Freezing veggies for soup starter??

[RollerCoasterMama]

Maybe this isn't quite the right thread for this, but TF-ers seems to have the frugal+scratch know-how that I need to tap.

I always seem to have veggies that go bad---especially celery!!!! And now that I'm moving towards almost exclusively organic...it bugs me even more. I'm wondering if anyone has had success freezing soup-starter (onions, carrots celery). It wouldn't have crossed my mind at all except I remember my sister buying ready chopped "soup starter" a couple of years ago from the grocery store. It was simply freshly chopped onions, carrots and celery. It amused me, but at the same time...she's not throwing out half a bag of celery every time she makes soup!!

I was thinking to just chop up a pot of soup's worth and freeze it. Would you pre-cook them in butter and then freeze? Fresh veggies and thawing aren't the best of friends, though I know people do it with onions. I would love to be able to just grab a bag and throw it in the crock-pot or regular pot with chicken stock and whatever else. I'm newly single, work full time and I'm about to start taking classes towards getting into a PhD program...I NEEEEEEED to find myself some shortcuts that fit my new life!

[rhiOrion]

I'm interested in hearing this answer, too.

I have been freezing leftover celery, onions, peppers, etc, to make chicken broth, but I haven't actually done it yet.

I am mostly wondering about celery, since it's such a high water content. And I can't find just frozen celery in the store... though I can find the soup starter frozen veggies that contain celery.

[LZP]

I agree that the water content in celery might be too high for it to survive well in the freezer. it usually comes out limp and looking almost translucent. eww. BUT- I wonder if a quick blanche of everything wouldnt help preservation in the freezer?

Or, like you said OP, a quick run around a high-heat pan to release some moisture, and seal in the nutrients and flavor- now you might be on to something!

[cristeen]

If you're just going to make soup/stock with it, then it really doesn't matter if texture is compromised by freezing. It'll work fine. The one thing I wouldn't freeze is onions, since the entire point is the "bite", which is removed by freezing.

[RollerCoasterMama]

Originally Posted by LZP

I agree that the water content in celery might be too high for it to survive well in the freezer. it usually comes out limp and looking almost translucent. eww. BUT- I wonder if a quick blanche of everything wouldnt help preservation in the freezer?

Or, like you said OP, a quick run around a high-heat pan to release some moisture, and seal in the nutrients and flavor- now you might be on to something!

I've done that gallon bag of veggie peels and ends and slightly limp carrots and celery---for broth. It includes celery---but then I cook the pants off of it and throw out what's left of the solids. So not the same thing really.

If someone doesn't come back and say YES to one way or the other, I'll be the test-kitchen and try cooking the veggies in butter a bit before freezing for one batch of soup and come back in a week or so and cook it up to see if it goes all mushy. It would be awesome if this would work! I'd so like to have some thaw and dump components for soup to mix and match with rice and beans or lentils! Either crock-pot or stove-top! My 3 yr old LOOOVES soup night!

Originally Posted by cristeen

The one thing I wouldn't freeze is onions, since the entire point is the "bite", which is removed by freezing.

I'm surprised at this. I've been reading to freeze pre-chopped onions for years. I haven't ever done it since I just chop one fresh, but I've always heard it's ok.

[425lisamarie]

A couple things I do:

FOr stock, i keep a "stock bucket" in my inside freezer. It basically takes up one huge shelf (I keep most things out in garage freezer anyways) and any time I chop things I throw the ends in. It makes chopping onions nicer too, because I hate getting close to the ends and I know they are going to good use anyways so i dont worry about getting every last inch. Older celery/carrots, garlic go in too. Same with herbs. I almost never havce to use 'fresh' veggie for stock.

I also freeze mirepoix sometimes. Satue an onion, a little celery and carrot in butter and freeze in muffin tins, then pop out in to a container. We love soup, and most the time I want lentil or something, one kid wants tomato, DH loves mushroom, etc. onion/celery/carrot is the base for most soup a nyways. All I have to do is dump one in the pot, cover over low heat until it thaws and proceed. I do the same with french onion soup base. I chop about 10 pounds of onions, then fry in a little butter in my giant dutch oven, then bake in oven until caramely, then freeze in small amounts. I first actaully deglaze the pot with some broth/wine. It is very versatile.

[Ruthla]

If you're planning to cook them after thawing anyway, I don't think it makes much difference if you just freeze it all "as is." Yeah, celery turns limp and rubbery if you freeze it then let it thaw out, and it's no good anymore with almond butter and raisins. But if you're just going to chop it up and sautee it in EVOO or butter, or dump into a soup pot to simmer overnight, it's going to get soft anyway!

I don't bother freezing veggies for soup because I have limited freezer space, and I find it easier to chop up fresh onions and celery each time I make a vegetarian soup (for dairy meals in my dairy pot). It's OK if the celery gets limp from sitting in the fridge too long; it's just getting cooked anyway. I also save carrot peelings and celery ends for broth making (with chicken or turkey bones), but I make bone broth once a week, and I find the ends keep just fine in the fridge between broth batches. I only freeze veggie peels if I go through more than usual that week and I'm afraid I won't get to use them before they go bad.

[RollerCoasterMama]

Originally Posted by 425lisamarie

I also freeze mirepoix sometimes. Satue an onion, a little celery and carrot in butter and freeze in muffin tins, then pop out in to a container. We love soup, and most the time I want lentil or something, one kid wants tomato, DH loves mushroom, etc. onion/celery/carrot is the base for most soup a nyways. All I have to do is dump one in the pot, cover over low heat until it thaws and proceed.

Perfect! Doing the saute in butter step ahead of time is a time-saving step that's growing on me! Thanks for sharing!!!

[CrunchyChristianMama]

I freeze all of my leftover celery before it goes bad as well as any leaves off the stalks, carrot peels, broccoli stalks, and the ends of onions. When I make stock I throw them all in the pot with the bones. I'm sure you could do the same thing portioned out for soup starter.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by RollerCoasterMama

I'm surprised at this. I've been reading to freeze pre-chopped onions for years. I haven't ever done it since I just chop one fresh, but I've always heard it's ok.

It is OK, but you lose a lot of the bite of the onion. It will still work, but for me half the reason of using onion is that bite, so I don't freeze it or even pre-chop it. The longer it sits with surface area exposed to air, the less bite it will have as the chemicals evaporate. So if I want onion, I chop it fresh every time.

[vancouverlori]

Yup, I also keep all my ends and bits and bobs of soup-making veggies in the freezer, in a big bag. Including all the onion skins and roots and all. Then when I'm making bone broth, I take what I need out (from the bottom first, of course) and throw it in. I've also made just veggie broth when it was accumulating too much and I didn't have bones handy to make soup. Sadly, none of my usual grocery shops has a reliable source of good bones, and I don't get to my good bone sources often enough.

Good idea about the mirepoix (I didn't even know that term before!), because I use that in almost everything, because of DS's extensive food allergies.

I don't worry too much about the onion bits losing their bite because that's not what I'm going for in broths. I hadn't even noticed the loss of "bite".