Freeze Fresh

As with pumpkin, freezing is by far the easiest way to preserve fresh squash and will give you the best quality product over other preservation methods.  This guide will cover “winter squash”: Acorn, Banana, Buttercup, Butternut, Golden Delicious, Hubbard and Spaghetti squashes.

Preparation

Select mature squash with a hard rind and deep color.  Allow the squash to fully ripen, usually 2 to 3 weeks after harvest.  Wash the squash with cool or lukewarm water and gently scrub.  Cut the squash in halves, quarters or smaller pieces if necessary for your cooking method.  Scrape out all the loose pulp and seeds. You may leave the rind on the squash.

Cooking

The squash should be cooked until the flesh is tender. You may boil, steam, bake or cook the squash in a pressure cooker.  Let the squash cool enough to handle and scrape the flesh from the rind.  Mash or puree the squash, you may use a potato masher, hand blender or any other gadget you have on hand.

Freezing

Place the pureed squash into freezer bags or freezer safe containers, allowing 1/2 inch of head space.  Seal the continer and freeze the squash.  The frozen squash should last from 8 to 12 months.

There is no better way to preserve fresh vegetables than freezing them. Of course, if you have a garden you can go out and pick your vegetables and then after some prep you can freeze them so that you can have them all year round. You can also freeze the fresh produce from the store the very same way.

Freezing locks in the freshness of the vegetables so that when you cook it you swear it just came out of the garden. Just think that in the middle of winter tasting such fresh tasting veggies. My mouth waters just thinking about it.

Make sure you are freezing only the best quality produce because freezing will not help make anything better than it started off being.

The vegetables need to be washed well so there is no sediment at all in them. Then they have to be blanched according to the recommended time for them. Then they need to be put in airtight freezer proof containers that will keep in the maximum freshness.

Blanching can be done one of two ways. The vegetables can be blanched in boiling water or they can be steamed to blanch them. Both methods are good methods. What blanching does is to stop the enzymes that make the plant ripen this has to be done or the food could go bad even in the freezer. The enzymes can also affect the flavor, color, and make the nutrients less. More important reasons to blanch.

To blanch in boiling water you must first bring about 1 gallon of water to a full boil in a large pot with a lid. Place about a pound of prepared vegetables in the water and cover. Allow the vegetables to blanch according to their own recommended times. Make sure the water stays at the right temperature too. Some people place the vegetable in cheesecloth or a metal basket this does helps with taking them out of the water at the right time.

For steam blanching, you have to leave the vegetables in a bit longer and not have them submersed into the water. Use a steamer basket for this method.

After blanching, you can pack them in freezer proof containers and freeze them. Mark them with the date before freezing them though. When you first place the containers in the freezer leave a bit of space between them so they will freeze evenly.

You can also tray freeze them first and then place them in freezer bags or containers. This method allows you to take small portions out at a time and cook them and leave the rest frozen for later.

Freezing them at 0 degrees F is best and they can be good from 12 to 18 months usually.

Proper packaging is essential to protect and maintain the flavor, moisture content, color and nutritional value of food that is frozen. Select your container based on what is to be frozen, what is available and what works best for your. Vegetables and fruits should be frozen in smaller containers, no larger than one-half gallon. The larger the container the slower the freezing process, this can adversely affect the quality of the food.

The packaging you use should be:

• Leak-proof
• Durable
• Moisture vapor resistant
• Maintain its integrity at low temperatures
• Prevent the absorption of odors
• Resistant to grease/oil and water
• Seal easily
• Easy to mark

The two most popular and readily available home packaging materials are flexible bags/wrap and rigid containers.

Flexible Bags/Wrap

Freezer bags or plastic wrap work well for dry packed goods that have little to no liquid. In addition to plastic wrap, freezer paper and heavy duty aluminum foil are also suitable for this type of freezing. This method is perfect for irregular shaped foods, as the packaging can be as large or small to completely wrap the food. When purchasing bags or wrap be sure they are moisture/vapor resistant and are rated for low/freezing temperatures.

Freezer bags may also be used for liquids, but care must be taken when filling the bags. A variety of sizes are available with different closure types, the most popular being a zip style closure. When packing bags be sure to squeeze out as much of the air as possible.

Rigid Containers

Plastic and glass containers are also available for freezing and work better than flexible packing for liquids. Rigid containers are also reusable, thus more environmentally friendly. Containers that have smooth straight sides make the removal of frozen foods very easy. Be sure to use containers with snug fitting lids.

When choosing glass containers be sure to select those rated for freezing. Glass jars rated for freezing have been tempered to withstand freezing temperatures. If you are unable to find the tempered jars and opt to use standard canning jars, be sure to leave extra head space to allow for the expansion of the freezing contents. Ignoring this can lead to breakage and loss of your food.

Blanching

Blanching is the scalding vegetables with steam or in boiling water. Blanching is necessary for most vegetables that you plan to freeze. Blanching vegetables before freezing locks in their peak colors and flavors and helps to preserve vitamins and minerals. It also slows the action of enzymes, which causes vegetables to ripen.

Blanching will also clean the surface of organisms and dirt. Wilting will also occur with blanching, this will allow for easier packaging of the product to be frozen.

Blanching time is extremely important, and is based on the on the size and vegetable to be frozen. Blanch to long and you will loose color, flavor and most importantly vitamins/minerals. If you under blanch you can cause more harm than good, this can stimulate the enzymes and increase there activity.

Water Blanching

Water blanching is the simplest method to use in your home. Special pots are made just for blanching, or you may just use a large pot with some type of wire basket to lower and remove the vegetables.

Fill your pot with one gallon of water per pound of vegetable. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Load the vegetables into your basket and lower into the pot and cover. Begin timing when the water returns to a rolling boil, if it takes longer than 1 minute to boil you have placed too many vegetables in the pot.

Steam Blanching

Steam blanching takes about one and a half times longer than water blanching. This method is recommended for broccoli, pumpkin, winter squash and sweet potatoes, though water blanching will also work.

Steam blanching requires a pot and basket that allows about 3 inches of space below the basket. Put 1 to 2 inches of water in the pot and bring to a rolling boil. Load the vegetables into the basket in a single layer. Place the basket in the pot and cover with a tight fitting lid. Timing begins as soon as the pot is covered.

Microwave Blanching

Microwave blanching is not recommended and may result in loss of texture, flavor and color.

Cooling

The vegetables must be cooled immediately to stop the cooking process. Remove the basket from the pot and place into cold water that is at most 60 degrees. Ice or running water is recommended to keep the temperature down. Cooling takes about the same time as blanching. When cooling is finished drain the vegetables well as excess moisture can lead to quality loss when freezing.