When winter sets in, we’re going to miss all of this fresh, beautiful, local produce. Of course you can buy stuff shipped in from around the world, but it doesn’t smell and taste the same.
One time when I was at a lunch meeting at work and a woman who moved here from another country said, “Where I’m from the fruit looks horrible but tastes wonderful. Here in the U.S., we buy food at the store that looks flawless but has no flavor.” I notice the lack of authentic flavor in winter store foods mostly with tomatoes and peaches because they have such a distinct smell that’s missing.
One solution is to freeze some of your own food throughout the summer. A lot of fruits, vegetables, and herbs will load you with harvest all at once. We’ll try another solution, canning, in the fall. Right now it’s quick and easy to freeze. The thawed foods will not maintain their original firmness but will still be excellent used for cooking.
My top priority to freeze is always my parsley, but cilantro and basil are close seconds. First wash and dry your herbs. Usually you’ll use 1-2 tablespoons in recipes so gather a clump of the leaves, roll them into a small bundle, and wrap them in a little piece of plastic wrap. Put all of these packets in a zip bag and label to put in the freezer. When you need one during the winter, unwrap it and it’s easy to chop when it’s still frozen.
When freezing, I don’t bother peeling much fruit. For example, you can cut a slit in the bottom of peaches or tomatoes and put them in boiling water for a few minutes until the skin splits, then take them out and they will peel easily. I don’t like to waste the time and water and it doesn’t bother me to have the peels included. An advantage of peeling is that it’s easier to see if there are bruises which you may want to remove. I take off any loose peel and leave the rest.
For your fruit, after it’s washed and dried, place it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Larger fruits get sliced into wedges or whatever works best for you. Arrange them in a single layer, for the most part not touching. Stick the cookie sheet in the freezer — make sure you pick one that fits and make room for it beforehand! Give it an hour or two to freeze, then bag your produce into convenient amounts such as one or two cups.
