Cool the vegetable by immersion in a large quantity of cold or iced water. Rapid cooling is necessary to stop the food from cooking. Cool the vegetable for about the same length of time as it was heated. Once cooled, do not leave the vegetable standing in water, as loss of flavor and food value can occur. Drain the cooled vegetable thoroughly before packaging.
Other methods of blanching and cooling are recommended for some vegetables. For example, mushrooms are heated by sauteing, tomatoes by simmering in their own juice. These foods are cooled by setting the pan of food in cold or iced water to speed cooling.
After packing and sealing containers, label them with the name of the food, type of pack (for fruits), and date of freezing. Freeze food soon after packing, placing a few packages at a time in the freezer as you have them ready.
Freeze food at 0°F or below. Do not load the freezer with more food than can be frozen in 24 hours. Usually 2 to 3 pounds of food per cubic foot of freezer capacity can be frozen at a time. Place packages on freezing coils or plates or in fast-freeze section of freezer, leaving a space between each package. Loading the freezer in this manner enables the food to be frozen quickly. Freezing foods too slowly can result in loss of quality.
Once food has frozen, stack containers. Keep freezer surfaces relatively free from frost to insure maximum operating efficiency of your freezer.
Fruits and vegetables stored at 0° F or below will maintain high quality for 8 to 12 months. Unsweetened fruit loses quality more rapidly than sweetened fruit.
Keeping food longer than the recommended time will not make it unsafe to eat, but some quality loss can occur.
Home-frozen fruits and vegetables are convenient and easy to use since most of their preparation is done before freezing. Thaw frozen fruit in the refrigerator, or at room temperature in a pan of cool water. Leave fruit in the unopened freezer container.
A pint package of fruit frozen in sirup will take about 6 to 8 hours to thaw in the refrigerator, or ½ to 1 hour in a pan of cool water. Fruit in sugar packs takes less time. Unsweetened packs need more time than sirup packs. For best eating quality, serve fruit with a few ice crystals remaining.