Is Frozen Fruit as Good as Fresh Fruit?
The “coolest” tip I can give to stretch your food dollars
I’m in the process of planning out my garden for this year. At the end of last year's growing season, I took all kinds of notes. They are what you’d expect:
Grow more flowers 😍
Skip planting eggplants (they just didn’t grow, 2 years in a row)
Adjust the rows in the garden to make more space for root veggies
Several new resources for seeds
But one thing might surprise you. We’re investing in a freezer this year.
We rent. We’re stuck with the fridge in our house, with a small freezer on the lower half. (I hate it, by the way. If I could change one thing about this house, it would be a new fridge.) So if we want more space to store food, and we do, we have to make “non-permanent” changes.
Our solution? Invest in a freezer. Why a freezer and not a refrigerator/freezer? Because growing and harvesting mean you’ll get a lot of food all at once. And we quickly learned the best way to handle it is with a freezer.
Let’s start with berries …
Those gorgeous berries you pick up at your local market are bursting with flavor. They’re also bursting with nutrition.
The trouble is, you pick them and buy them, bring them home … and forget about them. They go bad, and you throw them away.
I’ve done that a time or two (or three) myself. It’s disheartening. You’ve gone to the trouble of buying high-quality food, only to waste it and throw it away.
Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries - they all have a season. Sure, you can buy them fresh throughout the year at your local supermarket. But depending on where you live, you know peak season is when they taste best.
That’s because they are picked fresh closer to home, which means less travel time to bring them to market. At my local farmer’s market, they are vine-ripened, picked a day or two before they show up on the weekend. Yes, you can taste the difference.
Want to keep that flavor for months to come? Eat to your heart’s content. Then, pack the rest into freezer bags and save them for later in the year.
Studies show no significant difference between food that is fresh or frozen in vitamin content. The key is in consuming it.
When you have them in the freezer, you can add them to all kinds of food. I add them to my smoothies each morning. Or whip up a crumble for dessert. Frozen works just as well for so many different types of foods we consume.
The freezing process …
Me freezing food at home is not the same as freezing food straight from the field. Freezing allows food to vine-ripen, which means it preserves more essential antioxidants, vitamins, texture, and flavor.
Growers pick the produce and freeze it as fast as they can transfer it to a processing facility. This quick freezing method allows each piece of fruit to be individually frozen after being picked, which prevents clumping that automatically occurs when fruit settles for a day or two in the fridge.
Yes, this is how quality produce manufacturers offer you frozen food in the store. At home, of course, it’s about how fast you convert it from fresh to frozen.
I’ve been playing with plastic and silicone bags for freezing. Yes, I’d love to rid my house of plastic, but again, that takes time. (Plant-based living … it’s a journey, not a destination.)
Why freeze?
Freezing increases shelf life. While fresh berries expire within a few days, frozen can last up to a year when properly stored. Want even better results? Vacuum-seal anything you store to keep freezer burn away.
It’s also cost-effective. Remember I talked about throwing rotten berries away? I hate when I find them in the back of my fridge. It’s like throwing away money. If you watch what you do, freezing prevents a fridge full of bad food. It gives you a chance to enjoy everything you buy when you need it.
Yes, food waste is a big problem. It’s one of the things we’ve been focusing on as a family, and have reduced our food waste considerably since we’ve paid attention to what we buy and how we store it.
And you can’t deny having frozen berries and other foods handy solves the “what’s for dinner” problem. Life is so much easier when you have your supplies handy.
Buying frozen in the store …
You can buy frozen produce in the store and get high-quality food ready and waiting for you when you need it. At any time, my freezer is filled with large bags from Costco. Blueberries, strawberries, cherries, and mango - I focus on organic frozen foods.
This extends to veggies too. Corn, peas, broccoli, and edamame. Again, ensure it’s organic, and you’ll have high-quality food. Even tomatoes can be frozen …
And I love that more manufacturers are joining the bandwagon and offering different fruits. How about dragon fruit and passion fruit?
The key here is reading your nutrition labels. I give you a tutorial here:
Look for real food, especially in frozen food. Why add more?
Tips for freezing
The good news is almost all fruit can be frozen. Of course, preparation is key - you wouldn’t want to throw an entire peach into the freezer and expect to use it.
Wash and dry fruits thoroughly. Remove pits or large seeds. Peel bananas and cut them to size. You can also peel and slice fruits like apples and peaches, depending on how you will use them. I don’t mind the skins, especially if I’m grinding them into a smoothie. But you can peel them first, choice is yours.
Washing is important for veggies too. You’ll also want to blanch foods to help preserve color, flavor, and nutrients. This includes veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas, and carrots.
We pick kale from our garden, pull the leafy greens away from the stems, wash it, and freeze it. Then we grab a handful and throw it into our smoothies, or add it to stir fry's or soups. You can also puree it with a splash of olive oil, transfer it to ice cube trays to freeze, then store the cubes to add to sauces and other recipes.
Frozen grapes - need I say more? I found this secret when I was a girl; they’re a yummy treat on a hot day.
Avocados? You bet. We never let avocados go to waste in our house. Peel them. Arrange each half in a single layer on a baking tray until frozen. Then transfer to a freezer-safe container. They’re perfect for smoothies or adding to cakes or brownies.
High-water fruit like watermelon may not freeze well for eating, well, like watermelon, but you can do amazing things with frozen watermelon. Like making watermelon gelato. 🍉
p.s. Did you like this message? It would mean a lot to me if you’d press the ❤️ below if you liked it, left a comment 💬, or shared it with a friend. I’m trying to grow this publication, and I depend on people like you to do so!
And if you’re new here, Welcome! 💐 I’d love to start sharing my message with you if you’re interested in all things plant-powered, proaging, or finding kitchen joy. Subscribe … and then explore my entire archive! Glad to share with you! 🙋🏼♀️