If you shop Seattle farmers markets all year, you may want to preserve your favorite vegetables to enjoy after the growing season is over. What foods are you preserving this year? last year? Blanching is the most important step when freezing vegetables. This article briefly explains why and how to blanch vegetables.

Blanching means to boil in water for a short time

• Blanching is the most important step when freezing vegetables, if the vegetables will be stored frozen for longer than four weeks. Blanching deactivates enzymes.
• Enyzmes are beneficial organisms that help break down food. However, in order to extend the storage time, it is necessary to deactivate the enzymes in order to preserve the color, flavor and texture in frozen vegetables.

Blanching time varies with each type of vegetable

• For a list of vegetable blanching times, visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
• Do not shorten the recommended blanching time or you will activate the enzymes instead of deactivating them.
• Do not over blanch or you will lose color and flavor in your frozen vegetables, as well as destroy vitamins and minerals.

General process for blanching vegetables

• Use one gallon of water for every pound of prepared vegetables.
• For easier handling, use a blanching basket which fits inside the pot of water. A basket allows you to lift the vegetables in and out and to reuse the blanching water for successive batches of vegetables. If you have no basket, use a mesh strainer to lift the vegetables out of the water or a colander to strain the water from the vegetables after blanching.
• Use a full rolling boil and precise timing. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the vegetable in the basket and lower into the vigorously boiling water. Cover the pot. When the water returns to a boil, start counting the blanching time for your specific vegetable. Keep the heat on high and maintain a full rolling boil for the entire time listed for the vegetable you are freezing. For a list of vegetable blanching times, visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
• Tip: After adding the vegetables and covering the pot, the water should return to boiling within one minute. If it does not, you are using too little water for the amount of vegetables. Be sure to use one gallon of water per pound of vegetables. Also be sure to have the cold or ice water bath ready for quick cooling after blanching is complete.
• Note: Other methods of blanching include steaming and microwaving. For information on other blanching techniques, visit http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze/blanching.html.

Cool the vegetables quickly before packaging

• As soon as the recommended blanching time is reached, cool the vegetables quickly to stop the cooking process and avoid over blanching.
• To cool blanched vegetables quickly, lift the basket of vegetables immediately into a large bowl of ice water. Let stand until vegetables are cool. Cooling takes about the same amount of time as blanching. If necessary, add more ice or use cold running water to cool vegetables as rapidly as possible.
• When the vegetables are cool, drain thoroughly. Place the blanching basket over a large bowl and allow vegetables to drain for at least 30 minutes before packaging.

Most vegetables can be frozen with good results. Blanched, frozen vegetables preserve more of the qualities of fresh vegetables compared to other methods such as canning or pickling. Share your preservation stories and favorite techniques.