1. Part 1- Freezing Fruits and Vegetables
Welcome to our series of Wisline programs on home food preservation. Today we will talk about the basics of freezing fruits and vegetables and highlight the basic steps in making delicious homemade jams and jellies.
Before we get started, let’s see who is joining us today. (Roll call)
Thanks to everyone for joining us today. Let’s get started.

2. Resources for Today Freezing Fruits & Vegetables (B3278)
Making Jams, Jellies and Fruit Preserves (B2909)
(How do I… Freeze? Make Jam and Jelly?)
Many of the points in today’s discussion come from two publications:
B3278 Freezing Fruits and Vegetables
B2909 Making Jams, Jellies and Fruit Preserves
Farm markets and gardens are beginning to offer spinach, asparagus and other spring produce items that can be very successfully frozen, so now is a good time to review the basics of this quick and easy food preservation method. And the season for summer fruits which can be deliciously preserved as jam or jelly isn’t far behind.
In addition to this Wisline program, there are two press releases which will be available soon that you may wish to share with local media outlets on these two topics.

3. Quiz Time!

4. Freezing Fruits & Vegetables
Advantages:
Quick and easy
Preserves nutrients
Retains taste and color
 BUT, make sure it gives you the quality you want!
Would you like to enjoy bright, crisp garden green beans all year long? How about ripe juicy raspberries? Freezing fruits and vegetables can be an easy way to enjoy the bounty of your garden and orchard all year round. Compared with other methods of food preservation, freezing saves time and nutrients, and keeps fruits and vegetables fresh-tasting and colorful.

5. Freezing: The Basics Pre-treat for best quality
Quick freezing and small quantities are key
Packaging and maintaining a cold temperature are important for quality
Freezing is such an easy method of food preservation, but sometimes we forget that for best quality we need to do more than simply throw the extra ears of corn or quarts of raw green beans in the freezer.
Many fruits and vegetables will benefit from some type of pretreatment before freezing, such as some type of sugar pack for fruits and a quick blanching for vegetables.
Freeze no more than 2-3 cubic feet at any one time. The longer the time that it takes to freeze produce, the larger the ice crystals and the greater the damage to tissue. Produce that is frozen too slowly is often watery and unappealing when thawed. Some chest freezers have a small section off to one side that is a quick-freeze area.
The right packaging material is key to maintaining quality of frozen foods. In general, you want to keep moisture in and air out. When moisture is lost, areas of freezer burn develop. Exposure to air during frozen storage causes nutrient loss and flavor changes. An easy way to prepare individually frozen foods is to place prepared items on a cookie sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once items are frozen, package, seal and label. Some bakery cooling racks will fit into a chest or top freezer and allow you to freeze several cookie sheets at once.

6. Packaging Rigid plastic freezer boxes
Heavy plastic freezer bags - food storage bags not recommended
Glass canning jars
Aluminum foil, freezer paper or plastic film – or combinations
A note about…vacuum sealers
Choose packaging designed for frozen storage:
Rigid plastic freezer boxes
Heavy plastic freezer bags
Glass canning jars
Wraps of aluminum foil, freezer paper or plastic film
Pack cold fruit or vegetables tightly into containers or bags, removing as much air as possible. Leave a small amount of headspace, if necessary. Label packages clearly with date and product, and freeze.

7. Freezing Fruits Use acid to prevent color change
Freeze unsweetened for greatest flexibility
Sweeten for good texture and color – dry sugar pack or syrup pack
Individually quick-freeze on trays
Partially thaw for a summer treat
Light colored fruits tend to darken after peeling or slicing, and an antioxidant can help to prevent this color change. Antioxidants which can be used successfully with light-colored fruit include:
Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is effective in preventing oxidation of most fruits. Crush tablets to produce a dip or syrup with 1500 mg per quart. Lemon juice will also work (citric acid) but not as effectively.
Any fruit can be frozen unsweetened, and some such as blueberries, currants and cranberries freeze well without sweetening. If you plan to use frozen fruit for jam or jelly, or for applications such as baking, it’s best not to sugar the fruit before freezing.
Added sugar will stabilize color and texture of frozen fruit. Freeze using a dry sugar pack, or prepare a syrup. Fruits packed in syrup are generally better for dessert. Just remember, added syrup will add calories to any dish.
And remember, always wash fruits before freezing. Even delicate berries should be washed and drained before freezing.

8. Freezing Vegetables Blanch vegetables for better quality
Boiling water blanch
Steam blanch
Chill rapidly in ice-water, drain, and package
 Blanch time = cooling time
Freezing vegetables
Blanches vegetables stabilizes their color, flavor, and texture, and also preserves nutrients. There are two general methods for blanching: blanching in boiling water and steam blanching. Vegetables to be frozen are placed in, or over boiling water.
Blanching serves to inactivate enzymes and preserves color, texture flavor and nutrients in frozen vegetables.
When blanching, add only a small amount of vegetables so that the water continues to boil. Cover and start counting the blanching time—the exact time varies with the type of vegetable. Once blanching is completed, immediately plunge the heated vegetables in an ice-water bath to cool. Too much blanching and the vegetables will appear over-cooked. A good rule of thumb is to cool for the same amount of time as you blanch. Too much time chilling may lead to a loss of nutrients. For instance, if you blanch carrot slices for two minutes, then cool them in ice water for two minutes. Drain cooled vegetables and place them into freezer bags or containers. Label and date the bags and store for up to one year in the freezer.
Peppers (hot, pimento, green) and onions do not require a blanching step before freezing. Simply wash, slice, drain and freeze. Peppers should be seeded before freezing.

9. About blanching…. An issue of quality, not safety
Some veggies don’t require blanching
Blanch for the required time
Cool rapidly
Store un-blanched foods for less than 3 months
Vegetables that are blanched or in some way heated before freezing will have better quality than those which are not blanched. Blanching inactivates enzymes, and preserves color, texture, flavor and nutrients in frozen vegetables. But, blanching is NOT required for safety and some consumers may prefer to forgo blanching if the storage time will be short.
Blanch small quantities and only for the required time. Too many vegetables blanched at once, or cooking for too long a time is bound to lead to over-cooked produce.
Cool rapidly in an ice-water bath.
If you choose not to blanch items such as corn, carrots, green beans, and so forth, limit storage time to 2-3 months or quality will begin to deteriorate. Every year I get phone calls from church groups looking to freeze corn on the cob for several months but wishing to forgo the 6-8 minute blanch time.

10. Refreezing You may safely refreeze frozen food IF:
It still contains ice crystals
It is cold – 40°F or below
It has been held at 40°F no more than 1 to 2 days
 If in doubt, throw it out!!

11. Cooking Frozen Vegetables
Most vegetables should be kept frozen until cooked – corn on the cob is one exception
Heat water to boiling and add frozen veggies, cook until tender
Enjoy!

12. Question time??
Let me take a minute to ask is there are any questions that you have at this point.

13. Part 2- Making Jams, Jellies and Fruit Preserves
So, let’s turn our attention to a product that is not only easy to make, but is often a favorite of summer.

14. Jams and Jellies Fruit – fresh, canned, frozen or dried (adds flavor!)
Pectin – natural carbohydrate that causes fruit to gel
Acid – needed for gel formation
Sugar – preserves jellied fruit, helps form a gel & adds flavor
Start with 4 basic ingredients:
Fruit gives each product its characteristic color and flavor. Use at least some flavorful, just-ripe fruit in each recipe. You may also be able to use canned, frozen or dried fruit. Use canned or frozen fruits preserved without sugar. Thaw frozen fruit in the refrigerator before using. Cook dried fruit in water until tender and use to make jams and conserves.
Pectin is the natural plant substance that causes fruit to gel, and there are many options available now for pectin (more on that later).
Acid is essential in jellied fruit products for both gel formation and flavor. The acid content varies among fruits, and is higher in under-ripe fruits. For best quality, add bottled lemon juice to fully ripened, low-acid fruits according to tested recipes.
Sugar is another essential ingredient in jellied fruit products. Added sugar preserves fruit, helps the gel form, and contributes to flavor. Use the amount of sugar a recipe calls for, or the product will not form a gel. To make a low-sugar or no-sugar product, choose a pectin or research-tested recipe designed for this. Sugar substitutes — also called artificial sweeteners — cannot replace sugar in regular recipes because the sugar is needed to form a gel.

15. Fruit Use just-ripe fruit for best flavor and quality
Mix ripe and unripe fruit if you don’t use added pectin
Overly ripe fruit will taste great, but may fail to set

16. Pectin Use natural pectin in apples, plums and grapes
Add pectin to other fruits to ensure a good gel
Add pectin to fully ripe fruit
Liquid and powered pectin are not interchangeable
Fruits such as apples, crabapples, currants, grapes and some plums contain enough natural pectin to form a gel; others require added pectin. You can add pectin to any fruit to ensure a good gel, and there are several advantages for doing so:
You can use fully ripe, flavorful fruit
Cooking time is shorter so you retain more of the natural color and flavor of the fruit
You will have more jars on the shelf from the same amount of fruit.

17. More about Gels Dry & powdered pectins for different recipes
Low-methoxyl pectins for low- or no products
Powdered gelatin for refrigerator products
Regular pectins work with sugar, fruit and acid to form a gel. Regular pectin comes in two types, liquid (such as Certo) and powdered (such as Sure-Jell). Liquid pectin to added to a hot pre-cooked mixture of sugar and fruit and cooked for 1 more minute; powdered pectin is cooked with fruit, then sugar is added and the mixture is cooked for 1 more minute. The two types of pectin are not interchangeable.
Low-methoxyl pectins are chemically different from regular pectins and can gel with little or no added sugar. The resulting gel will be softer, but this can be acceptable for those on a low-sugar or no-sugar diet. The product also tends to be less sweet, and to have a fruiter taste. Even commercial manufacturers are taking advantage of this type of gelling agent to product high quality products.
No sugar refrigerator products may call for powdered gelatin as the gelling agent. Powdered gelatin is a protein, unlike pectin which is a carbohydrate. Gelatin must be treated carefully or the gel structure will break. So, do not freeze these jellies and do not can these products. Store them in the refrigerator.

18. Acid and Sugar Added acid for success Measure sugar carefully
Use honey or corn syrup sparingly
Sugar substitutes can be used only in special recipes (refrigerator jelly– OR
Acid is essential in jellied fruit products. Sometimes the acid comes from under-ripe fruit, and sometime it is added in the form of bottled lemon juice. Freshly squeezed lemon juice won’t necessarily work as well.
Added sugar preserves jellied fruit by inhibiting the growth of microbes, helps form the gel, and adds flavor too! Measure sugar carefully and do not reduce the amount in the recipe. Beet and cane sugar will work equally well. Using brown sugar is not recommended because of the dark color it imparts to the finished product. Honey or light corn syrup can be used, but remember that liquid ingredients must be adjusted accordingly. These sweeteners will also impart a stronger flavor and color to jellied fruit products.
There are a wide variety of sugar substitutes available on the market. These can NOT substitute for sugar if using regular pectin, but can be used to add sweetness when making jams and jellies with low-methoxyl pectin. Sugar substitutes such as sucralose (Splenda) and saccharin (Sweet-n-Low) tend to hold up well during heating. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for using these products. Do not use aspartame (Equal or Nutrasweet) as the resulting product will be unsatisfactory.

19. Boiling Water Canning…..
A MUST for jams and jellies
Helps form a seal
Destroys yeast and mold
Is required for
the Fair!
Many consumers wonder why they need to water bath can jams and jellies, especially when the pectin packages that they buy in the store suggest that inverting the hot-filled jars is sufficient. Well, there are several good reasons for water bath canning:
helps form of a good seal on a product
destroys yeast and mold which might be present on the rim or lid and thus increases shelf life (it’s really a pasteurization process)
is required for any item entered in a county fair competition
Because of their high sugar content, jams and jellies will not readily support the growth of microorganisms; and certainly not when they are sealed with a vacuum seal. But once the jars are opened, then microbial growth can begin. By putting jars through a water bath process, the jars are more likely to seal and to resist mold and yeast growth once opened.

20. When things just don’t work…..
Mold – imperfect seal
Failure to set – too large a batch, incorrect proportions of ingredients
Fading – storage place too warm or too lights; stored too long
Fruit floats – Stir fruit mixture for 5 min before ladeling into hot jars
Everyone who has answered questions about jams and jellies has been confronted with questions such as:
Is moldy jam safe to eat? If kept too long in the refrigerator, or on the counter, jam, jelly and other fruit products will eventually mold. Current USDA recommends are to discard all moldy product. Be sure to start with pre-sterilized jars and pre-treated lids. Be sure to include a water bath processing step as part of your process. And be sure that the water bath covers the top of the jars by at least 1 inch during processing.
Why did my jam/jelly not set? Usually jam fails to set if you make too large a batch, fail to cook long enough (if using natural pectin), or if you don’t measure ingredients properly. Sometimes, regardless of how careful you are, jams and jellies refuse to set. Most any jellied fruit product makes great syrup, but sometimes jam or jelly is all that is acceptable. Consumers can try to re-make jams and jellies, although the resulting product will be darker in color and may have more of a cooked flavor.
Why did my jam lose its bright color on storage? Fading can be avoided with storage in a cool, dark place. Use the product quickly for best quality.
Sometimes, regardless of how careful you are, jams and jellies refuse to set. Most any jellied fruit product makes great syrup, but sometimes jam or jelly is all that is acceptable. Consumers can try to re-make jams and jellies, although the resulting product will be darker in color and may have more of a cooked flavor.
Why is using paraffin not recommended? Paraffin does not form as tight a seal as water bath processing and is no longer recommended

21. How Long Does It Keep?
Frozen fruits and vegetables keep well for 1 year, especially if wrapped properly
Jams and jellies keep for 1 year if stored in a cool, dark location (but just try to keep them this long!)
Frozen foods should be stored at 0 degrees F, or lower. Frozen fruits and vegetables that have been properly prepared, i.e. blanched, can be stored for up to 1 year.
Jams and jellies that have been canned and are shelf stable will last for at least 1 year. Once opened, these products will mold in the refrigerator.
Remember, these are guidelines only. Successful storage of home preserved foods requires the proper packaging and storage conditions.