Kitchen garden guide to freezing
The kitchen gardener’s age-old problem – what do you do with all that spare produce – was partly solved with the invention of the freezer.
Partly, because as many of us have found to our cost, freezing often serves as nothing more than a half-way house en route to the bin.
Now, some timely advice should ensure that at least some of it makes it through to the winter, when garden-fresh fruit and veg is just a happy memory.
Fruit-wise, raspberries, redcurrants and blackcurrants are best frozen in single layers on metal trays, and then stored in plastic bags containing enough for one meal.
But strawberries, which usually end up a soggy mess while defrosting, are best made into a puree, which can perk up winter ice cream or be used used as a coulis with chocolate pudding.
Meanwhile, most veg freezes well, particularly dwarf French beans, garden peas, broad beans and mangetout. Again, each bag should hold just enough for a family meal.
And if they`re going to be stored for more than a month, blanch them first – colander, boiling water, three minutes – before cooling them in a bowl of iced water.
Copyright © Press Association 2009
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