HOME FREEZING 13 



Varieties of Fruits and Vegetables for Freezing 



In general most vegetables which are commonly cooked may be satisfactorily 

 frozen. These include asparagus, beans (green, lima, wax, shell, and soy beans), 

 beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, corn (on the cob, whole 

 kernel, or cream style), eggplant, greens, kohlrabi, mushrooms, parsley, peas, 

 peppers, pumpkin, rhubarb, spinach, squash, and succotash. Vegetables which 

 are eaten raw are not usually satisfactory if frozen as they lose their crispness 

 during the freezing process. 



Most fruits are suitable for freezing if they are carefully prepared, especially 

 those of pronounced flavor. Diff'erent fruits require different methods of prepara- 

 tion, such as blanching or mixing with sugar or a sirup, to prevent undesirable 

 changes in color and flavor. The following fruits are among those suitable for 

 freezing: apples, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, citrus juices and sections, 

 cherries, cranberries, currants, gooseberries, peaches, pineapples, plums, rasp- 

 berries, and strawberries. 



In commercial freezing, considerable attention is paid to the variety of fruits 

 and vegetables used. Variety is of importance from the standpoint of quality 

 such as color, flavor, texture, etc. It has been stated that in home freezing a 

 satisfactory product can be obtained as long as the variety used is one that is of 

 good quality when eaten fresh. However, in many instances a home frozen 

 product of better quality can be obtained if some care is exercised in selecting 

 and growing the varieties known to be most suitable for freezing. 



During the past five years, tests have been carried on here to investigate the 

 suitability of Massachusetts-grown fruits and vegetables for home freezing. Most 

 of the raw material was grown on the University Farm at Amherst by the Oleri- 

 culture and Pomology Departments. In all cases the fruits and vegetables were 

 prepared and frozen in one-pound packages according to methods recommended 

 by the United States Department of Agriculture (19), and Tressler and Du Bois 

 (14). After storage for approximately six and ten months the frozen products 

 were prepared for serving and judged for quality on a basis of flavor, texture, and 

 color by a tasting panel composed of members of the Food Technology Depart- 

 ment staff" and others. In some cases considerable diff'erence was noticed in the 

 quality of different varieties of a particular fruit or vegetable. The results of 

 these tests have been compiled with variety recommendations of Tressler and 

 Du Bois (14) for New York State, and Hepler (9) for New Hampshire, in tables 

 4 and 5 to serve as a guide for home freezers. The quality of different fruits and 

 vegetables for freezing is also influenced by such factors as climate, growing con- 

 ditions, freshness, and maturity; but if the suggested varieties are used they 

 should provide frozen foods of a good quality. Varieties not listed in tables 4 

 and 5 either have not been tested to date or sufficient information is not available 

 for them. 



Most of the vegetables were frozen as both dry and brine packs. In general 

 the dry-packed vegetables were of better quality and easier to handle than the 

 brine-packed products. Well-blanched (scalded) vegetables showed little or no 

 quality' loss during storage for 6 to 10 months. 



Frozen corn on the cob tended to develop a "cob flavor" and was not as sweet 

 as the frozen whole kernel corn. The latter type of frozen corn had more nearly 

 the flavor of fresh corn and was a more satisfactory product. 



Tomatoes were not satisfactory when frozen. Those which were frozen whole 

 were found to break down markedly when thawed. When cut tomatoes were 

 frozen, the degree of breakdown was greater, the smaller the pieces. Treatment 

 with calcium chloride, such as is sometimes used to firm commercially canned 



