The broccoli is coming in now and I’m freezing a head or more every day. Here’s how I do it.

First, I fill a pan with water and add some salt, maybe a couple of tablespoons. Then I put the broccoli in head down and lay a plate of something on top to weight the heads and keep the broccoli under water. The salt in the water helps to kill cabbage moth worms.  This year has been the worst year for cabbage moths that we’ve had in a while.

After you’ve let the broccoli soak for 30 minutes or so, you will still need to go through the heads with your fingers, pushing the green ‘leaves’ around looking for worms. I found a few that hung on after the soak.

Cabbage Moth Worm

Once you’ve cleaned the heads, you can blanch them.

You’ll need:

A big of of water
Salt
Ice and a big bowl
A slotted spoon
Freezer containers: plastic bags, rigid plastic containers or glass freezer jars

Cut the heads into spears.
Bring a big pot of water to a rolling boil. Drop in  the broccoli a few spears at a time and allow them to boil for 3 minutes.

Take the spears out with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a bowl of ice water. Leave them til they are cool to the touch.  If you don’t have ice, use the coldest water you can and leave the broccoli in it longer.

 

Take the spears of broccoli out of the ice water, drain well and place in a rigid plastic container, glass container or plastic bag. If you use a bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, better yet, use a Food Saver!

Label and place the containers in the freezer immediately, use within 3 months for best flavor.