Re: Re: advice needed re: pre-blending & freezing ingredients

[Guest guest]

Thank you for such a prompt response, and for all the good ideas! (I did try

pureeing half a head of iceberg lettuce, and it turned brown - I don't know

why - and certainly did not taste appetizing on its own. I think Romaine

would have a better taste?)

So I should blend things like lettuce, with other greens, BEFORE freezing ?

Dumping cubes of straight frozen lettuce (not mixed with other greens) in a

smoothie with other greens won't work?

I have never heard of aerogardens, thanks for the tip! Les

Re: advice needed re: pre-blending & freezing

ingredients

>I grow most of my own stuff, and often get overwhelmed when I have to pick

>it all at once and deal with it. I often puree and freeze portions of it.

>I have a small chest freezer that I keep an empty shelf on for the sole

>purpose of freezing stuff in ice cube trays-then I can transfer the frozen

>cubes to jars or bags for longer term storage. Some things, such as

>lettuce, won't do well pureed on their own and frozen, but will be fine if

>blended with other ingredients before freezing them. Having a garden is

>complicated, but you might consider something like an aerogarden which is a

>countertop garden you can grow lettuce and other leafy things in year

>round-I have several on the go at any given time-great to pick your greens

>as you need them and much easier on the storage front!! You can often find

>used aero gardens on craigslist for next to nothing, or even on freecycle.

>

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>> I am new to the VM world, and need some advice.

>> I want to get as much variety as I can in each smoothie each day.

>> I do not use fruit in my smoothies, only greens.

>> I do not have enough room in my frig for all the raw green stuff I want

>> to use each day in my smoothies.

>> What pitfalls (if there are any) would I encounter in pre-pureeing

>> ingredients, and then freezing, ingredients in ice cube trays, and then

>> popping out a cube of an ingredient to put in my smoothie?

>> I am thinking of freezing pre-bloended ingredients like dandelion greens,

>> beet greens, carrot greens, arugula, but keeping in the frig, to use as

>> fresh, things like kale, romaine, lettuce (which would be the 'body' of

>> my smoothie).

>> Would the stuff that is frozen be granular in my smoothie?

>> I guess the frozen stuff would lose some enzyme activity cuz it isn't

>> fresh?

>> Along the same lines, frozen veggies that come in a bag would not be as

>> good as fresh, were I to VM them?

>> Lea Ann, I think you said you like all green smoothies, without fruit?

>> Thanks for any words of wisdom on the above, Les PS: I bought a whole

>> bunch of organic, fresh stuff at the grocery store this morning that

>> won't fit in my frig, so I will have to 'process' some of it by the end

>> of today.

>>

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[Guest guest]

So you do not wash them before putting them in the freezer? If not, do youi

wash them when you take them out to use them? (altho, this would not work

well, because they would be frozen?)

I thought greens would turn to mush if I froze them - not true? When they

thaw, they are like they were in their original state?

Yes, I DO have a lot of slimy greens because I don't eat them fast enough,

and the grocery store does not sell them in small enough pkgs for one

person, so I am definitely interested in your suggestion, Les

Re: advice needed re: pre-blending & freezing

ingredients

>

> After having to throw away slimy greens one too many times I started

> putting my greens in a ziplock bag as soon as I buy them and throwing the

> bag into the freezer. It is easy to break off the amount I need after

> freezing and guarantees no more slimy greens to throw away. I think I

> would rather do this than blend and freeze but I'm sure that both methods

> would work.

> A

>

>

>>

>> I am new to the VM world, and need some advice.

>> I want to get as much variety as I can in each smoothie each day.

>> I do not use fruit in my smoothies, only greens.

>> I do not have enough room in my frig for all the raw green stuff I want

>> to use each day in my smoothies.

>> What pitfalls (if there are any) would I encounter in pre-pureeing

>> ingredients, and then freezing, ingredients in ice cube trays, and then

>> popping out a cube of an ingredient to put in my smoothie?

>>

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[Guest guest]

So you are freezing it without washing it beforehand? (do you wash it when

you thaw it to put into smoothies? Or maybe you are putting it into the

smoothie when it is frozen?)

I am thinking that you press the air out of the baggie to make it lie that

flat? Les

Re: advice needed re: pre-blending & freezing

ingredients

>i have been buying kale in bulk. when i get it home i cut it and then

>freeze it. i've been using plastic freezer bags...1 gallon size and

>filling it so that when it lies flat its not more than about 1-1.5 inches

>thick. it freezes well and i add it to soups or smoothies and it seems

>just fine.

>

> mZ

>

>

>>

>> I am new to the VM world, and need some advice.

>> I want to get as much variety as I can in each smoothie each day.

>> I do not use fruit in my smoothies, only greens.

>> I do not have enough room in my frig for all the raw green stuff I want

>> to use each day in my smoothies.

>> What pitfalls (if there are any) would I encounter in pre-pureeing

>> ingredients, and then freezing, ingredients in ice cube trays, and then

>> popping out a cube of an ingredient to put in my smoothie?

>> I am thinking of freezing pre-bloended ingredients like dandelion greens,

>> beet greens, carrot greens, arugula, but keeping in the frig, to use as

>> fresh, things like kale, romaine, lettuce (which would be the 'body' of

>> my smoothie).

>> Would the stuff that is frozen be granular in my smoothie?

>> I guess the frozen stuff would lose some enzyme activity cuz it isn't

>> fresh?

>> Along the same lines, frozen veggies that come in a bag would not be as

>> good as fresh, were I to VM them?

>> Lea Ann, I think you said you like all green smoothies, without fruit?

>> Thanks for any words of wisdom on the above, Les PS: I bought a whole

>> bunch of organic, fresh stuff at the grocery store this morning that

>> won't fit in my frig, so I will have to 'process' some of it by the end

>> of today.

>>

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[Guest guest]

Yes, this is my experience too - that they get brittle and they are easy to break into crumbles to be added to a soup or smoothie.

Blessings,Lea Ann SavageSatellite Beach, FL(321) 773-7088 (home)(321-961-9219 (cell)))><'>www.VitamixLady.comwww..com<))><

On Nov 27, 2011, at 8:33 AM, LA wrote:

If it is oeganic and says it is washed I sometimes just freeze it. But most of the time I wash the greens and let them drain in a collander and pat them dry with paper towels and then put in bags to freeze. The greens do not clump together and turn to mush like you would think. They just get brittle it is easy to break off as much as you need for smoothies. Much better than having to throw away slimy greens from the refrigerator. Try a small amount in the freezer as an experiment.

A

>

> So you are freezing it without washing it beforehand? (do you wash it when

> you thaw it to put into smoothies? Or maybe you are putting it into the

> smoothie when it is frozen?)

> I am thinking that you press the air out of the baggie to make it lie that

> flat? Les

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you and Lea Ann - you are right, being able to freeze them is a

lot better than having to throw away slimy greens from the refrig! leslie

Re: advice needed re: pre-blending & freezing

ingredients

> If it is oeganic and says it is washed I sometimes just freeze it. But

> most of the time I wash the greens and let them drain in a collander and

> pat them dry with paper towels and then put in bags to freeze. The greens

> do not clump together and turn to mush like you would think. They just get

> brittle it is easy to break off as much as you need for smoothies. Much

> better than having to throw away slimy greens from the refrigerator. Try a

> small amount in the freezer as an experiment.

> A

>

>

>

>

>>

>> So you are freezing it without washing it beforehand? (do you wash it

>> when

>> you thaw it to put into smoothies? Or maybe you are putting it into the

>> smoothie when it is frozen?)

>> I am thinking that you press the air out of the baggie to make it lie

>> that

>> flat? Les

>>

>>

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