The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home - Janet Chadwick [30]
tip Do not store onions in humid areas. They tolerate cold temperatures as low as 38°F quite well but will spoil quickly if the humidity is high.
Tray-Freezing Unblanched Chopped Onions
Peel and chop or slice onions.
Spread in a single layer on baking sheets and tray-freeze.
Package frozen onions within 12 to 24 hours.
tip Freeze a mixture of onions and green or moderately hot peppers to be fried and eaten with hamburgers or frankfurters.
Drying Chopped Onions
Peel and chop onions.
Dry in a dehydrator at 120°F for 12 to 24 hours, stirring occasion ally and rotating trays once or twice after the first 8 hours, until brittle. Or dry in a conventional oven at 120°F for 24 to 36 hours, stirring occasion ally and rotating trays once or twice, until brittle.
Cool and package in airtight containers.
PEAS
GREEN PEAS SHOULD BE HARVESTED as soon as the peas fill the pod. Older peas lose their sweetness quickly and become tough. Harvest from the bottom of the plant first, since these are first to mature. Pick peas late in the afternoon for sweetest flavor. Snow peas must be picked before the pea seed starts to develop. Sugar snap peas can be picked at any stage, right up until they fill the pod tightly, to freeze for stir-frying, which is the only cooking method I recommend for this variety. If you can’t preserve right away, chill your peas immediately by storing according to one of the methods suggested in chapter 2.
tip Peas that go past maturity can be left to dry on the vine. Shell and store in dry airtight containers to use in soups.
Freezing the Standard Way
Excellent finished product
Shell peas. Preheat water for steam-blanching. Wash peas. Drain.
Blanch, 1 pound at a time, for 3 minutes.
Cool peas in ice water. Drain. Pack. Press out air. Seal. Freeze.
Freezing Peas in a Boilable Bag
Best and quickest method
Begin heating water for blanching. Shell peas, wash, and drain. Pack in 1-pint boilable freezer bags. Add butter and seasoning, if desired. Press out air. Seal.
Blanch, four bags at a time, in boiling water for 4 minutes.
Cool bags in ice water. Pat dry. Freeze.
drain peas on towel
blanch boilable bag
chill in ice water
cooking tip Peas packed in boilable freezer bags can be cooked in the bag in boiling water for 20 minutes. Loosely packed peas are best when steam-cooked until barely tender, 5 to 8 minutes.
Blanching and Tray-Freezing Snow and Sugar Snap Peas
Best and quickest method
Preheat water for steam-blanching. Wash. Trim ends off pods and remove strings.
Steam-blanch, 1 pound at a time, for 2 to 4½ minutes.
Cool peas in ice water. Drain.
Pat dry. Tray-freeze.
When frozen solid, pack in large freezer bags or containers.
steam-blanch peas
freeze in single layer
pack into freezer bag
cooking tips Snow peas and sugar snap peas do not retain their crisp texture when frozen; cook by stir-frying.
Frozen sugar snap peas can be chopped and put in tossed salads while still frozen. If they are added just 3 to 4 minutes before the salad is served, they will be crisp, cold, and sweet.
SWEET PEPPERS
FOR THE BEST FROZEN OR DRIED PRODUCT, peppers should be picked when they are fully mature in size and have thick flesh. Since peppers keep well on the bush, there is no need to pick until you are ready to use them. As peppers go past the initial stage of maturity, they will sweeten and turn red. This does not affect the quality or texture of the vegetable, and red peppers add nice color to soups and casse roles. Peppers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Peppers are a good candidate for drying. While the quickest way to prepare them for drying is to simply cut each in half and deseed, I find it more convenient to use dried diced peppers. Pepper halves must be