Posted on July 31 2017
Have you been wondering if you can vacuum seal fresh veggies from your garden or the local supermarket? Wonder no more: the answer is yes, although the work involved varies.
Most vegetables will do just fine when vacuum sealed and stored in the freezer. Green beans, for instance, can last as long as 2-3 years when vacuum sealed and stored in a freezer, versus a normal safe storage life of 8 months. Corn has a similar life when vacuum sealed.
View our food storage chart >
Cruciferous Vegetables
Some cruciferous vegetables (plants of the cabbage family)Â will require a little extra work before they can be vacuum sealed. These include:
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Kale
- Radishes
- Turnips
This group of savory greens emit gasses. If you were to throw them into a vacuum sealer bag and seal them, the bag would fill up with that gas, causing them to spoil. To vacuum seal cruciferous vegetables for long term storage, you should first blanch them.
Blanching
Blanching vegetables is a process of boiling them for a short period of time and then dropping them in cold water. Boiling deactivates the enzymes responsible for producing the unwanted gas, and the cold water stops the vegetable from cooking. As you might have guessed, the amount of time the vegetable spends in the boiling water will have to be monitored closely, otherwise you could end up cooking it. A few examples, shown below, are given by the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
| Vegetable | Boiling time in minutes |
|---|---|
| Broccoli flowerets 1-1/2" across | 3 |
| Medium brussels sprouts | 4 |
| Shredded cabbage | 1-1/2 |
| Cauliflower flowerets, 1" across | 3 |
| Cubed turnips | 2 |
Do you have a favorite way to store your harvest? Tips and tricks for growing your favorite crops? Let us know in the comments below!
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Last night I sealed and froze fresh vegetables that I now find out have to be blanched first. Can I take them from the freezer, blanch them and reseal them and they be ok?
Can you vacuum seal blanched potatoes?
Amila – YES, you can freeze bell peppers! The best way is to slice them up, portion, and place in vacuum seal bags – then place in freezer to freeze any loose juice from the veggie.
Once they are slightly frozen, go ahead and vacuum seal them completely! Then they are ready to go when you need them.
We like to do a mix of red, yellow and green long sliced in 1 cup portions using the quart size vacuum seal bags.
Dear sir,
Can bellpepper vacuum pack and freez. How is it ?