SOMETHING NEW IN THE BUSY KITCHEN

 

Source:  alamy.com

 

 My digestive system hasn't been able to process fibrous veggies for at least a decade.  Long ago I did some elimination trials to discover which were the culprits:  carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes....yep, many favorites.  Then I did some experimenting and found that all of those were tolerable if cooked in any fashion-boiled, as soup, roasted, sauteed.  In the winter I love to make a veggie soup to keep on hand for lunch, and that involves several of the culprits.  The problem:  I don't use that pound of carrots or bunch of celery Ron has to buy at the store quickly enough for them to avoid getting...well, pretty sad. Their nutritional value deteriorates, too.  And it invokes a life-long frugality:  I HATE to waste food.  I'm somewhat appeased by our compost bin, but I'd rather not throw it away to begin with. 

Something new actually started with spinach, which I can eat raw.  Same thing, though; even a 10 oz bag of spinach can be difficult to use before it goes bad.  It occurred to me that since spinach can be purchased frozen....I must be able to freeze it myself.  Oh my gosh, a quick recon with the internet and...easy peasy!   So I did that a couple of times with good results.  Then it occurred to me I could probably freeze carrots and celery, too, and maybe even cabbage....yep!  Be still my frugal heart!!

It is possible to freeze veggies raw if you're going to use them pretty quickly.  However, if they need a longer freezer life, it's recommended they be blanched first to stop the enzymatic action that can cause deterioration of color, flavor and texture.  I choose to blanch.

How to blanch:  bring a large pot of water to boil.  Put the veggie in and let it boil for 2-4 minutes.  Take it out and plunge it immediately into an ice bath to stop the cooking.  Freeze in desired portions.  

 What I've tried so far:

 

About 12 oz raw spinach ready for the boiling water for 2 minutes,

comes out and gets plunged into the ice bath

 

and becomes about 1 cup of blanched spinach.

Spinach changes color and texture.  To my delight, the color of carrots, celery and cabbage actually intensifies, and the texture stays the same.

This is the blanched and frozen version.  Aren't they gorgeous?

Cabbage wedges and the spinach blanched and ready for the freezer.  

None of these veggies can be thawed and eaten. Thawing does cause loss of texture, especially the cabbage.  However, I've made soup with them, and the results are exactly the same.  

I'm SO pleased with this "discovery"!  I'll continue to try it with veggies as the opportunity comes up.  Bell peppers, broccoli and caulifower should do well; zucchini probably not so much.  It'll be fun!