Broccoli occupies a leading position among vegetables when it comes to healthy ingredients. The green florets should be prepared soon after harvest or purchase. What remains unused is best kept in the freezer afterwards.

Broccoli is blanched before freezing

Pay attention to the season and freshness

Broccoli, which is also spelled broccoli in this country, is a typical vegetable representative from Italy. It can also thrive in local gardens during the warmer part of the year. June to October is its main harvest time. Then it is also available in good quality and without foil packaging on the markets.

If you don't harvest it fresh from your own cultivation, then pay attention to the following characteristics when buying it:

  • the broccoli should look fresh and dark green
  • the florets should still be firmly attached to each other
  • Pressure points and discolouration are reject criteria

tips

In your own garden, you can take good care of chemical-free cultivation. In retail, on the other hand, you can only avoid major pollution with Bioware.

Prepare broccoli properly

  1. Remove the leaves and cut off the woody end of the stem.
  2. Separate the stalk, peel it and then cut it into slices about 0.5 cm thick,
  3. Cut the remaining head of broccoli into bite-sized florets, about 3 cm in size.
  4. Wash the broccoli thoroughly, as fine sand can still be hidden in the firm florets.
  5. Put the broccoli pieces in the water for about 5 minutes and add some lemon juice. This keeps the beautiful color intact.

Blanch broccoli pieces

Broccoli is only blanched briefly before freezing so it doesn't become mushy after thawing.

  • in a large pot of boiling water
  • and a teaspoon of salt
  • simmer for about two minutes
  • then drain in a colander and leave to cool

You can also shock the broccoli in ice water to stop the cooking process even faster.

How to freeze broccoli

If only individual florets are later removed from the deep-frozen broccoli for cooking, they should be pre-frozen.

  • Arrange broccoli florets on a tray
  • leave space in between
  • put in the freezer for about an hour

The pre-frozen broccoli pieces no longer stick together and can now be collected in suitable and previously labeled freezer containers.

shelf life of broccoli

Frozen broccoli will keep for a year.

Thaw broccoli florets

There are various options for defrosting the broccoli florets. Which of these is chosen certainly also depends on the time available and further use. The two simplest methods are:

  • Thaw broccoli at room temperature
  • Thaw the florets in the fridge

Both methods take their time, which can last a few hours. If you are in a hurry, you can also “defrost” the florets by briefly blanching them for about 1-2 minutes. So that the boiling water does not cool down too much due to the ice-cold florets, you should heat up a relatively large amount.

Roast frozen broccoli as a side dish

The oven offers us another way of quickly preparing frozen broccoli florets ready to eat.

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C
  • Place frozen broccoli florets in an ovenproof dish
  • sprinkle a few drops of olive oil on top
  • Season with salt and pepper
  • Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Conclusion for fast readers:

  • Quality: Green, tightly closed heads; without discoloration and pressure points
  • Preparation: remove leaves and stalks; break up into florets; to wash
  • Stem: Peel, cut into 0.5 cm slices
  • Blanch: About 2 minutes in boiling water; drain and cool in a colander
  • Freeze: Pre-freeze on tray for one hour; then collect in freezer containers
  • Shelf life: 1 year
  • Thawing: At room temperature or in the refrigerator; takes a few hours
  • Quick alternative: blanch in plenty of water for 1-2 minutes
  • Roast: salt, pepper and drizzle with oil; Roast at 200 °C for 15 minutes

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