When you go to the market, do you get carried away? Do you get so excited by all the fresh produce that you buy more than you can eat?
Making this mistake is easy, especially once the spring and summer fruits start to show up after a long, cold winter. The good news is that you don’t have to worry about buying too much, because many of your fresh food favorites can be popped into the freezer to enjoy another day!
Whether you’ve bought more than you need or just want to save the sunny tastes to defrost on a cold winter night, here are seven fresh foods you can freeze before they spoil.
1. Kale – Kale is easy to freeze. If you want to save it for someday soon, just put fresh kale into a freezer bag as is and use it in four to six weeks.
If you want it to last longer, take the time to quickly blanch it. It will last for a year!
2. Tomatoes – You may have heard that you can’t freeze tomatoes, and it’s true if you’re thinking of using them in a salad or sandwich. But if you want the taste of summer-ripe tomatoes in your sauces or soups, it’s no problem.
The best way to freeze tomatoes is to chop it up before you put it in a freezer bag.
3. Peaches – There’s nothing like a fresh peach. If you have too many to eat and don’t want to use them in a smoothie, slice them up, remove the pit, then peel them. Then put them in a single layer on a plate and put it in the freezer overnight. The next day you can remove them and put them into a bag to use one slice at a time.
4. Strawberries – Strawberries are one of the easiest fruits to freeze. You can take whole strawberries and just pop them into a bag.
For best results, do not wash your strawberries before freezing. Wait until after you’ve defrosted them.
5. Corn – Summer corn is the sweetest corn of all, and you can keep that summer flavor by freezing it.
Corn can be frozen on the cob or off. It can be frozen raw, but the best way to get the most flavor is to blanch it first and then freeze it.
6. Avocados – Avocados are delicious, but they can only be enjoyed for a short time. You have to let them ripen, and then they can end up too soft if you wait too long.
To make sure you get the most of your avocado purchase, once it gets too soft, purée it with a bit of lemon or lime juice to keep it from turning brown. Then you can freeze it in an ice cube tray to pop out a serving at a later time. They’re perfect to add to smoothies!
7. Herbs — There's nothing like fresh herbs to enhance your favorite dishes. And luckily, they're also easy to freeze and use later.
Wash your herbs and pat them dry before laying them in a single layer on a pan. Put the pan into the freezer until the herbs are frozen. Then, simply place them into a plastic freezer bag in a flat, even layer, removing any excess air before storing in the freezer.
Freezing fresh foods before they spoil not only helps prevent waste, but it can be a great way to have the deliciousness of those nutrient-dense foods on hand whenever you need them.
TweetTry freezing some today so you can enjoy them in your favorite meals in the months to come!
Yours in health and happiness,
Danette
P.S. Please share all the helpful food-freezing tips in this article with your friends! And comment below to let me know which foods usually spoil in your house that you can now freeze!
