The Easiest, Cleanest, Quickest Method to Blanch Vegetables

There really isn't much in the world of raising, preserving, and cooking your own food that is easy, quick or even clean. There is no getting around it, it is a lot of work. Worth every bit of it but still, any little thing that can aid in any of these areas is greatly apreciated! 

And that is what I have for you today. A simple little adjustment that will do all three. This is the easiest, quickest and cleanest way to blanch vegetables. ​

Blanching is the process of partially cooking a vegetable to prepare it for freezing. This process helps the vegetsable to retain it's flavor and texture.  It won't have the texture of the raw vegetable but the texture of the cooked version. Many vegetables will become fiberous if you freeze them without blanching them first.

It may not sound that bad.You may think "oh, I'll just save myself the work and throw them in the freezer as they are." Trust me, you don't want to do this. A fibrous carrot is not very pleasant to eat.

Take a look at the video for full instructions on this better way to blanch vegetables then scroll down to find more helpful tips. I also included a recipe that is entirely from produce we preserved from the garden. So if you are looking for a way to use all those garden goodies once you have canned and froze them you will appreciate this recipe. The prep time is only about 5 minutes so watch on!

​Oh, I almost forgot. This is also a debut of something. Can you figure out what it is? 

The Easiest, Quickest, Cleanest Method to Blanch Vegetables

Vegetables That Need Blanching

​​Wash vegetable and chop them into uniform size. Keeping them all the same size helps them to blanch evenly. Blanching lengths are different for each vegetable. You want to only cook them half way. They will finish cooking when  you use them in your meal. Denser vegetables like carrots and kohlrabi need longer while things like spinach are ready rather quickly. Test them as they blanch to find the right balance. 
​

• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Carrots
• Kohlrabi
• Spinach
• Zucchini
• Kale 
• Swiss chard
• Beans (garden beans like green beans or wax beans)
• Peas (in pod or shelled)
• Celery

​

Vegetables and Fruit that Don't Need Blanching

These vegetables can be put into the freezer just as they are after washing. Most often, depending on what you plan to use them for, you will still ant to chop them up so they are ready to go right into the pot, pan, or smoothie blender. They won't be any fun to cut up after they have froze.
​

• Tomatoes (We leave are skins on and roast them or throw them right into what ever we are cooking. Some we chop and others like cherry tomatoes we leave whole. These are the ones we roast.)
• Peppers
• Eggplant (This is only have true, we roast ours in the oven and then freeze it but we do not blanch it.)
• Onions (If your onions are starting to go bad in late winter you can chop up the good ones that are left and pop them in the freezer. It's really nice that they are already prepared when you need them)
• Peaches
• Grapes
• Berries
• Plums

​

If you liked my stock pot and steaming basket ( it also comes with a pasta basket), you can find it on Amazon here. No affiliate, I just really like it and find it very useful for blanching vegetables. 

Remember to par freeze your vegetables after blanching by spreading them on a pan and freezing them before transferring to a storage container. If you put them right into the container they will become one solid mass. 

Have you done any blanching before? Have you heard of steam blanching before this video? Let me know what you are planning to blanch in the comments below.

Until next time, blessings to you and yours!
​

​​P.S. If you enjoyed this post then consider signing up for our monthly-ish (I'm a busy mama of 7 kiddos!) newsletter. It' will keep you up to date on new blog post, GMO news, recipes, you know, all that kind of good stuff.