Grocery Prices Out of Control!
Get more for your money by buying in bulk.
Flash Freezing Vegetables
One of the ways I like to save money is by buying in bulk or growing my own vegetables! This year in my garden I had an enormous crop of carrots, corn, and especially green beans. My mother-in-law likes to can her veggies, but for me, it is so much easier and tastier to freeze them. Nothing is more rewarding than walking out your back door and harvesting your own fresh vegetables. I have decided to put down the steps I use to savor these wonderful treasures in my own freezer.The cost of vegetables, frozen or canned, is unbelievable. I remember growing up my mom and I going shopping and buying vegetables for 5 for a $1.00 canned. Now, I am lucky to find canned veggies for 2 for $1.00. Don’t get me started on the soup! And that's for canned. Try comparing the serving size of canned to frozen which frozen is so much tastier and crispier for cooking, eating and baking. Hopefully, when you find your next favorite vegetable on sale, you can use these steps to buy in bulk and spend a Sunday afternoon saving yourself a lot of money.
Tools Needed:
- Vegetables
- Water
- Ice
- Stove
- Freezer
- Cookie Sheet
- Spatula
- Bags
Step 1: Clean and wash your veggies
Step 2: Cut veggies to desired size
Step 3: Prepare of a pot of boiling water
Note: Not all vegetables need to be blanched. Carrots and green beans, yes. Corn,onions, and chives no. Corn, onions, and chives can skip to Step 7
Step 4: Place cut veggies in boiling water for 5 minutes
Step 5: Prepare and pot of ice water
Step 6: Remove veggies from boiling water and immediately submerge in ice bath for 5 minutes
Step 7: Lay veggies on cookie sheet as flat as you can. You want the veggies to freeze individually
Step 8: Place cookie sheets in freezer for freezing
Step 9: Once frozen, remove from cookie sheets and put into bags. Remove as much air as possible.
Step 10: Put back in freezer immediately.
I like to use my food saver but freezer bags work nice, too.
Here are pictures of my broccoli, corn, and green beans!
I actually portion my chives and onions in cup measurements.
Whenever I need a cup of onions or chives for my cooking, I just grab a bag. How cool is that!