How to properly freeze asparagus and preserve the nutritional value of a dietary product?

Salad from the garden

Asparagus can be eaten raw, but most often it is boiled in salted water, always adding vegetable or butter. Since the lower part of the stems is tougher, they are boiled in a vertical position. To do this, they are tied into a tight bundle and a weight is placed in the middle. The finished asparagus is doused with cold water - this way it will retain its rich color and will crunch appetizingly on your teeth. We suggest you try the asparagus salad recipe.

Ingredients:

• green asparagus – 300 g
• radishes - 5–6 pcs.
• egg - 1 pc.
• butter - 1 tsp.
• sugar - 0.5 tsp.
• lettuce - 1 bunch
• olive oil - 2 tbsp. l.
• lemon juice - 2 tbsp. l.
• Dijon mustard - 1 tsp.
• honey - 1 tsp.
• salt and black pepper - to taste

We wash each asparagus stalk, clearing it of hard fragments and outer skin. Cook them with salt, butter and sugar for 10 minutes, then plunge into ice water. Dry the stems and cut into small pieces. We tear the lettuce leaves with our hands and cover the plate. Place asparagus and thinly sliced ​​radishes on top. Lightly salt and pepper, pour everything with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and honey. The final touch is to decorate the salad with halves of boiled eggs.

Is it possible to freeze boiled and fresh beans for the winter?

During the summer-autumn season, housewives try to make preparations for the winter in different ways. A popular way to preserve crops is freezing. In this article, we will consider whether it is possible to freeze boiled and fresh beans for the winter.

How to freeze green beans for the winter at home

Green beans are not often frozen. But in vain. Green leaves have beneficial nutritional and medicinal properties. The pods are indispensable in the treatment of diabetes, strengthening blood vessels and bones.

Usually young leaves of regular beans or special varieties of beans are frozen. I freeze all kinds. But some varieties do not have hard fibers (for example, the Sachs variety). Therefore, it takes less time to prepare products.

I’ll tell you what kind of beans I freeze and what preparation methods I use. So, they freeze:

1. Boiled beans.
2. Raw.
3. Blanched.

Freezing a product using any of the above methods requires preparation.

The following actions must be taken:

• Select only green leaves with small grains (beans should not be more than 0.5 cm);
• Remove damaged and rotten specimens;
• Rinse, remove hard fibers and edges;
• Cut into small pieces (I cut 2 cm long);
• After washing, I soak the pods in water with added soda for 1 hour. Then I rinse again with cold water.

Freezing boiled beans

I use this preparation as an independent dish as a side dish (fish, meat). Or boiled beans can be used for soups and salads.

1. Boil the beans in boiling water over high heat for 10-15 minutes.
2. Pour out the water.
3. Keep the cooled beans in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours.
4. Dry the workpiece on a clean cloth for 2-3 hours (one layer of beans).
5. Place in bags or containers in small portions (usually I put them in 100, 300 and 500 grams for the convenience of later preparing different dishes) and freeze.

Raw beans

A quick way to preserve the product is to freeze it raw. In winter, this preparation can be used to prepare stewed and boiled dishes.

1. Dry the washed, soaked and chopped pods and place them on a flat dish in one layer.
2. Place in the freezer for several hours.
3. Then the frozen green mass is transferred into bags and placed in the freezer.

Blanched doors

To freeze blanched pods, the raw mass is prepared as described above. It is important not to violate the technology - not to make the product boiled.

How I cook:

1. Before heat treatment, I add table salt to the water (1.5 teaspoons per 3 liters and the green pods retain their taste, color and aroma).
2. I immerse the beans in boiling water for 5-10 minutes (the time depends on the size of the flaps).
3. I drain the broth.
4. Immediately transfer the blanched mixture into cold water with ice. This must be done to maintain the structure of the product.
5. I soak the beans in ice water for the same amount of time as they were in hot liquid.
6. I dry the finished beans on a clean cloth.
7. I put them in containers and place them in the freezer.

Tip: it’s convenient to blanch in a colander, so you can cool it later without delay.

How to properly freeze fresh beans for the winter

Young shelled beans are a healthy addition to the winter diet. Fresh beans can be frozen without cooking. But it’s better to soak the vegetable first. Let's look at the process of properly freezing young beans.

1. Remove the small beans from the shells (the shell should be easy to peel off).
2. Soak in cold water with baking soda for 20-30 minutes.
3. We rinse.
4. Soak in chilled water for 6-8 hours.
5. Drain the water and keep the beans in the refrigerator for 10 hours.
6. Dry the beans with a towel.
7. We put it in bags and freeze (I put it in portions for convenience in subsequent preparation of dishes).
8. To prevent freezing in a lump, shake the bags after 1.5 hours (2-3 times).

How to freeze beans without an unpleasant aftertaste

To prevent the appearance of unpleasant odor and taste of beans, it is necessary to follow certain harvesting rules.

1. Use only whole and unspoiled beans for freezing.
2. Soak for a short time in chilled water with the addition of soda.
3. Store frozen products in sealed containers, without air.
4. Do not refreeze.

During the boiling or blanching process, I add salt (a little), a few clove buds or a bay leaf to the water. If fresh beans are frozen, then I add coriander or basil seeds to the package.

Tip: frozen food can be stored at -20 degrees for 11-12 months. Therefore, I record the date of preparation of the products on paper.

Is it possible to freeze asparagus without cooking?

I sometimes freeze young green beans without heat treatment. In this case, I soak the chopped vegetable in soda water for 1 hour (5 grams of soda per 1 liter of water).

I wash the beans and keep them in cold water for 5-6 hours. I quickly freeze the dried pods.

Soaked asparagus will cook quickly after defrosting. Provided that the beans were not overgrown (hard beans will take a long time to cook).

You can soak the beans and then freeze them.

Before freezing, I always soak any beans in cold water. I first soak it in a weak solution of soda. Even minor toxic substances will be removed. Less time will be needed for heat treatment.

White beans should not be kept in water for long. The texture of these beans is more delicate than that of red beans. If the beans burst after freezing, they can be used for purees and fillings.

Freezing “assorted”: beans with vegetables for stew or soup

You can freeze any types of vegetables for the winter. Let's prepare a mixture that is convenient to use in arbitrary proportions (to taste). For this purpose I choose young vegetables:

• black Eyed Peas;
• potato;
• carrot;
• Bell pepper;
• broccoli.

Harvesting method

1. I cut the peeled and washed fruits into cubes and blanch for 5-7 minutes.
2. I dip the vegetables into ice water and dry them.
3. I freeze it in one layer.
4. I mix and place in containers.
5. I freeze using the fast freezing function.

Vegetables are not completely ready to eat. Therefore, after defrosting, the mixture must be stewed, boiled or fried until fully cooked.

I suggest watching a video on the topic - is it possible to freeze boiled and fresh beans for the winter in different ways.

Source: https://nash-pogrebok.ru/kak-zamorozit-fasol.html

The strawberries are ripe

Asparagus isn't just green. It is grown underground, and in one day the shoots can grow 15–20 cm. If you dig them out of the soil without allowing them to break through to the surface, the color will be white. If you let the stems sprout, hold them in the sun for a while and then cut them off, they will turn purple. And if you leave them under the warm rays longer, they will soon turn green. Gourmets claim that white asparagus in salad recipes cannot be compared with anything.

Ingredients:

• white asparagus – 300 g
• fresh strawberries - 150 g
• lettuce - bunch
• dried pine nuts - 2 tbsp. l.
• hard cheese - 50 g
• sugar - 3 tbsp. l.
• light balsamic vinegar - 1 tsp.

Boil asparagus until softened with 1 tsp. sugar and 1 tsp. butter. Dry the stems on a paper towel and chop into large pieces. We dry the washed strawberries and cut each berry in half, tear the lettuce leaves with our hands, and grate the hard cheese or crumble it by hand. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan. Dissolve sugar and balsamic in it. Stirring constantly with a spatula, keep the mixture over low heat until it turns into caramel. Place lettuce leaves, asparagus, cheese and strawberries mixed on a plate, pour over the sauce, and sprinkle pine nuts on top.

Is it possible to freeze asparagus

Asparagus is actively frozen both at home and on an industrial scale. Many people prefer to buy ready-made products, but if you have the opportunity to freeze vegetables yourself, then it’s worth taking advantage of.

Preparing for freezing

To find out whether the selected pods can be frozen, simply pierce them with your fingernail. Asparagus that is suitable for these purposes will have soft wings that are easy to open, and if this was not possible, it means that the specimens were overripe. Any variety of this product is suitable for freezing, including the popular Peruvian asparagus.

It is worth preparing not only asparagus, but also containers for storing it. It is most convenient to use plastic bags , in which vegetables can be immediately packaged in portions so that, if necessary, the entire contents of the bag can be prepared at once. Small trays are also suitable for these purposes, but they take up more space in the freezer when stored.

How to properly freeze green asparagus for the winter

There is no single correct recipe for freezing beans. Each housewife does this using the most convenient method for herself. The easiest way is to prepare fresh asparagus. To do this, after drying, just lay it out on a board or paper and put it in the freezer. As soon as the pods are frozen, they are placed in a bag for further storage at low temperatures.

Royal sandwich

In Europe, Louis XIV had a hand in popularizing asparagus. He ordered the construction of a special greenhouse at the palace so that his favorite vegetable could be grown throughout the year. After this, asparagus began to be called the food of kings. So a sandwich with her participation can be considered royal.

Ingredients:

• round grain loaf - 1 pc.
• green asparagus – 200 g
• lightly salted salmon - 150 g
• curd cheese - 60 g
• cherry tomatoes - 5–6 pcs.
• radishes - 2-3 pcs.
• olive oil - 1 tbsp. l.
• salt, black pepper - to taste

First of all, boil the asparagus, put it in a colander and let the excess moisture drain. Chop the cooled stems into 2–3 parts. Cut the grain bun lengthwise, sprinkle with olive oil, and brown a little in a frying pan. Cut the radishes into thick circles and the tomatoes into quarters. Grease the halves of the buns with curd cheese, lay out asparagus stalks, slices of tomatoes and radishes. Salt and pepper the vegetables to taste. These sandwiches are perfect for a spring picnic.

Soup for a beautiful figure

Asparagus is a faithful assistant for those who are actively getting into shape for the beach season. The calorie content of one stem is 4 kcal. Asparagus is easily digestible on its own and helps digest other foods. In addition, it speeds up metabolism, eliminates swelling, and takes care of the health and beauty of the skin. A recipe for asparagus soup will help you experience the effect in practice.

Ingredients:

• green asparagus – 300 g
• vegetable broth - 100 ml
• olive oil - 1 tbsp. l.
• coconut milk - 50 ml
• shallot - 1 head
• salt, black pepper, nutmeg - to taste

Heat olive oil in a saucepan and sauté finely diced shallots until golden brown. Chop the asparagus stalks into pieces, fry with onions for 2-3 minutes, pour in hot broth. Leave some of the top parts of the shoots for serving. Bring the broth to a boil, cook the asparagus over low heat until completely softened. Now let the soup cool slightly and puree thoroughly with an immersion blender. Pour the heated coconut milk into the pan, bring it to a boil again, season everything with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Serve the creamy soup, garnishing each serving with asparagus buds.

Shrimp in the white sea

Be careful when choosing asparagus. Under natural conditions it is grown from April to the end of June. The rest of the time we have to be content with vegetables from greenhouses. When purchasing fresh asparagus, carefully inspect the stems. They should be smooth, shiny, with tightly closed heads. If you rub them together, they will squeak. It is advisable to eat fresh asparagus immediately. Or cook another soup, this time from white asparagus with shrimp.

Ingredients:

• white asparagus – 400 g
• onion - 1 head
• garlic - 2-3 cloves
• shrimp - 20–25 pcs.
• cream 33% - 200 ml
• butter - 1 tbsp. l.
• olive oil - 2 tbsp. l.
• salt, black pepper - to taste
• young peas in pods - for serving

Melt butter in a saucepan, sauté onion and garlic. We chop the prepared asparagus stalks into fragments, leaving some for serving. Place the rest in a saucepan and lightly fry, stirring frequently. Pour in a little water so that it covers the stems, simmer under the lid until softened.

When the asparagus has cooled, puree it using a blender. Add hot cream little by little and gently bring to a boil. We peel the shrimp and brown them in olive oil along with the reserved asparagus slices. Before serving, garnish a plate of cream soup with shrimp, asparagus and green peas.

Is it possible to freeze asparagus

You can and should freeze asparagus. Of course, fresh vegetables straight from the garden are the most healthy and tasty. However, their disadvantage is that they do not last long. To treat yourself to dishes with asparagus in the fall and winter, it is frozen.

When frozen, the vegetable retains all its beneficial properties, color and shape. But the characteristic crunch will not remain after defrosting. These days, frozen vegetables are sold year-round, but homemade ones will cost you significantly less.

Asparagus in the arms of bacon

The culinary possibilities of asparagus are endless. White asparagus is canned and served as an independent snack. Green asparagus is a good side dish for grilled meat. If you add it to a regular omelette for breakfast, it will sparkle with new flavor facets. And asparagus goes well with bacon. Here's a quick and easy baked asparagus recipe that you can treat yourself and unexpected guests to.

Ingredients:

• green asparagus - 20 stalks
• bacon - 100 g
• olive oil for greasing
• sesame - 1 tsp.

We wash the asparagus well, put it in boiling water for 5 minutes, then take it out and dry it. We cut the bacon into thin strips 1.5–2 cm wide. We wrap the strips around each asparagus stalk in a spiral. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil, place the asparagus in bacon and place in an oven preheated to 200°C for 5 minutes. Then we turn the stems over to the other side and hold them for the same amount of time. Serve this appetizer hot, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Red fish, green shores

Asparagus, among other things, is an incredibly healthy product. The active substances contained in it strengthen the heart, nourish connective and bone tissue, remove toxins, and have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the kidneys and liver. Asparagus has been known since ancient times as an aphrodisiac. The Greeks had a tradition of decorating newlyweds' costumes with asparagus wreaths. And in France, newlyweds were served three dishes with this vegetable. Baked salmon with asparagus is perfect for a romantic dinner.

Ingredients:

• salmon steak - 4 pcs.
• green asparagus – 1 kg
• olive oil - 3 tbsp. l.
• lemon zest - 1 tsp.
• lemon juice - 1 tbsp. l.
• lemon - 0.5 pcs.
• garlic - 2 cloves
• Cherry tomatoes - 8 pcs.
• Provençal herbs, salt, black pepper - to taste

We wash and dry the fish steaks well. Remove the hard parts from the asparagus stalks, wash and dry. Mix olive oil with lemon zest and juice, add crushed garlic, Provençal herbs, salt and black pepper. Pour the marinade over the fish and asparagus and let it soak for 10-15 minutes. Cover the baking dish with foil, lay out the asparagus first, then the salmon. Place lemon slices on top and cherry tomatoes on the sides. Place the pan in the oven at 200°C for about 15 minutes. By the way, this recipe is also suitable for grilling.

How to use frozen asparagus?

You cannot defrost asparagus before cooking: this will cause it to lose both flavor and vitamins. The easiest way to prepare a vegetable is to boil it in water with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar. Immerse the pieces in boiling water and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. After the required time, the water is drained.

Boiled asparagus can be stewed with meat and potatoes. Frozen sprouts make a delicious omelet. To prepare it, grease the mold with butter. Boiled asparagus is placed in it, the vegetables are poured with beaten eggs. Place slices of cream cheese on top. Bake until a golden brown crust forms.

For those who are on a diet but love to eat delicious food, the Chicago salad recipe will come in handy. To prepare it you will need:

• 200 g frozen asparagus;
• can of canned tuna;
• 50 g of cancer necks;
• 4 eggs;
• 2 tomatoes;
• bunch of lettuce.

Place lettuce leaves, pieces of boiled asparagus, and tomato strips on a large plate. Tuna is placed in the center, around the pieces of fish are slices of boiled eggs and crayfish necks. At the end, pour Provencal mayonnaise over the salad. Bon appetit!

The vegetable, often called asparagus, appears in early spring and remains tender until early to mid-June, until it begins to actively grow.

Dishes made from it are extremely healthy and tasty, so many housewives want to know how to freeze asparagus for the winter for further use for culinary purposes. Freezing it allows you to preserve most of the vitamins and other valuable microelements, the shape, juiciness and color of the stems: they will only lose their crunchiness.

Pie with vitamins

The Asparagus family has much in common with the Lily family. So it turns out that asparagus is a close relative of onions and garlic. If you like savory pastries with onion filling, you can experiment a little and make quiche Laurent - an open-faced asparagus pie. She feels great in baked goods and gives her a subtle aroma.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• flour - 165 g
• butter - 100 g
• salt - 0.5 tsp.
• ice water - 3 tbsp. l.

Filling:

• green asparagus – 300 g
• ham - 100 g
• egg - 3 pcs.
• pecorino cheese - 100 g
• cream 20% - 400 ml
• salt, black pepper, nutmeg - to taste

Grate the frozen dough and grind it into crumbs with flour and salt. Add water and knead the dough. We compact it into a baking dish, make neat sides and put it in the oven at 180 °C for 15 minutes.

Remove the hard parts from the asparagus stalks, chop into fragments, and blanch in boiling water for 2–3 minutes. Cut the ham into cubes. To fill, beat eggs with salt and spices, add cream and grated pecorino. Place asparagus and ham into the baked base, fill with filling and return to the oven for another 40 minutes. Let the quiche Laurent cool before serving.

How to freeze green beans for the winter at home correctly for pp menu

Even before proper nutrition entered my life, I learned how tasty green beans are. I considered this vegetable practically a delicacy that was bought frozen in the supermarket. Then, I remember, I was very interested in whether it was possible and how to freeze green beans for the winter at home correctly, because they were not cheap in the store.

And when the dacha appeared, then, of course, green beans were one of the first to appear in the garden.

That year, willy-nilly, I had to figure out how to freeze asparagus beans for the winter at home no worse than in the store, and how to cook them later - there was a lot of “asparagus” growing then.

Over the years, freezing vegetables has become a necessity - after all, classical canning is not very welcome.

Green beans: some features

I'll start with an explanation - green beans come in a variety of colors - yellow, green, purple (after cooking they turn green) and even spotted .

Therefore, there is no point in figuring out separately how to freeze green beans and yellow beans. There are no differences!

The only thing is that green beans began to be called asparagus beans, since the pod itself looks like asparagus.

Yes, varieties may differ in appearance, meatiness, length, etc., but they are all tasty, healthy and, which is good news, are great for weight loss, since their calorie content is low - about 30-40 kcal per 100 G .

And it has a low glycemic index. Protein, vitamins and microelements in the composition are indispensable, especially for vegetarians.

By the way, a cowpea pod (this variety) grows up to a meter! It’s very convenient to cut these later.

How to freeze green beans for the winter

Now more about freezing. Any green beans that have reached the required degree of maturity are suitable for this harvesting method. If you have experience, then everything is determined by eye:

• the pod itself is dense and elastic;
• it cannot be bent - it breaks;
• on the scrap, you can see that there is only pulp inside; if the beans are visible, they are no larger in size than a grain of rice, as in the photo below.

Of course, there should be no stains, damage, etc. on the pods themselves.

It happens that ordinary unripe beans are sold under the guise of green beans. It’s not difficult to determine what is in front of you - break it in half, if there is a “string” on the side, then these are ordinary beans; asparagus beans break without any problems.

Before you can freeze green beans, you need to prepare them. Everything is simple here: wash it, dry it on a towel and cut it on both sides, that is, remove the tails and noses. Then we cut it into suitable pieces, I like the size no more than 2 cm. But I know that some people freeze it whole, as is convenient for them.

You can freeze beans in different ways.

The fastest way: freeze raw

Pros: fast, simple, all useful substances are preserved.

Cons: according to some users, it may taste bitter after defrosting.

If you don’t have any time to mess around in the kitchen, put raw green beans in the freezer immediately after pre-processing. To ensure that the pieces are separate from each other, and not one ice lump, spend a couple of minutes:

• place in one layer on a flat plate or board;
• after 3-4 hours you can pour it into a bag.

Raw frozen beans are great for omelettes, first and second courses, vegetable casseroles and stews.

You can also make savory baked goods with it.

Then you don’t even need to defrost it - just cook it like regular fresh one.

For example, simmer in a frying pan, add a couple of eggs and a delicious, healthy lunch is ready!

Or boil it first, and then use it for its intended purpose.

They say that raw frozen green beans are tough or bitter. I don’t know what’s wrong, but I haven’t observed this myself, although I’ve been freezing a variety of varieties for 7 years now.

Universal freezing method

Pros: after defrosting, it requires minimal heat treatment.

Cons: you have to spend time blanching.

Blanching is a simple technique, thanks to which the vegetable retains maximum benefits, taste and color.

In this case, the beans become quite soft, almost ready.

If we were talking about pasta, then this degree of readiness would be called al dente.

If desired, you can immediately add it to the salad by simply defrosting it, but it’s better to cook it additionally.

How to do:

1. Boil water in a deep saucepan. Prepare a colander and a large container of ice water, add additional ice.
2. Place the chopped pods in boiling water, wait 3 minutes after boiling again, and immediately transfer to a bowl with ice using a colander or slotted spoon.
3. After a minute, take out the beans and place them on a towel to drain the liquid.
4. Then we freeze it, just like fresh - on a plate, and then in a bag for storage.

How to freeze boiled green beans?

Pros: the product is completely ready for use

Cons: less benefits, more time on the stove before freezing.

Last secrets and tips

• It is better to freeze green, yellow and purple beans together - they look more beautiful.
• You can immediately make a ready-made mix for stews and salads by freezing not only the pods, but also other vegetables - diced peppers, corn, peas, etc.
• Frozen beans are stored until the next season - 6 months, after which their beneficial properties decrease.

Source: https://pp-vkusno.ru/kak-pravilno-i-vkusno-zamorozit-struchkovuyu-fasol-na-zimu.html