Produce seems to come in waves. Sometimes you have a bumper crop of one item and it needs to be preserved for later. Sometimes you totally score and get a lot of something on sale. When that happens, it’s a good idea to know how to preserve your food. This week we got a total deal on broccoli from a local produce place. There was more than we could possibly eat, so I had to learn how to freeze broccoli!
If you don’t have a ton of broccoli in your garden, look for it on sale. I’ve had better luck finding produce on sale when I go to smaller produce shops instead of chain grocery stores. You can also try to find places that sell to restaurants and stores, and see if they do direct to consumer sales as well.
How To Freeze Broccoli
Freezing broccoli is pretty easy. The only downside is that broccoli does need to be blanched before you can freeze it. Fortunately, blanching isn’t too difficult, especially if you have a nice pot.
This is the pot I blanched my broccoli in had a removable strainer in it, like this one from Amazon. It made it super duper easy! Just pull the strainer out and immerse into a sink of ice water!
- To freeze broccoli, first cut the florets off the stem.
- Next, immerse the florets in boiling water for 90 seconds
- Immediately immerse the florets into ice water for another 90 seconds to stop the cooking process
- Dry the florets in a salad spinner or on a dish towel
- Spread broccoli on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer
- Once firm, place your frozen broccoli into bags
Now that you have frozen broccoli, you can use it in so many ways! It’s great for stir fries and casseroles, and even broccoli soup. For some ideas on how to use vegetables, check out the post 24 Roasted Vegetable Recipes For Insanely Easy Meals.
Cauliflower is easy to freeze as well, and is extremely versatile. For cauliflower recipes, check out 53 Tantalizing Cauliflower Recipes For When You Have Extra and 48 MORE Cauliflower Recipes That You’ll Want To Eat.
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