| Freezing Fruits: | | | | there are a few ice crystals still remaining in the fruit. |
| 1. Select the fruit and decide on the type of pack. | | | | Freezing Vegetables: |
| Use syrup-pack for desserts (chilled fruit in syrup) | | | | 1. Select, wash, and prepare vegetables; pre-cook, |
| and sugar-pack for cooking, since there is little liquid. | | | | following directions in recipes. The pre-cooking, also |
| Unsweetened packed fruit may be lower in quality | | | | called blanching, impedes the enzymes action, thus |
| but is handy for special-diet cookery. | | | | helping to retain the color, texture, and flavor of the |
| 2. If needed, prepare syrup and chill the syrup, then | | | | food. Most vegetables are blanched in water. |
| wash and prepare the fruit. Do not use galvanized | | | | 2. To blanch in water, heat water to boiling in a large |
| cookware, iron utensils, or chipped enamelware in | | | | kettle with a lid. Use a minimum of 1 gallon water for |
| preparing the fruit. | | | | each pound of vegetables. Place the vegetables in a |
| 3. Wash and prepare fruit. If necessary, treat fruit | | | | blanching basket (or wire basket) and lower into the |
| during preparation with ascorbic acid color keeper to | | | | boiling water. Cover and start counting the time |
| control darkening. Follow the label directions for | | | | immediately. (Heat 1 minute longer at 5,000 or more |
| proportions. | | | | feet above sea level.) Maintain high heat during |
| 4. Pack the fruit into freezer containers, leaving the | | | | blanching. |
| proper headspace. | | | | To steam-blanch vegetables, such as broccoli, use a |
| For sugar-- syrup--, and water-packs: | | | | kettle with a tight lid and a rack 3 inches above the |
| Leave a 1/2-inch headspace for pint containers with | | | | kettle bottom. Add an inch or two of water to the |
| straight or slightly flared sides and wide-top openings; | | | | kettle and boil. Place vegetables in a single layer in the |
| leave a 1-inch headspace for quart containers with | | | | basket, and lower onto the rack. Cover the kettle |
| wide-top openings. | | | | and steam for the specified time. (Steam 1 minute |
| For unsweetened, dry packs(no sugar or liquid): | | | | longer at 5,000 or more feet above sea level.) |
| Leave a 1/2-inch headspace for pint and quart | | | | Maintain high heat during steaming. |
| containers. | | | | 3. Remove the vegetables immediately from the |
| 5. Place a piece of crumples parchment paper or | | | | water or steam and plunge the basket or vegetables |
| plastic wrap atop the fruit to hold it under the juice | | | | into a large quantity of ice water. Allow as much time |
| or syrup. | | | | for cooking as for blanching. Drain vegetables |
| 6. Seal, label and freeze the fruit. | | | | thoroughly. |
| 7. Thaw fruit in sealed containers for best color and | | | | 4. Pack blanched vegetables tightly into freezer |
| flavor. Thaw in refrigerator or in a bowl of cool | | | | containers, leaving the appropriate headspace given in |
| water. For cooking, fruits need to be thawed only | | | | the recipe (some vegetables require no headspace). |
| enough to separate. Serve uncooked fruits when | | | | 5. Seal, label, and freeze vegetables. |