Vacuum sealer question

[kldickinson1]

I froze veggies from my garden this fall by putting them in vacuum sealer bags and then sealing them up. The freezing instructions I've always known indicate blanching the vegetables, running them under cold water, and then packing and sealing them. However, this makes for close quarters, especially with strawberries, peas, and beans, and the veggies end up in one big frozen mass.

Has anyone ever tried:

1. Freezing vegetables either raw or blanched on a cookie sheet (to keep the pieces separate) and then vacuum sealing them?
2. Freezing the vegetables en masse, but raw (without the excess water from the blanching, I'd imagine that they wouldn't glom together)?
3. Saying screw the vacuum sealer, I'm only keeping these veggies for a year anyway and I'm using ziplock bags?

Thanks for your input.

[Shamrock1121]

1. *You only blanch vegetables, not fruit. *This is done to stop the enzyme action that can cause loss of flavor, color and texture in vegetables.

Blanching times are based on the food (type and size). *If you over- or under-blanch, it's worse than not blanching at all. *Blanching times start when the water comes back to a boil...not when the food hits the water. *Only blanch foods in small batches in a LOT of water. *Use the recommended blanching times for each kind of food.

After they are blanched, give it a dip in cold or iced water (60°F or colder) to stop the cooking action. *This should take about the same amount of time in the cold water as it did to blanch the food.

HINT: *Give them a quick spin in a lettuce/salad spinner to remove excess moisture. * Perhaps a blotting with a layer of paper towels or CLEAN cloth towels. *Extra moisture remaining on the food can actually cause loss of food quality.

- Toss them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet in a single layer and do what is called a quick-freeze (freeze only until hard - which will take 10-20-minutes for most things. *

- Once completely frozen, pick up the paper (which will loosen the food) and use it as a funnel to transfer the food to a FoodSaver Bag. *

- Lay the bag flat and pat the contents into a single layer, then vacuum-seal shut. *If you have a thin layer in a flat bag, when you open the bag and give it a rap on the counter, you'll have individual pieces or small chunks which can be removed in small amounts and then the remainder resealed. *

I "file" the thin bags of food in a plastic basket in the freezer. *I can quickly flip through the food and see what I have or need.

2. *See #1 - how to remove excess moisture from the cold water dip. *

I quick-freeze ALL foods that get stored in FoodSaver bags in the freezer. *Any thing that would compact when vacuum-sealed (including meats and *casseroles), I quick freeze them, remove from the dish and vacuum seal in bags. *You can pop it back into the same dish you froze the casserole in for thawing in the refrigerator and re-heating. *

I also quick freeze plastic containers of soup, spaghetti sauce, sloppy joe mixture, taco meat, etc. *Once frozen, pop them out of the plastic containers. *Stack the "bricks" in FoodSaver bags and vacuum shut. *This keeps the plastic containers out of the freezer and you can use them for other things. *I freeze in serving sizes, so I can take out one container of soup or 5 - depending on how many I need to serve. *

Pre-freezing fruit, using the quick-freeze method, keeps them from becoming one giant lump in the bottom of the bag. *I also lay the bag flat (with the opening to the side, not the top, to fill it, so I can easily place a single layer of food in the bag. *Then vacuum-seal it shut while the bag lays flat. *This method will keep your food in individual pieces and easier to remove from the bag in amounts needed.

3. *The moisture in the food will quickly migrate from the inside to the outside if you package them loosely in a regular bag because of exposure to a large amount of oxygen in the bag. *That will cause freezer burn, ice particles, loss of moisture and loss of texture and flavor. *

Oxygen is a prime cause of degredation of frozen food. *Even without using a vacuum seal, the best way to keep foods in a freezer is to package them as closely packed together as possible, with the least amount of oxygen remaining in the package. *

Even when I freeze a loaf of bread (homemade - I don't purchase commercial bread), it's never in a loose-fitting plastic bag. *Ever put a loaf of sliced commercial bread in the freezer, and when you thaw it, all those ice crystals cause a sopping wet crust? * I prevent this by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap - that keeps air from the surface - then wrap it in foil for double protection. *Ever notice how butchers tightly wrap a piece of meat? *That's to prevent oxygen.

Because I use them quickly, I don't bother blanching sweet bell peppers I freeze. *I just cut them in strips or coarsely chopped. *Then I quick-freeze them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet before I seal them in a single-layer in a FoodSaver Bag. *Same goes for onions I freeze. *

I also use a method for fruits and vegetables that is a combination of dehydrating and freezing - DEHYDROFREEZING. *

You remove only 70% of the moisture and store the fruit or vegetable in the freezer. *Once again, I quick-freeze the food and freeze in a single layer in a FoodSaver bag. *Because these foods are not completely dehydrated, they MUST be frozen to inhibit microbial growth.

Advantages of dehydrofreezing:

1. *It takes up less freezer space since it's partially dehydrated.

2. *Foods that are dehydrofrozen have good flavor and color.

3. *They reconstitute in about 1/2 the time it takes for traditionally dried foods.

-Karen

[kldickinson1]

Oh my goodness, thank you so much for the wealth of information! I am now SO EXCITED for next year's garden!

Thank you thank you thank you!