The Secret to Enjoying the Taste of Summer All Year
By Chef Meg Galvin, Healthy Cooking Expert at SparkPeople.com
One of the earliest lessons my parents taught me was to eat what's in season. Being from a farm family, you quickly learn that if food is not harvested at its peak it either goes rotten in the field or becomes a meal for birds, insects, or the Earth.
That's why we eat fruits and vegetables fresh when they are in season. That means you'll eat your weight in asparagus in May, strawberries in June, pepper and corn in July, and tomatoes in August. After eating tomatoes every day for a month, you might be tired of them in late summer, but don't you long for them during the cold winter months?
With the start of the growing season upon us, it's the perfect time to read up on storing your favorite fruits and veggies. What do I freeze, you ask?
Strawberries: Cut off green stems and slice in half. Freeze on a sheet pan then once frozen transfer to air tight containers.
Blueberries: Make sure they are ripe--there's nothing worse than a sour, unripe blueberry. Freeze on a sheet pan then once frozen transfer to air tight containers. Use in muffins, smoothies, or straight from the freezer as a snack.
Avocados: Puree the flesh and pack in sealed containers. Have your seen the price of avocados when they are out of season? I laugh all the way to my freezer.
Beans: You must blanch and shock them or they will be freezer burned in no time.
Bell or Hot Peppers: Just slice them and freeze them--no need to blanch and shock. Leave the seeds in the hot ones if you prefer.
Corn: My favorite! I can't stand frozen corn on the cob. The cob gets all mushy. Cut the kernels off the corn then blanch and shock.
Tomatoes: I never had luck with freezing raw tomatoes. I turn my abundant crop into homemade tomato sauce, salsa, and stewed tomatoes then freeze those.
Want more info on growing your own food? Check out SparkPeople's Backyard Gardening Lifestyle Center.
Do you freeze your own food? If so, which fruits and vegetables are your favorites?
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SparkPeople Healthy Cooking Expert Meg Galvin is a World Master Chef, culinary instructor, and the author of "The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose the Weight." A farmer's daughter and marathon runner, she lives in northern Kentucky with her husband and three teenage sons.
