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freezerThe U.S Department of Agriculture predicts that the food you are buying from convenience stores, farmers’ markets and supermarkets are going to experience a price increase of 2 or 3% in 2009, and another 2.5 to 3.5% in 2010. If you don’t have one already, now might be a good time to consider a stand-alone freezer to store bulk items both from your garden, and meals you prepare in bulk with the purpose of freezing for a later date. Saving and freezing produce for later use will save you money over buying fresh each time you want to use them in the winter months.

As you are harvesting your fruits and vegetables from your garden, or buying from fruit and vegetable stands in your neighborhood – it’s a good idea to cut and freeze some of the hardier types for eating later. Not all vegetables can be frozen – for example, the following vegetables typically become limp and soggy after thawing them and you should avoid freezing:

  • celery
  • cucumbers
  • lettuce
  • parsley
  • radishes
  • cabbage

For fruits and vegetables that hold up well to freezing, you can expect your frozen fruits to maintain a high quality flavor and consistency for up to 12 months in the freezer. Your vegetables will likely maintain quality for 12 to 18 months at zero degrees or lower, but it’s best to use them before your next summer garden harvest. There are no food safety concerns about freezing and eating foods longer than these time frames, but the taste and consistency of the items will deteriorate the longer they are frozen.

Freezer Containers

You will want to select a quality freezer container to maintain the freshness of the products you freeze. You need both moisture and vapor protection in order to keep the fruit or vegetables’ natural moisture in and the freezer’s air out. It’s good to wrap your products in saran wrap, heavyweight aluminum foil or plastic coated freezer paper tightly if what you are freezing is suitable for this type of wrap; otherwise you’ll want to use plastic bags or freezer containers.
When you’ve properly prepared your fruits and vegetables for freezing, be sure to keep your freezer’s temperature at 0°F or lower, since foods lose their quality faster when stored at higher temperatures.

If you need to purchase a stand-alone freezer, you should consult the Consumer Reports for the best energy efficient appliance.



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