OS Vegetables, whats best fresh or frozen?

terra_ferma

Edwardia wrote: »

The decision whether to buy fresh or frozen is largely taken out of my hands as there isn't much frozen organic veg about.

Waitrose does frozen organic petits pois (500g 1.99) and garden peas (500g 1.47). Sainsbury's has frozen organic peas too (750g 2.20) but they seem tougher than the Waitrose ones to me.

Waitrose also has organic frozen oven chips (750g 1.99) which husband likes.

ASDA does Green Giant organic tinned sweetcorn 150g 80p but other than that it's all fresh veg for us.

There is a company called Ardo which does frozen organic for the catering trade but no-one near me sells it.

ASDA sells trimmed organic leeks and their prices for organic veg are pretty good if they have any, ditto Lidl.

Sainsbury's has a really good selection of packet and tinned organic stuff but whether they have fruit and veg in store is hit and miss. Hardly ever see any organic veg in Tesco or Morrisons - even in big stores.

Nutritionally, frozen is as good if not better than most fresh stuff in supermarkets. If I wasn't doing organic I'd get Birds Eye frozen peas and mostly frozen veg from Iceland.

Waitrose do organic spinach, on and off... manage to get two bags last week, after many months of looking for them at W and S's.
I buy organic veggies when I can, but local supermarkets are selling less and less of them (but I also cant' resist yellow stickers, so I buy a lot of those too when I can... )

Also regarding wasting, I no longer waste any veggies at all, just shove them in a plastic bag in the freezer, and later make soups with 50% frozen veggies in them (including cauli leaves, broccoli stalks, leeks end bits).

Frogletina

As a single person I never have any problems with too many fresh vegetables

Last Monday I bought a cauliflower, a head of broccoli, five carrots and on Wednesday a pack of runner beans.

That gave me 5 days of fresh vegetables which I steamed, most days with the addition of new potatoes, but one day with mashed ones.

That is the basis of most of my meals and gives me a huge portion of vegetables each day.

I also like to have at least some salad each day.

That's not to say I don't ever anything frozen. Yesterday I had egg, chips and peas (frozen petit pois)

I also freeze excess peppers and use them in curries to which I also add cauliflower, carrots and runner beans.

Any excess veg that I have in the fridge that I think may not last for long I turn into curries and freeze or I cook them and add a cheese sauce to use as a side dish which I again freeze.

The only things I buy frozen are petit pois, ginger and the occasional potato product.

Triggles

I buy mostly frozen, some fresh. We have a big freezer so no issues with freezer room.

anotheruser

Thanks for the responses so far.
It's an interesting mix.

Ben84

I buy everything fresh. I like vegetables to be somewhat crunchy after cooking, and find frozen always turns out way too soft for me.

I sometimes buy frozen fruit for making jam however, it's a little cheaper and the jam is just as good.

Broomstick

So, can I clarify...? I have two fresh green peppers. If I slice them into stirfryable strips, I could just freeze them without doing anything else to them?

I've ended up with a load of veg in the veggiebox this week that is not going to be too easy to use (forgot to check the contents before the order went in). None of us really like green pepper but I could shove a handful in every stirfry to eat it up that way if I could use it from frozen.

Thanks
B x

Mands

Broomstick wrote: »

So, can I clarify...? I have two fresh green peppers. If I slice them into stirfryable strips, I could just freeze them without doing anything else to them?

Yep. They won't be quite as crisp when they defrost but if they're going in a stirfry that probably won't matter.

Or stick them on a sunny windowsill and in a week or so they'll be orange peppers instead.

Mands

Broomstick

Thank you. I'll give it a go with the freezing. I'm not convinced that we will have enough sunshine to turn them orange.

B x

Mands

Broomstick wrote: »

Thank you. I'll give it a go with the freezing. I'm not convinced that we will have enough sunshine to turn them orange.

B x

Not the best time of year to try, that's true
Mands

anotheruser

Don't know who added the option "none of these" as if someone doesn't buy veg then they don't vote/null vote! Hence I left it out in the original poll

It's also reset the results - good one mod...