Big freezer!

[satin.mama]

Today we ordered a 17 cubic foot upright freezer! I'm so excited. It will arrive on Tuesday. My husband has started hunting and he wants to get a deer and some birds this fall, and also starting now I want to freeze fresh local produce this summer so we don't go buying strawberries or green beans in the winter for $5 a pound. Anyway, what I need to know is: what produce freezes well? All I can think of so far is green beans (do I have to blanch them?) and berries (best not to wash them, and freeze in single layers, right?).

Thanks! :heart

[cindergretta]

:rockon

Hopefully this will help -

http://foodpreservation.about.com/od/Freezing/a/Blanching-Vegetables-Before-Freezing.htm

http://allrecipes.com/howto/how-to-freeze-fruits-and-vegetables/

[jenn3514]

We also freeze chopped peaches in two cup bags. They are good for oatmeal, muffins, etc. the same with shredded zucchini, then we use it in breads, muffins, fritters, mock crab cakes.

[esperanza]

So exciting! We bought a stand-up freezer off Craigslist. Best purchase ever! It's full right now with food for after the baby comes. If you make smoothies, you can freeze all kinds of fruit when you find a good deal. I didn't read the previous links, but I do wash my berries before freezing them. I also just throw them into a ziploc bag, and they may stick together a bit, but I can pull them apart enough for smoothies. I also like to cute up pineapple and melons when they are cheap at Aldis. I flash freeze them on a cookie sheet, and then put them into plastic bags. They don't stick together that way. Bananas too, when you have a lot of overripe ones. If you aren't looking for the exact same texture when it defrosts, I think you could freeze most any fruit. I haven't frozen as many fresh veggies, so I'm not as much help there. Enjoy your freezer!