Preserving the Summer Harvest in Your Freezer

Summer is a time of abundance in the food world -- and it's also a time of serious heat in the weather world. Preserving food is usually a time-consuming process that involves standing over the stove for many long hours, which just isn't that appealing in the midst of a heat wave. That's where the freezer comes in. As well as a few tips on how to prep summer produce for the freezer, so you'll be eating well all year long.

Freeze corn well by first blanching the ears -- boil them for 3-4 minutes, then plunge them into cold water to shop the cooking process. Once the ears are cool, scrape the kernels off and freeze in portion-sized freezer bags. To eat later, simply cook as normal without defrosting first. To preserve whole cobs, blanch for about 6 minutes, then freeze the whole thing. When you want to eat corn on the cob in December, simply steam for another 6 minutes and enjoy!

Blanching is also the key to delicious frozen green beans, which should be adding to a rolling boil of water for exactly 3 minutes (any longer and they won't hold up when you defrost them), then plunged into ice water. Blot dry the beans and freeze in freezer bags.

Who would have thought of freezing cucumbers? These summer delights do well frozen for chilled soups or as additions to smoothies in colder months. Peel first and cut into chunks, then freeze in freezer bags.

Broccoli holds up well in the freezer, so might as well put some aside for winter while the getting's fresh right now! Cut into uniform pieces and blanch for just a minute before cooling and freezing in freezer bags.

If there's anything we have an abundance of in the summertime, it's summer squash and zucchini. You can only make so much zucchini bread before you really need something else to do with these suckers. They hold up in the freezer best when you first puree them and then freeze to later use in breads, blended soups, and other baked goods.

All berries can be treated the same for freezing -- the best method to freeze a single layer on a baking sheet and then transfer to a plastic bag or container when fully frozen. This keeps the berries from sticking to each other and clumping up into a frozen mass.

For stone fruit (peaches, plums, and apricots), slice or half the fruit, remove the skin and sprinkle with lemon juice to preserve their colour. Freeze on a baking sheet like berries or simply in a bag. Enjoy in smoothies or baked goods all year round.

You can make your own standard frozen carrots for TV dinners during the winter by slicing or dicing the carrots and blanching for about 2 minutes before freezing. If you want them for later use in baked goods, consider grating the carrots, quickly dipping them in boiling water, and then freezing in recipe-sized portions.

Peas are another frozen vegetable favourite that taste so much better when you preserve them at home. Shell peas and then blanch for a minute and a half. Plunge into ice water, blot dry, and freeze in freezer bags. There's no need to defrost them before cooking. For freezing whole peas, like sugar snap or snow peas, simply blanch for 2 minutes, plunge into ice water and freeze in freezer bags.

The freezer makes it easy to enjoy fresh summer produce all year round! Try these tips and let us know if they work for you.