—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.