Place just-frozen produce in a single layer until thoroughly frozen. Typically plan to use frozen produce within six months. Check your thermometer regularly to ensure products stay frozen. Optimal temperature to ensure best quality products is 0° Fahrenheit or below.
Finally, label and date the freezer bag. Once, Lovell thought she’d pulled peaches from her freezer to make a peach cobbler when she’d actually thawed cow colostrum, used for bottle-fed calves on her family’s farm. “Things when they’re frozen look a little bit different,” says Lovell. “And you think, ‘I’ll know what this is.’” But you won’t be able to identify it once it’s frozen and time passes.
Lovell says, “The best jam in the world, I think, is strawberry freezer jam.”
To give it a try, follow the recipe below.
Strawberry Freezer Jam
Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 5 minutes. Makes: about five 8-oz jars.
Ingredients
2 C crushed strawberries (approximately 1 qt whole)
4 C granulated sugar
1 (1.75 oz) pkg dry pectin
¾ C water
Directions
1. Sterilize jars in boiling water. Dry completely. (Or use freezer-safe plastic containers.)
2. Wash and hull strawberries. Crush in food processor, or with a potato masher, leaving some fruit chunks.
3. Mix strawberries and sugar. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, in small saucepan add ¾ C water and stir in pectin.
5. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to boil and stir 1 minute.
6. Stir boiling pectin into strawberry/sugar mixture, constantly stirring for 3 minutes, until sugar is mostly dissolved.
7. Ladle into jars, allowing ½-inch headspace for expansion.
8. Wipe rim and threads of jar with a damp cloth.
9. Place lids and rings on jars. Cool to room temperature, then immediately place in freezer (up to 1 year) or refrigerator (up to 3 weeks).
10. Refrigerate to thaw before eating.
Important storage note: Because this jam recipe has not been processed using the boiling water bath method, you need to freeze it or store in the refrigerator; do not place at room temperature or in your pantry.
For more information on freezing fruits and vegetables, go online to the University of Kentucky College of Ag Cooperative Extension Service Web site, to Food and Nutrition, then scroll down to the Food Preservation section, where you will find several publications to download.
For more tips and step-by-step guidelines on freezing fruits and vegetables, go online to these sites:
University of Kentucky College of Ag Cooperative Extension Service
Scroll down to Food Preservation for links to publications on freezing.
Iowa State University Extension Freezing Fruits and Vegetables (click to download a pdf)
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, UNL Extension in Lancaster County
Clemson University Cooperative Extension
Karen Lovell’s favorite recipes
PICKLED OKRA
Pack raw okra: into pint jars; about 3 lbs small okra pods, approx. 2 inches in length.
In each jar put: 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp red pepper, 1 tsp dill seed.
Bring to a boil: 1 quart white vinegar, 1 C water, ¼ C salt. Simmer five minutes.
Pour over okra: leave ¼- to ½-inch headspace in jars. Place lids and rings on jars.
Process: 5 minutes in boiling water bath. Makes 5-7 pints.
PEPPER JELLY
Ingredients
1 C sweet bell pepper
1 C white vinegar
1 tsp powdered cayenne pepper, or 1 pod jalapeno pepper, seeded
5 ½ C sugar
Juice 1 lemon
Red or green food coloring (optional)
1 pouch liquid fruit pectin
Directions
1. Pulverize peppers in a food processor or blender. Add vinegar and pulverize again.
2. Add blender contents, sugar, lemon juice, and food coloring to a 2-quart saucepan.
3. Heat to boiling and boil 1 minute. Add pectin and boil 1 additional minute.
4. Remove from heat. Cool for 5 minutes.
5. Skim and pour into clean jars.
6. Process 5 minutes in boiling water bath or canner.
Makes a little over 2 pints.
(Note: Adjust color and “hotness” according to taste. For wonderful appetizer, pour pepper jelly over an 8-ounce cream cheese block. Serve with crackers.)
To read the Kentucky Living March 2012 feature that goes along with this supplement, go to Canning 101.
