Freezing Vegetables
For Quality Frozen Vegetables freezing them is to slow or stop the action
Get vegetables from the garden into the of enzymes. Until vegetables are ready
freezer as quickly as possible to preserve to pick, enzymes help them grow and
the quality of the food. Fresh, tender veg- mature. After harvest, enzymes can cause
etables are best for freezing. The fresher loss of flavor and color.
the vegetables when frozen, the better If vegetables are not adequately
your product. processed with heat, enzymes stay active
during storage in the freezer. Vegetables
First Steps may develop off flavor, discoloration, or
Begin most vegetables with washing. toughen and become unappetizing in a
Wash thoroughly in cold water. Lift from few weeks.
water as grit settles to bottom of pan. Heating also wilts or softens vegeta-
Sort vegetables by size for heating and bles and makes them easier to pack. The
packing unless you plan to cut them into type of vegetable and the size of the pieces
same-sized pieces. determine the right heating time
Peel, trim, and cut into pieces as and temperature.
directed for each vegetable.
An important step in preparing Heating in Boiling Water
vegetables for freezing is to heat or blanch For home freezing, the best way to heat
them. Most vegetables, except green most vegetables is in boiling water. Use a
peppers, keep better quality in frozen blancher, which has a blanching basket
storage if you heat them before packing. and cover. Or fit a wire basket into a large
The reason to heat vegetables before kettle, and add a cover.
For each pound of prepared vegetables, use at Dry Pack More Practical
least 1 gallon of boiling water in the blancher or kettle. You can use a dry or brine pack to freeze most vegeta-
Put vegetables bles. We recommend the dry pack for all vegetables
in the blanching basket or wire basket, and lower into because preparation for freezing and serving is easier.
boiling water.
Put lid on blancher or kettle and immediately start Directions
counting time. Keep heat high for time given in the
Asparagus
directions for vegetables you are freezing.
Select young tender asparagus with compact tips. Sort
by stalk thickness. Wash well, and cut off and discard
Heating in Steam tough parts. Cut into 2-inch pieces or leave in spears
Heating in steam is recommended for some vegeta- to fit container size. Heat in boiling water according
bles. Both steaming and to stalk thickness: small – 2 minutes; medium –
boiling work well for pumpkin, sweetpotatoes, and 3 minutes; large – 4 minutes. Cool quickly and drain.
winter squash. Pack into container, leaving no head space. Seal
To steam, use a kettle with a tight lid and a rack and freeze.
that holds a steaming basket at least 3 inches above
the bottom of the
Lima Beans
kettle. Put from 1 inch to 2 inches of water in the ket-
Choose beans that are green but not starchy or mealy.
tle, and bring water to a boil.
Shell and sort by size, or leave in pods to shell after
Put vegetables in the basket in a single layer so
heating and cooling. Heat in boiling water, depending
that steam reaches all parts quickly. Cover kettle and
on bean or pod size: small – 2 minutes; medium – 3
keep heat high. Start counting time as soon as the lid
minutes; large – 4 minutes. Cool quickly and drain.
is on.
Pack into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space. Seal
and freeze.
Other Ways To Heat
You can heat pumpkin, sweetpotatoes, and winter
Beans, Shell, Green
squash in a pressure cooker
Select pods that are plump, not dry or wrinkled. Shell
or in the oven before freezing.
beans. Heat in boiling water 1 minute, cool in cool
water, and drain. Pack into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch
Cooling and Packaging head space. Seal and freeze.
After vegetables are heated, cool quickly and thor-
oughly to stop cooking.
To cool vegetables heated in boiling water or
Beans, Snap
steam, plunge basket of vegetables immediately into Select young, tender beans. Wash and cut or break off
cold water 60 °F ends. Cut in lengths from 1 inch to 2 inches, or slice
or below. Change water frequently, or use cold run- into strips. Heat in boiling water 3 minutes. Cool
ning water or ice water. If you use ice, you’ll need quickly in cold water, and drain. Pack into containers,
about 1 pound of ice for each pound of vegetable. It leaving 1⁄2-inch head space. Seal and freeze.
will take as long to cool the food as it does to heat it.
When vegetables are cool, remove from water, and
drain thoroughly.
To cool vegetables heated in the oven, a pressure
cooker, or a fry pan, set pan of food in water and
change water to speed the cooling process.
Pack the food into bags or other containers. A
stand to hold bags makes filling easier. A funnel helps
keep the sealing edges clean.
Leave the amount of head space recommended for
the vegetables. Seal by twisting or folding back the top
of the bag and tying with a string, or seal with a paper-
covered wire or rubber band. Freeze at once. Store
at 0 °F or below. If bags easily become brittle at low
temperatures, put the bag in a carton for protection.
Beets wedges, or separate head into leaves. Heat in boiling
Freeze beets that are young or mature, but discard water 11⁄2 minutes. Cool promptly in cold water, and
those that are more than 3 inches across. Wash, and drain. Pack into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space.
sort by size. Trim tops, leaving 1⁄2-inch of stems. Cook Seal and freeze.
in boiling water until tender, depending on size: small
– 25 to 30 minutes; medium – 45 to 50 minutes. Cool Carrots
quickly in cold water. Peel, and cut into slices or
Freeze mild-flavored, tender carrots. Remove tops,
cubes. Pack into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space.
then wash, and peel. Leave small carrots whole, and
Seal and freeze.
cut bigger ones into 1⁄4-inch cubes, thin slices, or long
strips. Heat in boiling water depending on size: small,
whole – 5 minutes; diced or sliced or lengthwise strips
– 2 minutes. Cool quickly in cold water, and drain.
Pack into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space. Seal
and freeze.
Cauliflower
Choose firm, tender, snow-white heads. Break or cut
into pieces about 1 inch across. Wash well. To remove
insects, soak vegetable for 30 minutes in a solution
of 4 teaspoons salt to 1 gallon cold water. Drain. Heat
in boiling water containing 4 teaspoons salt to 1 gallon
water for 3 minutes. Cool promptly in cold water, and
drain. Pack cauliflower into containers, leaving no
Beans, Soybeans, Green head space. Seal and freeze.
Select well-filled, bright green pods. Wash. Heat beans
in pods in boiling water for 5 minutes. Cool quickly in Corn
cold water. Squeeze out of pods. Pack into containers, Whole Kernel and Cream Style. Select ears with
leaving 1⁄2-inch head space. Seal and freeze. plump, tender kernels and thin, sweet milk. Freeze as
cream style if milk is thick and starchy. Husk, silk, and
Broccoli wash ears. Heat in boiling water 4 minutes. Cool
Select tight, compact, dark-green heads with tender quickly in cold water; drain. For whole kernel, cut
stalks free from woodiness. Wash, peel stalks, and kernels at about two-thirds of the depth. For cream
trim. To remove insects, soak for 1⁄2 hour in a solution style, cut corn from cob at about the center of kernels.
of 4 teaspoons salt to 1 gallon cold water. Split length- Scrape cobs with back of knife to remove juice and
wise into pieces so florets are not more than 11⁄2 inches heart of kernel. Pack, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space. Seal
across. Heat in steam 5 minutes or in boiling water 3 and freeze
minutes. Cool promptly in cold water, and drain. Pack
broccoli into containers, leaving no head space. Seal On-the-Cob. Select and prepare the same way as
and freeze for whole kernel corn except sort ears by size. Heat
. in boiling water depending on ear size: small –
7 minutes; (11⁄4 inch or less in diameter); medium –
Brussels Sprouts 9 minutes (11⁄4 to 11⁄2 inches in diameter); large –
Select green, firm, compact heads. Examine heads 11 minutes (more than 11⁄2 inches in diameter).
carefully to make sure they don’t have insects. Trim, Cool in cold water; drain. Pack into containers,
removing coarse outer leaves. Wash thoroughly. Sort or wrap individually and then together in desired
into small, medium, and large sizes. Heat in boiling number with material that resists moisture and vapor.
water: small heads – 3 minutes; medium heads – Seal and freeze.
4 minutes; and large heads – 5 minutes. Cool promptly
in cold water, and drain. Pack Brussels sprouts into
containers, leaving no head space. Seal and freeze.
Cabbage
Use frozen cabbage only as a cooked vegetable.
Choose freshly picked, solid heads. Trim off coarse
outer leaves. Cut into medium to coarse shreds or thin
Eggplant Mushrooms
Wash, peel, and slice from ⁄3 to ⁄2 of an inch thick.
1 1
Choose mushrooms that don’t have spots or decay.
Prepare an ascorbic acid solution using 1 quart water Sort according to size. Wash thoroughly in cold water.
to 1⁄2 teaspoon ascorbic acid. Dip eggplant slices in Trim off ends of stems. If mushrooms are larger than
ascorbic acid solution. 1 inch across, slice them, or cut into quarters.
Blanch in boiling water 4 minutes in same You can steam or heat mushrooms in fat in a fry
proportion of ascorbic acid solution used in preparing pan. Mushrooms that will be steamed will have better
eggplant. Chill in cold water. Drain. color if given an anti-darkening treatment first. (Dip
Pack in freezer container with two pieces of for 5 minutes in a solution containing 1 teaspoon
freezer paper between slices. Seal and freeze. Frozen lemon juice or 11⁄2 teaspoons citric acid to a pint of
eggplant keeps well from 9 to 12 months. One pound water.) Then steam: whole mushrooms –5 minutes;
fresh eggplant yields about 1 pint frozen. buttons or quarters – 31⁄2 minutes; slices – 3 minutes.
Cool promptly in cold water, and drain.
Greens To heat mushrooms in fry pan, heat small amounts
in table fat in an open fry pan until almost done. Cool
Select young, tender leaves. Wash well. Remove in air or set in cold water the pan you used to cook
imperfect leaves and tough stems. Heat in boiling mushrooms. Pack into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head
water in small amounts to avoid matting: mustard space. Seal and freeze.
and turnip greens – 2 minutes; collards – 3 minutes;
spinach – 2 minutes; very tender leaves, spinach – 11⁄2
minutes. Cool quickly; drain well. Pack, leaving 1⁄2-inch
head space. Seal and freeze.
Okra
Select young, tender, green pods. Wash well. Cut off
stems so as not to cut open seed cells. Heat in boiling
water: small – 3 minutes; large – 4 minutes. Cool
quickly in cold water, drain. Leave whole, or slice
crosswise. Pack into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head
space. Seal and freeze.
Another method for sliced okra is heating on a
Kohlrabi baking sheet in an oven at 350° about 20 minutes. Cool
on trays, package, and freeze.
Select young, tender, mild-flavored kohlrabi that are
small to medium in size. Cut off tops and roots. Wash,
peel, and leave whole or dice into 1⁄2-inch cubes. Heat
in boiling water: whole – 3 minutes; cubes – 1 minute.
Cool promptly in cold water and drain. Pack whole
kohlrabi into containers or wrap in material that is
resistant to moisture and vapor. Seal and freeze. Pack
cubes into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space. Seal
and freeze.
Parsley head space in container. Seal and freeze. If you heat
peppers, leave 1⁄2-inch head space.
Select dark green, tender stalks. Wash, and remove
any wilted leaves. Put just enough for one meal in a Hot. Wash and stem. Pack into small containers,
package. If you want chopped parsley, chop it while leaving no head space. Seal and freeze.
it is frozen.
Parsnips
Choose from small to medium parsnips that are tender
and and not woody. Remove tops, wash, peel, and
cut in 1⁄2-inch cubes or slices. Heat in boiling water
2 minutes. Cool promptly in cold water; drain. Pack
into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space. Seal
and freeze.
Peas
Select well-filled, flexible pods with tender seeds.
Shell, discarding hard peas. Heat in boiling water
2 minutes. Cool quickly in cold water, drain. Pack into
containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space. Seal and freeze. Pimentos
Select firm, crisp, thick-walled pimentos. To peel, roast
pimentos in an oven at 450° for 3 to 8 minutes.
Remove charred skins by rinsing in cold water. Drain.
Pack into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space. Seal
and freeze.
Potatoes
New Potatoes. Select potatotes that are 1 inch to 11⁄2
inches in diameter. Scrub vigorously in cold water
or scrape to remove skin. Heat in boiling water
4 minutes. Cool quickly in cold water. Drain. Package,
leaving no head space. Seal.
French Fried. Cut and scald potatoes. Fry quickly in
fresh, first-grade fat. Drain. Cool quickly. Package. Seal
and freeze.
Peas, English and Green
Choose bright green, plump, firm pods with sweet,
tender peas. Do not use immature or tough peas. Shell.
Heat in boiling water 11⁄2 minutes. Cool quickly in cold
water, drain. Pack into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head
space. Seal and freeze.
Peppers
Sweet. Peppers frozen without heating are best for use
in uncooked foods. Heated peppers are easier to pack
and good for use in cooking. Choose firm, crisp, thick- Other Potatoes. Wash, peel, and remove deep eyes,
walled peppers. Wash, cut out stems, cut in half, and bruises, and green surface coloring. Cut in 1⁄4- to 1⁄2-inch
remove seeds. If desired, cut into 1⁄2-inch strips or rings. cubes. Heat in boiling water 5 minutes. Cool. For hash
If you heat peppers, heat in boiling water: halves – browns, cook in jackets until almost done. Peel and
3 minutes; slices – 2 minutes. Cool in cold water; grate. Pack into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space.
drain. If you don’t heat peppers, pack, leaving no Seal and freeze.
Pumpkin Remove pulp from rind, and mash or press through
a sieve. To cool, place pan containing squash in
Select full-colored, mature pumpkin with texture that cold water, and stir squash occasionally. Pack into
is fine rather than coarse and stringy. Wash, cut into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space. Seal and freeze.
pieces, remove seeds. Cook pieces until soft in water,
steam, a pressure cooker, or oven. Remove pulp from
rind and mash or press through a sieve. To cool,
place pan in cold water. Stir occasionally. Pack into
containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space. Seal and freeze.
Sweetpotatoes
Pack whole, sliced, or mashed. Freeze medium-to-
large, mature, cured sweetpotatoes. Sort by size,
and wash. Cook until almost tender in water, steam,
a pressure cooker, or oven. Let stand at room
temperature until cool. Peel, cut in halves, slice, or
mash. To prevent darkening, dip whole or sliced
sweetpotatoes for 5 seconds in a solution of 1 table-
Rutabagas spoon citric acid or 1⁄2 cup lemon juice to 1 quart water.
Select young, tender, medium-size rutabagas with no To prevent darkening of mashed sweetpotatoes, mix
tough fibers. Cut off tops, wash and peel. For cubed 2 tablespoons orange or lemon juice with each quart
rutabagas, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes. Heat in boiling water of sweetpotatoes. Pack, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space.
for 2 minutes. Cool promptly in cold water; drain. Seal and freeze.
Pack into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space. Seal For variety, roll cooked sweetpotato slices in sugar.
and freeze. For mashed rutabagas, cut into pieces. Pack into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space. Seal
Cook until tender in boiling water and drain. Mash or and freeze, or pack whole or sliced, cooked
press through a sieve. To cool, place pan containing sweetpotatoes in containers and cover with cold syrup
rutabagas in cold water. Stir rutabagas occasionally. made of equal parts of sugar and water. Leave head
Pack into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space. Seal space. Seal and freeze.
and freeze.
Squash
Summer. Select young, small-seeded, and tender-rind
squash. Wash, and cut in 1⁄2-inch slices. Heat in boiling
water 3 minutes. Cool quickly in cold water, and
drain. Pack into containers, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space.
Seal and freeze.
Winter. Select firm, mature squash. Wash, cut into
pieces, and remove seeds. Cook pieces until soft in
boiling water, steam, pressure cooker, or the oven.
Tomatoes Pole
Carolina, Willow Leaf, Florida Speckle
Juice. Wash, sort, and trim firm, vine-ripened • Beets
tomatoes. Cut in quarters or eighths. Simmer 5 to Detroit Dark Red, Burpee Red Ball, Ruby Queen
10 minutes. Press through sieve. If desired, add • Broccoli
1 teaspoon salt per quart of juice. Pour into containers, Spartan, Coastal, Gem
leaving head space for liquid pack. Seal and freeze. • Carrot
Red Core Chantenay, Imperator, Commander
Stewed. Remove stem ends, peel, and quarter ripe • Cauliflower
tomatoes. Cover, and cook until tender (10 to 20 Snowball E, Snowball M
minutes). Place pan in cold water to cool. Pack into • Collard
containers, leaving head space for liquid pack. Seal Vates
and freeze.
• Corn, Sweet
Turnips Royal Gold, Golden Security, Aristogold Bantam
Choose small-to-medium, firm, tender, mild-flavored Evergreen, Seneca Chief, Silver Queen, Jubilee,
turnips. Wash, peel, and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes. Heat Merit, Midway
in boiling water 2 minutes. Cool quickly in cold water. • Eggplant
Drain. Pack, leaving 1⁄2-inch head space. Seal and freeze. Black Beauty, Florida Market
• Mustard
Florida Broadleaf, Southern Giant Curled,
Tendergreen
• Okra
Emerald, Clemson Spineless, La. Green Velvet
• Peas
English
Little Marvel, Laxton, Creole, Wando
• Southern
Mississippi Silver, Dixilee, Mississippi Purple,
Pinkeye Purple Hull
• Pepper
Sweet
Keystone, Resistant Giant, Yolo Wonder L, Miss
Belle, Sweet Banana, Emerald Giant
Hot
Long Cayenne, Tabasco, Hungarian wax (yellow),
Jalapeño
Storage Period • Potato
Irish
The longest storage time for best quality vegetables is
Red LaSoda, Superior, LaChipper, Norchip
from 8 months to 12 months. The exception is French
Sweet
fried potatoes, which keep well for up to 1 month after
Centennial, Goldrush, Unit I Porto Rico
freezing.
• Spinach
Early Hybrid No. 7, Bloomsdale Longstanding,
Varieties Suitable for Freezing Dixie Market, Chesapeake Hybrid, New Zealand
• Asparagus (summer)
Mary Washington • Squash
• Beans, Snap Early Yellow Summer Crookneck, Early Prolific
Bush Straightneck, Patty Pan (white), Aristocrat (zucchini)
Falcon, Maestro, Astro, Green Isle, Early Gallatin, • Turnip
Contender, Slenderwhite, Cherokee (wax) Purple Top White Globe, Shogoin (for greens), Just
Pole Right, Crawford
Kentucky Wonder 191, Blue Lake, Dade
• Beans, Lima
Bush
Thaxter, Henderson’s Bush, Nemagreen, Jackson
Wonder, Butterpea
Head Space To Allow Between Packed Food and Closure
Type of Pack Container with wide top opening (1) Container with narrow top opening (2)
Pint Quart Pint Quart
Liquid Pack 1/2 inch 1 inch 3/4 inch (3) 1 1/2 inches
Dry Pack (4)
(Vegetable 1/2 inch 1/2 inch 1/2 inch 1/2 inch
packed
without
added liquid)
(1) -- This is head space for tall containers -- either straight or slightly flared. (2) -- Glass canning jars may be used for freezing most
vegetables, except those packed in water. (3) -- Head space for juice should be 1 1/2 inches. (4) -- Vegetables that pack loosely, such
as broccoli and asparagus, require no head space.
For information on freezing fruits, call or write your Extension home economist for Publication 663 Freezing Fruits.
Distributed by Jason M. Behrends, PhD, CCS, assistant Extension/research professor, Department of Food
Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion.
Discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or veteran’s status is a violation
of federal and state law and MSU policy and will not be tolerated. Discrimination based upon sexual orientation or
group affiliation is a violation of MSU policy and will not be tolerated.
Publication 974
Extension Service of Mississippi State University, cooperating with U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Published in furtherance of Acts of Congress, May 8 and June 30, 1914. Vance H. Watson, Director
