—Unciiter Farming, Saturday, June 14, 1975 42 Keep Your Cool - Freeze Foods At Home By: Melissa Piper With the increased interest and need for gardening this season, many people will no doubt be trying some form of food preservation to keep all the produce they have gathered. One of the most efficient, safest and quickest methods is freezing. “Freezing food is the smiplest method of food preservation,” “was the comment of Mrs. AUetta Schadler, Home Economist for Lebanon County who conducted a food freezing class this week at the Municipal Building. “There is a minimum of steps in freezing foods - because they usually go from the garden to the container to the freezer.” Mrs. Schadler went on to explain that food spoilage does not occur as readily in freezing foods as it does when canning because a vacuum situation does not occur. Freezing fruits, vegetables and meats either inhibits the growth of bac teria and enzymes or kills its growth because of the low temperatures. Thus, there is not as much chance for spoilage to occur as in the canning process. Upright or Chest The type of freezer that and for a°y insurance that you have or buy depends ma y, be included with the greatly on individual needs appliance, and the space that is As 111 buying any other available. A chest type appliance the freezer should freezer is more convenient be able to meet the needs of where larger bulky packages fbe P® l-300 purchasing it. are to be stored whereas the Amounts of food, space and upright freezer is quite preference is important helpful where space is a * acts 1° consider, problem. Rules for Success Freezers as opposed to And what about freezing freezer storage chests in the food itself? refrigerators are more ef- ere . ar , e a oum ber of ficient for storing food as the ” .ent rules that can make temperature stays relatively freezing safe and simple, the same usually at 0 Mrs - Schadler shared the degrees or below. The following with her audience, freezer compartments in Always begin with high refrigerators are not as quality food as freezing will dependable as they " ot “"P™® the quahty. sometimes have migrating freeze food promptly after temperatures which can buying or picking it before it range from 0-32 degrees p an l° ose color and fahrenheit. freshness. Blanch Chest type freezers do vegetables to halt the allow for the retention of cold ma t u ring process and longer as not as much cold package properly for air can escape when the door storage. Try to store the is open. For when an upright frozen food at zero degrees freezer door is opened the or colder and avoid cold air has a tendency to refreezing when possible, fall out quickly. There are many different One main caution Mrs. types of containers that are Schadler told her audience is suitable for freezing in to be cautious of slamming eluding plastic containers the door on upright freezers, with lids, plastic bags, Many doors on such types freezer wrap and heavy duty have the tendency to bounce f°H open slightly when slammed While an individual can close. Many times people do choose any one of these, it not realize this can occur and mus t be remembered that the contents of the freezer any container should be defrosts without the airtight, moisture proof, leak knowledge of owner. One P ro °f> odor proof and vapor way to curb this from hap- P ro °f• pening is to lock the freezer If plastic containers are door after entry however, u^ they should have tight this is not advised in cases fitting lids to prevent where children are present, naoisture getting in. While When buying a freezer plastic bags are good to there are several rules of f reez ® in» the heavier the thumb which are important Plastic the better as heavier to remember: One of the Plastic resists punctures, main aspects is to look at all Bags should be the features of the freezer, closed air tight either with a There are several different “twisty He” ° r a rubber types of defrosting freezers band, with several methods in- When the regular freezer volved. There are also dif- Paper is used, the plastic ferent interior finishes, coated side is always placed Some models have quick nex f 1° lb® food. Adhesive frost shelves which have especially made for freezing specially engineered shelves should be used to secure it for extra coldness. Buyers properly, are also cautioned to lode at Foil can be used, Mrs. the storage compartments “°badler noted, but it for suitability of the food shotdd be heavy duty as the which will be in the freezer regular foil can np and tear Alletta Schadler, Extension Home Economist for Lebanon County, gave some interesting insights to freezing food at home during a clinic held Tuesday morning. in the freezer. Other methods which were suggested included freezing in tempered glass jars and coffee cans lined with plastic freezing bags. Also margarine containers with tight fitting lids can be employed. One important aspect to remember when freezing is that the exclusion of air is the key to success. Also leave headroom for ex pansion and label the packages with the date and description of the product. Freezing Fruit While canning fruit has been the accepted practice for many years, freezing is also a way to preserve summer favorites. Fruit can be canned with a sirup, plain or sugared according to the preference of the person involved. When planning to freeze fruit, the ripest should be selected. Clean and prepare the fruit either by slicing, dicing or leaving whole. Package the fruit in con tainers with sirup or plain and freeze quickly. For most fruits that are to be frozen with a sirup -a 40 percent sirup is advised. The recommended amount of sirup is usually given at Vz - 2-3 cup of sirup to a pint of fruit. To make a 40 percent sirup solution combine 3 cups of sugar to 4 cups of water. Mrs. Schadler noted that sugar substitutes are not to be added to fruit which is frozen, substitutes often have the tendency to bitter during the freezing process. It is best in that case to freeze the fruit plain and add the substitute before eating. Fruits which have the tendency to turn dark should be treated with either lemon juice or ascorbic acid. Placing the fruit in lemon juice will preserve the color. When sirup is added, the ascorbic acid is usually added to the sirup. Hold the Lettuce Freezing vegetables is also a quick preservation method. Most vegetables can be frozen quite well except for the green leafy varieties such as lettuce, celery and spinach. Steps to freezing are much the same as the fruit in that the vegetables should be cleaned and prepared, blanched to halt the maturing process and then plunged in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Packaging and freezing is the same as for fruits. Blanching is done to halt the maturity of growth in the vegetables. This is ac complished by placing the vegetables in a wire basket and holding them in boiling water for the amount of time required (lists are available from the extension service and cookbooks.) To stop the cooking process the vegetables are then placed in ice water for the same or longer period of time as they were blanched. Steaming is also a process to stop the maturity and is ac complished by placing the vegetables in a large kettle of boiling water and allowing the steam to penetrate the produce. The vegetables are not placed directly in the water in this step but held about 1-2 inches above the boiling water. It is important to thoroughly cool the vegetables before placing them in the freezer as it takes more time to freeze warmer produce. When this occurs, it causes the vegetables or fruits to become mushy when thawed. For the proper steaming and blanching times, consult a cookbook or material especially prepared for freezing. Each vegetable has a different time which should be followed to insure quality. Stuffed Poultry a No-No Meats, fish and poultry can also be frozen quite successfully if done in the proper manner. Meats should be divided into small portions and frozen as soon as possible. Large portions such as halves of beef and pork should be blast frozen at a locker plant, if possible, to insure quality. A large Milk Is One of the problems with American diets in general is the lack of milk and milk products, says a University of Maryland Extension home economist. “Milk is a nearly complete food, and by far the best known food source of calcium,” according to Mrs. Mardelle K. Amstutz, program specialist working with the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in Maryland’s Cooperative Extension Service. “Twenty-four-hour food recalls by our EFNEP families show that many people in Maryland follow the national trend in their eating habits. Of all the Basic Four food groups, milk usually fares worst,” Mrs. Amstutz points out. “It is not because people don’t know the value of milk. Almost any school child can tell you that milk supplies calcium, and calcium is needed to grow strong bones and teeth. But many adults forget that calcium in bones needs to be replaced regularly,” she says. Many types of containers can be used for freezing. Mrs. Schadler demonstrates the use of boxes to an interested audience at the recently held clinic on home freezing. amount of meat placed in a freezer all the same time will hinder the freezing process making the meat lose much of its natural juices when thawed. Stuffed poultry done at home should not be frozen as the stuffing offers a good medium for the growth of bacteria. If commercial poultry is bought, it is good to cook without thawing so that bacteria cannot grow in the warm environment. Freezing salted or cured meats is not advisable since flavor changes can occur. Hotdogs are one meat which do not freeze particularly well as the spices added to them can often change flavors. Frozen meats should not be kept for long periods of time but should be used as Lacking In Diets Adults who do not drink enough milk tend to develop porous bones. These bones become brittle and break easily. Lack of calcium in the diet is one reason that broken bones heal so slowly in elderly people, she explains. Nutritionists have determined that adults need two cups of milk (or its equivalent) every day; children need three cups and teen-agers need at least four. Maryland’s EFNEP aides, working with low-income families, report that many of their clients do not get enough milk in their diets. These families say they do not like milk - or have trouble digesting it. This may be a problem called lactose intolerance that appears to be more prevalent among people in certain races than in others, Mrs. Amstutz says. This undigestability problem can be overcome by relying on cooked or fermented milk products such as custards, cream soups, puddings, cheese and yogurt. Plain yogurt compares soon as possible. Frozen meats which have been defrosted should be cooked before refreezing takes place. While freezing is quite efficient for many products there are some exceptions to the rule. Food such as mayonnaise, crisp vegetables, gelatin mixtures and whole bananas should not be frozen, although personal preference is always the standard to use. Freezing food is quick and for the most part quite safe if done in the proper manner. As in any food preservation method, however care should be exercised at all times. So when the produce starts rolling in from the garden, keep your cool and freeze that food! favorably in nutritive value with ice cream because yogurt is made from whole or skim milk and has less butterfat and sugar. If sweetened fruit is added to yogurt, the calories are increased. In whatever form you use milk, it is still the best known source of calcium, she points out. You can get some calcium from dark, leafy vegetables, but you have to eat large amounts to get as much as is contained in one cupful of milk. Canned salmon and tuna are good sources of calcium - if you eat the bones. But for a constant supply, you can’t beat milk. Calcium is needed for much more than strong bones and teeth. It also helps to regulate the heartbeat and other muscle functions, and it aids in blood clotting. In addition, milk is high in riboflavin, a B vitamin which helps to maintain healthy skin, and protein, which is essential for rebuilding and replacing body tissues.
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