storing vegetables for winter

sashacat

I have grown swedes, turnips and beetroot (amongst other things) and want to keep some for the winter. Can I freeze them? Does anyone know and if so what do I have to do to them? Als ois ther another way to keep them without storing hem in damp soil or sand, eg will they keep in my cellar or in the pantry? All ideas welcome, including recipes for food which I can then freeze, thanks

kiwichick

Hiya,

You could do a beetroot chutney.

1kg beetroot
500gm onions
2+1/2 cups malt vinegar
1tbsp salt
2 cups sugar
1tsp ground allspice
1tsp white pepper
1tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup plain flour
another 1/2 cup malt vinegar

Cook unpeeled beetroot for 30 mins or so in boiling water until skins slip off easily. Mince or finely chop onions and beetroot. Put into a preserving pan with the first measure of vinegar. Boil until the onion is tender. Add salt, sugar, allspice, ginger and pepper. Boil a further 25 mins, stirring occasionally. Mix flour and second measure of vinegar into a smooth paste. Add to pan and boil for and boil for 5 mins. Pack into sterilised jars. Makes about 3 x 350ml jars.

Recipie from: The Edmonds Cookery Book, NZ.

sashacat

thanks, kiwichick, I will give it a try. I have just made a pile of cucumber relish, so now I will go and see what I need to buy for this.

janeawej

cut swede, turnip in chunks blanch for 3 mins, cool in a colander under cold running water then freeze, just cook from frozen when needed, i freeze this sort of thing in a big bag so plenty of space, then when frozen wack it till it seperates so u have freeflow veg! saves wastage as u can get out just the amount u need!

janeawej

most veg will freezre best to blanch first to keep the colour and texture

PabloNeruda

You can't be THAT skint. Seriously.

janeawej

PabloNeruda wrote:

You can't be THAT skint. Seriously.

no just hate wastage!!

sashacat

it's not about being skint ( as I'm not) it's about being self sufficient as far as possible and only eating veg and fruit that I have grown organically my self. It's healthier, tastier and much better for us. It is also very much cheaper.
Thanks, janawej, I will freeze my root veg, having blanched them first.

snowball2

Beetroot can also be frozen.

cook whole until tender, rub off skins & pack into containers. large beets should be sliced or diced after cooking. will keep in freezer 6 months.

or pickled beetroot will post recipe if required.

Swede & Turnip chunks last 12 months in the freezer and don't need to be blanched, you could also make swede mash & freeze in portions.

HTH

sashacat

thanks, snowball2, I would love the recipe for pickled beetroot and can I just mash the swedes as normal and freeze them and then just defrost them in the microwave?

snowball2

sashacat wrote:

thanks, snowball2, I would love the recipe for pickled beetroot and can I just mash the swedes as normal and freeze them and then just defrost them in the microwave?

Yes just mash as usual and freeze in portions - defrost in micro as required. 1/2 swede/potato also works well as a mash.

Beetroot Pickle

6 medium beetroots, uncooked
cold water
350ml wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
275g sugar
2 onions, sliced
2 tsp dill seeds

Boil beetroots until tender, drain & set aside. Keep back 300ml of the water.
when cool slice off tops & bottoms and slid off skins then slice.

In medium pan put vinegar & cooking water and bring to boil over moderate heat. Add mustard, salt & sugar. Stir well and bring to boil again.

Arrange beetroot & onion slices in layers in clean jars, add dill seeds then cover with hot liquid mixture. tightly screw lids on, cool then place in fridge.

Stand a few days before using and serve cold.

Small whole beetroots can also be done in the same way.