For the human body. It contains a large amount of protein, many vitamins, amino acids and minerals, as well as a considerable amount of fiber. Experts recommend including this product in the diet of people who have problems with the cardiovascular system. This product can also have a preventive effect against cancer.

Due to such a large quantity, the question arises about the possibility of storing it, because it is not always possible to purchase a fresh product of good quality. It becomes a worthy solution. Let's find out how to freeze at home, what are the advantages of this storage method and what is needed for this.

Advantages of the method

Freezing has many advantages, and the main ones look like this:

1. Convenient storage. Frozen this type does not take up much space in the freezer, does not absorb odors and can retain all its nutritional properties for a long time.
2. Preservation of beneficial properties. Freezing, unlike other methods of food storage, allows you to almost completely preserve a range of useful characteristics and a range of taste qualities. If all manipulations are carried out correctly, following the instructions, the product will hardly differ from fresh in taste, color, or vitamin content. This is especially important for those who plan to cook for a child, since freezing a vegetable for the winter and preparing delicious food from it for children is extremely useful.
3. The product is always at hand, which saves a lot of time. There will be no need to visit the store every time to prepare a healthy breakfast or lunch for the family. Broccoli will always be at home in a form that is completely ready for heat treatment and serving.
4. Saving money. It's no secret that vegetables in winter are much more expensive than in season. Therefore, by purchasing food at a time when the price is low and freezing it, during the winter you can use broccoli to prepare nutritious meals, without spending the family budget on expensive products in the store.

You can freeze almost any food product, but it is important to do everything correctly to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients in vegetables.

Did you know? Recent studies claim that the variety of cabbage in the form of broccoli appeared not as a result of natural evolution, but thanks to breeding work. The northeast Mediterranean is considered the birthplace of the vegetable. At first, this crop was cultivated in Ancient Rome. For a long time nothing was known about her outside of Italy. Only over time, the vegetable came to Turkey (then Byzantium) and then spread throughout the globe.

Kitchen utensils

To freeze broccoli in your home kitchen, you will need:

• cutting board;
• sharp knife;
• saucepan (with lid);
• large bowl;
• a steaming basket in a saucepan of the appropriate size;
• colander.

Selection and preparation of broccoli

Before you start freezing, you need to select the right raw materials. Many people make the mistake of thinking that absolutely any product, even low-quality ones, can be put into the freezer. Such storage will reduce all procurement costs to zero. It should be understood that only young cabbage with a rich green color can be stored for a long time and not lose its quality characteristics. It is also important to ensure that the inflorescences are not affected by various diseases and insects.

Important!The worse the quality of the original product, the less time it can be stored, and the lower the taste rating will be.

Naturally, the best option would be to collect and freeze the product, which is collected in your own garden. But since such a “luxury” is not available to everyone, you can pick up high-quality cabbage in the supermarket and at a regular vegetable market.
The following products are absolutely not suitable for freezing:

• with withered inflorescences;
• with the presence of even the most mildly manifested rot on the inflorescences or stems;
• with signs of pest damage;
• shriveled and yellowed.

Freezing broccoli: step-by-step instructions

Freezing broccoli is a process that will take a certain amount of time, but overall it is quite simple and not difficult to implement. For convenience we offer step-by-step instructions for preparing broccoli for the winter:

Important!A distinctive feature of broccoli is the fact that steaming the product improves the nutritional quality of the vegetable. The elements not only remain in the product during the short cooking process, but are also released due to the fact that the heat breaks down the molecular bonds.

Why pre-blanch?

A mandatory step in freezing broccoli is blanching. This is a necessary measure that allows you to destroy all enzymes that provoke oxidation, and this is what will help get rid of the formation of unpleasant taste and unnatural odor in the future.

There is an opinion that when freezing such cabbage, you can do without heat treatment, but in this case, most often, the inflorescences turn into dust, and the product can simply be thrown away after defrosting.

Shelf life

Deep freezing of such vegetables can be realized at a temperature of about -18°С. Such temperature conditions in the freezer will be optimal and will allow the product to be stored for almost 12 months.

If the temperature in the freezer is kept between 0°C and -8°C, then vegetables can only be consumed in the next 3 months.

It is important to understand that frozen vegetables cannot be re-frozen after defrosting. Therefore, when defrosting the refrigerator, you will need to temporarily place the vegetables in a warm blanket, thus maintaining a low temperature and keeping the product in proper condition. After cleaning the refrigerator, it will need to be returned to the freezer as soon as possible.

Did you know?In Germany, broccoli was nicknamed "Braun Kopf", that is, "brown head".

Do I need to defrost it first?

Before cooking frozen broccoli, there is no need to defrost it. If you defrost vegetables, they will lose their shape, become limp and, most likely, after minimal cooking, will look like an unsightly mush. Simply remove the product from the freezer, separate the inflorescences with a knife and fork if necessary, and start cooking.

Proper storage of broccoli is a rather difficult process, since the vegetable is finicky. There are several ways and tricks to keep broccoli fresh at home. The difficulty with this crop begins from the moment of planting, since it sprouts in about two months, provided that it is properly fertilized and watered. The normal weight for broccoli is about 300 grams.

Storing frozen vegetables

We are preparing broccoli for the winter; the freezer will help with this. In order for the vegetable to retain vitamins, you should:

1. Harvest from the garden and rinse the broccoli one at a time under cool running water.
2. Leave the soft parts of the stem and divide the head into several parts, but not small ones.
3. Make a saline solution to repel insects. One tablespoon of salt per liter of water, place parts of the vegetable in the water.
4. Leave in the solution for half an hour, then rinse again in cool running water.
5. Start blanching. Bring a partial pot of water to a boil; lower the broccoli until the boiling water completely covers it. Hold in this position for three minutes.
6. Cool quickly. To do this, immerse the vegetable in ice water, or with ice.
7. Let the water drain; to do this, remove the broccoli with a colander.
8. Take a special container for storage at low temperatures; excess air should not enter the bag or container. Freezing for the winter should only occur in the freezer.
9. You can freeze broccoli and cauliflower this way for a whole year.

It is better to freeze vegetables for the winter in a special low-temperature part of the chamber. Freezers assume a storage mode near zero; in this state, repeated freezing and defrosting occurs, so the broccoli will lose its color and texture.

Fresh storage

When inspecting cabbage, look for yellow inflorescences. These are the buds of an overripe vegetable that will soon bloom. If you skip such cabbage, during storage for the winter it will become tough and stringy.

1. Inspect the crop, clean it of insects, check for fallow soil, rot, and mold.
2. Cut off the dry, rough stem along with the leaves.
3. Do not wash broccoli before storing it in the refrigerator. This is done before cooking.
4. Place the vegetable in a vacuum, but do not close it tightly. The moisture that is released ends up on the vegetable, which can cause mold. The cabbage should not be very wet.

How to choose fresh vegetables?

Dark green inflorescences on a vegetable. The inflorescences of high-quality fresh cabbage, regardless of whether it is from the garden or the market, should be dark green in color. Any yellowness will spoil the vegetable.

Inspection of broccoli. Pay attention to the buds. Suitable parameters would be a large bud at the top, and a smaller one at the edges.

Strong head. The soft head will not keep well in the freezer, and blanching will give it a wilted appearance. The density of the cabbage is also important. Squeeze the heads; they should not be very hard or very soft.

Broccoli from my garden. Cabbage should be in a cool place after cutting; the sooner this is done, the better. It is better to cut in the morning, when the sun's rays do not hit directly. At the market, it is difficult to understand when the vegetable was cut, whether temperature regulation was followed, but by appearance you can determine whether the broccoli is fresh, and sellers can tell you how to store the purchased vegetable, since they are aware of the quality and variety of their product.

Broccoli needs the right level of moisture. To do this, take a paper towel and place it in a cabbage storage container. Then you won't have to open the lid or bag.

Which varieties of broccoli are best for storage? Broccoli varieties are usually divided into three groups. First - early ripening varieties, growing season from 75 to 90 days. This group also includes early ripening varieties- from 70 to 75 days.

Second group - mid-season varieties with a growing season of 95-100 days. And the last group is late-ripening varieties, the growing season of which is more than 105 days.

Early ripening varieties ripen quickly and also spoil quickly, so they are least suitable for storage. And they are best suited for these purposes late-ripening varieties, which are stored approximately twice as long as early ripening ones.

Also, late-ripening varieties are slightly more stable to uncomfortable weather conditions, which is very important, because vegetables that have not been damaged by sudden weather changes are most suitable for storage.

And one more small advantage - usually it’s already cool when late-ripening varieties are harvested, and broccoli should be harvested on a cool day.

Basic rules

How to store broccoli for the winter? To ensure that broccoli is preserved for as long as cabbage should be stored, you need to not only follow the storage rules.

It is important to choose vegetables that they'll definitely survive this.

And then collect them correctly so as not to spoil a good harvest, making it impossible to preserve it.

No way You can’t let the cabbage get even a little overripe, since eating overripe cabbage is not only tasteless, but also pointless. Broccoli that begins to bloom immediately acquires a bitter taste, toughness and loses most of its beneficial qualities.

To ensure that the cabbage does not become overripe, you should check it a little. ahead of schedule, as it may vary depending on conditions. Simple signs will help you determine whether the cabbage is ripe enough:

• fresh, unripe broccoli has a deep dark green color;
• head diameter 10-12 cm;
• there are no yellow spots on the inflorescences;
• cabbage heads are dense and strong;
• the central inflorescences are slightly larger than the outer ones.

Based on these signs, you can also choose fresh cabbage in the store- you won't be mistaken. And if you have your own broccoli crop, and it is ripe enough, then it’s time to start harvesting it properly.

Harvesting

How to remove broccoli for storage? Proper harvesting of broccoli is the key to successful storage. The shelf life depends little on what kind of refrigerator you have and how the cabbage is stored there.

It depends much more on what happened to the cabbage before storage in the refrigerator. When harvested improperly, cabbage quickly withers, turns yellow and subsequently deteriorates.

Such cabbage is no longer worth eating, since its culinary value is reduced to a minimum. You can avoid this by following important rules when cleaning:

After harvesting, the harvest should be stored in the refrigerator as quickly as possible so that minimize exposure to heat. It is recommended to do this within 30 minutes maximum. Therefore, it is advisable to choose a storage method in advance and, if possible, prepare everything you need to remove the cabbage right away.

It was mentioned above that cut stems in the garden will come in handy later. The fact is that they can do it up to 6 more times give young side shoots with small inflorescence heads that will provide extra harvest. Young heads are ideal for storing in the refrigerator and freezer. It would be a sin not to take advantage of this.

You can find out how to harvest the crops correctly and at what time on our website.

Optimal conditions

Broccoli cannot be kept warm for a single extra minute, and also requires constant high humidity. Therefore, the only suitable storage place is in the refrigerator (or frozen in the freezer).

Storage conditions - temperature from 0 to 10 °C and humidity 90-95%. This is the reason why you can’t keep broccoli in your apartment.

But even if the conditions and rules for preparation and storage are observed, broccoli can stay fresh for a maximum of two weeks, more often - no more than a week. The only way that will provide you with broccoli for 6-12 months After harvesting, it is frozen.

Methods

In the refrigerator

How to store broccoli in the refrigerator correctly? There are several ways to store broccoli in the refrigerator.

The first method that will preserve cabbage for 5-9 days in a container with water:

1. Take a suitable container and pour 1-2 cm of water.
2. Place the head of broccoli in the container so that the florets are on the outside.
3. Cover the inflorescences with a plastic bag.
4. Make several holes in it so that air can flow into the cabbage.
5. Place the broccoli in the refrigerator.

Water should change every day.

The second method is storing broccoli in a paper napkin. So the cabbage will lie for 3-4 days:

1. Fill a spray bottle with water and spray the inflorescences.
2. Wrap the cabbage in paper towels to absorb excess moisture.
3. Towels should not fit tightly.
4. Put it in the refrigerator.

The third method is more suitable for those who do not have time to monitor the condition of the cabbage. But it also keeps the broccoli looking fresh. only 2-3 days:

1. Take a plastic bag and make several holes in it to allow air to flow into the cabbage.
2. Place the cabbage in bags, each head has its own bag.
3. Put it in the refrigerator.

The fact is that when completely in a bag, even with holes, cabbage quickly rots and begins to rot. Therefore, the method is not entirely successful.

One question arises: do you need to wash cabbage before putting it away for storage? Broccoli does not like excessive moisture, so it is better to wash it immediately before use. But if you really want to, you can wash the cabbage before storing it, just need to dry well her.

In the freezer

A week or even two is a very short period of time. What if you want to save broccoli for the winter?

When done correctly, cabbage hardly loses appetizing appearance and beneficial qualities.

Instructions:

1. First of all, vegetables specially selected for storage need to be rinse.
2. Dissolve 2-3 teaspoons in a cup of warm water vinegar or salt and place the broccoli florets there for 15-20 minutes. This procedure will certainly rid the cabbage of dirt and insects.
3. Rinse the cabbage well in clean cold water and dry it.
4. Separate the broccoli inflorescences are about 3 cm in diameter and the same in length.
5. To remove enzymes that will spoil the frozen product, cabbage needs blanch.
6. Boil a pot of water and place the inflorescences there for three minutes.
7. Prepare a cup in advance ice water and immediately after cooking, dip the inflorescences into it to immediately stop the process.
8. Drain and dry the cabbage.
9. Pack into sealed bags. Try to remove all excess air. Perfect fit vacuum bags and containers.
10. Remove to freezer and enjoy broccoli all year long.

Broccoli is not necessary for all recipes. defrost. But if you still need it, then just before cooking it’s enough to hold the frozen cabbage in warm water.

You can learn how to freeze types of cabbage such as, or, from our articles.

Broccoli is rightfully considered the healthiest type of cabbage. It contains substances and vitamins that enhance immunity and also prevent the occurrence of cancer, which makes it an almost priceless product.

Broccoli is an ideal addition to your diet as it helps get rid of cellulite. So broccoli is clearly worth the effort to grow and store.

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Broccoli is the basis of many gourmet culinary dishes. Experienced housewives will cook something from time to time, or at least stew it with other vegetables. This crop can rarely be found in farm plots. We are mostly used to buying broccoli in supermarkets, including frozen ones.

Those who grow broccoli on their own plot should take care of its storage. Let us say right away that with the proper approach, broccoli can be preserved not only until the New Year holidays, but throughout the entire winter, right up to mid-spring.

The shelf life of broccoli is directly affected by its proper cleaning.

You can harvest broccoli until late autumn, until the temperature drops below 0 C. Carefully cut off the central head (step back 10-12 cm below it, do not cut directly under the head) with a sharp knife (in one smooth motion, try not to saw). The stem should not be damaged.

Cut cabbage heads should be consumed soon or frozen, but the stems remaining in the garden will produce side shoots within 5-7 days after cutting the main head. If you do not blanch them, they are perfectly preserved in the freezer for up to six months, without losing their taste. Place the shoots for storage in vacuum bags, closing them tightly. During the season, such an additional harvest can be obtained up to 6 times.

With the main harvest you should do this:

• Rinse the collected broccoli heads well under running water.
• Hardened parts of the stem, as well as leaves, need to be trimmed. Large heads should be disassembled into smaller parts.
• Soak the broccoli parts obtained in the previous step in salted water for 30 minutes (1 tablespoon of salt per 1 liter of water). This measure will protect cabbage from pests and diseases during storage.
• At the end of the procedure, rinse the cabbage again under running water.
• Let's move on to blanching. To do this, fill a large saucepan 2/3 with water and bring to a boil. Place the prepared cabbage in boiling water (everything should be completely covered with water) and “cook” for 3 minutes over low heat.
• Immediately after blanching is completed, the cabbage is hastily removed from the boiling water and immersed in ice water for 5-6 minutes. To cool the water more, add ice from the freezer.
• After this, take out all the cabbage in a colander and allow the water to drain from it.
• Place the broccoli in bags, release excess air and place in freezers.

In this form, cabbage can be stored for the next 12 months, practically without losing its taste.

Fresh broccoli can only be stored for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator. The temperature should be within 0...+10 C, air humidity about 90-95%. Do not store fresh broccoli together with tomatoes, apples, carrots and other vegetables and fruits that emit ethylene. This element speeds up the spoilage of broccoli.

Only undamaged and healthy heads should be stored fresh. If the rest of the stem is woody, it is better to cut it off. Never wash broccoli before storing it in the refrigerator. Perform this procedure immediately before cooking. Heads prepared for storage should be placed in plastic bags that do not need to be closed (excess moisture should evaporate freely).

If you do not plan to cook broccoli in the next week, it is better to freeze it.

For many, broccoli has already become a favorite element of many dishes and reaches the level of permanent food products. And it’s not surprising, because it’s delicious and incredibly healthy. The product contains: fiber, many microelements and vitamins, along with provitamin A. You want to use this product throughout the year. And someone even began to successfully grow it, receiving a bountiful harvest. And therefore, many are interested in a completely logical question: how to store broccoli at home? Let's break this question down into sections.

Where and how to store fresh broccoli in an apartment

After carefully selecting fresh broccoli and bringing it home, we usually don't cook it all at once. Therefore, the remaining portion must be kept fresh until the next preparation. In a private house, you can use a cellar or basement for temporary storage. How to store broccoli in an apartment? After all, not everyone has a basement and it’s not entirely convenient. The only cold place that remains is the refrigerator. But such storage also has its own rules.

Interesting fact: if the journey of freshly cut cabbage to your table takes more than 7 days, then about 50% of the beneficial properties can already be considered lost.

There are several effective methods.

Method 1. Packing in bags

1. Having selected only intact, dense cabbage heads, carefully trim off the part of the stem that protrudes strongly or is slightly broken.
2. Prepare regular unused plastic bags and create good air circulation in them using several holes.
3. Place individual cabbage heads in separate bags. In this case, the broccoli heads should not be wet so that there is no condensation inside.
4. Without tying the bags, place them at the bottom of the vegetable drawer, but separately from other vegetables and fruits.

Method 2. “Improvised bouquet”

1. Choose a vessel whose diameter will allow the head of the cabbage “bouquet” to stand straight. Fill with water so that the root can easily submerge.
2. Cover the top with a plastic bag with holes and place the finished broccoli “bouquet” in the refrigerator. This method is inconvenient because the water will have to be changed daily for all 4-7 days inclusive.

Method 3. “Packaging”

Take a thick kitchen towel, dampen it a little and wrap it not too tightly around the entire head of broccoli.

Helpful tip: Broccoli does not tolerate heat at all. Therefore, you need to place the product as soon as possible in a cool place with an air temperature of 0 to 6 degrees above zero.

Method 4. “Tight wrapping”

1. Prepare food foil and wrap it around each head separately.
2. Place it all in an empty vegetable drawer in your refrigerator.

This method can extend the storage of broccoli for a period of 1-1.5 months! If this is not enough, then let's talk about the next method.

Storing broccoli in the freezer

When storing broccoli in the freezer, use only fresh cabbage. It must not be stored in any other place before this!

So, we will need: a pan of water (for boiling), cold water, a colander with a bowl, vacuum bags for freezing and the broccoli itself.

Follow these steps:

• Divide the whole head into smaller florets.
• Rinse thoroughly with running water.
• If you are not sure that the cabbage is free of caterpillars and insects, use one of two additional actions.
• Soak in salt water (1 tablespoon/1 liter) for about 20-30 minutes. This will drive all the pests out.
• Boil water and blanch for 2-3 minutes. Afterwards you need to hold it for 2-3 minutes. in ice water. This will kill the pests, but may remain inside the cabbage.

Important: blanching and strong brine kill some of the beneficial substances of any product. Therefore, if possible, only store healthy foods.

• Wait until the water drains well.
• Pack the cabbage evenly into individual vacuum bags. Remove all excess air and place packages in the freezer.

How to preserve broccoli for the winter at home

So, we figured out how to store broccoli in the summer. What method should you choose to extend the storage of broccoli for the winter? Perhaps the best and most suitable method is storage in the freezer. The temperature should be between -15 – 22C. This freezing allows you to store cabbage for about six months.

Interesting fact: if you immediately blast freeze fresh cabbage, then most, or all, of the vitamins will be preserved for your benefit.

As we have learned, there are many effective ways to store broccoli. Perhaps you have tried others in practice? Then tell us about them and don’t forget to share our articles on social networks.