Freezing fresh raw veggies?



At our produce market, not the regular grocery store, they sell the carrots
and the broccoli and some dark leafies loose and you could buy just one of
each if you wanted. So, I 'd check a produce market
"Dog3" <dognospam@adjfkdla;not> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "jmcquown" <[email protected]> deliciously posted in
> news:[email protected]:
>
> > Nancy Young wrote:
> >> jmcquown wrote:
> >>
> >>> Ah, but nuts are sold in bulk in a bin. I have never seen a single stalk of celery for sale;
> >>> it's always in bunches. Ditto spinach and other greens. And yes, the things we do!
> >>
> >> Have you checked out the salad bar? It might be okay, pricewise to just get some celery and
> >> carrots. Ditto spinach salad, unless it's dressed.
> >>
> >> nancy
>
> They sell all kinds of veggies loose at most of the markets I shop. You
can
> buy loose carrots, celery, broccoli and cauliflower to name a few. I hate frozen spinach so I
> don't think I'd bother to freeze it. I'd ask the produce person if they had any loose veggies
> hanging around in the back. I'm sure there are some greens back there and you would most likely
> get a good price or maybe a freebie.
>
> Michael
> --
> Deathbed statement...
>
> "Codeine . . . bourbon." ~~Tallulah Bankhead, actress, d. December 12, 1968
 
"jmcquown" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> NOTE: I'm cross posting this.
>
> My lovebird, Peaches, adores fresh carrots and celery/celery leaves, fresh spinach and such. But
> of course I can't simply purchase 1 carrot, 1 stalk of celery with leaves attached or one
> spinach leaf.
>
> Can these veggies be frozen, raw? I have a feeling the texture would
suffer
> terribly; naturally I have no way to flash-freeze them. I do have a Tilia food saver, not sure if
> vacuum sealing would make a difference with
freezing
> fresh raw veggies. Your thoughts?
>
> I could, I suppose, quickly blanch them and then plunge in ice water,
which
> would halt the cooking process. Then I could freeze them and thaw them as needed.
>
> Your suggestions are most welcome.
>
> Jill
>

Don't any of the grocery stores near you have bulk veggies? My daughter will go in and buy 1 carrot,
a couple broccoli crowns, a few leaves of spinach and a cuke. You can buy as little or as much as
you need that way. I don't know about celery, but the rest would be there.

kimberly
 
On Sat, 28 Feb 2004 09:39:20 -0600, "jmcquown"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>NOTE: I'm cross posting this.
>
>My lovebird, Peaches, adores fresh carrots and celery/celery leaves, fresh spinach and such. But
>of course I can't simply purchase 1 carrot, 1 stalk of celery with leaves attached or one
>spinach leaf.
>
>Can these veggies be frozen, raw? I have a feeling the texture would suffer terribly; naturally I
>have no way to flash-freeze them. I do have a Tilia food saver, not sure if vacuum sealing would
>make a difference with freezing fresh raw veggies. Your thoughts?
>
>I could, I suppose, quickly blanch them and then plunge in ice water, which would halt the cooking
>process. Then I could freeze them and thaw them as needed.
>
>Your suggestions are most welcome.
>
>Jill
>
>
If you have the room in your yard or some pots, you could grow your own from seeds and pick
as you need.
 
In article <[email protected]>,
"jmcquown" <[email protected]> wrote:

> NOTE: I'm cross posting this.
>
> My lovebird, Peaches, adores fresh carrots and celery/celery leaves, fresh spinach and such. But
> of course I can't simply purchase 1 carrot, 1 stalk of celery with leaves attached or one
> spinach leaf.
>
> Can these veggies be frozen, raw? I have a feeling the texture would suffer terribly; naturally I
> have no way to flash-freeze them. I do have a Tilia food saver, not sure if vacuum sealing would
> make a difference with freezing fresh raw veggies. Your thoughts?
>
> I could, I suppose, quickly blanch them and then plunge in ice water, which would halt the cooking
> process. Then I could freeze them and thaw them as needed.
>
> Your suggestions are most welcome.
>
> Jill
>
>

Blanching is about the only way you can freeze veggies without them turning into mush when you
thaw them. :)

I have purchased bags of mixed frozen veggies for my own birds and they seem to like them ok, but I
just buy smaller amounts of fresh ones for them most of the time and shop more frequently.

The cockatoo's favorite is fresh ears of corn on the cob.

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katra at centurytel dot net>,,<
http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&include=0&userid=katra
 
In article <[email protected]>,
"jmcquown" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Kimberlee wrote:
> > Why *can't* you buy just one sprig of broccoli, 1 carrot and 1 stalk of celery? Someone I know
> > on another list bought 1 walnut and when the clerk gave her a strange look, she simply said
> > "Don't ask" <Grin> Ah, the things we do for our fids! ~Kimberlee
>
> Ah, but nuts are sold in bulk in a bin. I have never seen a single stalk of celery for sale; it's
> always in bunches. Ditto spinach and other greens. And yes, the things we do!
>
> Jill
>

I generally just buy fresh veggies for me and dad, and share them with the birds. :) That way there
is no waste since we do a lot of stir fry. Brocolli, cauliflower, baby spinach, celery, baby
carrots, squashes, corn on the cob..... The only thing I buy that is pretty much just for the birds
is fresh fruit. I don't eat a lot of fruit and the citrus has been keeping JJ alive for awhile now!

I had posted about a year ago on RPB about JJ, my old blind conure that she was finally dying... She
was so thin and weak that she fell off my finger. :-( She is about 18 now. Since she loved it so
much, I increased her fresh citrus allowance, (in fact, she is never without Grapefruit, orange or
tangerine now) and she gained her weight and strength back and is still doing well!

I took that hint and now the 'too and 'tiel also get citrus regularly.

I've since found out that birds don't make their own vitamin C so like humans, they have GOT to get
it in their diets! They also like pomegranites.

But, back to the subject, just share what you get for yourselves with the birds. Humans should eat a
lot of fresh veggies anyway, and those commercial bagged mixes can be handy.

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katra at centurytel dot net>,,<
http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&include=0&userid=katra
 
"i only know of a few veggies that can be frozen raw and do not spoil, these are onions and peppers
to name but two, and they do not keep well for more than a month or so.( the peppers do go soft but
are usuful for casseroles etc.) some green veggies do go very black if they are frozen raw or not
blanched quite enough.i would say the best thing is to try it and see.
 
jmcquown wrote:
>
> NOTE: I'm cross posting this.
>
> My lovebird, Peaches, adores fresh carrots and celery/celery leaves, fresh spinach and such. But
> of course I can't simply purchase 1 carrot, 1 stalk of celery with leaves attached or one
> spinach leaf.
>

Make friends with the produce people in your grocery store and ask them to save small amts. of
slightly wilted leafy greens, celery, etc. for you. The texture, even on older stuff, will be much
better than frozen, and it probably won't cost you a cent.

gloria p
 
PENMART01 wrote:
>> My lovebird, Peaches, adores fresh carrots and celery/celery leaves, fresh spinach and such. But
>> of course I can't simply purchase 1 carrot, 1 stalk of celery with leaves attached or one
>> spinach leaf.
>>
>> Your suggestions are most welcome.
>>
>> Jill
>
> The stupidmarkets I shop sell loose carrots, same as they do loose potatoes, onions, etc... not
> all produce is sold only pre-packaged. And if you ask the produce managers they will gladly give
> you some veggie top trimmings for free. You can't freeze veggies and save their raw texture.

Actually I just returned from the small market down the street and the man there said I could trim
some of the leaves off the bunches of celery, even gave me a small bag to gather some in. Said it
would save the customers time and money since they won't have to trim the leaves themselves and the
weight of the bunches would be less. He also gave me a free apple since Peaches also likes slices
of apples :)

Jill
 
You can get a dehydrator for $20 at Walmart and dry them. If dried below 145ºF (according to some -
118ºF according to others; I dry at 120ºF for most things, less for greens, about 10º more for
larger veggies although I cut them up so they'll dry all the way through quickly rather than mold
inside) they will retain their vitamins. Ditto greens, I keep all sorts of green dried that I then
rub between my palms to make a powder that I mix in with other foods. Go easy on celery as it's
comparatively high in sodium; spinach and broccoli are high in oxalatic acid which can bind with
calcium as well as other nutrients, and oxalates which can irritate stomach linings and kidneys.

I don't have time to read the whole thread, if somebody already said all this, you can ignore
my post <G>.

--
owly http://www.ittybittybirdiebites.com - healthy natural treats for birds
>>> We specialize in seed junkies! <<<
*** FEBRUARY 2004 SPECIALS ARE UP! (Click on Specials)*** Over 2 dozen sprouting links! (Click on
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>Got seed junkies? http://groups.yahoo.com/group/seedjunkies

"jmcquown" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> NOTE: I'm cross posting this.
>
> My lovebird, Peaches, adores fresh carrots and celery/celery leaves, fresh spinach and such. But
> of course I can't simply purchase 1 carrot, 1 stalk of celery with leaves attached or one
> spinach leaf.
>
> Can these veggies be frozen, raw? I have a feeling the texture would
suffer
> terribly; naturally I have no way to flash-freeze them. I do have a Tilia food saver, not sure if
> vacuum sealing would make a difference with
freezing
> fresh raw veggies. Your thoughts?
>
> I could, I suppose, quickly blanch them and then plunge in ice water,
which
> would halt the cooking process. Then I could freeze them and thaw them as needed.
>
> Your suggestions are most welcome.
>
> Jill
 
Puester wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
>>
>> NOTE: I'm cross posting this.
>>
>> My lovebird, Peaches, adores fresh carrots and celery/celery leaves, fresh spinach and such. But
>> of course I can't simply purchase 1 carrot, 1 stalk of celery with leaves attached or one
>> spinach leaf.
>>
>
>
>
> Make friends with the produce people in your grocery store and ask them to save small amts. of
> slightly wilted leafy greens, celery, etc. for you. The texture, even on older stuff, will be much
> better than frozen, and it probably won't cost you a cent.
>
> gloria p

Just had that happen yesterday. The man at the small market down the street said he didn't care if I
trimmed the leaves off the celery; even gave me a small bag to put them in. Said it would save the
customers time from having to clean the stalks themselves and also lessen the price since they sell
it buy weight :) He also threw in a free apple, since I mentioned Peaches loves apples.

Jill
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> Kimberlee wrote:
> > Why *can't* you buy just one sprig of broccoli, 1 carrot and 1 stalk of celery? Someone I know
> > on another list bought 1 walnut and when the clerk gave her a strange look, she simply said
> > "Don't ask" <Grin> Ah, the things we do for our fids! ~Kimberlee
>
> Ah, but nuts are sold in bulk in a bin. I have never seen a single stalk of celery for sale; it's
> always in bunches. Ditto spinach and other greens. And yes, the things we do!
My supermarket sells carrots singly as well as packaged in the 1-, 2-, and 5-pound bags. Spinach is
also sold in bulk. I've never seen individual stalks of celery, although you should be able to
purchase just what you need at a salad bar. Celery will definitely suffer a loss of texture when
frozen; carrots are much more hearty and should be fine.

--
Donna A pessimist believes all women are bad. An optimist hopes they are.
 
It'd be kind of fun to walk through with one leaf of spinach and a hidden camera, and just see the
look on the clerk's face when ya' whipped out your debit card to pay for your single purchase!

"Donna Rose" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
: In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
: > Kimberlee wrote:
: > > Why *can't* you buy just one sprig of broccoli, 1 carrot and 1 stalk of celery? Someone I know
: > > on another list bought 1 walnut and when the clerk gave her a strange look, she simply said
: > > "Don't ask" <Grin> Ah, the things we do for our fids! ~Kimberlee
: >
: > Ah, but nuts are sold in bulk in a bin. I have never seen a single
stalk of
: > celery for sale; it's always in bunches. Ditto spinach and other greens. And yes, the things
: > we do!
: My supermarket sells carrots singly as well as packaged in the 1-, 2-, and 5-pound bags. Spinach
: is also sold in bulk. I've never seen individual stalks of celery, although you should be able to
: purchase just what you need at a salad bar. Celery will definitely suffer a loss of texture when
: frozen; carrots are much more hearty and should be fine.
:
: --
: Donna A pessimist believes all women are bad. An optimist hopes they are.
 
On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 01:58:36 GMT, "Kimberlee" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>It'd be kind of fun to walk through with one leaf of spinach and a hidden camera, and just see the
>look on the clerk's face when ya' whipped out your debit card to pay for your single purchase!
>
I sometimes go to the store at the base of the building I live in to get a single serrano pepper or
something else like that. They weight it at the checkout and it pops up 19 cents or whatever.

But celery is in bunches there as elsewhere.

Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"Happy is he that taketh thy little ones and dasheth them upon the stones." __Psalm 137
 
Kimberlee wrote:
> It'd be kind of fun to walk through with one leaf of spinach and a hidden camera, and just see the
> look on the clerk's face when ya' whipped out your debit card to pay for your single purchase!

ROFL
>
> "Donna Rose" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>>> Kimberlee wrote:
>>>> Why *can't* you buy just one sprig of broccoli, 1 carrot and 1 stalk of celery? Someone I know
>>>> on another list bought 1 walnut and when the clerk gave her a strange look, she simply said
>>>> "Don't ask" <Grin> Ah, the things we do for our fids! ~Kimberlee
>>>
>>> Ah, but nuts are sold in bulk in a bin. I have never seen a single stalk of celery for sale;
>>> it's always in bunches. Ditto spinach and other greens. And yes, the things we do!
>> My supermarket sells carrots singly as well as packaged in the 1-, 2-, and 5-pound bags. Spinach
>> is also sold in bulk. I've never seen individual stalks of celery, although you should be able to
>> purchase just what you need at a salad bar. Celery will definitely suffer a loss of texture when
>> frozen; carrots are much more hearty and should be fine.
>>
>> --
>> Donna A pessimist believes all women are bad. An optimist hopes they are.
 
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