You can head to the shop for fruits and vegetables all year long, but the tastiest produce usually is locally grown.
To savour summer favourites like berries, tomatoes, and peaches for up to eight months after your final trip to the farmer’s market, put your freezer to work.
“When you freeze fresh fruits and vegetables, you lock in nutrients and flavor,” says Tara Gidus, a nutritionist. That’s because freezing slows the chemical compounds that cause browning, vitamin loss, and changes in taste and texture.
To keep that just-picked flavour, choose firm, ripe produce; slice it into bite-sized chunks; and pack it in freezer-safe containers or zip-lock bags with a bit of headspace (water which makes up more than 90 percent of most produce, expands about 10 percent when it freezes.)
Toss frozen vegetables into soups and sauces and blend fruit into smoothies.
And when you get a craving for something sweet, skip the sugary ice cream and snack on berries and melon straight from the freezer instead.
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