Buying produce in season and freezing?

[mightymoo]

I was just thinking about buying some of the summer fruit (blueberries, strawberries) and freezing them for smoothies and stuff. I was thinking of doing this because we can get pick our own strawberries down the road for $1/pound. Does anyone else do this? I'm wondering if it would really save me, since frozen fruit is generally cheaper than fresh anyway.

[frog]

Yep, we do this. Depending on what your goals are, it could work. I don't freeze fruit to save money, exactly, but for the taste and to support local farmers.

We participate in a CSA, too, and freeze lots of that produce for our winter needs--in that sense, it's a money-saving tactic for sure, because we get a great deal on all of this stuff, and the two of us can't possibly eat all of it before it goes bad.

ETA: I can't buy frozen fruit for $1/pound. Go for it!

[wildmonkeys]

I always buy basil in season and make and freeze a bunch of pesto - it is such a nice mid-winter treat. Haven't done fruit though it is a good idea.

BJ
Barney & Ben

[serenetabbie]

We have done it, and it works well I enjoy picking berries, so to me it is a savings.

If you freeze berries (or beans or whatever), after you rinse them put them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. When they are frozen (it does not take long), put them in a freezer bag. That way they don't stick together in a big clump... but you knew that!

[kwarwick]

We do this for u-pick berries and for our summer CSA veggies that we can't eat all of.

For strawberries, I freeze some whole (freeze on cookie sheets and the use the Food Saver and portion out in 1 cup portions and freeze, and we use these to top pancakes, make strawberry rhubard crisp, & such in the winter), some pureed (freeze in ice cube trays and then ziploc bag or FS them in a large bag, and we use these for smoothies), and freeze some whole but sliced in quarters (freeze on cookie sheets after I quarter them, and they usually stay "whole" anyway, then FS them in 1 cup portions, and I use these for baking muffins and such). We picked 29 lbs last year, and they lasted our family of 3 the entire winter. What a treat!

For blueberries, I freeze whole and pureed in the ice cube trays.

I agree with the basil / pesto comment - we love fresh pesto on our fish or chicken in the winter. Yum! We get so much basil from the CSA farm....

And I also freeze green beans, green onions (diced), and carrots (sliced) as we get a lot in the summer also. These all froze well, and I used them in soups all winter.

The zucchini I froze didn't fare as well......not sure why. Half of it was ok, which was great for muffins, pancakes, bread & such, but half of it seemed to rot. Strange.

$1 is a good price for strawberries too, especially if it's organic(?). We definitely can't buy organic, frozen strawberries for $1 / lb, and I doubt conventional strawberries are that price either. Besides, it's a fun family activity.

Happy picking!
Karen

[SusanInItaly]

Silly question--can you freeze corn? (on the cob, cleaned) I love fresh corn but of course it's not in season in winter.

Thanks! You guys are giving me great ideas!

[kwarwick]

I freeze corn, cut off the cob, and again, use it in soups in the winter. Forgot to mention that in my previous post! I don't blanch it (nor the carrots or green onions), and it works fine. I do blanch the green beans and broccoli before freezing however. I agree, there _nothing_ like fresh corn!

[darkstar]

I have frooze corn on the cob. I have a vac sealer and just use that for everything! It was pricey to buy, but now I see them at the thirft store all the time


darkstar

[BetsyS]

I freeze all this stuff, too.

Sometimes, with basil, instead of pesto, I just puree it in some water, then freeze in ice cube trays. I end up with basil ice cubes, which you can drop into whatever you're making all winter long.

For zuchinni, I freeze it grated. When I thaw it, I just squeeze out the extra juice. Granted, I've only used it in muffins, bread, etc, never as a side dish, but it did well.

One of my favorite things is to freeze whole tomatoes. We can tons of tomatoes, but there are always a random tomato or two left over, not enough for a jar. Stick them in the freezer whole. When you take them out, the skin slips right off, and you can chop and add to any cooked meal. They work great.

[Samjm]

We also freeze chopped up onions and bell peppers, for use in sauces etc. They don't thaw well to eat raw, but if you're going to cook them in something where they're going to get soft anyway, it works out fine.

Chopped celery also works well.

[kwarwick]

These are great ideas!! I'm thankful for the original post. Fabulous tip on freezing basil w/ water for later use....I love that one, as I can only eat so much pesto, despite it being yummy! And I was wondering about freezing onions & peppers, so that's a great tip too. The other thing I have frozen with much success are chopped chile peppers, for use in mexican dishes later. Thanks everyone for great ideas!

[jessicafairy]

MightyMoo-
Where in MA are you? I'd drive a bit for strawberries at $1 a pound!

[becca011906]

We pick strawberries but i only use those for jelly and jam, same with my black rasberries, well i froze 4 ziploc bags of thoes for later making a few pies later in the year... in the later summer me and my mom will pick blueberries and i freeze thoes whole, kids and me used up 10 quorte bags of them this year, on the last one now...

Corn my grandparents grow so it's free to us, i always cut it off the cob and freeze it, it taste just as well to us all that way, plus after 3 months of eating it on the cob about every other night, we are sick of it till the next summer! LOL

[mightymoo]

Originally Posted by jessicafairy

MightyMoo-
Where in MA are you? I'd drive a bit for strawberries at $1 a pound!

I am in eastern mass - Chelmsford, near the NH border. They aren't organic that I know of, however they can't be going nuts with the chemicals because there were plenty of buggies eating the strawberries that hadn't been picked. They also do pick some to sell at the stand but I forgot to ask how much they charge for those.

[corrie43]

I just picked 8 lbs of berries. They are $1.35 here in maine. I live 5 minutes from a berry patch/orchard. I love it. We go picking about once a week. I froze a bunch, ate a bunch and made muffins. I am going back for more today! YUM!