Freezing

Freezing is the latest method developed to preserve food at harvest time. Nutritionist believes that this is the best way to preserve the vitamins found in food.

Choose first class vegetables and fruits, and freeze.

Save time by cooking a double portion meal. Serve one portion to the family, and freeze the other meal for a “rainy day”.

To blanch: submerge clean cut or shelled vegetables into rapid boiling water and time.
Blanching is not cooking the vegetable. It is preserving the nutritional value and stopping spoilage. Therefore, I blanch most vegetables for about 2 minutes.
To blanch one pound of vegetables, use 1 gallon of water.
Blanch grape leaves for 1 second.

Hint: I stack a 100 grape leaves in each freezing bag. Make sure you remove all the air before sealing.

Vegetables: Shell peas, fava, lima beans. Cut string beans in 2 inch size pieces. I freeze 1 kilo packages. Submerge the vegetable in hot water and boil 2 minutes. Then, quickly plunge vegetables in cold water when you remove them from the boiling water. Drain; and package.

Frozen tomatoes
Wash, drain and dice tomatoes. Place in a freezer container. Leave 1 inch empty on top to allow for expansion.

Freeze lemon juice
Freeze lemon juice in meal size portions.

Freezing meals
I cook the amount of food needed for a meal and freeze in proper freezing container. Make sure meal is cool before you freeze it. I do not keep a meal frozen for longer than 2 weeks.

Hint: When cooking double your meal portions. Serve one meal, and freeze the other. Also, make two kibba trays at once.

Cook frozen vegetables unthawed. Frozen vegetables cook in half the time required because they have been blanched and stored.