 This presentation on freezing vegetables is presented by regional extension agent Bridget Brannum. When properly selected, prepared, frozen, and stored, vegetables hold their fresh qualities. The flavor, color, texture, and nutritive value does not change. Using a few important techniques to freeze vegetables can help to ensure a quality product. Vegetables that are tender and just mature are best. The fresher the vegetable when you put it in the freezer, the more satisfactory your product will be. Vegetables are generally better if picked in the early morning when the dew is just off the vines. The shorter the time between harvesting and freezing, the better the resulting product. To prepare vegetables for freezing, you do it in much the same way as you would for cooking. First, you want to wash them carefully and thoroughly before you start preparation. While you're washing, be sure to sort for size and eliminate any inferior vegetables. For best results, freeze only the choice fresh tender ones. Sorting by size is very important for blanching because it makes packaging easier. You want to lift the vegetables up and down when washing. This agitates the water and removes trash and dirt. Blanching is a critical step that must never, ever be skipped. The only exception is bell peppers. It also must be done carefully. Otherwise, a poor product will be the result. Blanching stops the enzyme action that destroys the fresh flavor in some vegetables. If vegetables are not blanched, then enzymes are left in their active state, which results in a change in flavor and color to the vegetables after about a four to six week period in the freezer. An off odor develops that's very noticeable when the vegetable is cooked. Blanching also helps to shrink some vegetables, which makes them easier to pack. And it also destroys some organisms or bacteria and removes surface dirt that might be present. It's important that only one pound or about one pint of vegetables be used to the gallon of vigorously boiling water. This may seem like a small amount of vegetables, but you will have a much better product with this proportion. The water must circulate around each piece of vegetable and then return to a boil quickly for the enzyme to be destroyed. It does not take more time to blanch four quarts of a vegetable using this method than it does to blanch four quarts all at one time. As soon as the gallon of water is boiling, then you want to add the pound or the pint of prepared vegetables and stir and then place the lid on the blancher. Be sure your burner is on high. The water then will then return to a boil within a minute or so. And when that water has returned to a vigorous boil, that's when you start your timing. Remove the lid and stir so that the pieces don't clump together. To destroy the enzyme, the inside of the vegetable must reach a temperature of 180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit. That is why it is so very important to use a gallon of vigorously boiling water to a pint of vegetables and to start timing only when that water returns to a vigorous boil. When you're blanching leafy vegetables, use two gallons of boiling water to prevent the leaves from matting together. It is important to remember to follow the recommended blanching time for each vegetable. Under blanching can stimulate the activity of enzymes and can be worse for vegetable quality than no blanching at all. Prolonged blanching causes loss of vitamins, minerals, flavor, and color. Here is a list of the most common vegetables and their recommended blanching times. Steaming can be done in a blancher, a vegetable steamer, or a large pot with a type fitting lid. This method is recommended for broccoli, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and winter squash. They each require five minutes of steam blanching. To do this, you want to place the vegetables one layer deep in a wire basket or on a rack positioned three inches above one to two inches of boiling water. Cover the steamer or the pot with a lid as quickly as possible. Begin timing when the steam rises again after the vegetables are placed in the steamer. Then you want to promptly cool the blanched vegetables. Steam blanching can be tricky and is less reliable than water blanching. So care must be taken to see that the layers of vegetables are thin enough so that the steam will reach all parts at almost the same time. This method is not satisfactory for leafy green vegetables because the leaves tend to match together. Microwave blanching is not recommended. Research shows that some enzymes may not be destroyed by microwave blanching. It also may result in all flavors and loss of texture and color. While it might seem to be an efficient method, microwave blanching does not save time or energy. Blanched vegetables need to be cooled as quickly as possible to stop the cooking process. This also eliminates some spoilage organisms that live at temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the blanched vegetables from the boiling water and place them in a large pan of ice water. It generally takes three to four minutes to cool the vegetables. Be sure that you have enough ice made for the day. Covered containers of water can be placed in the freezer a day or so earlier to ensure that you have an adequate supply of ice. Immediately after cooling, pack the vegetable in meal size portions. If packaging lime of beans, peas, or snap beans, add enough ice cold water to just cover the vegetables. Ice removes air and it helps to preserve the characteristic color and flavor of the vegetable. Any food that's designated for freezing should be packaged in moisture and vapor-proof freezer containers. It should be moisture-proof so the food will not dry out. Vapor-proof so that oxygen will not penetrate the package and cause the fat to develop an all-flavor. Vegetables like peas and lime of beans all have some fat content. Vapor-proofing also prevents odors of other foods from penetrating the package. Pack foods tightly, getting out as much air as you possibly can from the package. Do not freeze vegetables in containers with a capacity of more than a half gallon. Other features that you want to look for in freezer containers include they need to be odor-free, they don't need to crack at zero degrees Fahrenheit, and they need to be grease, oil, and waterproof. Two of the most common freezer containers for vegetables are rigid containers and flexible bags or wrapping. Most foods can be stored in rigid containers. They stack well and they can be reused. They are especially good for foods that contain liquids. In most cases, foods packed in liquids should not be frozen in glass jars. Round containers generally take more freezer space. The most popular rigid container is made of moisture and vapor-resistant plastic with a snap-on lid. With proper care, these plastic containers can be used for years. Wash the lids in warm but not hot water and be careful as you remove the lid from the container. The lid may stretch and not fit securely. This will render it not airtight. It is best to let cold water run over the lid before removing. If the lid stretches, use freezer tape to seal it securely on the container. If you're using glass jars, be sure that you choose the wide-mouth, dual-purpose jars that are designed for freezing and canning. These jars are specially made to withstand freezing and boiling temperatures. The wide-mouth canning jar allows for removal of partially thawed foods and leaves ruin for expansion during freezing. You want to allow at least one inch of head space when you're freezing in glass and use new lids each and every time and rinse them in cold water before applying to the jar mouth. If using a standard canning jar with a standard size opening, do not feel quite to the shoulder of the jar. Standard pint canning jars with tapering sides can be filled to within a half inch at the top for dry packs and three-fourths inch for those with liquid. Quartz need one inch. Use new flat lids each time and scald them before placing them on the jar. A wax-type carton usually cannot be sealed airtight, plus the wax comes off easily at zero degrees Fahrenheit. This is especially true of milk containers. Some of these are plastic coated, but the lid does not fit airtight and the plastic coating may not always be moisture and vapor-proof. Milk cartons are made to hold milk for about one week at refrigerator temperatures, not at zero degrees. Flexible freezer bags and moisture and vapor-resistant wrapping materials such as plastic freezer wrap, freezer paper, and heavyweight aluminum foil are suitable for dry-packed products that have little or no liquid. Bags and wraps work well for foods with irregular shapes. Bags also can be used for liquid packs. Plastic freezer bags are available in a variety of sizes. When stealing a freezer bag, you want to press out any air that might be trapped in the bag and leave about half an inch of empty space from the food to the top of the bag. This headspace will allow the food to expand during freezing. Also be sure to write on the bag the name of the product, any added ingredients, freezing date, the number of servings or the amount, and the form of the food, whether it's sliced, whole, or whatever. Used freezer tape, marking pens, or crayons are gummed labels that are made especially for freezer use. To flash freeze vegetables, you want to freeze them as quickly as possible. Zero degrees Fahrenheit or below is best. Slow freezing causes cells to break down and they do not hold the juice upon cooking. The vegetable generally will be soft and flabby. Poor quality will result if you try to freeze too many vegetables at one time. You do not want to add more than two to three pounds of unfrozen food per cubic foot of freezer space. For example, if you have a 20 cubic foot freezer, you want to only add 40 to 60 pints of unfrozen vegetables at one time. More food can be safely added 12 to 24 hours later. Place unfrozen food in the coldest part of the freezer, which is generally the sides and the bottom of a chest type freezer and on certain shelves in an upright freezer. Leave an airspace between each package so they freeze quickly. After the packages are completely frozen, then they can be stored close together. For proper storage of vegetables, the colder the freezer temperature, the better it is for the food. Never let the temperature get above zero degrees Fahrenheit. Frozen vegetables will lose their color, flavor and nutritive value when they're stored at temperatures above zero degrees. Vegetables can be stored for eight to 12 months in the freezer. Most vegetables can be cooked without thawing. However, corn on the cob, cauliflower, broccoli and leafy vegetables cook more uniformly if they're partly thawed. It is best to thaw food in the refrigerator. Do not overcook your frozen vegetables, especially snap beans. They will be too soft. Meet the Food Safety and Quality team. We are here to serve you and answer questions you have about any type of food preservation. So where can you find us? You can visit us on the web at www.aces.edu or on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com.acistfoodsafety. There is a Food Safety and Quality agent that serves every county in the state of Alabama. Here is a list of all the agents and their numbers. To find out which agent covers your area, locate the set you are in on the map and contact the agent in that set with any food preservation questions you have. Some pictures and material used in this PowerPoint were taken from and based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.