Fresh sprouts are healthy and therefore very trendy. The best known are certainly the bean sprouts. But there are also all kinds of seeds that sprout edible sprouts within days. They taste delicious fresh, but what about frozen specimens?

Cress and other sprouts from small seeds are better eaten fresh

The colorful world of sprouts

They come in white, green, and even shades of red, depending on the seed they grow from. Legumes and cereal grains as well as vegetable seeds are well suited for sprouting. The most well-known sprout varieties include:

  • cress
  • alfalfa sprouts
  • bean sprouts
  • radish sprouts
  • mustard sprouts
  • radish sprouts
  • broccoli sprouts
  • wheat sprouts

All sprouts have a typical aroma that is often reminiscent of the original plant. But what happens to the unmistakable taste when the sprouts are stored at sub-zero temperatures?

Which varieties can be frozen?

All types of sprout taste good fresh. However, the good taste of some varieties disappears suddenly if they have been frozen before consumption. This applies in particular to sprouts that germinate from small seeds, such as cress, alfalfa, mustard or radish. If possible, these sprouts should only be consumed fresh.

Other types of sprouts can be frozen for a long time without their taste suffering much. Only the texture becomes softer after defrosting due to the high water content.

Blanch first, then freeze

Sprouts should be blanched before freezing. Since they are very small, a short stay in hot water is enough.

  1. Blanch the sprouts in boiling water. The smaller and thinner the sprouts are, the shorter they need to be blanched. Three minutes is enough for bean sprouts, for example.
  2. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sprouts from the saucepan and immediately place them in a bowl of ice cold water.
  3. Drain the cooled sprouts in a colander.
  4. Fill suitable freezer containers and write down the contents and the date.
  5. Put the freezer boxes in the freezer immediately.

durability and use

When it comes to deep-frozen sprouts, you can give them up to 12 months to process them. Until then, the frosty power packs can still be eaten.

Because they're so small, sprouts don't need to be thawed before they're added to the pan as a cooking ingredient. Deep-frozen sprouts can be reheated in no time at high temperatures.

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

  • as a free PDF file to print out yourself

Category:

Vegetable garden