About Dana

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I'm a dichotomy of blue jeans, pretty jewelry, frugalista, and Southern girl living the simple rural life. I want to live my life holistically, thoughtfully, economically, and most of all gratefully, and encourage other women to do the same.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Freezing Broccoli

I have been away from The Country Belle blog for some time, and let me tell you, I was the laziest person over the holidays. Once I slipped into non-work mode, all bets were off. I managed to vacuum the dog hair from the floor and that, ladies and gentlemen, was the extent of my Christmas cleaning.

I did manage to slide myself off the couch and out of my "Storage Wars" TV-induced coma to make a little trip around the corner to a local farmer's produce stand. I've never had much luck with growing broccoli, but this man produces some outstanding broccoli every winter - nice and tender. I've never found anything like it in the grocery store.

So I bought him out one day - I think it was 13 bags of broccoli. I washed it all and let it dry thoroughly. Drying well is important to minimize ice crystals on the broccoli when you freeze it.

Then I cut each head into florets and packaged them in freezer bags. My chickens love the leftover stumps!

Now my family can enjoy the taste for many months to come. It's one vegetable everyone in my house seems to enjoy.

Using the freezer to keep a supply of locally grown produce ensures you are still eating well (and in this case, organically) when the vegetable (or fruit) is out of season. I similarly freeze strawberries in May and blueberries in June to enjoy all year long in pancakes and smoothies.

Happy New Year and happy homesteading!

Love,
TCB

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