I was planning on doing a little spring cleaning today, beginning with my kitchen, but I am easily distracted. I don't know if I opened my refrigerator or if I was thinking about what to make for dinner tonight but somehow it occurred to me that there were several things in there that were most likely not going to make it until we get to eating them. So instead of cleaning I spent the afternoon making sure I don't have a whole bunch of food going to waste. Here's what I did:
Asparagus: Asparagus is an easy one. It can be frozen if you really want to hang on to it for a while - do it the same way I freeze celery (keep reading) - but I have never had asparagus go bad on me. The trick is to remember that asparagus is a flower. It's simple, trim the ends (just a little - you don't need to trim off as much as you will before eating), put it in a glass with a little water in the bottom and keep it in the fridge. If you're keeping it for a while, changing the water now and then doesn't hurt and it will last for weeks. I promise.
Cilantro: You know how cilantro comes in those giant bundles even though it is such a potent spice? I never have enough uses for it before it wilts. I got a curious about whether I could freeze it for later use and started doing some research. First, I discovered that storing cilantro in water, the same way as with the asparagus above helps extend its life in the refrigerator. So I did that with the small portion I might envision using in the near future, but what about the rest? The general consensus seems to be that cilantro is the most difficult herb to freeze because it wilts, turns black, and most importantly loses all of its flavor after a relatively short time in the freezer. However, apparently it can be done so I gave it a shot. I combined a few different suggestions and started out by blanching the leaves, then separating them and letting them dry on paper towels. I froze the leaves in small batches spread out on plates so that they didn't all stick together (this only takes about ten minutes or so for each batch). Then I put all the leaves together, wrapped them in a damp paper towel and stored them in a freezer bag with as much of the air squeezed out (carefully) as possible. Frozen cilantro won't work for garnish, and maybe not even for my favorite fresh pico de gallo (keep reading), but with a little luck it will be good in a cooked dish. Any recipe suggestions out there?
Celery: I always buy celery because it's an inexpensive snack but it just ends up sitting in the fridge waiting to be cut up. I went to do just that today, only to discover that the celery was all floppy. In doing a bit of research, I discovered that celery, too, can be stored standing in water, just like asparagus and cilantro (as can other leafy herbs, such as basil). I also found rave reviews for wrapping celery stalks in tin foil for extending life. However, now that my celery has already expired, what to do? Similarly to the cilantro, I cut the celery into pieces that would fit into freezer bags and blanched them. I did the leaves, too, since I can use those in making broth for soups. I dried the pieces on paper towels and froze them spread out on plates for just about 15 minutes or so. Then I packed them up in freezer bags and stowed them away. They won't make good snacks, but these will be great for any kind of cooking for several months.
A word about blanching: I had never done this before, but it is incredibly simple. Blanching is simply cooking something in boiling water for a short period of time and then placing it immediately in cold water for an equally short period of time. Use a mesh strainer or similar contraption to transfer easily from hot to cold. This kills bacteria in the food and in the case of freezing vegetable and herbs, helps preserve color. It seems that the time for blanching is determined by the consistency of the item. For something fragile and leafy, place in hot water for one minute and then cold for one minute. For something sturdy like asparagus, do three minutes in each. For celery (right in between) do two minutes in each. It's that easy.
Peppers and Tomatoes: I could have frozen the peppers and tomatoes I had lying around, too. Tomatoes can simply be thrown in freezer bags whole, halved, or quarters and put in the freezer. Peppers can be seeded, sliced, blanched and frozen the same way as above.
However, I decided to use some of that cilantro and make a big batch of pico de gallo to freeze instead. This is almost easier then blanching vegetables. Just throw together whatever tomatoes, peppers, and onions you happen to have lying around. If I'm going out of my way I might pick up some nice looking heirloom tomatoes for taste and looks, but tonight I just had a few regular old vine tomatoes and it's really not much different. I find that three small tomatoes, one large pepper and about half of a smallish onion is a pretty good ratio for a small batch, but alter it to what you have an what you like best. Just chop everything up then add cilantro to taste. I like to add a little fresh garlic if I have it, or some garlic powder; it gives it a little something extra. And that's all there is to it. I'll be freezing the pico de gallo in freezer bags instead of in a storage container to try to keep as much air out of it as possible. We'll see how it tastes in a few weeks!
For more info on freezing veggies and herbs check out these links:
Kalyn's Kitchen's posts on Freezing Fresh Herbs
This Summary of How to Freeze Vegetables
The National Center for Home Food Preservation's guide to freezing food
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