Instead of letting fresh veggies go bad sitting in the fridge, I use my electric chopper and chop the remainder of them up and put in small ziploc bags, mark the bag, then freeze. When I need chopped veggies such as onion, bell peppers, carrots, celery, fresh herbs, etc. I grab the bag out of the freezer and add to the recipe I’m making. Really comes in handy when I can’t run to the market AND….you don’t waste what you’ve already paid for!
That’s a great idea ‘Southern’. I never thought of freezing them separately . I’ve always frozen them all together for my next batch of vegetable soup. Your way would make the veggies more useful.
Amanda Panda…..I found this especially helpful the other day when the market was out of the green bell pepper. I had some chopped up in a bag in my freezer, so I could still make the recipe.
This is a great way to stock up on veggies when they are on sale and keep them fresh. I like to chop up veggies for stir frys and pasta dishes and then freeze them. When it comes time for dinner, I just thaw what I need and I have my ingredients already prepared for a healthy dish.
We can in the summer, you can find local farmers through your extension agent, if you don’t have a garden.
Putting up canned goods is not only saving money it gets the whole family involved.
If you have never canned, there are lots of books and online sites to get you started. Also you can borrow canners from your extension agent office.
I stock up on everythng that is on sale and freeze it. I will cook up big batches of dried beans and freeze them in serving sizes that way they are ready to go with another meal. A big time saver too.
i do this a lot. you can buy a package of mixed bell peppers at sam’s club and i wash and cut them andbag them. i don’t usually cut these up in strips- just take what i need and pop the rest in the freezer. freezing the veggies separately is a big help and you can smuggle the veggies into soups, meat loafs, etc.
What about freezing fresh herbs like Parsley and Dill, won’t they turn dark?
I think I’ve read where some folks preserve their herbs by chopping them, measuring, then freezing them in ice cubes. Parsley and Dill, most herbs actually, dehydrate pretty well too. If you don’t have a dehydrator, just put them in a warm oven (turned off) on a pan and they dry quickly.
What about freezing fresh herbs like Parsley and Dill, won’t they turn dark?
I found a great way to store leftover herbs, I use my microwave as a dehydrator! I microave small batches of herbs in between slightly damp paper towels in 30 second intervals until they are dehydrated (it only takes a few intervals until they are perfectly dry), I dehydrated stems and all, then, once dry, they come right off.
I did this with mint, and now I have lots of mint for iced tea whenever I want it! I store my dried herbs in zip loc type bags, but you can store it in mason jars, tins, or any tight lidded container!
dee
Amanda Panda…..I found this especially helpful the other day when the market was out of the green bell pepper. I had some chopped up in a bag in my freezer, so I could still make the recipe.
from a Southern, now living up north.
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Southern (up north),
We just love bell peppers so much too, and use them in just about everything. So, at the end of summer, I go to a local farm stand and purchase a big box of them, then spend the day washing and cutting them into dices, slices and chopped pieces, and I freeze them in zip loc bags and those gladware containers, so I can pull out whatever I need. this lasts me through until summer.
