When 4 heads of broccoli only costs $.88, you have to buy more than you can eat that week! I did! I already had some in the fridge, and my MIL had some for me, but I couldn’t pass this one up! I can’t believe I am now stockpiling fresh vegetables!
So I blanched it and froze it! For great blanching instructions, click here.
Now I’ve got 4 meals worth of broccoli for way less than $2! Yeah!
Broccoli that was steamed for 1-2 minutes. It just barely turned color!
After blanching it in the ice water, I let it drain a minute in the strainer.
I put it into 4 freezer bags, a meal’s worth into each bag!I also got a great deal on celery…and seeing how it’s the start of soup season, I plan on freezing that too. Celery will be “mushy” upon thawing, but if you’re going to use it in a soup or stuffing, doesn’t matter! I plan to chop it and then freeze it in a Ziploc freezer baggie. You can freeze the stalk whole, but I don’t want to try to chop a mushy stalk!?!
Happy Blanching and Freezing!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Good for you. I just did something similar to this with tomatoes this week.
http://3blondesandthelaw.blogspot.com/2008/09/tomatoes-blender.html
Fantastic idea. Why have I never thought of this?
You can also freeze bell peppers simply by slicing them into strips–no blanching needed. A great way to stock up when produce hits rock bottom prices!
Awesome idea! Oh and thanks for dropping by and leaving such a sweet comment about my family (I love them and they are adorable..lol)..glad you enjoyed your “visit”
I’ve also shredded and frozen carrots and keep them to add to things like soup. I don’t always like to run into big hunks of carrot and this is perfect for split pea of lentil soup. Just toss in a scoop. It spreads out well.
I’m planning on doing this with the carrots and onions I have in my pantry this week. I need to add it on my high priority list.