How To Stock Your Favorite Fruits And Vegetables

Summer is about to say goodbye to its gifts, mainly the abundance of fruits and vegetables, but that is no reason to starve precious vitamins and minerals in the months to come. With some effort and proven homemade recipes, you can make sure that the shelves of the pantry and the freezer will delight you with a varied diet even during wintertime

To prepare and store a dish, you only need to know a few tricks and little secrets that will allow you to effectively store everything your heart desires. Here is how we do it.

Local is (usually) healthy

The boom in global trade and commerce has spoiled us. Even in the middle of winter, we can find strawberries or tomatoes from the other side of the world on store shelves. Yet, with the global pandemic and logistics limitations more and more people became aware of the importance of locally grown and seasonal food. To maintain good health, it is much more advisable to eat foods that grow close to home. And enjoy the special charm of the four seasons which always serve something new.

To keep it – freeze it

Do you know all the benefits of freezing foods? There are many ways to enjoy local delicacies even in winter, among which freezing certainly ranks at the very top in terms of maintaining food quality. It is one of the safest ways to store food, as bacteria cannot multiply on frozen food, and at the same time the natural process of decomposition is prevented. You can freeze practically all types of food, with some exceptions, such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., which don’t freeze well (e.g. the quality is lost). Food that is frozen at -18 ° C or less can be used safely for a very long time. This way you can make sure healthy snacks are on hand until spring.

Frozen foods have more vitamin C

Frozen vegetables can be even more full of vitamins than classic freshly picked vegetables from the store, especially if you freeze them immediately after harvesting when they still contain all the nutrients. Various studies have even shown that frozen vegetables contain more vitamin C than foods found on store shelves or in the refrigerator, for example, fresh spinach loses as much as 77 % of vitamin C in just two days.

A-B-Cs of food freezing

Freezing foods has its rules and laws. You only freeze cold ingredients and dishes. It is also better to freeze several smaller flat food packages than one large one. Do check if the bag of packaged food is air permeable. Squeeze the air out of it, then close it tightly. It is also a good idea to cover the lids of the packaging, which do not seal well, with adhesive tape.

Packaged foods should first be placed in the refrigerator for a while and only then deep freeze them. When putting foods in the freezer place them in a way so that they do not touch each other (if possible). If you place new (to be frozen) items on already deep-frozen food packages, this will slow down air circulation and the freezing process so it is best avoided. Food packages can only be placed on top of each other after 24 hours have elapsed; meaning when they are already deep-frozen. It is also important not to re-freeze any partially and completely thawed foods.

Get the best freezer helper

Freezing food can be greatly facilitated by a quality freezer, which with its capacity ensures fast freezing, and with sufficient volume and numerous drawers and shelves allows you to arrange food clearly. This way you can always have everything you need on hand. We recommend that you label foods with the month and year of freezing so that you always have the stocks transparently distributed and you know exactly what to consume first.

When choosing a freezer, it is very important to put quality first, because, in addition to functionality, you will also ensure very easy maintenance. Gorenje refrigerators with freezers and cold chests with the quick freezing function will keep you happy for years.

Choosing the right refrigerator is a big decision. You may want one that will keep food fresh for longer, one that will adapt to you and your needs. With advanced features that provide freshness to your needs, Gorenje GardenFresh refrigerators are a great choice.