Yes, You Can! Freezing Your Summer Harvest

Spring is right around the corner, and summer gardens will be bursting with produce in no time.  You can enjoy your summer flavors year-round by preserving your fresh produce now. Home food preservation continues to be a favorite by many. And by knowing and understanding a few of the basics, you can also enjoy those summer flavors year-round.

Freezing is one of the easiest and least time-consuming methods of preserving food. Best of all, it allows us to keep the natural color, fresh flavor, and nutritional qualities of most foods better than other known food preservation methods. 

Concerned you have tried freezing berries and other tender fruits or vegetables in the past, and it just didn’t seem to taste the same, or worse yet, it tasted terrible. Like many things in life, to be successful, you need to understand the processes involved. Understanding the science behind freezing makes a difference in whether you have a good or great product.

Freezing slows down the enzyme activity in fruits and vegetables; however, it does not inactivate them. If these enzymes are not inactivated, you may be very disappointed with your frozen produce because they can cause flavor and color changes. Want to learn more? Join University of Illinois Extension’s Nutrition and Wellness Educator, Diane Reinhold, for another Yes! You Can: Preserve It Safely: Freezing Your Summer Harvest workshop. 
Thursday, April 16, from 6-8 PM at the Jo Daviess County Extension Office.