Freezing Farmers’ Market Vegetables
Disclosure: I was compensated with product for this post. All opinions and experiences are my own.
Do you love going to the Farmers’ Market and buying up fresh wonderful produce at its prime? I know I sure do and I always buy too much! So I decided to start Freezing Farmers’ Market Vegetables so that I will be able to savor the season even longer. Freezing vegetables at their prime locks in all their goodness. With a little forward thinking you will be able to enjoy them so much longer.
The key to all of this is using Hamilton Beach’s NutriFresh™ Vacuum Sealer. This small, very convenient appliance can be used for everyday vacuum sealing, saving you money and keeping your food fresh.
Here I have blanched and vacuumed sealed three very common Farmers’ Market vegetables, peas, carrots and green beans. Some of my family’s favorites.
Hamilton Beach NutriFresh™ Vacuum Sealer
The key to vacuum sealing is getting the air out that deteriotates your fresh produce quickly. When freezing, vacuum sealing prevents freezer burn and keeps your veggies and meat perfectly fresh looking longer.
At the Farmers’ Market I found peas already shucked. Although I have to say I do really enjoy shucking them too. Something that I did loads of as a kid, peas were one of my dad’s favorites!! For the peas they only took a 1 minute blanch in boiling water.
Carrots are another great find at the market and at this time of year there are lots of baby carrots around. These don’t need peeling either. A blanch for 5 minutes keeps these size carrots still tender crisp for freezing.
Green beans are another family favorite. These were more of the size of haricot verts which I akin to a tinier bean. Just 1-2 minute blanch is all these needed. If your beans are medium I would go 3-4 minutes and for large 5-6 minutes. Cook one or two and test them first.
After the vegetables are blanched, drain them well and pat dry with paper towels to get out some of the moisture out. For the Hamilton Beach vacuum sealer when doing moist items you must add a 2″ long paper towel that is folded lengthwise in half. This creates a barrier for any moisture being sucked out and allows the machine to stay dry and properly seal.
Here is a convenient guide to freezing more vegetables and some fruit too!
Comments & Reviews
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
Freezing veggies with a vacuum sealer is a great way to stock up on fresh produce and make sure it stays fresh. We have a freezer full right now.
Jeanette says
Like to do that this winter. It be a perfect time to do this right now because there’s a lot of vegetables that grow in the summer. It would be great this winter to have a bunch of fresh vegetables that we could eat that were from a local market.
Jenna Wood says
I just learned how to blanche brussel sprouts so this is definitely something I’m going to attempt the next time we get a good stash of fresh veggies from the market!
Sarah says
I have been wanting a vacuum sealer for food for so long. I just had a chance to pick one up during an after the 4th of July sale, and I’m saving this post as a reference for the next time we have fresh vegetables on hand. I’m loving my vacuum sealer so far, so many great ideas on the Internet on how to use it.
Kristi says
My Mom has one of those and loves it. I’m thinking we should probably get one, our garden is overflowing this year.
Shelby Gottschalk says
I’ve never tried a vacuum sealer for veggies, but this looks awesome. And beautiful photos!
Hali says
Oh this is really smart and a great idea to enjoy those that are out of season too! Thanks.
Dawn Lopez says
I love shopping at the Farmers Market in the spring and summer. I never realized how easy it was to blanch veggies and seal them for freezing. Now I can have veggies that taste great year round!
Stacie says
I love being able to enjoy fresh vegetables year round. I’ll have to get myself a vacuum sealer.
top! says
I’ve never tried a vacuum sealer for veggies, but this looks awesome. And beautiful photos!
Tara Noland says
Thank you so much!